Reading Notes on Driftless

Reading Notes: David Rhodes, Driftless
December 7-10, 2008. Transcribed from Twitter

Rhodes' metaphor of WI's unglaciated "Driftless Zone" reveals lives resistant, through will or inertia, to flows of hypercapitalist America 10:25 AM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

Olivia on need to be skeptical: "In this age of profiteering, all a person had to do was watch a half hour of television to understand how life's most treasured moments could be ransomed to sell underwear." 10:31 AM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

"But those are old and this is new" complained Winnie. "Foolishness," said Olivia. "New is only old rearranged." 10:46 AM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

Graham: "We shouldn't need a lawyer. We've done nothing wrong. This is the United States." July: "No country is immune to human nature" 12:12 PM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

Rusty: "Everyone had money now and sitting around, loitering, had become a way of life. His grandchildren were being methodically instructed in how to enjoy living while doing nothing." 2:13 PM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

Horror of Rusty and Maxine's family that they still live in farmhouse w/ long flight of stairs, no microwave. Relief farm animals are gone. 2:16 PM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

"Driftless" has wonderful chapter on the natural and social experience of snow in Wisc. Turns scary when Rhodes picks-up narrative again. 2:18 PM Dec 7th, 2008 from web

Gail thinks her dutiful brother has always been in a "voluntary prison" but can't imagine him in a real, physical one: "built to hold those who refused to accept the voluntary one." 11:10 AM Dec 9th, 2008 from txt

Jacob trepidatious about love: "he had stood on the bottom rung of this ladder before and understood the implications of climbing higher." 11:15 AM Dec 9th, 2008 from txt

Finished "Driftless." As if every character has small piece of revelation. In joining them - in community - they merge into understanding. 10:53 AM Dec 10th, 2008 from txt

The "drifter" July at center of community. Winifred's Whitmanesque sermon at funeral subconsciously reflects July's redefinition of family. 11:51 AM Dec 10th, 2008 from txt