Posts Tagged ‘movies’

Featured Book Friday: Sister Carrie

Sister Carrie
Theodore Dreiser
1900

With the world’s most famous Carrie (Bradshaw) coming to theaters in “Sex and the City 2″ today, let’s revisit another Carrie: Caroline “Sister Carrie” Meeber.

This book tells a story that is, in some ways, very familiar: country girl Carrie moves to the big city, becomes disillusioned with the hard work and low wages she earns at a shoe factory, and falls in with a wealthy man who is taken with her beauty. That’s how Carrie ends up living (in sin!) in Chicago with Charles Drouet. But although Carrie has the fine things and clothing she has always dreamed of, it’s not enough. She soon begins an affair with an even wealthier man, setting off a chain of events that propel the novel toward a tragic end.

Carrie is curiously silent on her own motivations–she seems to want to socially and economically climb simply because that is what people do. And certainly the lifestyle of glamorous, wealthy Chicagoans, especially in contrast to the egregious poverty of factory workers, must have been a powerful motivator. Still, there is a sense Carrie’s desires are somewhat beyond her control: that when confronted with such consumption she can’t help but want to get more and more–whatever the cost (hint: it’s her respectability!). A professor of mine suggested that Carrie herself isn’t the heroine of this novel; the protagonist is capitalistic desire itself, “carried” along by Ms. Meeber.

“Sex and the City” has been attacked by critics for its wildly conspicuous consumption, and I’ve always wondered if the name of the main character is with a wink and a nod to this book. With changes in morality over the last 100 years I don’t think it’d be meant to condemn the SATC characters’ actions; instead, it’d serve as a subtle reminder to keep the values we carry in check. Carrie Bradshaw has said that the most important relationship you have is with yourself. Carrie Meeber’s story cautions us to make sure that self is based on who we are, not what we have.

Question of the week #67: Leading Roles

Since we just launched Leonard Matlin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, we’ve got movies on our minds. Think of your favorite book: who would you cast as the lead(s) in the film version?

Share your leading gents and ladies in our Question of the Week forum.

DailyLit News: March 2010

Note from the CEO
How many of you are like me, running around like crazy each day, trying to fit in work, family, and (gasp) a little fun? I’m hoping our daily installments help provide that brief respite to make your life a little richer or at least a bit more fun. You can escape down the rabbit hole with Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (this month’s Big Read). Or check out essays from single mother Lisa Kogan, the Writer at Large for O, The Oprah Magazine, who writes about ambivalent men, lunch meat, and scary superstores. And if you ever have time to enjoy a movie (or just want to be in the know), you can read daily reviews from Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen. Oh, and come join the countdown to Poetry Month with poems by John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, Sapphire, and others.

As always, I’d love to hear any suggestions you have. You can write them in our forums or feel free to write directly to me. In the meantime, cheers—to enjoying life to its fullest!

Susan Danziger
Founder/CEO, DailyLit
sdanziger[at]dailylit[dot]com

Countdown to Poetry Month with Updike, Oates and Sapphire
To celebrate April as poetry month (just around the corner), we’ve teamed up with Knopf to launch a Poem-A-Day collection featuring such bestselling authors as John Updike, Joyce Carol Oates, and Sapphire. Sign up here and join the countdown now.

Essays by Lisa Kogan, Writer at Large for O, The Oprah Magazine
Someone Will Be With You Shortly: Author Lisa Kogan writes for O, The Oprah Magazine, and in her new book discusses everything from her life as a single mother in New York City to her quest for the perfect tomato. She’s nostalgic for that time when you had to walk across a room to change channels and for when there was no such thing as a spy satellite capable of spotting a pre-cancerous mole on your inner thigh. Check out her essays here, compliments of our sponsor, HarperStudio.

Leonard Maltin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen
Discover hidden movie gems or throw around film trivia at your next dinner party. Here’s a taste from reviewer Leonard Maltin who dug up the best movies adapted from books: “The films I’ve chosen are ‘The Door in the Floor’ (from John Irving’s A Widow for One Year) starring Jeff Bridges; ‘Thumbsucker’ (from the novel by Walter Kirn, who also wrote Up in the Air); and ‘The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio’ (from the memoir by Terry Ryan).” You can read more about each of these films here. And get a daily series, compliments of HarperStudio, here.

Big Read: Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
You may have heard of a little movie called “Alice in Wonderland” which was just released. Before you see it, read the original on DailyLit, which we’re making this month’s Big Read. Check out Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland here.

Reader challenge: Before I die…
Not to be grim or overly dramatic, but I thought this month we could focus on one of the more important questions in life—that is, what does each of us want to do before we die? Inspired by the same question I saw posted on 5th Avenue (related to the launch of an MTV show, “The Buried Life”—and no, it’s not a sponsor), I thought it was important enough to ask our readers. So, in no more than 10 words, tell us: what do you want to do before you die? Post your life wishes in our Reader Challenge Forum.

DailyLit on Tumblr
We’re excited to announce that we’re bringing DailyLit to Tumblr. In case you haven’t heard of it, Tumblr is an innovative blogging platform that allows readers to follow certain blogs (also called Tumblogs) and reblog posts to share with friends. We’re offering Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; The Art of War; Emily Dickinson’s Poems as our first, what should we call them? Tumblogbooks? Tumblooks? Well, anyway, the countdown begins now, and the books begin on Tuesday, March 30th.

New in our Book Channel
This month we’re welcoming a new guest curator to the Book Channel: Carl Lennertz. He’s a real star in the publishing industry, and I’ve been a big fan of his for years. We’ve also included The Help, featured on The Today Show’s list of “10 Must-Read Books for Spring;” a collection of new Sherlock Holmes adventures; a dazzling debut novel selected by DailyLit staffer Maggie; sensational novelist Joshua Ferris’s latest; and New York Times bestseller You Are Not a Gadget. To start receiving these recommendations sign up now for our Book Channel.

“An Education” in DailyLit’s Book Channel

I’ve seen photos of actress Carey Mulligan, the face of the film “An Education,” all over the place these past few months, so when Atlas & Co. asked if I wanted to check out the memoir that inspired the Oscar-nominated film I jumped at the chance. It’s the story of an Oxford “education” that takes place, as so many of the most important educations do, far from the classroom. Hope you’ll enjoy this taste of a classic coming-of-age story told in the sharply witty voice of award-winning journalist Lynn Barber.

Sign up for the DailyLit Book Channel for hand-picked recommendations and excerpts from great books like those selected for Oprah’s book club and the newest titles from bestselling authors.

Emma Featured on Masterpiece Theater

A brand-new adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma is hitting TV screens this week on PBS’ classic series Masterpiece Theatre. There are, of course, seemingly a zillion adaptations–the one from the ’90s starring Gwyneth Paltrow and modern-day adaptation Clueless come to mind–but there’s an obvious reason why: we can’t get enough. In fact, I’ve just been looking at the previews for this new adaptation and it really looks lovely. And they’re planning a Twitter party to celebrate the series.

To get in the mood, why not start reading (or re-reading) Emma right now? (I mean, really, even if you are at work, reading Emma is probably more enriching than what you’re supposed to be doing, right?). You can also check out the first part of the Masterpiece Theatre series here. Check your local PBS listings to find out when the series is showing in your area.

The Lovely Bones in DailyLit’s Book Channel

As the film adaptation hits theaters this week, Alice Sebold’s bestselling book The Lovely Bones is back in the news. It is an unusual novel, told from the perspective of a dead girl who watches events unfold from somewhere beyond earth as we know it. It is, however, as hopeful and beautiful a story as you will find. Enjoy this excerpt in our Book Channel, but please note that it is an intense scene that includes the beginning of a physical assault.

Sherlock Holmes: Action Hero?

By now you’ve probably seen the trailer for the movie Sherlock Holmes starring Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes and Jude Law as his trusty sidekick Watson. Of course, movie adaptations usually take certain liberties, but I must say that the Holmes I’ve seen in the promos bears little resemblance to the tweedy detective of stories like “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” and others. Explosions, action, lusty ladies, swordfights, and a Watson who’s not portly? This is truly a whole new Holmes world.

I am looking forward to seeing the movie and will probably enjoy it–I’ve learned that it’s best to leave my “it’s not like the book” sentiments at home. After all, when the movie theater empties, we still have the stories to go home to.