Five in Five: 24 May 2021
Happy Reading!
Wuthering Heights is a gripping story about love, passion and power, and how when left unchecked, they wreak havoc by turning toxic, obsessive and vindictive. The novel, written by Emily Brontë in 1847, was initially published under the pseudonym of "Ellis Bell." This led many early critics to think that it was written by a man and felt that this explained the intense cruelty, rage and unapologetic callousness portrayed by the jealous and angry antihero, Heathcliff.
This excerpt from one of the contemporary reviews aptly sums up the general initial response to the novel. "Wuthering Heights is a strange, inartistic story. There are evidences in every chapter of a sort of rugged power–an unconscious strength–which the possessor seems never to think of turning to the best advantage. The general effect is inexpressibly painful. We know nothing in the whole range of our fictitious literature which presents such shocking pictures of the worst forms of humanity... The work of Currer Bell is a great performance; that of Ellis Bell is only a promise, but it is a colossal one." (Atlas, January 22, 1848). It was years later that the book started being considered a Classic and this Vox article explains beautifully why Wuthering Heights, despite unpleasant to read, is a masterpiece.
What movie I’m watching —
That One Day is a short film directed by Crystal Moselle starring Skate Kitchen, the all-woman skate crew from the streets of NYC. The movie is a delightful tale about a lonely teenager, her skateboard, a day at the neighbourhood skatepark, bullying and her journey of finding her tribe. 'That One Day' is part of the Women's Tales, an ongoing short film series created by fashion brand Miu Miu to celebrate women and femininity in the 21st century.
A quote I’m pondering —
“The crux of the matter is whether total war in its present form is justifiable, even when it serves a just purpose. Does it not have material and spiritual evil as its consequences which far exceed whatever good might result?”
― John Hersey, Hiroshima
A song I’m listening to —
Think About Things is a fun and playful song by the Icelandic band Daði og Gagnamagnið (Daði Freyr and Gagnamagnið, which in English translates to "The Data", which basically means "the amount of data"). In an attempt to explain the relevance and provide context to the song, Daði Freyr says, "The lyrics in 'Think About Things' are some of the most personal I have written. The song is about my little girl who was born in April of last year. I am talking about the feeling you get in the first few days and weeks where you know that you love this person with all your heart even though you don’t really get that much interaction. In the start she doesn’t do so much, so I am very excited to know what she thinks about all kinds of things."
The group was one of the favorites to win the Eurovision Song Contest in 2020, however, the event was cancelled due to the global pandemic. This year too the group was supposed to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 at Rotterdam's Ahoy Arena for an audience of 3,500 people, however, Daði og Gagnamagnið was forced to pull out as one of its members tested Covid positive.
An article I'm reading —
A Few Words About Breasts by Nora Ephron (first published in her Esquire column from 1972) gives a detailed description about her obsessive, frustrating and troubled relationship with her breasts. She talks about the mental agony, social awkwardness and physical inadequacy she felt most of her adolescent and adult life and how, even at 50, she continues to struggle with her body and the subject. As I read through the article, I was able to relate to her agony and understand her confusion and fixation but only till I read the last paragraph. Most of my empathy for Nora was lost by the brevity and carelessness with which she says that all her well-endowed girlfriends who talk about their struggles with the literal and figurative weight of their bosoms are "full of shit." It reminded me of the famous words of Plato, “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle.”