Wednesday, January 23, 2008
What TV show?
I noticed that several people really liked Magic for Beginners. In my opinion, it was one of the lesser "wacky-off-the-wall" Link stories, but even after reading and re-reading it, I still have no idea who is on The Library and if Jeremy actually is on the show, how is he also watching it with no idea about the writers or characters or anything else. I know this is fantasy, but shouldn't it at least make some sort of sense? I really enjoy Link's highly descriptive and detailed style, but when the details do not seem to agree, it drives my logic-driven brain insane. That said, I thought that the parts about Jeremy's imperfect family life were touching and very realistic. I would leave my hubby for a good long break if he wrote a book in which my child died. And the way Jeremy and Kyle talk about their crushes is also completely normal. Link seems to try to balance out the nonsensical with some very down-to-earth interactions and problems, and I'm not sure whether or not I like it. It's just hard for me to constantly switch back and forth. So does anyone have an answer as to how Jeremy is on the show while he's watching it?
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3 comments:
Ok, this could be a little off, but this is the best analogy I have...
Do you watch Sponge Bob Squarepants? I think Jeremy is on the show while also watching the show in the same way that the Pirate host on Sponge Bob is also a huge Sponge Bob fan. He watches the show (and the movie), but he's also part of it's universe.
This is actually a pretty common TV trope, I think, to have characters on the show either realize that they're on a tv show, or be a huge fan of their tv show within their own tv show... ok, that was confusingly worded.
Does that make sense?
I could also make a Timmy Turner/Crimson Chin analogy (Fairly Oddparents)... Hmmm...
Well, if you care to delve into Link's depths EVEN more...Jeremy is already part of a piece of fiction: "Magic for Beginners." In the story, the narrator (also part of the story) wonders what kind of TV shows fictional characters watch. THE LIBRARY, in my opinion, is supposed to symbolize the entire scope of fiction, the way real libraries supposedly contain thousands of separate worlds. In Link's fictional work, two admittedly fictional universes collide. They have access to each other.
Also, I think that Link is making a neat statement about the nature of the universe. This will get a bit scientific for a moment, so bear with me (OH no! a bear! ahhh!) *ahem*
If you're familiar with Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle, I think that this story makes a LOT of sense. Basically (and I'm not expert, so don't quote me on this), this principle works on an atomic level, saying that by observing an atom you're actually changing what the atom does because you're introducing light or pressure or whatever to the atom's natural course. So no one can observe things in their 'natural' state, because by observing them, you're bringing minute differences into the system, becoming PART of the system. And doesn't this chemistry theory really apply to fiction? Think about it: readers bring their own experiences and judgments to a story. They change the story by reading it, just as Jeremy watches THE LIBRARY even while he is a part of it.
I'm sorry if this is overly confusing. This story really put me in mind of the Uncertainty Principle, and if you're about to beat out your brains with intellectual frustration, just ignore this entire entry. Go ahead. I won't be mad.
: D
Thanks for the help guys...I've re-read the story and combined with your explanations I think its making sense...There's a part of me that gets it...even though the logic part of my brain screams no before it gets told to shut it...
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