As James Marshall's powers grew, his stories became more complex.
Later George and Martha stories sometimes have sequels. "The Scare" continues--in a shocking, unannounced way--in "The Amusement Park." "The Photograph" has a memorable sequel with "The Special Gift."
One of Marshall's late stories is a triumph of situational irony. That's "The Book."
Here, George is pissed because Martha won't let him read. She keeps fidgeting. George reads a brisk passage in his book, i.e. "be considerate to your friends, for sometimes you're thoughtless without even knowing it"; drunk with rage and righteousness, George seeks out Martha to read this aloud, as in a sermon; having found Martha, George is startled to hear Martha apologize and explain that her fidgeting grew out of loneliness; chastened by this apology, George examines his own rashness and bites his tongue. Situational irony. The one preparing to sermonize is actually the one who needs to hear the sermon.
Another great feature of Marshall's style is his sense of economy. When George storms away from Martha, he does not pause to note the impact of his brusque tone on Martha; he just storms off. (And Marshall does not point out this failure to connect; he lets the reader make the inference.) Later, Martha's apology comes as a shock--because George hasn't taken a second to wonder if Martha even noticed his irritation.
(Once, years ago, when I first started seeing a shrink, I was angry at the world, and I charged up the tenement staircase like a bull. The shrink said: "I know you're upset because I heard you on the stairs." Understanding that I had made a small dent on the world, and that one person had registered the dent: This was a painful, surprising process.)
Anyway, there I go again, ranting about my favorite hippos. Please check out "The Book" .....
Later George and Martha stories sometimes have sequels. "The Scare" continues--in a shocking, unannounced way--in "The Amusement Park." "The Photograph" has a memorable sequel with "The Special Gift."
One of Marshall's late stories is a triumph of situational irony. That's "The Book."
Here, George is pissed because Martha won't let him read. She keeps fidgeting. George reads a brisk passage in his book, i.e. "be considerate to your friends, for sometimes you're thoughtless without even knowing it"; drunk with rage and righteousness, George seeks out Martha to read this aloud, as in a sermon; having found Martha, George is startled to hear Martha apologize and explain that her fidgeting grew out of loneliness; chastened by this apology, George examines his own rashness and bites his tongue. Situational irony. The one preparing to sermonize is actually the one who needs to hear the sermon.
Another great feature of Marshall's style is his sense of economy. When George storms away from Martha, he does not pause to note the impact of his brusque tone on Martha; he just storms off. (And Marshall does not point out this failure to connect; he lets the reader make the inference.) Later, Martha's apology comes as a shock--because George hasn't taken a second to wonder if Martha even noticed his irritation.
(Once, years ago, when I first started seeing a shrink, I was angry at the world, and I charged up the tenement staircase like a bull. The shrink said: "I know you're upset because I heard you on the stairs." Understanding that I had made a small dent on the world, and that one person had registered the dent: This was a painful, surprising process.)
Anyway, there I go again, ranting about my favorite hippos. Please check out "The Book" .....
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