Theophilus North is essentially a collection of short stories or sketches that share the time and place of Newport, Rhode Island in the early 1920s. The book is named after the protagonist--and yet, not so much the protagonist because he is the voice, the author of the book. And his stories are about those he meets during the summer he spends in Newport after he quits his teaching job. The reason he is there is fairly tangential, but we see right at the beginning, he has both a fascination with Newport as a town and also with people in general. He has theories about the trees of Newport and how and why they come from all over the world. He considers the "9 cities" of Newport (like Troy). Some are historical, some modern, some intersecting, some autonomous. (Like the servant's city. Or the aristocratic city....) Straight away, we see his interest in the people around him, and it is not surprising that when he shifts his narration from the 9 cities of Newport and describes the 9 ambitions he has pursued at various points, it is not surprising that we see a theme of understanding people---from anthropology to detective work.
When someone wins multiple Pulitzer Prizes for literature, he is, indisputably, an excellent writer. So I don't need to tell you that Thornton Wilder is a great author. But what might come as a surprise is that his work is so easy to read. Almost page-turner quality, not because there is fighting and suspense and action, but because he paints a picture of truly interesting people, each unique and real to the reader. We turn the pages because we care about what happens to them.
I took 15 years in between readings of this book. All that I remembered from the first time was that I enjoyed it very much. Now, I can tell you why I enjoy it. Without being preachy, Theophilus (Teddy, as he prefers to be called) teaches the reader about the delights of caring about people. He occasionally goes about it in some questionable methods, telling the most outrageous lies... so he is not in any way a moral role model. But he's admirable in many ways, and these shine through his various stories as he inadvertently pursues his ambitions (in spite of the consistency of being a tennis coach and getting odd jobs reading aloud) and wanders through the social strata of the 9 cities of Newport.
One thing that might be important to note is there are two chapters in which the story revolves around sexual themes. This is certainly not a children's book. But I wouldn't say that it's in-appropriate for high-schoolers or older. The fact of the sex is there in the background, but there are no details, no description... it is not erotic in the least. It's seems as if his approach is respectful pragmatism, as if he's thinking, "these are the kinds of stories that some people have, and this is the best way to tell that story." It would also be very easy to skip those chapters, since the whole book reads like a string of short stories, each chapter is fairly autonomous. When I was younger, I believe I must have skipped over these chapters, which perhaps helped me love the book well enough to want to return to it again later in life, when I had better context for digesting the more adult-themed chapters.
Upon reading it again, I remembered that one thing that has stuck with me over the last 15 years is the sense that each person has his own unique, fascinating story. And if we only take the time to be truly curious, we will find our curiosity well rewarded with a story worth telling. This, I think, is one small way in which this book has shaped my life. More recently (in the last 3 weeks or so since I finished it the second time), I've discovered a new adjustment in my life--a direct result of reading Theophilus North. In the story, Teddy is decisive and clear in making his plans. He considers his schedule, and says "here is the time I can meet with you." I found myself slightly in awe, that someone could make plans and schedule things with such apparent ease. And I thought to myself that I should try this method.
The last several years, my scheduling has most resembled the sort of haggling one sees at a Turkish bazaar. "Here's my best time to meet, and here are 3 other options." And the other party responds, "Your best time is equivalent to my 4th best time.... here are my top three options." And it goes on and on, half the time resolving itself upon the first time suggested, and the other half of the time coming to nothing.... simply petering out with a general assent from all parties that any conjunction of our schedules was doomed from the first. So now, in the last few weeks, I've tried this new way: someone asks some time of me, and I offer them my one best time. So much simpler. This is not in the least an element in the book that it put forward as something admirable or even noticeable--it is not the topic of any story.
But this is the lovely part of Theophilus North and Thornton Wilder's writing. The stories are fascinating. And the characters interesting. And what is admirable shines through whether or not it was the point. There's no artificial highlighting of The Important Thing. Each chapter is a story well told. The important things come through on their own.
cuanto vale el libro ?
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