Jeff Bridges at the Varsity

Well, ok, Jeff Bridges will not be at the Varsity with us tomorrow, but he does talk about True Grit in this news release.

Don't forget to make plans to be at the Varsity on Wednesday at 5:30.

The Times Record Has Definitely Got Grit!

We were extremely pleased this morning to see the very thorough and interesting reporting about our little project on the front page--yes, the front page--of the Times Record. Thanks so much to their intrepid reporter Amy Sherrill (that's two r's and two l's) for the coverage. Thanks also to Dean Rinne for his support, to our current favorite graduate, Jacqueline West, for her input, and, of course, to Professor Kelly Jennings for doing the "smart part" of the interview. We are pleased to see that Fort Smith and the region's best newspaper have, in fact, Got Grit.
Don't forget--and you won't 'cause I'll remind you--about our gathering on Wednesday evening at 5:30 at the Varsity. All interested parties from both the campus and the community are invited to attend. We'll just get acquainted with each other and share ideas in an informal atmosphere. After all, this should be fun, right? By the way, the picture accompanying the blog post this morning is of Charles Portis with John Wayne on the set of the movie.

Let's get together

Excitement is really, really building about this project. This weekend we should receive some press; I'll report about it when I'm sure. One thing we're learning: this idea has some real wheels on it.

In the meantime, we'll propose a little get-together. If you are interested in reading with us or possibly using the book in a class (if you're a teacher) then come join us at 5:30 at the Varsity in downtown Fort Smith--just a few hundred yards from where some of the book takes place--on Wednesday, September 30th. We'll meet, have a libation, and share some ideas.

Put this on your calendar. You are going to want to be on board for this ride. It's going to be fun. More later. Remember to respond to the blog. That's the thing about blogs--they can be two-way. Write something in the comment section. Show your grit and be brave.

Phrase Origins

So our fellow traveler and Chair of Art stopped by today to pick up his copy of the novel. He asked about the history of the phrase "true grit." I had actually wondered the very same thing only this morning. Someone needs to do some more research, but here's what I found when I consulted the great god Google. This comes from a site called "Word Wizard."

"In the early 19th century, perhaps because ‘grit’ provides traction when something is slippery, such as an icy road, it came to be associated, as a colloquialism, with firmness or solidity of character, indomitable spirit, stamina, braveness or strength – to have genuine spirit or pluck. The expression 'to be clear, hard (etc.) grit' or ‘to be the grit’ meant to be the ‘right sort,’ the genuine ‘article.’

1825 “Proper fellow he was too; ‘cute enough, I tell you— sharp as a razor—CLEAR GRIT.”—‘Brother Jonathan’ by John Neal, III, page 386

1843 “If he hadn't a had the CLEAR GRIT in him, and showed his teeth and claws.”—‘Attaché’ by Haliburton, II. i. page 13

1863 “His main deficiency was a lack of GRIT.”—‘Our Old Home’(1883) by Hawthorne, I. 322

Shortly after the appearance of ‘grit,’ TRUE GRIT meaning “unfaltering courage; devotion to what is right; indomitableness; of a solid character” became a common expression in the western United States to define one who is devoted to doing what is right regardless of the danger involved.

“We don’t like to leave a real true grit American . . . among a lot of cowardly Diegos.”—‘The Knickerbocker, 1846.

Note: In the above context the Spanish and Portuguese given name Diego’ is being used as a slur for the Spanish or Mexicans.

In 1969 John Wayne won Academy Award for portraying Rooster Cogburn, the old, one-eyed reprobate, who discovers that he has hidden courage, in the motion picture True Grit and as a result the expression enjoyed a revival in popular use. Upon being diagnosed again with cancer it was reported in Time:

“John Wayne . . . accepted the news with true grit. "‘I've licked the Big C before,’ he said.”

Developments

Exciting developments over the weekend. Great responses from the Center for Lifelong Learning, whose director, Becky Timmons, reports that they definitely "got grit" and want to be included. The College Preparatory folks are also on board. We know they "got grit" over there. We'll have to set up a planning meeting (more meetings!) to get everyone together. In the meantime, we've had several behind-the-scenes developments that could put us in direct touch with the author (the highly reclusive Charles Portis) and with the Coen Brothers. Who knows?

Responses

If you're just starting to read the blog, be sure to read the initial post (it's called "What we're up to"), so you'll know what's going on.

Well, evidently lots of people "got grit," because initial response to the project has been terrific. We've heard from lots of folks who want to read with us, both from around the campus and from the community. Someone has pointed out that news has come out that Jeff Bridges has been slated to play Rooster Cogburn this time, and I've learned that we actually might have an "in" with the Coens. More on that as it develops.

It's still early in the Fall semester and we won't start reading with the students until Spring, so we'll have to work to keep the momentum up. Still, I wanted to give people who will be teaching and want to incorporate the project into their syllabi plenty of time to plan.

In the meantime, we did order 50 copies of the book, which are currently being held in the Dean's office (Vines) 226. We'll be glad to let you have one, especially if you're going to be looking at it for possible use in your classes. Or you could just get an early start on your reading. Still, we won't officially begin reading until Spring.

One last thing--don't be afraid to comment or respond using the comment function below. That's how blogs work. It's open to comment and to posts from other folks. If you want to comment, just comment. If you want to post something, just send it to me by email and I'll post it for you.

What we're up to

This spring, students and faculty in the College of Languages and Communication are reading Charles Portis’s novel True Grit, which is set in and around Fort Smith. Most know the novel as the source of the John Wayne movie, but the novel is much better. In fact, the novel has been called one of the great undiscovered masterpieces of American literature. Word is that the Coen Brothers (Fargo, The Big Lebowski) are currently filming a remake.

While we’ve stopped short of calling this a campus-wide reading initiative, we would like to invite folks from other departments and colleges to participate. Here’s some of the ideas we’ve had:

• Invite reading groups from the community to read and discuss the book with us.
• Screen the film version and have a discussion afterwards on the differences between versions.
• Have public readings of the novel.
• Invite speakers to campus to discuss the book (who knows, maybe Portis or the Coens).

While this is a college initiative originating in English and Rhetoric, we’d like to invite teachers in other disciplines to explore the possibilities of interacting with this text and with students reading the book. Here are some ideas we’ve had to involve other faculty and courses:

• Could a group from historical interpretation take groups to places mentioned in the book?
• Might history teachers or students deliver papers and talks on the historical period?
• Could music students explore and then perform music from the period?
• Might art students create visual representations of events and characters from the book or
make a poster for the new Coen Brothers movie?
• Could creative writing students work on dramatizations of scenes from the book and theater
students put them on?
• Might business students design a marketing plan for the movie?

We’re open to any ideas to make this Spring the semester of True Grit. If you’d like to join with us in planning events in your courses, in your college, or if you’d just like to read the book with us, email jhardin@uafortsmith.edu or respond below.