tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post3109173412810089243..comments2023-04-24T16:45:24.838-07:00Comments on Blogging the Canon: Literature, and Family HistoryRobby Virushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01206018782013858134noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-71155666836375900502009-03-19T14:41:00.000-07:002009-03-19T14:41:00.000-07:00Julie Schuster-Staab was my great great grandmothe...Julie Schuster-Staab was my great great grandmother as well.. My grandmother was Beatrice Ilfeld...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-46086121117541926362009-03-07T14:50:00.000-08:002009-03-07T14:50:00.000-08:00Hey Anonymous...What's your name?Hey Anonymous...What's your name?Robby Virushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01206018782013858134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-46282875508685081042009-03-07T08:35:00.000-08:002009-03-07T08:35:00.000-08:00She was great great grandmother too. My grandmoth...She was great great grandmother too. My grandmother was Ruth Ilfeld. I was born in Cincinnati. I've heard those same identical stories from family of how it was.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-76976138010517840782008-06-18T22:56:00.000-07:002008-06-18T22:56:00.000-07:00But in my case I have no aspirations to be a write...But in my case I have no aspirations to be a writer, so I'm just glad someone can find use of the material.Robby Virushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01206018782013858134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-64038669205718561242008-06-18T06:31:00.000-07:002008-06-18T06:31:00.000-07:00I know exactly what you mean--during my M.F.A. yea...I know exactly what you mean--during my M.F.A. years I pirated many family stories for fiction. Perhaps that's part of my objection: if somebody is going to have access to and write fiction based on my family story, it's going to be me.Justin Hammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14960584050841295189noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-5824014813451966712008-06-17T22:32:00.000-07:002008-06-17T22:32:00.000-07:00In my mind, this book doesn't revise my family his...In my mind, this book doesn't revise my family history. It's a work of fiction that was inspired by my family history, but it's very far away from portraying that history...in fact, so far away that it can't be construed as claiming to be history rather than fiction. It's not a historical "docudrama" that claims to tell the truth but really messes with it, like the movie JFK. To me, the experience of reading this book makes me think about where authors get their inspirations for writing. Surely when Dickens wrote "Bleak House" he didn't just pull it all out of the air. There must have been some experience with the legal system that inspired him, or some folks that he knew that inspired some of its characters. Another example: I've read that "The Mill on the Floss" is Eliot's most autobiographical work, drawing on her family life and married life. Yet, no one is going to think that the book is an autobiography, and that George Eliot died in a flood with her brother. I think all fiction has to have at least a little outside inspiration (and some may have a lot). I find it interesting that my family's experiences could provide a take-off point for someone who would then take it in a whole new direction. But then I also think my real family story would make a good book in itself.Robby Virushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01206018782013858134noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5426133566476743259.post-81992750427730398132008-06-17T08:59:00.000-07:002008-06-17T08:59:00.000-07:00You have an extremely open-minded attitude about t...You have an extremely open-minded attitude about this. Even if it was a novel, I don't know if I'd be able to read a book that revised my family history, particularly if it decided to portray them in a negative light.Justin Hammhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14960584050841295189noreply@blogger.com