Tumblin' Mumblin' Jumblin' Rumblin' Travelin' Thru

Road trip movies. There are just so many of them. The Muppet Movie, The Wizard of Oz, Elizabethtown, Joyride, No Country for Old Men, Transamerica, Star Wars. Each one is different, but they all are kind of the same. The characters set off searching for something (whether they know it or not) and by the end of the film they find it.

Maybe that's why Kerouac's On the Road has yet to be adapted into a film. I know people have tried, scripts have been written, but nothing has ever been shot. The book is the ultimate road trip novel, but it doesn't seem to fit the conventions of the road trip film genre. I feel unsatisfied at the end of this story, and that is a road trip movie no-no.

As I am attempting to adapt a novel into screenplay myself, I can see where a producer would smell trouble. First of all, this book is kind of a big deal. It's like asking someone to remake Citizen Kane or film the Bible. It has to be done to perfection, or not at all. Second, there are a lot of characters to keep up with. You can do it, but it's not the easiest thing in the world to tackle. Finally, there's that whole "it can't be a road trip if he doesn't find what he's looking for" conundrum.

All of which make it a completely fascinating story.

If I Were Invisible

This week's dead author is Ralph Ellison  and his book Invisible Man. The invisible man is the narrator, with whom the reader is supposed to relate to.

Considering I'm white and female, it would shock some (mostly my friends...to whom I gripe to) that I identify with the invisible man at all. But art is a reflection of self, and it requires the application of the viewer. And this week there was no better time to be "viewing" Invisible Man. There's a passage in the prologue that spoke to me in particular:

I am one of the most irresponsible beings that ever lived. Irresponsibility is part of my invisibility; any way you face it, it is a denial. But to whom can I be responsible, and why should I be, when you refuse to see me?...Responsibility rests upon recognition, and recognition is a form of agreement.

Maybe it's just because school kind of knocked me on the ass with all of its responsibility. Maybe I really did slack off this summer. But I viewed the entire novel as the narrator's discovery of his visibility. Acknowledging his responsibility to the community. Using his gifts to finally reveal himself again after forcing his invisibility by ignoring his responsibilities.

it's back

School is back in session, oh goody goody. My life will finally be back on schedule after derailing over the summer. Not that it wasn't fun, but some structure is necessary.

I'm bringing back ye ole blog for a few reasons:

• I have to for class
• I've grown attached to the name
• I'm too lazy to come up with something else clever

Hopefully the cleverness will return with the schoolwork.

For those interested, I have another (non-school but everything-else related) blog. It's nothing special, just a place for pondering. 

Quips & Sentences