(no subject)
Book #21 -- K. M. Briggs, Kate Crackernuts, 224 pages.
This is a novelization of the English fairy tale "Kate Crackernuts" set in Jacobean Scotland. It is, perhaps, a precursor to the feminist retellings that Angela Carter pioneered - Briggs doesn't actually change anything significant about the fairy tale, nor tell it from an unconventional perspective, but she specifically chooses a tale with a strong female lead, and emphasizes her strength, ingenuity, and independence.
The main drawback to this book is that Briggs is primarily an academic, and it shows. The historical details occasionally bog down the plot, and the modern reader had better have access to the OED or a good Scots glossary on hand while reading or the dialect becomes truly incomprehensible.
Progress toward goals: 56/365 = 15.3%
Books: 21/100 = 21.0%
Pages: 5214/30000 = 17.4%
2009 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven
This is a novelization of the English fairy tale "Kate Crackernuts" set in Jacobean Scotland. It is, perhaps, a precursor to the feminist retellings that Angela Carter pioneered - Briggs doesn't actually change anything significant about the fairy tale, nor tell it from an unconventional perspective, but she specifically chooses a tale with a strong female lead, and emphasizes her strength, ingenuity, and independence.
The main drawback to this book is that Briggs is primarily an academic, and it shows. The historical details occasionally bog down the plot, and the modern reader had better have access to the OED or a good Scots glossary on hand while reading or the dialect becomes truly incomprehensible.
Progress toward goals: 56/365 = 15.3%
Books: 21/100 = 21.0%
Pages: 5214/30000 = 17.4%
2009 Book List
cross-posted to 15000pages, 50bookchallenge, and gwynraven