The Prime of Miss Jean BrodieMuriel Spark
On a good day, I believe in signs. I’d like to believe that a superior being guides our lives, and in so doing sends signs, omens, and portents to direct or forestall our behavior. On a bad day, I feel there is only chaos, and while I know some who manage to find comfort in such disorder, I am not one of them.
Happily enough, I never find more signs than when searching for my next book to read. Without a set course of action, I bebop from book to book, author to author, period to period with no special plan. Many times, I feel a distinct “call” to read a particular novel, and I know its time has come. With few exceptions, each book I’ve been “called” to read has been essential to understanding some facet of my life at that moment. And so it was with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The bookish fates worked their magic again.
Happily enough, I never find more signs than when searching for my next book to read. Without a set course of action, I bebop from book to book, author to author, period to period with no special plan. Many times, I feel a distinct “call” to read a particular novel, and I know its time has come. With few exceptions, each book I’ve been “called” to read has been essential to understanding some facet of my life at that moment. And so it was with The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. The bookish fates worked their magic again.
psst...let's make her read another one by Crichton
I first became aware of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie due to a blithe reference one friend made about another. Immediately, I was intrigued. Was this person truly a Brodie? I had little time to ponder this before encountering another reference to the book via one of my favorite book blogs, Books 4 Breakfast, where I read this review on the book. The very next day, I came upon yet another reference to the short novel. My bookish destiny, it seemed, was at hand yet again, and I ordered Muriel Spark’s novel without delay.
My immediate motivation for reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was not to enjoy the book as much as it was to see if I knew anyone who could be described as a “Miss Brodie in her prime.” Thankfully, I can say with honesty that I cannot recognize Miss Brodie in anyone I know.
You see, Miss Jean Brodie is not a teacher one should emulate. She is unprofessional and discusses with her students matters of professional import that are best kept between adults. Worse still is her narcissism and belief that only her opinions are correct. Her likes and dislikes are to be taken up (or rejected, as the case may be) by her young, impressionable students. Most troubling is the fact that Brodie consciously meddles in the private affairs of her students, at times with disastrous results. It is no surprise that Miss Brodie, teaching as she does in the late 1930s, finds the politics of Mussolini and Hitler attractive.
The novel surrounds Brodie and her core group of students, especially Sandy, the student who receives the most attention from the omniscient narrator. The prose is both deft and concise; much is spaced into only about 150 pages. The structure of the novel is like an ever-tightening spiral: the reader is told the ending of the book at the very beginning, but the specifics are held back until the very end.
Despite the remarkable technical aspects of the novel, I was ultimately left cold by the book. I did not feel as though I truly understood the bizarre Brodie or her motivation; nor did I truly understood Sandy, the most enigmatic of characters. This is a book that needs to be reread; I get the feeling that I'll be able to appreciate Miss Jean Brodie after a few more years have passed. Perhaps I'm a bit too young to fully comprehend her perspective.
In a nutshell: Quick and intriguing, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie begs to be reread. I'm sure I'll do it...one day.
Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars
My immediate motivation for reading The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie was not to enjoy the book as much as it was to see if I knew anyone who could be described as a “Miss Brodie in her prime.” Thankfully, I can say with honesty that I cannot recognize Miss Brodie in anyone I know.
You see, Miss Jean Brodie is not a teacher one should emulate. She is unprofessional and discusses with her students matters of professional import that are best kept between adults. Worse still is her narcissism and belief that only her opinions are correct. Her likes and dislikes are to be taken up (or rejected, as the case may be) by her young, impressionable students. Most troubling is the fact that Brodie consciously meddles in the private affairs of her students, at times with disastrous results. It is no surprise that Miss Brodie, teaching as she does in the late 1930s, finds the politics of Mussolini and Hitler attractive.The novel surrounds Brodie and her core group of students, especially Sandy, the student who receives the most attention from the omniscient narrator. The prose is both deft and concise; much is spaced into only about 150 pages. The structure of the novel is like an ever-tightening spiral: the reader is told the ending of the book at the very beginning, but the specifics are held back until the very end.
Despite the remarkable technical aspects of the novel, I was ultimately left cold by the book. I did not feel as though I truly understood the bizarre Brodie or her motivation; nor did I truly understood Sandy, the most enigmatic of characters. This is a book that needs to be reread; I get the feeling that I'll be able to appreciate Miss Jean Brodie after a few more years have passed. Perhaps I'm a bit too young to fully comprehend her perspective.
In a nutshell: Quick and intriguing, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie begs to be reread. I'm sure I'll do it...one day.
Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars
2 comments:
This is one that I've seen the movie and loved it. I wonder if the book is better (as it usually is).
The movie starred Maggie Smith and has had a powerful impact on me.
I'm curious to know what you'd think of it after reading the book.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064840/
I've seen the move (ages ago) and loved it but someone never made it to to the book. It's one of many to buy.
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