"There aren't any actual swans in Black Swan Green... It's sort of a village joke" (66).
hahahaha so funny! best joke I've ever heard! please tell me more!
No shade to whoever came up with the village name of Black Swan Green, but every time this village "joke" came up in the novel, I found it really cringe-worthy and almost annoying. It seems as though when anyone mentions the village name and/or asks about swans, Jason or some other poor villager has to quickly, and some what embarrassedly, explain how their town name is a joke, and hahaha, can you believe it? that there are actually no swans in our town?
I didn't find this novel to be particularly humorous, except for maybe a few small ironic parts. Maybe it's the fact that I didn't especially enjoy this novel, and I'm just trying to pick it apart. But the few places that David Mitchell tried to inject humor fell short on me. (Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, I don't even think the BSG joke is even meant to be funny; I think I've just interpreted it as a poor attempt at a joke that's not even a supposed to be a joke).
Another factor in my adverse attitude toward Black Swan Green was that it felt so sad and depressing. I thought that this novel was even more disheartening than Catcher, where there was at least some humor and light sections to break up Holden's depressive moments. However, as I kept reading through BSG hoping for an uplifting moment, it never seemed to come. A few of the moments were sweet and victorious for Jason (his sister commenting on his poetry, kissing Holly, becoming friends with Dean, to name a few), but even added up, I felt as though the book fell short of feeling satisfying for me.
So I opened this post with me sarcastically poking fun at the Black Swan Green village name joke. And I guess that's just kind of how I felt reading this book. I really wanted to like it, and there were some redeeming parts; it just didn't seem to create the most inviting atmosphere, in my opinion, and I didn't feel as though there were enough positive moments to break apart the overarching serious tone of the book.
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While I agree that Black Swan Green did have an overarching serious tone, I personally felt like it was more encouraging than Catcher. While Holden seems to deteriorate over the course of Catcher further and further, it seems like Jason's situation grows grimmer, but as a person he becomes stronger.
ReplyDeleteDitto to Alyssa. Just as quickly Jason's life got worse and worse, he became a a more and more refined and good character. In this book, we see his situation worsen but there wasn't a crazy fall... this was refreshing for me. While the prose was a bit more serious, the story seemed familiar - for that I will stray away from your opinions on the book; I loved it!
ReplyDeletePersonally, the few lighthearted moments this novel had had more effect on me than just an overall happy novel. It's like you enjoy it more when there's less of it. The parts I remember most being emotionally happy were when Dean and Jason and Maxine were having fun at the fair, when Jason is listening to Mr. Blue Sky 6 times in a row, and when Julia runs back to the house to give the LP to Jason before she leaves. Those were just a few, but I feel like this book wasn't really all that depressing, except for the ending. That was dead. For humor, I felt like there weren't any specifically funny parts, which makes me understand your point, but at least to me it didnt feel that dry. Awesome post!!
ReplyDeleteYea you know as a senior this time of year is especially depressing (and oh did I mention plz don't take U of I stuff second semester senior year), and the books that we've been reading have all been kinda dark... but I guess that's part of coming-of-age, is it not? You find out that your world isn't a crystal ball and there's all kinds of shit the flies around, and you learn to deal with it (lol that just makes human life sound so depressing -- but what even is the point of living? Yea that's a discussion for a different kind [but shout out to Victor Frankl]). About the BSG stuff yea lol it's kind of lame but like don't you find it kind of... like a buffer? If you think about it, the mild stupid joke of BSG puts your mind somewhere else to distract you from the problems with the marriage, social ranking, war, etc., just like how a buffer prevents drastic changes in pH from strong acids and bases. Without it, the story might be more stressful (and it's stressful enough to begin with). Idk just my opinion.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I enjoyed this book a lot. Jason's own personal achievements meant more to me than a humorous narrator. Jason's wit and character, though not necessarily lighthearted, provided a narrator we could root for, so we found joy in his successes instead of his humor, however I can completely see where you're coming from.
ReplyDeleteSo, I liked this book and there were definitely bits I laughed at, but yeah, this isn't one of them. I think it's not supposed to be funny though. Jason doesn't bring it up so you can laugh at it, he's telling us how tired the joke is. Nobody even ever says it as a joke itself, they always say "oh that's the old town joke". The parts I laughed at were Jason acting like a bit of a dork or Dean totally believing his sister's obvious exaggerations or Julia's dry wit.
ReplyDeleteI think the book comes with enough uplifting moments that the story is ultimately uplifting for an individual with a critical inner voice, or someone who has trouble presenting their true self. I can understand how someone who doesnt experience either these issues could find it depressing, as they see the events from the outside. I dont know if that is the reason why you dont like it, but I know I felt a similar kind of distaste for the bell jar and the depictions of suicidal tendencies because I couldnt relate to the character and I found the events quite gruesome, but i can appreciate it for its very real representation of depression and social expectations.
ReplyDeleteJust gonna start out by saying that this has been my favorite book this semester, so I may be a little biased. I think that although this book is in general more serious, that does not make it less enjoyable to read. I feel like its kinda the point of the book that coming of age is a slow process, and it is hard to see the continuous progress that Jason is making throughout the book. It is only when you look back on the novel as a whole that you see the drastic improvements Jason has made since the start of the novel. I think that this novel is very optimistic about Jason's future and the never-ending process of coming of age.
ReplyDeleteI think that Black Swan Green isn't necessarily intended to be uplifting and happy as much as sweetly optimistic. It is trying to put a 13-year-old boy's reality of middle school into writing in a way that many people can relate to. I think that Mitchell succeeded in this goal without obnoxiously sugar-coating life. Also, on a different note, I agree that the swan joke is not a real, hilarious joke, much like the "joke" of Cherry Hills having no hills.
ReplyDeleteWhen you apologize for a "joke" as you make it, it's not really telling a joke that you intend to be funny. The "running joke" about Black Swan Green is cited, as you say, almost as an obligation by Jason--it's what "everyone says," and it isn't particularly funny. There are (to my taste) some very funny moments in this novel, but they usually aren't of the joke-punchline variety.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you in the fact that this book isn't really uplifting or happy. But doesn't that just make it so much more realistic and relatable? Like, life (or at least mine) sucks ass and can be awful and it depends entirely on you and the way you interact w life to make your own uplifting and happy parts. I think that Jason accomplished this, especially once he stopped caring so much about popularity. Idk, this book was just one of my favorites so I have a v different view on it.
ReplyDelete