Blinded by the Meaning

This past weekend I was sitting outside on a patio, enjoying the lovely weather and my morning cup of coffee.  It was at a hotel in the Twin Cities and they have music piped out there.  Generally I ignore the background music, but this playlist was actually pretty good. And then they played it.  Manfred Mann's Earth Band's 'Blinded by the Light.'  I commented to my husband that I had never liked this song, and we got to discussing it.  First off, what are the lyrics?  And what can they possibly mean?  Some kind of druggy trip?  Or a night in a club?

We found out that the song was written by Bruce Springsteen-who knew? When you look up the lyrics, the words don't mean much at all.  It's just a song. No deep meaning.  Just something to be enjoyed (or not).

Manfred Mann's Earth Band

This year the theme of the library's Halloween trick-or-treat is Lewis Carroll's 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland', another piece of art that people are constantly looking for the meaning of.  Some claim Lewis Carroll was under the influence of drugs when he wrote it.  Or that Carroll had a problem with children.  There are all kinds of scholarly papers that may be found online explaining the deep, possibly dark, meaning of Alice and her adventures.

My question is, why?  Why are we looking for deep meanings in something that is a charming children's book? And it's not the only children's book to be dissected for some deeper meaning beyond enjoyment.  J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Lord of the Rings' has been put under a microscope.  So have the Narnia Chronicles by C,S, Lewis. In fact, right now I am reading a book on how the Great War affected both of these men and their writings. Or take  Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials." It is supposedly based on John Milton's "Paradise Lost",  but on his website  Pullman states that when people ask him the meaning of the story his reply is that "I'm not in the message business.  I'm in the 'Once upon a time' business."

My own theory is that as adults we are looking for some more compelling reason why certain stories stick with us from childhood, apart from simple enjoyment.  As adults we must leave that childhood sense of wonder and nonsense behind and find a rationale for our likes and dislikes.  But why?  Why do we need to justify liking this or that story?  As well try to explain why you like 'Blinded by the Light' by Manfred Mann, or why you like chocolate, or anything else that defies descriptions and reasons.  Retaining that childhood sense of wonder and delight is a beautiful thing. And if adults did not retain it, we wouldn't have an Alice in Wonderland, or Frodo or any other beloved characters of fiction, characters so beloved that we carry them along into adulthood.

Yes, perhaps there are deeper meanings to fairy tales and such.  Perhaps they do speak to some deep psychological need in us all.  But that is secondary to the simple enjoyment they give.  I highly recommend re-reading that beloved childhood tale for your own pure enjoyment.  Get reacquainted with your inner child.

I think I'll give Manfred Mann a second listen while I contemplate my Halloween costume.

Take your own trip down the rabbit hole at the Superior Public Library's Halloween Trick-or-Treat! Friday October 30th from 10:00-noon and 2:00-4:00.  Bring along a non-perishable food item for the food shelf.










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Listen While You Work

Last night while working the front desk at the library, a patron who was checking out some audiobooks commented to me that audiobooks had helped them get through some remodeling projects in their kitchen.

Do you have a project coming up?  Spring is the time when people start thinking about their DIY home improvements.  My own project is to paint the living room, if it ever warms up enough to open the windows.  Or maybe you are in the mood for some Spring cleaning.  Perhaps you spend a lot of time commuting.  Whatever the situation, these activities can get monotonous.  Listening to something while you work or travel can make the time fly by.

The library has over 900 books on CD and cassette in adult, young adult and children's titles.  Something is sure to appeal to you.  

For all ages I recommend "The Lord of the Rings".  It is available as a straight read-thru in three books, but my personal favorite is the BBC radio production starring Sir Ian Holm. Not everyone know that before he played Bilbo Baggins in the movies, Sir Ian played Frodo Baggins in the radio dramatization.

Sir Ian Holm

Another family friendly one is "A Series of Unfortunate Events" by Lemony Snicket.  The books are read by Tim Curry, who you may know as Dr. Frank-n-Furter from "The Rocky Horror Picture Show".  He does a completely marvelous performance of this darkly comic children's series.

Tim Curry

Dr. Frank-n-Furter

The" Harry Potte"r series performed by Jim Dale is another wonderful series to listen to. A friend of mine who "never reads children's book" listened to these and totally enjoyed them.

I rarely read non-fiction, but I will listen to it.  David Sedaris is a great humorist and he reads his own stories.  "Me Talk Pretty One Day" is funny to read but listening to Mr. Sedaris read it is hilarious. Garrison Keillor has lots of different books on CD, from biography to fiction to stories of Lake Wobegon from his  "A Prairie Home Companion" radio show.  Many authors will read their own autobiographies on CD.  Hearing someone read their own story adds to my understanding and enjoyment of their stories. 

Maybe you want get some education while your are doing your manual labor. Parlez-vous francais?  Non?  We can help with that.  French, Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and many more languages are available on CD.  Or maybe you want to catch up on the Shakespeare you found so boring in high school.  The library has over 30 of his most popular plays performed on CD.

So after you hit Menard's or Home Depot or Campbell's Lumber for your home improvement supplies, stop by the Library for some other supplies.  You'll be done before you know it, and ready to start on a  new project so you can finish that last chapter. Happy listening.