In But I’ll Be Back Again, Cynthia Rylant tells us of the experiences that shaped her as a writer—her childhood including her family, first loves, and The Beatles. I see now that in some ways she is Summer from Missing May, the boy wanting a doctor’s kit in Silver Packages, and the teenager whose father “went away on business” in I Had Seen Castles. While she did not profess that all of these details from her stories resulted from her own life, I think perhaps they did, at least in part.
Most interesting of all, was the difference between how she got many of her stories and how Richard Peck professes to have gotten his. I guess I was thinking about this since we just watched Peck’s webcast from last year’s Bookfest in DC. In the webcast, Peck says he is a listener, a collector of other people’s stories. He says he gets his ideas from the lives of other people. From Rylant’s But I’ll Be Back Again, it seems that she pulls a lot from her own childhood for inspiration.
As we’ve studied Rylant, we’ve talked over and over about how she writes about family and home. She explains that the loss of her father was “all the loss I needed to become a writer.” (p.7) I guess that she writes about family and home because she felt as though something of family and home were missing for her as a child. In reading, Waiting to Waltz and now But, I’ll Be Back Again, I feel as though I can understand her motivations and subject matter more. I think I will look for more autobiographical information about authors I enjoy. It’s a bit like seeing the “picture” in one of those trick drawings—an extra bit of information or help makes all the difference in whether you can figure out what the picture is. Much like understanding a good book.
As I finished this book, I was overwhelmed by the thought that “Wow, this lady totally identifies herself as ‘writer.’” In thinking of my own self-identity, I can’t imagine summing up myself with one thing, like ‘teacher’ or ‘reader’ or ‘learner’ or ‘wife.’ But, then it occurred to me that maybe her focus on herself as ‘writer’ made it easier to tell the story of her childhood or limited the scope of her topic. Maybe she can’t really sum herself up as ‘writer,’ she chose to do so for this book. Now I’m curious to know what another book like this one would be like if she wrote it as ‘mother’ or ‘daughter’ or ‘librarian.’
4 comments:
You made some great connections between Rylant's stories about growing up in this book and the characters in her other stories. I didn't really make those connections when I read this book, but now that I've thought about it, I think she probably did pull a lot from her past in shaping her characters.
I definately agree with you about how Rylant writes a lot about home and family. We have seen her develop that throughout her stories over the course of the semester.
I enjoyed the analogy you made about Rylant's autobiography being like a "trick drawing" in a picture. I also, experienced that "ah-ha" moment when I was able to connect Rylant's personal experiences with the subject matter and characters embedded in her books. Therefore, I decided to read J.K. Rowling's autobiography and it, too, reveals her sources of inspiration for the characters and events within the Harry Potter series. I appreciate having the opportunity to read the books before learning about the authors' lives. It is rewarding to be able to make the connections after having read the books.
I remember reading in someone's Missing May blog that they had made a connection between Cynthia Rylant's autobiography and Summer in Missing May. As I read But I'll Be Back Again, I was reminded of this connection. But, I did not make the connection between her father and the father in I Had Seen Castles. Good job! Now that you have said so, I do find it interesting that authors get their ideas and motivation to write from different sources. However, I am wondering if Richard Peck chooses to use other peoples' stories because he is writing historical fiction, whereas Rylant writes different genres, centering on the theme of family and love, a theme in which she can draw upon from her own experiences?
Like you, I got alot out of this book. After reading so many of her works it was the piece for me that tied everything together. I also agree that I want to learn more about the authors I enjoy- what motivates and inspires them. I love the specific connections you made between characters in the books we have read and Rylant. While Rylant may not be my favorite author I certainly can appreciate her craft.
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