For the past couple of years, I’ve bought the Anne Taintor calendar for my cube at work. I love her take on vintage pictures from the 1940s and 50s. It’s a great conversation piece, especially with my Indian co-workers. This month features the one of my favorites, “if by ‘happy’ you mean trapped with no means of escape…? …then yes, I’m happy” It made me laugh out loud when I flipped over to March. It has proved to be so appropriate, especially this week.
On Monday night I began reading Richard Yates’ beautiful novel, Revolutionary Road. I don’t want to say too terribly much here because I’ll be discussing it with Nicole from Linus’ Blanket when I make my appearance on That’s How I Blog on March 30th. I was about 2/3 of the way through the novel when I got into work yesterday and every time I looked at my calendar I thought about Frank and April Wheeler. Even their neighbor Millie came to mind. It made me wonder if Anne Taintor has read Revolutionary Road and was thinking of April or Millie when she created this. I don’t know that Millie’s capable of such self-aware thoughts, but I could easily hear April say something exactly like that in the heat of an argument.
It’s interesting how different artistic mediums can blend together under the right circumstances. That woman on the calendar has replaced Kate Winslet as my mind’s picture of April. Is this what Frank was seeing at the breakfast table? Also, after finishing Revolutionary Road, I don’t find this month’s calendar quite as “ha-ha” funny as I did at the beginning of the month. It’s just a tad too close for comfort to lose myself entirely in its delightful snarkiness.
Have you ever had something in your environment that is otherwise unrelated stand out to you all of the sudden because of something you’ve been reading? I’d love to hear about it.
I don’t think that Millie necessarily felt trapped. She seems to join in the conversations but didn’t really seem unhappy with her life. April on the other hand…But then I don’t think April would have been happy even if she would have gotten what she thought she wanted.
This thing happens to me all the time, in small ways. I can’t really come up with an example because I am brain dead at the moment, but it will be something like this. I will have an intense conversation with a friend about llama breeding, when the same topic appears in a book. Or I will watch a documentary about officials in Russia poisoning a person for trying to expose their crookedness, when something like that appears in a plot. It is weird, because it happens in at least half the books I read. I need to take notes. I’ve not read Revolutionary Road, nor watched it. It sounded like I would need to be in the right mood…
I just started part 2, so I’m not to whatever these conversations are with Millie…. but definitely interesting how different media connects!
I love this post. And I really love the march calendar saying….LOL
What a beautiful comparison between book and calendar quote. I have seen things that remind me of books, and I enjoy the memories.
I do so want to read this book – I’m now wondering/hoping I can finish by 3/30! But I’m also worried about what this book will make me think about.
Your question reminds me of a little joy I had when I saw a word that another book I read earlier made me look up. Though not of a different medium like your example, it was so cool to run into an new-to-me word and I get to thank these 2 books for teaching me. I love when I find a random link. (btw, the word was gallimaufry.)
[...] by Richard Yates. I haven’t posted my review of the book yet, but I couldn’t resist sharing a little about my reading experience ahead of [...]