Customer Reviews

Snow White

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

David Barthelme's Snow White, unlike some other specimens of avant-garde fiction, never loses its grip on the plot or the emotions of its characters in favor of retaining its experimental rhythms. One is able to feel sympathy for the many long-suffering dwarves, hope for the romantic leads, and an appropriate sense of the apalling regarding the villains, and still appreciate the puns and absurdities Barthelme was so adept at creating. At first glance, readers of more mainstream fiction might be put off by the seemingly random leaps between viewpoints and styles. However, on closer inspection, one finds a distinct pattern and a remarkable fullness to the prose. Not to mention the often tremendously funny, yes laugh-out-loud funny, episodes sprinkled throughout the book. By the time one reaches the last, very short, chapter, one sees that every line has been carefully crafted to reach this conclusion. It has become inevitable. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in adult faerie tales, experimental fiction, or anyone seeking a diverting, off the beaten path, change of pace from the cookie cutter junk so many authors now pass off as great literature.

This is one of those books that it's easy to get a lot from, and leaves you with endless questions as well. It's one that makes you laugh out loud and makes you say "Huh?" an awful lot.

One of the many things I enjoyed about this book is the interweaving of elements from the original tale and the Disney version (Heigh-ho!) The rhythmn of the narrative almost made me snap my fingers along to the beat. And the originality within a retold story put me in mind of Anne Sexton's work with fairy tales, but with a decidedly comic view.

With layer upon layer (which I can't seem to get enough of) that extends from the solidarity of modern relationships to the questions of "How unique is the American culture? Can it be preserved?" I saw many examples where exploration is encouraged.

But many many many questions linger. First and foremost: Who is the narrator? More like: Which is the narrator? All of the "seven dwarfs", or just one? Are the all facets of one person? I could really go on all day.

This is truly a book worthy of a second, third, and fourth read. There is just too much for my little mind to grasp at once, but definately a novel that entertains as well as, (and I hate this phrase but...) "makes you think."

I first read _Snow White_ some time in the '80s, and somehow was unmoved by the wit, the irony, the fantastic stylistic control. Then for some reason I started reading a section of it aloud to a friend, and fell in love with it. Each brief chapter has its own style, its own didactic purpose, and most of all its own mad humor. Barthelme is a worthy companion of Calvino (_If On a Winter's Night a Traveller_) in reinventing comic fiction

my introduction to donald barthelme were his short stories. i learned of this book, dove right in and discovered quite a romp! i feel for the other reviewers that may have felt that this was a faithful rendition of grimm classic. it certainly is not!! it is twisted and thought provoking. my favorite passages are the quiz and the end of part one, and the letter that jane (the evil stepmother) writes to a stranger in the phone book, mr. quistgaard. that truly makes you stop and think about the way things are today and how we insulate ourselves in our own plenum. in a rather strange way, it made me want to do the same thing!

i know absolutely nothing about post-modernist literature. i don't even know what it means. what i do know is that barthelme creates and recreates his own personal universe with each story and book. each one unique and provocative. i have read that barthelme is the master. i can believe it.

I have to admit that it took me quite some time to get into this version of _Snow White_. Batheleme's writing seemed too clever, too facile, too concerned with word play, too designed for the intellectual reader (not to be confused with the intelligent reader). I started to connect, but not entirely, with the far from fairy tale-like characters, who were more like people out of a Dashiell Hammett crime novel. Snow White, a sexy, femme fatale, with long black hair and a body that does not quit. Paul, hardly anyone's idea of a Prince Charming. He seemed incapable of rescuing her. The seven men with whom Snow White lived--who were they? No one could possibly believe that Snow White was merely their housekeeper. Jane, sort of, but not quite a wicked stepmother type, who could mix a mean cocktail.

Batrthelme's cynical, fractured fairy tale is kind of fun, inventively written and diverting, but loveable and warmhearted? Absolutely not!

"Oh I wish there were some words in the world that were not the words I always hear!" (from Snow White). This book changed my conception of what is possible in literature. Barthelme uses a well-known fairy tale to explore the nature of human relationships, in a satirical, creative, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny way. His literary allusions and facility with language are often as dizzying as the view from the skyscraper windows that Snow White's seven little men wash for a living. I highly recommend this book.

This tale, aside from retelling the Snow White fable, is chalk full of references to the Frog Prince, Robin Hood, and Tarzan. This, along with depicting the reaction to late '60's mentalities and theories (structuralism, socialism--hippy communalism, deconstructionism, and so forth), makes for a disjointed narrative. Of course, that is the point. Midway through the novel I realized that, as one reviewer wrote, Burroughs's cut-up method might have been used, for one cannot be sure when the events in the novel take place--in what order. Yet with Burroughs one is sure of this, with Barthelme, framing the society in which he wrote, it is intentional that one is not quite sure when, or even what, is happening. And with all of Barthelme's works, this is full of satire and black humor.

EM Forster asked in his famous Aspects of the Novel why can't the novel invent a form less rigid and more suitable to its genius. I agree. So much of what is served up these days to the public is a waste of time and obviously exists simply for commercial purposes. Not Snow White. Here we have real literature with a capital L and here we have real imagination too. Based on the original tale, alert readers will love how a master writer converts the simple to the complex, the silly to the profound, and yet keeps us entertained as he goes. Oh, I know in this democratic era questions of elitism are de trop. But so what? Go ahead and read an elitist book. It won't hurt and you will have a lot of fun in the process.

this is one of those books that you take it for what it is... stop trying to make it the snow white you remember... becuase it is not. Barthelme plays with questions about beauty, and strength using characters we have known our whole lives. love it!!

This novel--although it really shouldn't be called that--is a wonderfully fragmented romp in the mud that is our bloated western culture. Don't go into this expecting an emotionally compelling narrative. While there are characters who do things, I'd hardly describe their actions as "plot," at least in the conventional sense. Moreover, though, I found my attachment to What Happened being continually, purposefully undercut.
The moment-to-moment thrill, however, is unmistakable. These were some of the most enjoyable passages (if cynically so) I've encountered in awhile. If you're in the mood for an assertive tour-de-force (which actually does NOT go on for too long at all--precisely because things ARE happening!...plus the book is pretty short, not to mention a quick read), try this one out!