Post by mongoosey on Jan 24, 2005 22:51:21 GMT -5
What was your most favorite part in the book? What captured your attention as the reader? I'm very curious as to why people like Wicked, since the book is generally an unusual one.
I for one, came into this book shallowly. Yes, I admit it. I didn't care for the Wizard of Oz or Dorothy or the Munchkins. And the Wicked Witch of the West? Please. I rolled my eyes at the mention of a book about her. I could already guess it: He would either make her "tragically beautiful" and overly sympathetic, or a petty evil (she's been this way because of jealously, etc.) or a supernatural evil (a strange gift with magic, etc.).
Containing spoilers for the book:
The first chapter, however, heightened my disappointment as it leaned toward the supernatural part of my prediction. The second chapter, containing Shiz, heightened it even further. The whole cliche "misfit vs bitch coincidentally put into the same room" scenario irritated me much.
However, as Elphaba entered the picture (slowly but surely), I started to become fascinated with her imperfections, and in time, everyone else's.
Back to the subject: Gregory Maguire took an infamous "evil" villain from a most famous text/movie and gave her a name. How blessedly intriguing to give the Wicked Witch a name, much more intrinsic than a label.
But I digress: I think that most wickedly audacious thing that Maguire did was describing her pubic hair. Yes, you heard correctly.
It is so fascinatingly brilliant.
So you take an infamous villain, right? And you give her a name, suggest she might not have been evil, and have her have sex in your book? Then describe, despite the reader's shock, her pubic hair? The audaciousness, right? To describe someone thought so inhuman, so intimately?
Honey, you had me at "spangled curls."
I for one, came into this book shallowly. Yes, I admit it. I didn't care for the Wizard of Oz or Dorothy or the Munchkins. And the Wicked Witch of the West? Please. I rolled my eyes at the mention of a book about her. I could already guess it: He would either make her "tragically beautiful" and overly sympathetic, or a petty evil (she's been this way because of jealously, etc.) or a supernatural evil (a strange gift with magic, etc.).
Containing spoilers for the book:
The first chapter, however, heightened my disappointment as it leaned toward the supernatural part of my prediction. The second chapter, containing Shiz, heightened it even further. The whole cliche "misfit vs bitch coincidentally put into the same room" scenario irritated me much.
However, as Elphaba entered the picture (slowly but surely), I started to become fascinated with her imperfections, and in time, everyone else's.
Back to the subject: Gregory Maguire took an infamous "evil" villain from a most famous text/movie and gave her a name. How blessedly intriguing to give the Wicked Witch a name, much more intrinsic than a label.
But I digress: I think that most wickedly audacious thing that Maguire did was describing her pubic hair. Yes, you heard correctly.
It is so fascinatingly brilliant.
So you take an infamous villain, right? And you give her a name, suggest she might not have been evil, and have her have sex in your book? Then describe, despite the reader's shock, her pubic hair? The audaciousness, right? To describe someone thought so inhuman, so intimately?
Honey, you had me at "spangled curls."
