The Quotable Author

A few days ago, I was flipping through a favorite book to find a passage I especially love. It made me think I need to keep what is referred to as "a commonplace book." A commonplace book is: "A personal journal in which quotable passages, literary excerpts, and comments are written" (The American Heritage Dictionary). You sometimes come across the term in older novels or biographies of historical figures.

I already keep something like a modern version of the commonplace book. It's just a computer file where I keep favorite quotes or passages from books I love. (Unfortunately, more often than not, I don't take the time to add a favorite passage, and so I still find myself thumbing through books.) I began this habit after attending a play with a line I wanted to remember. It's from the Arthur Miller play The Last Yankee:

"We are in this world and you're going to have to find some way to love it. . . . I'll say it again, because it's the only thing that's kept me from going crazy--you just have to love this world."

Sometimes my favorite quotations from books are first person passages that so perfectly capture a character's speech that the character comes alive. It's like she's standing next to you, telling you her story. One such character is Ellen Foster, the young motherless heroine of Kaye Gibbons novel of the same name, who wants to adopt a mother:

"Now I had accumulated $166 dollars to offer my new mama-to-be. That is not a fortune, but you don't find many girls with that much cash to offer up front for room, board, and some attention. I figured it would let her know right away that I mean business."

Another beloved passage is from my all-time favorite novel, The Song of the Lark, about the struggles and artistic growth of Thea Kronborg, a determined and talented minister's daughter from Colorado who matures into a great artist and opera singer. Here, following one of her performances, her former piano teacher, Harsanyi, is asked about her:

"Yes, Harsanyi. You know all about her. What's her secret?"
Harsanyi rumpled his hair irritably and shrugged his shoulders.

"Her secret? It is every artist's secret,"--he waved his hand,--"passion. That is all. It is an open secret, and perfectly safe. Like heroism, it is inimitable in cheap materials."

Granted, I don't entirely agree with Harsanyi. I think great artistry is a result of talent and hard work as well as passion. But I still love the line, especially the declaration that passion is "inimitable in cheap materials."

What are some of your favorite passages from books? Do you have a favorite quote or piece of dialog?

The Book That Haunts Me

You just finished THE most compelling book. Maybe you even stayed up until 2 a.m. to finish it. You long to discuss it with others, but no one you know has read it. You're curious to learn what others thought of a certain character: sometimes you liked him, and sometimes you didn't know WHAT to make of him. You wonder why the hero made the choices he did. You can't get the ending out of your head--it haunts you.

Does this sound like you? Then you should definitely register to attend one or more of our book discussions! The Tuesday morning group meets the first Tuesday of every month at 10 am. The Thursday evening group meets the second Thursday of every month at 7:30 p.m. And this year, between now and May, the library is hosting a special series of book discussions on "Love and Forgiveness," featuring literary works from Shakespeare to Ian McEwan that "explore how time and experience can lead to forgiveness in the presence of wisdom--and how wisdom can emerge."

A book rich in wisdom and depth that has haunted me for years is Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman, and I'm very pleased to lead the Tuesday morning group in a discussion on February 3rd at 10 am. I was introduced to the play by my favorite high school English teacher, Ms. Judith Jahant, in whose class I first read it and listened to excerpts of Lee J. Cobb's explosive performance as Willy Loman. Willy Loman and Arthur Miller's other characters were unlike any I'd encountered in a book: their emotional lives and feelings for one another were as rich and complicated as life itself. Until then, I didn't know that could be captured on the page.

At the center of the story is Willy Loman, a man who worked over forty years as a salesman only to find himself tossed aside by his longtime employer at the age of 63. The play is a portrait of a flawed and misguided but ultimately sympathetic man. It's also a play that shines a harsh light on the American dream.

There is still time to sign up for the discussion and pick up a copy of the book at the Readers' Services desk on the third floor.

I'll leave you with the words of one of the characters in Death of a Salesman:

"I don't say he's a great man. Willy Loman never made a lot of money. His name was never in the paper. He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. He's not to be allowed to fall into his grave like an old dog. Attention, attention must be finally paid to such a person."