Dr. Lawrence's Class

Oh, my. Sorry it took me so long to post this link to Dr. Lawrence's Class' blog on "Our View of the West." These students have done a fabulous job. Please do yourself a favor and follow this link.

How cool is this?

As part of the True Grit project, Mr. Kevin Jones, Ms. Susan Whitlow, Dr. Dennis Siler, Mr. Roy Hill, and Mrs. Jacqulyn West of the Department of English and Rhetoric filmed a historic adaptation of the courtroom scene from Charles Portis' novel, True Grit on April 20th in cooperation with the Fort Smith National Historic Site. Students from Sigma Tau Delta, the English Honor Society and others worked to complete filming in the exhibit of Judge Isaac C. Parker's courtroom at the Fort Smith National Historic Site downtown. Mr. Jones directed this short scene and adapted a shooting script from the novel with much input from English faculty. The short film, "The Gritty Film Project" will be shown later this semester and in the summer on campus, at the Fort Smith Public Library, and for future classroom use. Students involved with the filming included Shawn Mann, Stephanie Raney, Johnathan Morgan, John West, Beau Berrera, Kathryn Feather, and Cara Hewett.

I cannot wait to see how this turns out. Fantastic work and thanks to all those involved. Very cool.

Way too much stuff going on!

I'm having a serious problem keeping up with all the True Grit happenings, folks. In addition, managing all this social media stuff--three facebook sites, a blog, and four email accounts--is seriously time-consuming. Especially with so much going on. Ok, here's what I know about.

This afternoon, in Holt 102, Roy Hill will have his demonstration on the firearms written about in the novel. This promises to be informative, safe, and interesting. I'd go if I were you.

Next Tuesday, Kevin Jone's class is filming the courtroom scene in the actual courtroom. He wanted me to play the prosecuting attorney (hmm), but I don't have time to be fitted for the costume (plus, where DO you get a prosecuting attorneys outfit from the late 1800s in my size?). We WILL find a place to show and/or post this video when it's done. That just sounds like lots of fun.

I just got notice that Marie Westphal's class is having an event next Tuesday as well. At 9:30, in Math-Science 204, her ENGL 1213 students will be giving a brief overview of their 'Quote Projects.' You'll want to go to that. Presentations are expected to only be about 20-35 minutes long but I am expecting great things from this great class.

Monday, we're going over to the Central Presbyterian Book Club meeting to talk with their readers about the book. I am REALLY looking forward to that.

And folks, if there's anything else going on please let me know.

True Grit Stuff

Big events last week. On Tuesday, Jacqulyn West conducted two seminars for interested students and faculty. Some really interesting conversation ensued. Jacqulyn talked to the students about reading the novel as a Fort Smithereener. One of the more interesting conversations I heard started with a few students who wanted to "indict" poor Mattie. She was wrong, they said, to seek revenge for her father's death and should have just left it to law enforcement. Well, I was having none of that! I think Mattie did the honorable thing. Showed "true grit," as it were. Sure, we don't like vigilante law, but really . . . ? Mattie was wrong? I just won't have it? Most of the other students rose to her defense, thank goodness.

On Thursday, we screened the movie twice in Echols. Both showings were well-attended. Lots of students at the first showing and lots of folks from the community at the second showing. Great conversations. I found that after my third viewing I really was appreciating Wayne's performance more. He DID win an Oscar for it, too.

Fantastic True Grit stuff going on! Keep blogging. If you're on Facebook (and who isn't?) you can see more pictures at the College of Languages and Communication Facebook page. Use the link on this blog.

Wow, these events are creeping up on me!

Lots of True Grit events coming up this month--some of them this week! Here's what I have on the calendar:

March 30th--Jacqueline West leads a discussion and has a short presentation on reading True Grit as a Fort Smitherite. That's at 9:30 and possibly again at 12:30 in the Holt building. Call the English office for details or watch this space.

April 1st--True Grit film showing and panel discussions in Echols conference room at 9:30 and then again at 1:00. You don't want to miss this! This will be fun. Come to either showing.

April 7th--Faculty panel presentation at the Delta Symposium at Arkansas State on teaching True Grit and our various projects.

April 16th--A presentation by Roy Hill on the firearms used in the book. Time and place to be announced. This will be good. Call the English office for details or watch this space.

April 17th--An actual firing of some of the weapons at Roy Hill's place. This one makes me nervous. English faculty and live ammo? Hmm.

April 19th--Some of us will be talking with the Central Presbyterian Book Club about their reading of the novel.

April 26th--Sigma Tau Delta and high school readers of True Grit discussion at the Fort Smith Public Library at 6:30 pm. Great service project for Sigma Tau Delta!

Great events coming up. I'll fill in some of these details as I have them. Feel free to email me at jhardin@uafortsmith.edu if you need more.

Film and Updates

Just a reminder that if you're just joining us the bulk of the blogging about the actual book is in the January archives in the posts labeled as Chapter One, Chapter Two, etc. I was reading and blogging at that time and there are many responses from smart students and faculty. That's a good place to catch up if you're just reading the book now.

In addition, here's a note from the Chair of English, Dr. Whiting, on the film date:

"Through the Center for Life-long Learning, we will be showing the 1969 film True Grit in the Echols Conference Center on April 1st. I can provide directions if you are unsure where Echols is. The first showing of the film will begin at 9:30 and the second will be at 1. The film is 128 min. long. Here’s the link for the film at the imdb website:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065126/

"We will conduct a short panel discussion/Q & A after each showing. I plan on having a sign-up sheet at the table in the entryway and having my students sign that – I am giving my class extra credit points for attending. You all are certainly welcome to do the same. Obviously the majority of students have class that day, but you are certainly welcome to approach the showings any way that you wish, or you can ignore it too. That’s okay. April is a busy month.

"In case you are interested, you can click on the imdb link for the new version of True Grit. It is quite informative of what we can expect when the film comes on in late December. It includes a casting call for extras (we missed it!) and some other interesting tidbits.

Melissa

Thanks for that update, Dr. Whiting.

Happenings

Hi, folks. I'm on the road and things are happening with True Grit. When I get back, I'll be posting lots and lots of event details. In the meantime, here's a link to some photos from a student field trip to downtown. Looks like they went to the Clayton House, the National Historical Site, Miss Laura's, and the Fort Smith City Museum.

In addition, here's a suggestion from Kevin Jones:

You might check out the local festivals coming up as a way to connect our students to TRUE GRIT. The Fort Smith Heritage Festival is April 10, beginning at 10am downtown. For more info, contact the Community Services Clearinghouse 782-5074, the United Way, or the City of Fort Smith. All proceeds benefit the "Meals for Kids," which feeds more than 2,400 hungry children in area Oklahoma and Arkansas schools. I thought the specific presentations at the Fort Smith Museum of History, National Historic Site (Parker's Courthouse), The National Cemetery, Miss Laura's, the Sebastian Co. Courthouse, and the Fort Smith Convention Center would also be of interest.

In addition to FREE tours at many of the above historic places, special presentations will be held at the FS Museum of His., the NPS site, Cemetery, Co. Courthouse, and the Convention Center.

For example, "The Fort Smith National Historic Site will present a living history tour following the experiences of a US MARSHAL bringing in a criminal from the Indian Territory." hmmmm, sounds like a good book.

People could also ride a mule wagon down Rogers Ave. from the Sebastian Co. Courthouse, see a shoot-out on the Sebastian Co. Courthouse Lawn (although I think this would be better at Parker's courthouse), plus, Baridi Nkokheli "brings the heroic" and "legendary US Deputy Marshal, Bass Reeves," to life in the FS Convention Center Children's Area.

Additionally, for the diversity sought after by some on this campus, you might check out the 2nd Annual Natchez Nation Benefit Powwow Honoring Families, or the numerous exhibits and vendors of Native American art, "Beautiful Asian and Spanish dancers," "Cultural Ambassadors," hands-on projects, and meet other living history participants, perhaps?

I am encouraging my students to attend this festival. I believe it would help us connect our chosen novel to a sense of place and help our community connect to our department a bit more, as well?

Some of you may have already known about this information, but in case you did not, I can provide copies of the pamphlet.

For what it is worth,
Kevin Jones

I think it's worth lots, Kevin. Thanks for writing.

Remake News

Ok, so today's picture is of Hailee Steinfeld, who has been cast as Mattie. Too late, all you Mattie wanna-bes.

Here's another link to someone's blog who has read the Coen Brothers' script. It's an interesting read. I'm not sure it bodes well for those of us who were hoping for a more faithful adaptation of the book. Still . . .

We've also heard at least two rumors that the Coen's representatives have been in Fort Smith. I only have this third-hand, but it seems they were in the library asking questions and down on Garrison looking at the street. I've also heard they were asking at the museum and at the Federal site about authentic costuming. It could all be rumor of course, as your faithful blogger has the info third-hand at least. I've read that most of the filming will take place in New Mexico, which doesn't look a thing like West Arkansas and East Oklahoma, of course.

Poster session

Wow. I just got back from visiting Sarah Griffith-Smith's fabulous 1213 class. The students had prepared four poster sessions on research from True Grit. Two of the groups had put together poster sessions on Judge Parker--one complete with small, working gallows. Another group had a wonderful poster on the weapons used in the book, and then a fourth group had a very interesting and unique poster session on fashion and textiles used during the time and clothing mentioned in the book. It turns out that those jeans that Mattie was wearing in the book wouldn't be invented until the 1930s. Hmm.

We've encouraged the group to submit the poster session for research day. I hope they do. We've also stored the posters and hope the students will allow us to show them at various other True Grit events that are coming up. We'll keep you informed.

Way to go, Sarah. Great class with obvious grit. Thanks for inviting me.

What are you doing with Grit?

As always, if you're just joining us, you really should go back and read all the blog entries for January--the ones with chapter titles. There, you'll find lots of great comments from students and faculty that came in while I was reading the book and blogging each chapter. Good stuff back there. Keep adding to that section.

As for now, every day I'm hearing more and more cool things about what people are doing with True Grit, especially in their 1213 classes but off-campus as well. For instance, we've just been invited to visit the group presentations for Sarah Griffith-Smith's 1213 class. As she says, each group has been assigned to create "a science fair-style display of a topic that was inspired by True Grit." The presentations will be up at 8:00 on this Friday morning in the Holt building on campus. I'm not sure if they'll be in a specific classroom or in the hallways, but I'm sure that she wouldn't mind if other people showed up to see them, too. Sarah? Are they up all day? All week? Can they be?

We've also been invited to go and visit the Central Presbyterian Book Club
on April 19th at 10.20 am for their monthly meeting where they will be discussing True Grit. I'll probably go myself, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if I brought interested and knowledgeable faculty or even a bright student or two (do we have any other kind?). Let me know. I'll be going for sure.

The chair of the English department, Dr. Whiting, and I met today with Jacqueline West, who will be giving a short presentation and leading a discussion on how to read True Grit as a Fort Smither (Smyther? Smithite? Smithian? Smitherington?). The tentative date for that is March 30th and we're currently looking for a place. Details for follow.

And don't forget to mark April 1st on your calendar for the film festival and panel discussions. Those will be in the Echols building on campus. I'll post details again soon or you can visit the Lifelong Learning link.

Which brings me to my point: please tell us all what you're doing! Don't hide your light under a bushel! Tell us if you're reading. Tell us what you think about the book and about the project. Tell us what you're doing in class, in your bookclub, etc. Post it as a comment or if you're on Facebook, join us on the Got Grit page there.

One of these days, I'll finish watching the movie, too.

Watching the Original Film

Well, I'm desperately trying to find some time to watch the original movie with THE DUKE. I did watch the first thirty to forty-five minutes while I ate my lunch today. It's good so far--no Citizen Kane, though. Here are some thoughts:

1. I sure hope they never say this is supposed to be Arkansas and/or Oklahoma, cause it sure ain't. Pretty scenery, but it ain't nothin' like it looks 'round here pardner. So far, they haven't made any mention of exactly where it is; they just say "Fort Smith" and "Indian Territory." Please, I hope the Coen's make the scenery at least look a little like AR and OK.

2. It's weird to have the action of Mattie's father going off and getting killed on the screen instead of being told to us by Mattie. It really takes something away from the story. They need more exposition than they have just by showing it. I'm not sure if I'd know what was going on for the first 15 minutes if I hadn't read the book. It ruins the framing mechanism of Mattie's narrative at the beginning and the end, too.

3. You can really tell when Marguerite Robert's screenplay relies on Portis' language, which it does more than I had been led to believe, but the directing is weak and so the lines don't really "pop" like they could with a good director. The section with Rooster testifying in front of Judge Parker contains lots of exact lines. Of course, the guy that's playing Judge Parker--James Westerfield, you'd recognize him--is all wrong for the part. He just plays Parker as your stereotypical disinterested bumbling judge--more concerned with his indigestion than the trial. It would be interesting see all the movie representations of Parker--I know there are lots of them. Anybody wanna make a list?

4. I enjoyed the "bad manners" at the boarding house table--lots of smacking and chewing with your mouth open. Funny.

5. Does Rooster have a patch over one eye in the book or is that something they made up for the film? I can't remember.

Some technical stuff for the "film" people (as opposed to "movie" people):

1. Isn't it odd to have the theme song--you know the one with the vocals and all--playing over the opening titles? Don't they usually save that song for the ending? I guess that's an older technique.

2. Lucien Ballard's cinematography is great. What do we expect, though, he's Sam Pedkinpaugh's cinematographer. This kind of thing must have been second nature to him.

3. The direction, by Henry Hathaway, seems workmanlike at best. Stilted. I'm sorry, but it's just weak.

4. I'm usually a fan of Elmer Bernstein's scoring, but this seems a bit overblown and like something he had left over from another project. The opening music after the theme song seems like it was actually composed for some other film. I do like the scoring when Mattie is looking at her father's watch. Very sensitive.

Well, maybe I'll have time to watch the rest of it tomorrow at lunch.

Remember that I have three copies if you want to view the film.

True Writing

Today's picture is of Marguerite Roberts, screenwriter for the original movie. I learned from watching a short feature on the DVD that Ms Roberts specialized in writing "tough guy" westerns for Hollywood before she was blacklisted in the 1950s. Like so many good people in Hollywood, Ms Roberts refused to "name names" in front of HUAC.

She never thought, when she submitted the script, that John Wayne would even read something with her name on it, considering how "right wing" his politics were. Nevertheless, he did, and liked the script so much that he couldn't wait to do the film.

Another tidbit I picked up from the short feature is that Wayne was really perplexed by Kim Darby, who had read Portis' book and fallen in love with both Mattie and Portis' language. According to some other folks who worked on the movie, Wayne didn't quite get it, saw the movie as a standard shoot-em-up, and wondered why Darby was so intense about the part and the language and about staying true to the book.

At any rate, it's an interesting short feature. I still haven't watched the film, though. This weekend for sure.

So this is a picture of the True Grit daffodil. I'm hoping that I start seeing some of these soon. I'm so over winter. If I hadn't lived in Fort Smith, I never would have believed that most of the novel's plot-line takes place in the snow. Folks, it can really snow here!

Lots of stuff pending but nothing immediate to report. If you're just joining us, don't miss the January archives. I was reading and blogging the novel in January, but that's now why you should go back to those posts. The fun part is that there are tons of insightful, fun, and thoughtful responses from students and teachers and readers of all types who responded as they have read the chapters. Go back to the January archives and look at the posts that have chapter numbers.

I'm still looking for guest bloggers, too. If you'd like to blog as you read let me know. Or if you have other items you'd like me to post on the blog, those are welcome, too. Just email them to me and I'll post them to the blog.

Don't forget the True Grit Facebook page, too. We now have almost thirty members over there. Geez, is there a facebook page for everything? YES! Believe me, after all this is over I'll be writing some scholarship about networking in the academic community. I'm learning so much from this experience.

In the meantime, I'm still trying to find a moment to watch the movie. Speaking of which, I have three copies, if anyone would like to borrow one. I also still have some copies of the text if you need one of those.

Keep reading and responding!

Ah, you never know what the day will bring. Thursday brought this interesting story:

One of the students in Dr. Whiting's class checked out the copy of True Grit from the Fort Smith public library. On closer examination they noticed that on the inside cover was a taped-over synopsis of the storyline. It was also apparent that some type of message with an accompanying signature was underneath the yellowing "recap." The student believed that the signature was Charles Portis's, the author of True Grit. Well, right at that moment they knew they had to find out. Don't try this at home: the student produced a small pocket knife, and carefully pulled off the pasted on synopsis. Sure enough, it was a book dedicated to the Fort Smith Public Library with a "thanks" for some obvious historical help through mimeographs or microfishe. It was signed by Charles Portis and the date was 1968. In other words, the student checked out a signed FIRST edition of True Grit. We may have to talk to them about getting the book out of circulation.

I just posted an album of pictures to the Got Grit? Facebook site (for those of you on FB) called "Cultural Appropriations of True Grit." The album contains photos of things like the True Grit type font, the True Grit daffodil, True Grit jeans, and the plans for the True Grit boat. Fun stuff.

The photo for today's post was taken in the San Bois mountains.

Facebook Grit

Cool. I forgot I set up a Facebook page for the True Grit project. I just found it! Check it out if you're on Facebook; it's here or you can find it under Got Grit?

Thanks!

I am so enjoying reading all your posts to the blog. I've been so busy this week that I haven't had time to watch the movie yet to see how it compares to the book. I plan on doing that for sure in the next few days, though. I'll post about that when I get the chance.

Another project I've thought about doing for the blog is a quick review of all the brands and stores and bars and stuff that have been named "True Grit." There are several True Grit saloons, True Grit restaurants, True Grit tire stores, True Grit dog kennels. There's even a kind of daffodil named the True Grit.

I'll have some big news about a campus True Grit activity soon. Keep on reading even if you finish the book. Go back and read the other people's posts. It's interesting and smart!

Keep on posting and reading the blog folks, and thanks so much for participating!

Road Trip

We took a trip downtown this past week to check on some historical sites pertinent to our reading of True Grit. We went to the Clayton House, which is the former home William Clayton, who was the Federal Prosecutor during the time of Judge Parker's reign in Fort Smith. Our friend and former student Jacqulyn West works there. She gave us a most interesting tour of the home and it's a must-see for readers of True Grit. They will be happy to take individuals or small groups or even whole classes (call and make a reservation) on a tour of the house. You should go; it's cool. Coincidentally--or maybe not--Jacqulyn lives in George Maladon's house. He's the hangman mentioned by name in the novel. A real character he was. Jacqulyn will probably be doing a True Grit presentation for us on campus, too. Watch this space for an announcement.

We also toured the Fort Smith National Historical Site, which contains the old courthouse and prison where lots of the first part of the novel takes place. It's cool to go into the courtroom and imagine that great scene from the trial. They will also take individuals, small groups, or whole classes (go on-line and fill out the reservation and fee-waiver form) on the tour. There's lots of cool stuff here. If you go on March 17th at 11am or 2pm they tour the gallows on the anniversary of Cherokee Bill's hanging. Of course, you can tour the gallows any time they're open, too. This is a great place that many of us have probably been to at some point, but it's nice to go back with the True Grit perspective. The pictures of all the old Marshals are incredible. You just look at their faces and you can see how there really could have been a Rooster Cogburn. There is a group that does reenactments of court cases and we're waiting to get a new schedule of those. That would be fun to see. They may have the schedule published on the website by now.

Another place we toured--and I hadn't been to this one--was the Fort Smith Museum of History. This place is way cool and deserving of much attention. They really run the entire gamut of Fort Smith history (quite a story, too) but they do have lots of exhibits about Judge Parker and the gallows and all that. In fact the current special show is about the changing perceptions of the whole Judge Parker time in Fort Smith history. This place is great! They are very heavy into the whole Bass Reeves story right now. This is a very interesting story and emphasizes the diversity of this region. They will take individuals or small groups or even whole classes (call and talk to them first).

These are amazing resources folks! If you're a student or friend of the college and you're reading True Grit you should go and take your friends. If you're a teacher and you're teaching the novel, you should encourage your students to go. Most of these places are free or cheap or will waive or reduce the fees for educational groups, but please be sure to call and talk to them if you're doing anything in a group. And if you go, whoever you are, please be sure to mention the True Grit connection to UAFS.

Reading True Grit is a fabulous way to give ourselves a sense of place, but to really do it right, you need to get out and see some of these places. College should not take place only inside a classroom.

In the meantime, watch this space for news about these special True Grit places and events.

Chapter Seven

Well, I don't want to give too much away if you haven't read the ending of the book but, yes, that is a ball of snakes for today's picture! Snakes WILL ball up like that.

It is a rousing ending to a great book. For sure. I was in mind of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer for some reason--the cave, of course, but it's more than that. The dark description, the pace of the action, and the closeness of the narration to Mattie reminded me of the ending of Tom Sawyer. Of course, I'm not the first to make the connection, although Mattie is usually compared to Huck and not Tom. I think she's more akin to Tom, really. She has the same bold naivete, doesn't she? Still, it might make an interesting piece of research to find out what was on Portis' shelf and what he thought of Twain.

I won't reveal too much about the plot in case folks are reading this before they finish, but Tom Chaney underestimates Mattie's grit, as we knew he would, and Rooster gets a chance to show that he's not all talk. And Mattie is put in a most unwieldy position. Will it cost her an arm and leg to get out? Almost!

Great stuff with the bandits--you knew they'd catch up with them, didn't you? These are some great roles for the Coen Brothers to fill. Who would you cast as Lucky Ned Pepper and The Original Greaser Bob? I have to watch the movie now--the old one with John Wayne--to see who played them in that.

One interesting item appears on page 177, where you can see what I think is Mattie's being sort of sucked in by the beginning of the glorification of outlaw culture that you saw in the Depression era. Mattie starts making a distinction between "trash" outlaws and those that were "not so simple" and "not altogether rotten." Hm. Interesting. Also some classic descriptions of how good people go bad. Mattie had never thought of an outlaw having a childhood and how that childhood might contribute to him choosing "the hoot-owl trail" (I'll never tire of that phrase). Is Portis wandering in the area of American Naturalism and Realism? It does read sort of like Crane or Norris, doesn't it? Or is it just me? I think you could make the argument that this is really a book that belongs to that era. It's hard to think of this book, which came out in 1968, as belonging to the same era as 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), The Crying of Lot 49 (1966) and Slaughterhouse-Five (1969). This is, of course, why the book is overlooked as a serious piece of fiction. I think it will be appreciated with time. There is certainly much new research that could be written about this book from the perspective of 2010.

Some funny stuff amidst all the action: Mattie starts offering the services of her lawyer to Ned Pepper. Chaney keeps talking about how "nothing is going right for me." No kidding. I'm just glad Mattie's old Dragoon pistol works when she needs it to. As she says, if she was any kind of a gunman, then she'd have a better gun.

I'm kind of surprised that Mattie doubts the "officers," as she sometimes calls Rooster and LaBoeuf. Of course we know they haven't abandoned her. Rooster certainly proves his grit and Mattie's response?: "No grit? Rooster Cogburn? Not much."

Well, there's just so much at the end and I don't want to give it away if you haven't read it. Everybody has grit at the end, even poor little Blackie. I guess Rooster just did what he had to do. Poor Blackie, though, that was the hardest part of the book. And Rooster. What a fitting end. Just like the old west--fading into the sunset.

I just love it when things live up to the hype.

Next: The Movie! I'm just glad I didn't see it before reading the book.-

Chapter Six

Well, this is a picture of the Ft. Gibson Road, a famous part of what's called the Texas Trail. Much of this part of the story today takes place on this road. There are, evidently, several interesting places along the road--Limestone Gap, for instance. We get a real sense of the country riding with Mattie and Rooster and LaBoeuf. The weather kind of surprises me. The snow in particular. It adds lots to the story though. The fog, the snow, the cold.

We see acts of kindness--well, in a gruff sort of way--from Rooster in setting the mule free. Is this the influence of Mattie? She would say so. But it's also indicative, perhaps, that Rooster doesn't like to see anything abused.

The thing that strikes me most about the chapter--and there is much here, of course--is the amount of storytelling they do. This chapter is chock full of action, but there's also lots of talking: Mattie gives us more of her religious opinion, which is the only thing she has more opinions on than . . . well, she has lots of opinions about everything. On page 110, she just comes right out and address the reader as "you" and tells us that the Doctrine of Election was good enough for Paul and Silas and so it's good enough for "you," too, dear reader. Well, ok, Mattie. All through this chapter, which obviously contains lots of action, they tell stories and tell tales. Rooster's are the "stretchiest" of course and he almost gets into with LaBoeuf over Quantrill.

There's lots of conversation going on in this chapter about "bushwacking" and "jayhawking." When LaBoeuf says that Quantrill and his gang were bushwackers, Rooster claims not to know what the term means. In fact, they're pretty much planning to bushwack the outlaws. Rooster, in defending his time with Quantrill, uses the term "jayhawkers" to describe the Union soldiers. It's all the same, folks. Bushwacking and jayhawking are both terms used to describe guerrilla warfare. Interesting.

Great scene crossing the river in the fog, riding miles in the cold and the snow. Does Mattie have the grit for it? You bet. They camp. Good descriptions of the the camp food, corn dodgers in particular. And of course we have lots of fun with the corn dodgers later in the chapter. Details, details, details. The rope loop to keep the snakes away, the pale yellow dawn, stopping to water the horses by the San Bois mountains.

More great language: "I wish he was in hell with his back broke!" Mattie sees Quincy and Moon as "theives" in a cave. Hmm. She stands up to Quincy and won't take any bullying. Grit. She gathers firewood and hauls water in the dark. Grit. It makes Rooster and LaBoeuf care for here. After the shooting the first thing they do is check on her, even before they see if the thieves are dead. Grit is contagious. Mattie and Rooster and even LaBouef start showing their grit.

Great exchange with Rooster and Moon after Quincy is killed. "Don't be looking for Quincy (in heaven)." Moon responds "He never played me false until he killed me." Ha.

Rooster and LaBoeuf take turns standing up to each other for Mattie. Fun. She's won them both over. Grit.

Well, it's hard to believe there's only one chapter left. Must be a doozy. I'll find out tomorrow.

Chapter Five

Well, I don't know why I insist on assigning numbers to the chapters, Portis didn't. Still, I guess it's just a way to identify them.

So Mattie gets up and she's feeling better. I wonder why she's been ill? What does that allow Portis to do? Is it strictly to make us feel more sympathy for Mattie? I don't know; we'll see if it plays any part in the novel later. Mr. Stonehill is sick, too. But it's just a touch of Malaria, no problem. Sheesh. I'm glad we have antibiotics now. Mattie, of course, knows all about malaria and how to treat it. Is there anything she doesn't know? She's so good at filling out Cogburn's "fee sheets" that the court offers her a job doing so--sight unseen. Funny.

Some comments from Portis on gossiping, I think. Mrs. Floyd, who runs the boardinghouse, can't keep her mouth shut about Mattie's business, so LaBouef immediately attaches himself to her. They're on the same mission, after all. All through this chapter the tension grows between LaBouef and Mattie. Slightly sexual at times. That gives us moderns the creeps, of course. Mattie's only 14, after all. Still, these are different times. It allows Portis to play a little with the fact that Mattie's right on the verge of womanhood but still young enough that LaBouef thinks he can "switch" her.

Great stuff with Rooster in this chapter--the scene of him waking up is priceless. I can see him sitting up on his horse at the end of this chapter standing up for Mattie, making LaBouef let up on her. His respect for her is growing. She does, after all, have grit. Character development for him. Mattie will be good for him, of course.

Great action scenes now. Mattie swimming her horse across the river. I've seen the Arkansas river at Fort Smith (today's picture, btw) and I'm doubtful. Any horse people out there? Could you swim a horse across that river? I really enjoyed the passages of Mattie training and getting to know her new horse. More knowledge. Mattie (and Portis) know about everything, don't they?

Interesting little paragraph where Mattie sees her first real Indians. I'll be interested to see if we get any more of that.

I'm starting to wonder how it will turn out, too. I haven't seen the movie either, so I don't know. Will they capture or kill Chaney? Will Rooster change his evil ways--forsake the "hoot-owl trail" under Mattie's tutelage? What will happen with LaBouef? Will he finally, like Rooster, see that Mattie has grit? Will he turn out to have grit too?

I can't wait to find out.

Chapter Four

So today's chapter is primarily an introduction to LaBoeuf, which makes me wonder about Portis's odd chaptering. Why, for instance, does the last chapter provide so many different scenes, while this chapter only has the dinner scene that introduces LaBoeuf? Perhaps it's a daily sort of arrangement. I believe, if I remember correctly, that the last chapter, even though it had several different scenes, basically incorporated one day's activities. Is that right? Yes, I believe it is. It makes for an odd arrangement, though. Some long chapters and some short.

Anyway, today's chapter is primarily an introduction to LaBoeuf, which I have a feeling is going to further support Mattie's regionalism. She is an Arkansan above all, which brings up the other topic of the chapter. Politics. Mattie never tires of the subject.

So in this chapter Mattie steps back into her role as narrator on the first page of the chapter. We can, I believe, accurately date the year that she's narrating from by the events she's talking about. The narrator-Mattie (as opposed to the 14-year-old Mattie of the story) is speaking from 1928, I believe. We should also be able to figure out the exact year the events in the novel are supposed to take place from the Fort Smith politics, but I haven't done that yet. We can be pretty sure that the narrator-Mattie is supposedly telling the story in 1928 because she's talking about the possible election of the democratic candidate for President, Al Smith. She is not afraid of Al Smith "for a minute." Even though he's "wet" (1928 is still Prohibition times) and even though he's a Catholic and Irish. People were still worried about the latter issue in 1960 when John Kennedy ran. What the 1928-narrator-Mattie doesn't tell you is that Smith's running mate was Joseph Robinson from . . . you guessed it: Arkansas. Of course the constant-Arkansan Mattie would support that ticket. That's Al Smith's picture at the top of the post, by the way.

Chapter Three

That's a forty-four forty Colt's revolver in the picture, by the way.

If you want to comment, and I hope you do, don't be afraid to do so. It will ask you to identify yourself but if you're unsure of how to do that just go in anonymous and sign your name to your post. Don't be afraid to comment. Now, on to today's reading (for me, at least).

Wow, this is a great chapter! There is just so much in it! First we have Mattie's opinion of Federalists and Republicans. I'm with you, Mattie, all the way. Then we see her deal-making with the auctioneer (which will be a great role for a good character actor or a cameo in the new movie, by the way). It's a fine piece of writing. Portis was really on his game for this book, that's obvious. I like page 36, where we get three pieces of sage advice from Mattie on one page--don't eat too much, take a nap after you eat, and cover yourself while sleeping. I'll remember that, Mattie. I also like her list of bad people: murderers, robbers, train wreckers, bigamists, and counterfeiters. These are, as she says people who have ridden "the hoot-owl trail" and tasted the fruits of evil. Hilarious.

An interesting passage next: Mattie's brief history of Fort Smith politics (which I assume is mostly accurate) and then her assessment of the publishing industry. It's interesting that she identifies herself here as a writer. How do you make a young teenage girl like Mattie come alive when you're Charles Portis, a young man? Well, you give her the same interests, the same inclinations, and (most probably) the same opinions. Never confuse the narrator with the author, though. Right? Still . . .

Well, then there's the testimony of Rooster Cogburn written out as if it were dialogue in a play. Reminds me of Moby Dick, wherein Melville inserts chapters that are just suddenly in dramatic format. Interesting. It's a whalloping good tale, too, that comes out. Really, really well-written scene. Just too good.

I've notice now that Mattie has several times judged people strictly by looking at them. She looks at Odus Wharton at the end of that scene and imagines that she can see exactly how evil he is. I have a feeling that is going to get her into trouble at some point.

This so far would be a tremendous chapter, but then we also get the first scenes of Mattie with Rooster. In the first, she demonstrates her worth as a cigarette roller while beginning her persuasion. She's thought this through, and we're sure she'll get her way.

Then comes the scene in Rooster's "lair" where they share a meal and "make medicine." Good grief, I hope that the Coen's are true to the book here. This is just a fabulous scene, full of dark atmosphere and colorful language. Rooster doesn't have to buy his whisky, "he confiscates it." He's drinking "double-rectified bust-head from Madison County." I think I've had some of that! The big point of the scene comes at the end, though, when Rooster demonstrates that you can't "serve papers" on a rat. That's what Mattie's looking for.

Ha! Great stuff. A rollicking fine tale, as they say!

The Coen Brothers are still looking for an unknown to play Mattie. Click here for a link to the article.

Chapter Two

Ok, I guess I'm reading a chapter every workday and posting about it. That's the way it seems so far. Hope I can keep it up. I can read faster than that, you know, it's just more fun this way. We'll see.

Chapter Two we're in to Fort Smith. It's interesting that Mattie has so little regard for the town. "Seems like it belongs in Oklahoma," she says. I've thought that. My little joke about the weather here is that nobody told me that Fort Smith is so close to Oklahoma. You know, where "the wind comes sweeping down the plains!" If you know me at all then you know I'm no fan of the weather in Fort Smith. Did Fort Smith have the "nation's most modern waterworks?" There are still lots of houses made of fieldstones, as Mattie points out. Mine is.

I'm liking Mattie lots, of course. She's determined and wise beyond her years. She dresses down the guy on the train that is rude to Yarnell, she's impatient with people, and she's determined to do what needs to be done. She's wise: "People who will not steal big things will often steal little things."

Some description to notice--the man at the table is "a long-backed man with a doorknob head and a mouthful of prominent teeth." Nice. This is the guy who travels about "selling pocket calculators." Is that an abacus or a slide rule? At the boardinghouse they sit around telling "yellow fever jokes." Probably a collection of those somewhere still, huh?

Lots of good language "you squirrelheaded son-of-a-bitch," and "I have never been one to flinch or crawfish when faced with an unpleasant task."

First description of Rooster Cogburn, "a pitiless man, double-tough, and fear don't enter into his thinking. He loves to pull a cork." Wonder which parts of that description makes Mattie want to talk to him?

Biblical allusions: Mattie has "her father's business" to attend to.

At the end she pulls her daddy's slicker over her to keep warm. Aw.

Chapter One and Guerilla Action

I spent a good hour posting flyers about this blog around the campus yesterday. I'm hoping that some more curious students and some more interested faculty will come and read the blog.

If you are just joining us for the first time, you might want to jump back to the archives and read up on what we're doing. Post a response to the blog entries, too. That's the only way we know you're reading. Blogs should be interactive, after all.

I've purposefully saved my reading of the novel for now. I didn't want to read ahead. So I only read chapter one today. As I had been told, language and character are obviously going to be key to the novel's success. Mattie tells the story in her own voice and it's a strong one. I've heard her compared to Twain's Huck Finn, and she really seems that evocative. She's that strong a character already, and this is just chapter one. Portis must have known that he was on to something as soon as he began writing in Mattie's voice.

Coincidentally, I've been reading lots of memoirs because I'm helping a friend write hers, and the book starts out a lot like a true story, like a memoir. So I guess it's "postmodern," too, in that there's a "frame" of the storyteller telling us the story. Of course, my old American Lit professor would just call it Romantic Irony (he didn't believe in postmodernism), and point out that Poe did this all the time--had the narrator speak to the reader, that is.

Interestingly, people who write memoirs often have trouble connecting to their emotions regarding horrible things that have happened to them. They tend to write them very flatly. Mattie starts out a bit like that--like what we would consider an abused personality. She's recounting the tale of her father's death but it's emotionally flat. Except you can feel the anger boiling beneath the surface.

Don't forget that if you're faculty and you want to see the movie or show it to your classes, let me know ahead of time. I only have three copies. I do have some copies of the text, too. Let me know if you want to read along and you need one. Those of you who are in classes that are reading the book already have yours, of course!

Now go and do. And read. And respond to the blog.

Schedule for Film Showing and Lifelong Learning Page

Here's a link to the Center for Lifelong Learning's True Grit page. It shows the times for the April 1st showings of the movie.

Here's the note I just got from Charles Portis in response to a letter I sent to him inviting him to campus. It's obviously typed on an old typewriter on a small sheet of note paper. Here's the entire text:

Dean Hardin
Many thanks for your letter and your kind invitation. It's good to know that a story written so long ago still has a bit of life left in it. However, I'm just not much of a hand for these book gatherings and must respectfully beg off. I do wish you success with it. When you're in Little Rock one of these days give a call and we'll have coffee.

Signed in his hand.

Well, that's the answer we expected. Mr. Portis is notoriously reclusive. Still, you never know. We'll keep corresponding with him--letting him know what we're doing. Who knows? He may get interested later.

True Grit Happenings

Ok, I'm a seriously negligent blogger, but that doesn't mean that there aren't things brewing. Cause there definitely are. We're moving ahead with plans for April 1st, where we'll have two showings of the movie and two panel discussions. Those begin at 9:30. Further details will follow.

In addition, our intrepid Roy Hill is moving ahead on a presentation on the guns used in the novel. They're very important, he says, and indicate lots of subtext and interesting ideas that might be missed if you don't know lots about guns. His presentation will, hopefully, include a demonstration and firing of some of those guns. Needless to say, we'll need some preparation for that.

I've also asked people to figure out and tell us when they'll be reading the novel with with their classes and if they'll be open to having guests during those times.

I'm getting lots of good information, too. Here's a nice link.

Lots more news coming. Watch this space, as they say.