Many of the characteristics I find most loathsome in modern children’s literature are, as they should be, completely absent from Water Babies. There are many things to love about this book— the inclusion of poetry, some by Kingsley and some by earlier romantic poets; the use of long words in context; and the wonderfully unhurried pace of the narrative voice. In modern times it is a rare gift to be able to linger over passages in a children’s book which leisurely describe the surroundings:
“And in the water-forest he saw the water-monkeys and water-squirrels (they all had six legs, though; every thing almost has six legs in the water, except efts and water-babies); and nimbly enough they ran among the branches. There were water-flowers there, too, in thousands; and Tom tried to pick them up, but as soon as he touched them, they drew themselves in and turned into knots of jelly; and then Tom saw that they were all alive— bells, and stars, and wheels, and flowers, of all beautiful shapes and colours; and all alive and busy”…
And on and on, for paragraphs and paragraphs, pages and pages. Oh, miraculous irrelevancy! Oh, the didactic ramblings of my lost youth!
But while Water Babies refuses to cater to a child’s short attention span, and in this way talks down to children as little as anything, it finds entirely new— or rather, old— ways to talk down to the young. Instruction is fine and good, but Kingsley takes for granted many things which in modern times do not fall short of scandalous and offensive— for instance, the inferiority of the Irish. And my guess is that any modern child would find it difficult to relate to Tom, our protagonist from a century ago who isn’t really that likeable to begin with. And then, even when one takes into account the time period in which Water Babies was written, Kingsley doesn’t exactly encourage freedom of thought, which nowadays is highly prized.
In short, Water Babies was an enjoyable read, and reminded me why I love old books so much— sometimes it’s nice to slow down, revel in the English language, and maybe even learn something. But I think asking a child to relate to this book would not prove to be a successful endeavor. If only books like this one were still being written, but from a modern worldview/perspective… but then, that might not even be possible. There’s something very modern about linear and direct plotlines. The world really is getting more ADD, and life really is speeding up— Water Babies is evidence enough of that.
I was struck by the natural description, too, and my first note in this novel refers to a natural image, a wonderful, gorgeous description of an early morning, when Tom and Mr. Grimes are on the way to Sir John. I think it is my favorite passage in this book (in relation to natural imagery):
ReplyDelete" All else was silent. For old Mrs. Earth was still fast asleep; and, like many pretty people, she looked still prettier asleep than awake. The great elm-trees in the gold-green meadows were fast asleep above, and the cows fast asleep beneath them; nay, the few clouds which were about were fast asleep likewise, and so tired that they had lain down on the earth to rest, in long white flakes and bars, among the stems of the elm-trees, and along the tops of the alders by the stream, waitng for the sun to bid them rise and go about their day's business in the clear blue overhead" (p.47).
It is a very peaceful, calm atmosphere. And it goes with your observation of the "wonderfully unhurried pace" throughout the story. I agree. Passages such as quoted above literally calm me down. I think, I even read slowlier.
The first time this happened to me was when I read "Die Entdeckung der Langsamkeit" (The Discovery of Slowness) by Sten Nadolny. It is a completely fictionalized version of the life of the Arctic explorer Sir John Franklin. In this version, Franklin is extremely slow in everything he is doing, he thinks and acts slowly. However, this "disability" becomes an advantage: Franklin compensates his slowness by considering issues very deeply and perserveringly. So he comes to conclusions everyone else cannot get because they live 'too fast', do not take their time. Slowness is really celebrated in this novel.
Since you mentioned the poems, it reminded me of one thing which I wanted to ask in class but forgot it (probably b/c I didn't feel very well today): why did Kingsley include all these excerpts from Romantic poems? Why these references to the past? It is an open question, I still try to figure this out...