There are some "spiritual" stories that are so cheesy that they richly deserve to be parodied... and sometimes the parody itself achieves greatness - well beyond what might have been expected.
Two examples spring to mind. Footprints and The Giving Tree. Both of these stories express a passive and quietist view of life which I find deeply disturbing.
There is a wonderful Discordian parody of the footprints story which expresses a Pagan ethic of independence and laughing at life.
And Victoria Weinstein has done a brilliant parody called The Demanding Tree, which expresses feminist and ecological concerns beautifully.
I never read 'the giving tree' as a child, but recently read it with my own kids. Got hold of it because it is supposed to be a classic but found it quite depressing - not at all the kind of message I was hoping to give my kids!
ReplyDeleteWell, check out Victoria Weinstein's version - it is the perfect corrective to the message of The Giving Tree :)
ReplyDeleteI never read it as a child either - I actually came across The Demanding Tree first.
Never heard of the "Giving Tree". I've heard of the "Singing, Ringing Tree" if that's similar?
ReplyDeleteAnd "Footprints" is in the Husborne Crawley room 101, along with "Lord of the Dance" and "Death is nothing at all".
No it's not like the singing ringing tree... there's a video version of The Giving Tree somewhere on the web, but I promise you that you won't like it.
ReplyDeleteI like the tune of Lord of the Dance, actually.
I completely agree with you about "Death is nothing at all" as well. Pants.