Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 12, 1992 TAG: 9201120240
SECTION: HORIZON PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
BOOKS IN BRIEF
The Mockingbird In the Gum Tree: A Literary Gallimaufry.By Louis D. Rubin Jr. LSU Press. $24.95.
If you consider yourself even a passive scholar of American literature or, especially, of Southern literature, and you haven't read Louis Rubin, start.
Louis Rubin writes the kind of literary criticism that one does not dread reading. You will find no dry prose in this volume, no nit-picking explications of individual works or such newfangled critical approaches as semiotics or narratology, or any other high-falutin' or otherwise unreadable concoctions.
You will find a hodge-podge of discussions of broad literary issues, some American and some particularly Southern in their subject matter. All take on a literature as a whole, as a body, and find the broadest of brush strokes in them, the biggest grain patterns. Subjects range from the birth of a uniquely American language to the "Southerness" of Southern literature to tributes to Thomas Wolfe and Robert Penn Warren.
Also worth reading is a piece in the addenda entitled "Young Man in Search of Vocation," which Rubin delivered as a lecture and which illuminates his exploits as a reporter for a number of Virginia newspapers.
The articles included here are, not surprisingly, intelligent; but more than that, they bear the mark of Rubin's personality and his wit, which sets them apart from the crackly stuff of interest only to the "Literary Snob Quarterly."
- MATTHEW CHITTUM
Winchell\ By Michael Herr. Vintage International. $9.
Fifty years ago, Walter Winchell was one of the most powerful, feared and hated men in America. A failed vaudeville dancer turned journalist, he wrote a Broadway gossip column carried in a thousand newspapers. His Sunday-night broadcasts brought tens of millions of people to their radio sets to hear his staccato bark (while he clicked a telegraph key in the background): "Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea. Let's go to press! Flash!"
It might be said that he ushered in the age of celebrity. He was courted by press agents, entertainers, politicians, writers. Even some gangsters were flattered that he mentioned them. The flip side was that a frown or sneer from Winchell could damage reputations and destroy careers.
An arrogant, egotistical vulgarian, he lived for the exercise of power. A Jew, he hated and excoriated fascists and idolized Franklin Roosevelt, but feuded cruelly with anyone who did not fawn on him. He appeared to have few redeeming qualities.
Herr's book, in the style of a screen play, is a fictionalized biography that captures Winchell's personality as well as his rat-a-tat, epigrammatic style at typewriter and microphone. Readers who have never heard of him - which would mean most Americans today - may marvel that so sleazy a man could accumulate and wield so much power by mere words. They may be reassured, as well, by the fact that he disappeared with so little trace. - BOB WILLIS
The Fine Line.\ By Eviatar Zerubavel. The Free Press. $22.95.
"The Fine Line" is a difficult book to classify and review, but this difficulty is what the book is about. It examines how the mind creates boundaries, and how these boundaries define who we are as individuals and groups.
An example of these boundaries can be seen in the abortion rights arguments heard today. A universal boundary defines the taking of a human life as being wrong, yet the boundary as to when life begins is not clear. Boundaries have been created in law that no life exists before 90 days after conception, some life exists between 91 and 180 days and life completely exists 181 days after conception. These new boundaries either encompass or alienate individuals, who then find themselves behind pro- or anti-abortion barricades.
The author describes three mind categories - rigid, fuzzy and flexible - and offers literary and anecdotal examples of each. I found myself agreeing with anecdotes of all three, and became uncomfortable in my inability to place myself absolutely in any one category. But then, that is what this book seeks to accomplish.
- LARRY SHIELD
The New York Times Parent's Guide to the Best Books for Children.\ By Eden Ross Lipson. Random House. $15.
As a parent and one who loves children's literature, I am always curious to see children's book lists. This is the best catalog of the literature I've seen. It is good not just because it has all the great classic and contemporary children's books (none of my favorites is missing), but because it is so well organized and indexed (55 indexes). More than 1,000 titles are numbered and categorized into six groups, from wordless picture books to young adult. The information with each title gives everything you need to find the book as well as plot summaries, recommendations and lots of useful information. It's so readable that I found it hard to put down.
The design is utilitarian. The book is an oversized paperback with wide margins for note-taking. Editor Eden Ross Lipson is the New York Times children's book editor. Her introduction explains how to use the book and what to consider about the child. This would be great to take along to the library or bookstore. In fact, it should be available for patrons to use. It would also make a wonderful gift for any parent, particularly a new parent.
- KATHLEEN LUNSFORD
Matthew Chittum is a Roanoke writer.\ Bob Willis is an editorial writer for this newspaper.\ Larry Shield writes software. Kathleen Lunsford is a teacher and artist.