Vernon God Little: a 21st century comedy in the presence of death

Product Information

What I definitely learned just now is that everything hinges on the words you use. Does not matter what you do in life, you just have to warp things in right kind of words." The common thread of said dismissals is a denunciation of 'Vernon God Little' as a unrealistic portrayal of the tragedy of a school shooting, similar to the incident at Columbine High in Colorado some years ago. The uncommon yet supremely smart and tasteful thread of *my* argument to that is that 'Vernon God Little' is only barely about a school shooting. Someone cites Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant' as a vastly superior study of a tragedy. Well, yes, that is correct. Because 'Vernon' isn't a study of a tragedy at all. It is, however, a better overall piece of art than 'Elephant' because that movie was completely boring and had zero count 'em zero actual elephants in it. Or shootings, if I remember correctly.

Vernon God Little (Pierre) - LitLovers Vernon God Little (Pierre) - LitLovers

The Times wrote: "A satire brimming with opprobrium for.. [the] demi-culture of reality television, fast food and speedily delivered death... a bulging burrito of a book." [ citation needed] Is the kind of cruelty shown by Jesus”s classmates on the day of the shooting simply a fact of adolescent life, or is it a symptom of an unhealthy society? Do teenagers have a right to be free from teasing and harassment, or are they, as Charlotte Brewster suggests, naturally subject to the tyranny of the majority of their peers? Can the social persecution of Jesus be compared to the persecution of Vernon by media-influenced public opinion? Vernon also seems far too unaffected by what happened, in contrast to his day-to-day concerns (of escape and survival) over most of the book.) A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.So after I that I watched "Elephant" which may not be such a masterpiece itself but it's better'n this bad book.

VERNON GOD LITTLE | Kirkus Reviews VERNON GOD LITTLE | Kirkus Reviews

Hard to tell if she quivered, or if moths and porchlight through the window ruffled her skin like funeral satin in a gale.Anyone who believes in true love or is simply willing to accept it as the premise of a winding tale will find this debut an emotional, satisfying read. Startling and excellent....Like the best satires, it makes you feel faintly guilty for laughing, which intensifies the pleasure of reading. It also keeps you hooked....Vernon himself is a brilliant comic creation. This is a whirlwind of a book. A must-read; although I suppose should mention it contains explicit language, anal-fixations, abuse and a whole load of other triggers. 21st century The Catcher in the Rye, and taking no prisoners!

Pierre - Literature - British Council DBC Pierre - Literature - British Council

It's comparison to "Confederacy of Dunces" may be inescapable. Both deal with plenty of the following after all: poor suffering mamas and the boys who devastate their love for them; a protagonist's distrust of society at large; a constant mention of fate or other celestial devices (Fortuna's Wheel for Toole, "God" in the title by Pierre); digestive maladies...bile and acid in interplay; the hero being utterly, pathetically, heartbreakingly misunderstood while the law and its enforcement become ludicrous. The closest I can get is to say it's like 'Catcher In The Rye' if it had been written by Warren Ellis. Mexico, with its contrasts, its crushing poverty and sparkling wealth, its institutionalised corruption and cultural wisdom, its love of life and its embracing of death, undoubtedly set me on a path toward the deep end, philosophically and emotionally speaking. A fast and careless life had put me in tune with the common man, for whom a throw of the dice would mean life or death. My family planted the idea that I could do anything, and I want to apologise for taking them so literally" If I ever start my own barbecue restaurant, I’m definitely stealing the name Bar-B-Chew Barn from this book.The massacre is just another thing to deal with, and the everyday routines aren't really upset by it.