The Great American Novel

by Dina Sleiman

Whether or not you consider yourself a writer, if you love to read, chances are you have secretly dreamed of writing "The Great American Novel." I know I certainly have. But what precisely is meant by that term. According to the guru's of pop research, Wikipedia, The Great American Novel can be described this way.

The "Great American Novel" is the concept of a novel that is distinguished in both craft and theme as being the most accurate representation of the spirit of the age in the United States at the time of its writing or in the time it is set. It is presumed to be written by an American author who is knowledgeable about the state, culture, and perspective of the common American citizen. The author uses the literary work to identify and exhibit the language used by the American people of the time and to capture the unique American experience, especially as it is perceived for the time.

And what are some examples of this Great American novel? Moby Dick, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Great Gatsby, The Catcher in the Rye, just to name a few.

So why did I set my first novel in the medieval period in England? My next published novel was set in 1820's Virginia. A little closer to home. But my sweet little romance didn't quite capture the "spirit of an age." Certainly not the spirit of my age.

However in between those two, I tried my hand at contemporary. In American. Might this one capture the spirit of an age? A Christian ballerina wounded by church, a veiled Muslim woman, and a bi-racial hippie chick who meet as returning college students over a group project on diversity. Ding! Ding! Ding! I think we have a winner folks.

Dance from Deep Within does indeed capture the quest for meaning and authenticity which is so much a part of our current age. It examines the postmodern mindset of our generation and the all important element of diversity in American culture.

Okay, admittedly, it might be better described as "The Great American Christian Novel," but I think it goes beyond that as well through its exploration of various characters as they all search for truth, authenticity, healing of old wounds, and a desire to learn to live from deep within their hearts. The cast of characters is rounded off by a group of young men including a conservative Christian, a new convert from Islam to Christianity, and a die-hard atheist. The characters are dancers, business people, engineers, pastors, writers, and future doctors.

And they are all facing another phenomena, the new quarter-life crisis of seeking to define oneself that is unique to this generation.

So now let me put the ball in your court. Do you dream of writing The Great American Novel? If you were going to write The Great American Novel, what would it be like? Which novels of today do you think will someday make the list?

And don't forget. My Great American Novel will be releasing in just a few days. Check it out here!
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Dina Sleiman writes lyrical stories that dance with light. Most of the time you will find this Virginia Beach resident reading, biking, dancing, or hanging out with her husband and three children, preferably at the oceanfront. Since finishing her Professional Writing MA in 1994, she has enjoyed many opportunities to teach literature, writing, and the arts. Her debut novel, Dance of the Dandelion with Whitefire Publishing, won an honorable mention in the 2012 Selah Awards. Her latest novel, Love in Three-Quarter Time, was the launch title for the Zondervan First imprint. Look for her newest release, Dance from Deep Within, in November. Dina is also a part-time acquistions editor for WhiteFire Publishing, and she is represented by Tamela Hancock Murray of The Steve Laube Agency. Join her as she discovers the unforced rhythms of grace. For more info visit her at http://dinasleiman.com/

Mystery Behind the Portraits

 

by Susanne Dietze

They’re like Romeo and Juliet without the smooching or tragedy. Pinkie and The Blue Boy are from the hallows of the past, yet they’re forever young and intriguing. And they always, always go together.

Reproductions sold on ebay

I never knew why they went together. When I was eight or nine, my great Aunt Dolly gave me mini-copies, which I’d seen in stores and on the wall of the Leave it To Beaver house. Dolly issued a warning, almost like a curse:

“You have to put them together. That's how they go.”

Surely the same artist painted The Blue Boy and Pinkie to go together. I mean, check out their names! Blue and Pink must have shared a childhood love. My future romance-author’s mind went  Ca-razy coming up with their story, which dealt with pirates and an old seadog and a HEA.

Alas, the truth of why they are together is far less melodramatic than my musings. And at the same time, the facts behind the portraits are stories in and of themselves.

Stories of the portraits first. The Blue Boy was painted in 1770 by English artist Thomas Gainsborough. He was a popular Georgian-era artist, whose work was sought by many wealthy patrons. 

Another famous Gainsborough is The Cottage Door

The subject of The Blue Boy was a merchant’s son named Jonathan Buttall (1752-1805), and while it’s a portrait, it’s also a historical costume study, as Jonathan is dressed in 17th-century apparel, thought to be an homage to the work of Anthony van Dyck. (It might also be a SNAP against another artist who didn't like blue!)

How dashing!

Jonathan Buttall kept the painting until he filed for bankruptcy in 1796. The painting, which was already admired in England, changed hands several times, until something shocking happened. It was purchased by an American.

Recently, singer Kelly Clarkson purchased a ring once owned by Jane Austen. The hue and cry in Britain compelled Clarkson to sell back the ring, which will now remain in the UK. The British were no less impassioned when American railway pioneer Henry Edwards Huntington bought The Blue Boy around 1922 for $728,000 (something like $8 million now). Before its departure to California, 90,000 visitors came to the National Gallery to bid it farewell, and the Gallery’s director Charles Holmes scrawled “Au Revoir, C.H.” on the back.

And so The Blue Boy went Hollywood. Well, an hour’s drive away from Hollywood, to reside in Huntington’s San Marino mansion (now a museum and library).

But what about Pinkie? Some twenty-four years after The Blue Boy was painted, Pinkie was completed by another popular Georgian-era artist, Sir Thomas Lawrence. 

Lawrence's portrait of The Prince Regent, the future George IV

Lawrence painted royalty and nobility, but also took a commissions from regular folks, like the woman who wanted to immortalize her eleven-year-old granddaughter, Sarah Goodin Barrett Moulton, aka Pinkie.

She is so lovely!

Pinkie (yes, that's what her family called her) was born to a merchant family in Jamaica, 1783, but later sailed to England with her siblings to get their educations. In 1793, Pinkie’s grandmother wrote to her niece in Surrey, asking her to commission a portrait of "my dear little Pinkey … as I cannot gratify myself with the Original, I must beg the favour of You to have her picture drawn at full Length by one of the best Masters, in an easy Careless attitude".

No doubt the family was very pleased by the portrait.

Tragically, Pinkie passed away a year later, at age twelve. (I know! It’s awful!) The day after her burial, her portrait was displayed in the Royal Academy exhibition, and then returned to the possession of her family. (Cool side note: At one point, it was owned by her brother, Edward, whose daughter was poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning.)

In 1927, the painting was sold to—guess who? Huntington, who paired it with Ol' Blue Boy for a public display, and ta-da! America saw the paintings side-by-side and went bonkers for them, putting their images on mass-produced artwork. (Google the images, and you'll see figurines, cross-stitch patterns, and more.)

A few weeks ago, I saw the original portraits. They gaze at one another from opposite ends of the gallery. Pinkie is lovelier in person than photos do justice. She is bright and clean, a glimmer of light and youth and beauty. Likewise, The Blue Boy is regal and dashing. I was amazed to see that his buttons and coat trim had the shine of silver in them. Though the images are familiar, the subjects of these paintings are fresh, children posed in elegant dress, like small adults. They are hopeful and wise and poignant all at once.

I’m not sure what Gainsborough and Lawrence would have thought of the unlikely marriage of their subjects. But it is one that compels the viewer—and stirs the imagination—even after two hundred years.

***

Susanne Dietze wishes Blue Boy and Pinkie had gotten married, rather than filing for bankruptcy and dying young. You can commiserate with her in the comments, or find her on her website, www.susannedietze.com.

Edelweiss Pirates

By Lisa Karon Richardson

As a teenager I loved the movie Swing Kids. The idea of finding ways to be free even as terrible things were happening to the society. The courage to be different. Sigh. Plus there was dancing and handsome heroes. I still like that movie. It’s right up there next to Newsies. But I digress. The point is that not everyone in Germany was thrilled about the power grabs made by the National Socialist party when it came to power. But in a society where civil disobedience could get you sent to a concentration camp, resistance to the Nazi ideal was mostly subtle.

The Edelweiss Pirates were a loose group of young people who quietly (and not so quietly) rebelled. Mostly between 14-17, they loved their German heritage and in the face of the Nazis co-opting their culture, they embraced it fiercely. Boys and girls both adopted variations on traditional costumes like lederhosen and dirndls. They carried around guitars and accordions and loved to sing folk songs.

It would be easy to dismiss them as first generation hipsters. But that would be a disservice to them and to ourselves because there was so much more to the story. Don't forget that there was a whole lot more going on in their country and in their world than some political policies that they didn't particularly care for.

After 17, the young men would be conscripted into the army. By leaving school at 14, when they would have had to join the Hitler Youth, they achieved a few glorious years of freedom. Many of them made the most of their freedom assisting army deserters and others who were hiding from the Nazi regime. Others took their resistance even further and actively attacked Nazi leaders. Because the Edelweiss Pirates were more a subculture than an organized group, they have never really been recognized as an official resistance movement, but many of these young men and women paid for their stand with the lives.

I so admire the courage of these young people. It reminds me of other civil disobedience campaigns such as the suffragettes in 1917, or the civil rights movement in the 1960s. I've often wondered if I would be heroic if there ever comes a time when I must take a stand for something I believe in. I guess there's really no way of knowing in advance. I can only pray that I will have the same strength of conviction.

 Do you have a personal hero?

Influenced by books like The Secret Garden and The Little Princess, LISA KARON RICHARDSON’S early stories were heavy on boarding schools and creepy houses. Now, even though she’s (mostly) grown-up she still loves a healthy dash of adventure in any story she creates, even her real-life story. She’s been a missionary to the Seychelles and Gabon and now that she and her husband are back in America, they are tackling a new adventure, starting a daughter-work church in a new city. Vanishing Act, the second in the Charm and Deceit, series co-authored with Jennifer AlLee, released in September 2013 as did “Midnight Clear,” part of the Mistletoe Memories collection.

Weekend Scripture: 2 Sam. 22:25