Someone who did something that involved books
In today’s new-run of For Better or For Worse, we have another example of what I would refer to as “fighting on cue.” This is the type of comic strip where the characters are about to make a joke about how their lives have been changed by having to deal with children, and then to illustrate their point, the kids fight on cue. We have other example of this in this strip and this strip from this year.
The weakness with these kinds of jokes are readily apparent in today’s strip. Elly is trying to make a point about how wants some kind of career involving books, and then Mike and Lizzie fight on-cue to show why Elly will never have that career involving books. The humour, such as it is, relies on the ability to think of the timing of the fight of the kids as a coincidence. In other words, you can see the fight coming, so the timing of it seems more natural. In today’s strip, the fight comes out of nowhere, it is not evident what the fight is about, and then the fight is immediately resolved. Elly’s line to Connie about not being able to read, makes little-to-no sense when she is holding a very calm Lizzie as she says it.
The other aspect of the strip is its foreshadowing of future strips. We are supposed to grasp that someday Elly Patterson is going to own a bookstore. Going back into the past to show how things got the way they are, is not too bad a thing to do. However, in this strip, we don’t get that at all. Elly Patterson wants to own a bookstore because liked working at John’s office for a week? No. No. No. First of all, you have to show how the character likes books (not just talking about them, but actually reading them) and why the character likes books. At least the character could be shown handling a book at some point. This sort of thing worked better with Sharon Edwards and Elizabeth Patterson’s decision to become a teacher. Elizabeth wants to be like Sharon, and she is inspired to make that her career. With Elly Patterson, she doesn’t seem to be picking a career with any more inspiration than just pulling something out of midair.
The weakness with these kinds of jokes are readily apparent in today’s strip. Elly is trying to make a point about how wants some kind of career involving books, and then Mike and Lizzie fight on-cue to show why Elly will never have that career involving books. The humour, such as it is, relies on the ability to think of the timing of the fight of the kids as a coincidence. In other words, you can see the fight coming, so the timing of it seems more natural. In today’s strip, the fight comes out of nowhere, it is not evident what the fight is about, and then the fight is immediately resolved. Elly’s line to Connie about not being able to read, makes little-to-no sense when she is holding a very calm Lizzie as she says it.
The other aspect of the strip is its foreshadowing of future strips. We are supposed to grasp that someday Elly Patterson is going to own a bookstore. Going back into the past to show how things got the way they are, is not too bad a thing to do. However, in this strip, we don’t get that at all. Elly Patterson wants to own a bookstore because liked working at John’s office for a week? No. No. No. First of all, you have to show how the character likes books (not just talking about them, but actually reading them) and why the character likes books. At least the character could be shown handling a book at some point. This sort of thing worked better with Sharon Edwards and Elizabeth Patterson’s decision to become a teacher. Elizabeth wants to be like Sharon, and she is inspired to make that her career. With Elly Patterson, she doesn’t seem to be picking a career with any more inspiration than just pulling something out of midair.
posted by howard at 11:51 PM
11 Comments:
First of all, you have to show how the character likes books (not just talking about them, but actually reading them) and why the character likes books. At least the character could be shown handling a book at some point.
Besides Elly biting the phone book, I don't think I ever saw her interact with a book. Perhaps she wants to work with books because she, like one of my cats, likes the taste of paper.
My mother's mother was able to get a master's degree in art history in the 1960s, when she had from 4 to 6 kids at home. I'll have to ask my mom to know exactly when she got it. My mother remembers that her mother would do her homework at night, after the kids went to bed. This was when my grandfather really was rather uninvolved with parenting, and almost completely uninvolved in housework. My grandmother was legitimately a very busy woman. I wouldn't fault anyone for not taking on her workload. However, I will say that if she could do that, Elly could find time to read a book sometimes. Mike's even in daycare until 4 PM every day.
I like how Connie regards getting a job as being as easy as snapping your fingers; that relly sort of highlight how easy the Pattersons think getting one should be....not to mention how easy it is for them.
First of all, you have to show how the character likes books (not just talking about them, but actually reading them) and why the character likes books. At least the character could be shown handling a book at some point.
Exactly. My immediate thought was that Elly does not love books. At best, she loves the idea of loving books. It's like in Seinfeld, when George was supposed to select an intern, and Jerry said of one of them, "Oh, look, George, he's interested in architecture... Just like you pretend to be."
Clio,
Besides Elly biting the phone book, I don't think I ever saw her interact with a book. Perhaps she wants to work with books because she, like one of my cats, likes the taste of paper.
Plus paper would be more nutritious for her than most of the things she eats. I can see a double benefit there.
My grandmother was legitimately a very busy woman. I wouldn't fault anyone for not taking on her workload. However, I will say that if she could do that, Elly could find time to read a book sometimes. Mike's even in daycare until 4 PM every day.
She definitely could. I know Lynn Johnston likes to portray Elly as the “blame the kids” mother, but I often wonder what the appeal is there. Lynn herself, raised kids, took care of the house, and had a full-time career. Of all people, you would think she would understand what it was necessary to do in order to accomplish all these things. Elly is a lightweight compared to Lynn.
DreadedCandiru2,
I like how Connie regards getting a job as being as easy as snapping your fingers; that relly sort of highlight how easy the Pattersons think getting one should be....not to mention how easy it is for them.
Maybe. With Elly’s normally mangled and misshapen fingers, I think snapping her fingers might be more difficult than you would imagine. However, to your point, Connie’s dialogue is definitely from the “Connie = Elly” school of dialogue-writing, where Lynn has forgotten that Connie is a single mom and works a full-time job and knows how hard it is to get a job.
aprilp_katje,
It's like in Seinfeld, when George was supposed to select an intern, and Jerry said of one of them, "Oh, look, George, he's interested in architecture... Just like you pretend to be."
True enough. Even when Elly owned Lilliput’s , you never saw her handling or reading a book. Her main point in those strips often seemed to be “Look how hard Elly is working at her bookstore.”
In order to show how Elly likes books and why she likes them, Lynn Johnston would have to do what she usually does in such situations: research. You know, like read some books. 'Nuff said.
Anonymous
I think you may be on to something. The fear of doing research may have actually put Lynn off from reading a book. Consquently, this becomes Lynn's desire for Elly.
In order to show how Elly likes books and why she likes them, Lynn Johnston would have to do what she usually does in such situations: research. You know, like read some books. 'Nuff said.
I'm reminded of the time when whoever was writing Elly's monthly letter tried to make her seem like a reader. She made a heartfelt recommendation for James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, right around the time it was revealed to be a fake. People were speculating that in this case "research" had consisted of watching Oprah's "book club" episode.
aprilp_katje,
I'm reminded of the time when whoever was writing Elly's monthly letter tried to make her seem like a reader. She made a heartfelt recommendation for James Frey's A Million Little Pieces, right around the time it was revealed to be a fake.
I also remember somebody doing a takeoff on that book for April's Real Blog thanks to that monthly letter.
Elly seems to have spent plenty of time watching soap operas, when she could instead have been reading.
>> Lynnfail.
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