Ah! I haven't had a chance to get on line since I left home this morning at 9:30 a.m. I don't have enough time at the moment to read the entry and respond accordingly. I'll be hom e in a couple of hours. Hopefully, I'll have a chance to get on this site and join the discussion!

ana | January 22, 2007 6:21 PM

Take your time. I'll be here all week!

marydell | January 22, 2007 8:55 PM

I'm not sure that I would be concerned about classifying ABoM into a category. I usually take things as they are. Fiction, fiction. But since you asked, I just saw it as a novel, and I'm sure that it would work as a vignette too, but I'm not sure if a vignette is a vignette if they all relate to each other. Or maybe they are! I don't know, I'm not to keen on subgenres.

I'm sure that we can all relate to Emmet in the way that we all think over the same things over and over in our minds. I usually repeat hypothetical scenarios that deal with uncomfortable situations, like having to put up with rude strangers. I suppose my thinking place would be the train, which is where I spend most of my alone time (it's also my napping place).

I definitely think that this book is worth discussing all 175 pages of stream of consciousness. For instance, at first, I found it annoying that just when I got into the first chapter, the second, the third, and so forth, I would be interrupted by the next chapter that began with "Good morning." I felt like it was interrupting the mood. After I got used to it, I didn't know what to make of it. I still don't.

My favorite subject matter was the duck. I thought it was quite uncommon to get to know a pet duck since mostly everyone writes about a pet dog, cat, or bird. I grew fond of the duck and I wanted to read more and more about her.

I thought that Emmet's sad and melancholic reflections were complimentary to the fire setting. There's something about sitting in front of a fire (or a candle flame, for those of us who have never seen a real fireplace, ahem, I live in South Florida) that brings out reflexive emotions and thoughts.

Also, I liked the language that Nicholson Baker used. Some of the metaphors caught my eye, and I especially liked how he would be talking about one of his death related dreams, like falling off the edge of the Earth, and you couldn't tell where he came back to reality, that really thin line. It reminds me of what I'm trying to work with in regards to the imagery in my prints.

ana | January 22, 2007 10:07 PM

The only book I've ever read that's made up of vignettes is Sandra Cisneros's The House on Mango Street. Now that I think about it you're probably right, Ana. Vignettes aren't generally connected to each other.

I'm an organizer, so that's likely why I'm wondering what to call this book. It's fiction, but it isn't really a story. I mentioned once to Eddie, who has also read it, that I thought it was an experiment in stream of consciousness, but he thought it wasn't necessarily stream of consciousness. I'm glad you mentioned it in your comment because it makes me feel like I didn't misread the entire book. If the entire thing was stream of consciousness, I think it would have been very tedious to read page after page of rambling. The short chapters, one for each match in the box, made it more readable for me.

Like you, I really enjoyed the duck since it's an unusual pet to have. I also enjoyed the chapter about the ant farm and really got into how Emmett closely observed the colony and chronicled the life of the last living ant. The writing was so lively that I practically began rooting for the super ant's survival. In addition, I couldn't help thinking about the ant farm as being a metaphor for human society and wondering if the last person on earth would be able to manage like the ant did.

My current thinking place is in my shed. I'm a smoker, but I go outside to keep from smelling up the house. Since the weather is iffy right now, the yard chairs are in there and I go outside to sit and smoke and think. My shed is built like a lean-to, without doors and one side being wide open, because it was originally used for wood. My wood is in a mini-shed I built near the back door, so I store the lawnmower and tools and yard furniture in the big one. When I sit in there some of my neighbors can see me, and I wonder if they wonder what I'm doing.

marydell | January 23, 2007 9:29 AM

i would call this an unfinished novel. while the journal-like (and, in my opinion, effective) presentation echoes the "morning pages" suggested by julia cameron in _the artist's way_, it lacks any real plot development (i.e. a recurring theme or problem). i felt like the book ended before the story had even started. if the author would like a few suggestions on how to finish it, might i propose the following: the main character commits (or nearly commits) suicide; something happens to the duck, which teaches (or reaffirms) a lesson; there is a house fire (excess) or a fuel shortage (scarcity). Anybody have any other suggestions? The acute descriptions of the mundane, however, should resonate with many. i wonder if baker's next book, _checkpoint_ will too (i haven't read it, but apparently it has something to do with assassinating g w bush). cheers!

eddie | January 23, 2007 6:17 PM

I haven't heard of The Artist's Way so I can't comment on the comparison, but I do know I wouldn't call A Box of Matches an "unfinished novel." The fact that it's been published, presumably after Baker wrote the last word and sent it to his publisher, makes it finished. Its lack of plot development was certainly on purpose, so look at it as an experimental novel that falls somewhere between journaling and stream of consciousness.

Although it ends before the story starts, we still get a story, don't we? We learn a lot about Emmett, but the draw of this book is certainly "the acute descriptions of the mundane." Despite not following the traditional formula for a novel, it's compelling enough to keep us interested until the end. If I were teaching right now, I might find some passages that would be suitable for writer's notebook entries on "observations" and "stretching the moment." Baker excels at both these skills, enough so that he was able to turn them into an entire book.

Hmm. I'd have to think a bit on how I might end the book, but I do like the idea for something happening to the duck. She certainly was an interesting character and seemed to be developed even more than Emmett's children. I don't think Henry's name was even mentioned before page 50 or so.

marydell | January 24, 2007 4:58 PM

I think that if something happened to the duck, I would cry. Although, given that it's living in the cold during the winter, that's enough of a foreshadowing. I still would cry.

ana | January 24, 2007 8:40 PM

Aww, Ana, it's okay. It's only a book. But considering that the duck is its most interesting character, I might cry, too.

marydell | January 25, 2007 5:47 PM

A Box of Matches, by Nicholson Baker

I totally agree – I love the duck! Last night I tried to convince my fiancé to get one, but he didn't fall for it. I'm going to keep trying, though

As far as the book, I really liked it. It was a welcome addition after having read Dr. Zhivago and Catch-22 (boy was this book confusing, but I still enjoyed reading it.)

To me ABoM seems like a fictional memoir, his commentary on life. His take on Forrest Gump's "life is like a box of chocolates". I found that his descriptions of how different things burn or how they help start a fire could very easily be used to describe how people live their lives, or even contribute to society.

For instance, “Contractor’s scraps burn with many little explosion’s or whistling signs” could describe fiery people that bring an extra flavor into our lives.

Similarly, the following could be an analogy of how you need a good mix of ideas, ways to communicate, and strategies to get things going in life.
“By feeding it some of an old telephone book, and a whole six-pack soft drink holder, and an empty soda box, I’ve finally gotten the fire to start.” (p.131)
There are so many different variables that go into winning a championship, getting a big account, or just getting yourself into a good state of mind.

I found it real easy to relate to this book, I find it very noble that he gets up early in the morning to reflect on what his life is. I sometimes find myself rushing from work to work at home and then back to work, that life just passes me by and I’m sitting there, half-awake driving back to work.

This year I even read a couple of articles on how to become an early bird, but I know enough about myself to know I am not a morning person. I can’t find the actual quote, but I just thought it was hilarious that he loved that awful feeling when he got up early in the morning. That actually reminded me of Dunbar, a character in Catch 22, who wanted to live as long as possible and thought that he could by making time pass as slowly as possible, so he loved to be bored and uncomfortable.

In the end, I thought Emmet’s secret to life was treasuring the little things. Noticing and acknowledging as much as possible. I thought the way he started his fire was with his wife and his kids. Throw in a duck, a cat and a cup of coffee in the morning and what more could anyone ask for?

Cynthia | January 30, 2007 1:04 AM

Cynthia, I really like your comparison to Forrest Gump. Besides never knowing what you're going to get in a box of chocolates or in life, Forrest also loved the small things. His life was filled with fantastic accomplishments, but the favorite job he ever had was cutting the grass. Or after he and Lieutenant Dan become successful shrimpers, he doesn't talk about being on the cover of Fortune but points out that they have hats saying Bubba Gump Shrimp. Although Emmett's life isn't as fabulous as Forrest's, he shares the same kind of appreciation for the small things.

In my post from yesterday, I mentioned that I thought that writing aBoM seemed a lot like blogging. In a way it is, since blogging is like sitting in front of a fire and thinking except that you're sitting in front of a computer. However, you've brought up some excellent points that are similar to Ana's ideas about how Emmett's "reflections were complimentary to the fire setting." Now I'm thinking that there is a lot more to the book than just anything that came into Emmett's mind. Feeding the fireplace, which is the heart of the home, could also parallel feeding his own heart with the moments in life that are important to him.

Perhaps Baker intentionally meant to include a kind of "don't sweat the small stuff" philosophy. I know I sweat small stuff a whole lot more than the big stuff. For example, I know that the supply of firewood I have on my property is limited and right now it's getting low even though winter is far from over. Having to start paying through the nose for propane would suck, but I'm not all that worried about it. Instead, when it comes to the wood, I spend more time freaking out over whether or not the tarp is flapping around. The tarp is a small thing that isn't going to effect the burn since it's already well-seasoned, but the flapping bothers me a whole lot more than the possibility of running out.

Like you, I'm not much of a morning person. Emmett says, "I'm very glad to be conscious when nobody else is conscious" (p. 16). When I worked in NYC, I had to wake up at 3:45 a.m. in order to make it to the 5 a.m. train. Ugh. I'm much happier now that I get to stay in bed as long as I like. Although I was able to relate to a lot in the book, the morning thing was the one thing I couldn't understand.

marydell | January 30, 2007 3:37 PM

Mary,

I loved the way you phrased "Feeding the fireplace, which is the heart of the home, could also parallel feeding his own heart with the moments in life that are important to him." I could not have said it better myself!

Also, I agree, I think there is a "Don't sweat the small stuff" philosophy along with a "Make sure to look at the details in the big picture" philosophy.

Could you imagine what your world would be without any memories, good or bad? Even bad memories or events can help you grow.

I think one of his points, or atleast one that I took, was to give yourself time to reflect on your life. You could have had a life altering moment, and never known it if you live your life in the fast lane and never look back. Plus, even if it isn't life altering, reflecting on things past is bound to bring a smile to your face.

Cynthia | February 2, 2007 5:05 PM