Though I’d heard of David Sedaris before, The Drama Bug was the first piece of his that I’d read, and I have to admit I was a little disappointed. I enjoyed his style of writing; his similes (“watching him was like opening the door to a singing telegram: you know it’s supposed to be entertain gin, but you can’t get beyond the sad fact that this person actually thinks he’s bringing some joy into your life”) and humor. I even enjoyed the reality of his piece, how things aren’t always fair in life. But I just didn’t care for the story itself.
Maybe it is the message I didn’t like. I agree that life isn’t fair, but I hate seeing undeserving people getting opportunities ahead of the people who work hard and follow the rules. I also didn’t connect with any of the characters. I didn’t like the mom because she was so harsh in the beginning about Sedaris’ imitation of a clown. I certainly didn’t like Louis because she was lazy and unworthy of the attention she received. But I also didn’t like the narrator. His use of Elizabethan language seemed annoying and pretentious and I just wanted him to stop. He may well have said all those things to people in that manner, but was it necessary to write it all down word for word?
I think I just expected more. Though I did find bits funny, and he has received a number of awards for his humor, I just assumed by the title that there would be more focus on acting than on the friendship. This piece reminds me of my article for Insight about graduation. Sedaris’ quoting of his speeches in Elizabethan language seemed similar to my inclusion of parts of my graduation speech—true to the moment, but not necessary to include in their entirety. Also the titles of both pieces need fleshing out in the work. I like both titles, but they are a little misleading for the direction of the works. I guess I’ll have to read something else of Sedaris’ to see how I truly feel about his writing.
-Katie Huffman
If you read my post, you know I don't agree about the Elizabethan English thing...but when I wrote that part, I assumed that Sedaris was quite young when he spoke that way to everyone. I think maybe he was actually in high school (but I'm not sure--I don't think it ever mentions his age!) or something, which makes it stranger! It was kind of hard to get through at times, but I still stick with my initial reaction that it was funny--especially at the beginning.
ReplyDeleteI also felt badly that poor David didn't get any parts he wanted and that the actors treated him so badly, but that was his real life story! He couldn't have told it another way because it didn't happen another way; the characters weren't his choice of characters because they were real people, not characters.
--Laura Strawn Ojeda
I think there are actually a million ways to tell a story, with the same characters and the same outcome because there are so many different things to focus on or comments to make. This piece would have been very different without Sedaris adding humor to it, but it could have been done. He could have made us care more about Lois and there lost friendship or given more background to his mother's portrayal to make us see why she was so annoyed with him.
ReplyDeleteI also think it's great that we have different opinions on the piece--that's the beauty of writing.
-Katie
:) Oui oui!
ReplyDeleteLaura
The Elizabethan English was funny to me. Simply because reading it reminded me of very specific people. I could see them walking around and speaking like that. But I agree with the conversation you and Laura are having. It is true, poor Lois. I appreciate what Laura says about him telling it the way he did because it's the truth. Sometimes I want a story to be different but, if it is already true who am I to argue with real life? :)
ReplyDeleteAngela
I think it's interesting that you didn't care for the story. If it were told by somebody else, I might not either. I don't think it's about the story, though. I can walk away from the story at the end and I'll be happy if I don't remember it. It's not the fact that the mime visited Sedaris' classroom that was funny. It was how it happened, how he told the story, and how I read it. I've read one of his books, and while it is all funny, most of what he writes about it plain and ordinary. I kept reading, though, and I thought it was great.
ReplyDeleteThere might be other reasons you didn't care for the story, though. For instance, you're into drama. I enjoy it, but it's not a hobby or passion for me, so the fact that it wasn't much of a story was fine. Perhaps if the words "dinosaur," "tea," or "origami" were in the title, and he didn't really focus on those things, I wouldn't care for the story either.
-Alexander Hirata