Thursday, October 11, 2018

Six Degrees of Separation: From The Outsiders to The Heart is a Lonely Hunter

Six Degree of Separation is a monthly meme hosted by Kate @ Books Are My Favorite and Best.

This month’s chain begins with The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton – which I have not read, but I believe it is categorized as Young Adult (YA). I read very little of the genre, but one I did read is…

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. I liked it very much, and another distinction it holds for me, besides being one of the few YA books I’ve read, it is also one of VERY few I picked up simply for the title. I was in the bookstore, the title intrigued me, so I bought it. The only other book that I can think of, that caught me simply by its title is…

If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino. This is a marvelous, charming tale, but very difficult to describe or synopsize. It is a unique work of experimental fiction. Another classic that employs experimental fiction is…

Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov. This is also difficult to describe. It has an unreliable narrator (possibly even insane). The unreliable narrator made me think of…

Holden Caulfield from The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger. I often see Catcher contrasted with…

Lord of the Flies by William Golding, as if the two express opposite world views. I don’t really buy that completely, but I do see them often contrasted. One way I would describe Lord of the Flies is tragically beautiful. The MOST tragically beautiful novel I’ve read is possibly...

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers.




And that – is how you get from The Outsiders to The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.
.

7 comments:

  1. I am interested in reading Heart is a Lonely Hunter...and now you make me think of it again, and that I should move it up on my TBR.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well Ruth, that gives me just the tiniest bit of trepidation. You and I usually have pretty similar tastes and sensitivities. But this just might be one you don't like so much. I could be wrong. I will certainly be interested in your thoughts (and I really won't worry about it).

      Delete
    2. LOL! That's a strong word. I find that I am drawn to those beautifully tragic and tragically beautiful works. Why? I long to discover what my issue is.

      Nonetheless, I love to dig deeply into an author's argument, especially if I disagree, and I will have it out with him or her. I first read about HLH after reading another book, and I was intrigued with the plot, even though I suspect I will have it out with Rachel on her topic. So we'll see. I've got my own copy, and maybe I will consider reading it soon.

      Delete
    3. I realize I referred to the author of Heart is a Lonely Hunter as Rachel, and I meant CARSON! I had to correct myself even if it doesn't matter!!!

      Delete
    4. Haha...I totally get it. I'd do the same thing.

      Delete
  2. The Elegance of the Hedgehog has been sitting on my TBR shelf for awhile now. I have read both The Catcher in the Rye and The Lord of the Flies--back in my high school days. I enjoyed both quite a bit (I seem to be in the minority there). I have yet to read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, but perhaps one day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I definitely recommend both The Elegance of the Hedgehog and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. You should definitely get to them..."one day"

      Delete