Aufgefallen
I'm taking a class now in Mennonite literature. I really enjoy the class, and have a great insight into the culture from which these books are written. I am however not a literature expert, which leaves me with two fundamental flaws when I read novels, 1.) I don't always catch imagery, and 2.) I don't understand the why.

Books are full of imagery, where something is happening in the book, but it means something else. For example, in "Peace Shall Destroy Many", Thom is unable to quiet all the frogs in the pond, even though he was sure that all that was needed was to throw rocks into the water, which symbolizes the community leaders' inability to quiet the questioning youth regarding fundamental issues. I only knew to watch for that imagery because I had been forewarned, and that warning made no sense, even though I had read the book once before. Now, my second time through, I get it. I know when I read a sexual encounter, that it likely implies something else, but I have trouble reading something non-sexual and seeing it as sexual imagery. I still get the plot, but I miss a lot of the deeper stuff that makes book worms go nuts.

What came as a surprise to many in the class, but not myself, is that most Mennonite writers leave their churches and communities soon after becoming famous. Rudy Wiebe was essentially excommunicated after writing Peace Shall Destroy Many. I think part of it comes from the fact that we (as Mennonites), like any large ethnic group, don't take self-critique well. In the larger Mennonite community as well, there is a certain suspicion about the outside world, including the academic world. Things that make sense in the literary world don't always jive in the world of the "quiet in the land". Writers are told to write everything, to be open and honest, because that is how stories are best told. Academic readers know this, and read novels accordingly. The general public, especially people who can perceive ridicule within a novel's pages, are incapable of reading in this way, so there is a fundamental disconnect. Fundamental, because these people receive praise and accolades from the literary world, and rebuke from their own communities. It's only logical then that most would see an obvious choice of which group to choose.

In some ways, I too am Aufgefallen (having abandoned the traditions of the fathers), because I have left my original church conference, I read this kind of literature, and I'm dating outside my immediate culture. However, I think it's still important (as does Rudy Wiebe), to work as hard as possible to bridge those gaps, address legitimate complaints, and work on toward greater goals.

   [ posted by William @ 5:20 PM ]