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One of the best things about Children’s Literature is the sheer variety of subjects you can find in there. Nowhere else have I been able to find a title like How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous.
Yes, this is a children’s book. And it is awesome.
It follows the lives of famous people throughout
history, from King Tut to Julius Caesar to Henry VIII to George Washington and
onward. No horrible detail goes
unmentioned, be it the guts exploding to pus filling the inside of the mouth
and throat. And the little factoids
after each chapter are as much fun to read as the biographies of these people.
Did you know that caesarean section was named after
Julius Caesar? Or that the month of July
is named after him as well?
Now, I usually don’t care about historical accuracy
in my entertainment, as long as the moviemakers or novelists know their craft
to still be interesting. But you know,
Cleopatra is the subject of many an awful movie, to the point where I’ve
despised her for years. That’s so unfair,
because her life is so much cooler than the films ever do for her and her and
Marc Antony’s deaths are much more ironic and intense than I’d given it credit
for.
She didn’t get killed by a snake. She dipped poison onto a hair clip and jabbed
herself with it.
And poor Pocahontas.
Disney has done a huge injustice to that woman’s life. From childhood, she worked hard for peace,
only to be kidnapped, forced into a bad marriage, surrounded by greed, exiled
and cast aside when she died at age 21. Today,
the popular image is of a princess with several grand romances. Truth is, she was the most abandoned and
terrified child the bulk of her life.
You know what’s funny about her, though? Pocahontas actually means “spoiled
brat.” Great name for a role model.
That's really sad. I knew that Disney had changed the story somewhat, but had no idea they'd altered it so dramatically. What strikes me as bizarre is why they chose to warp it in the first place. Why not just make up a fictitious character? Now that I think about it, though, most Disney movies are based on existing stories, fairy tales, fables etc. And those are totally "Disney-fied" as well. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteAny particular reason the month of July was named after Caesar? For that matter, was he delivered by caesarian?
July used to be called Quintilus and was the month Julius Caesar was born. Quintilus was renamed Julius in honor of him. He was a caesarian baby.
DeleteDisney has always retold fairy tales and tried to make them... and I do think they had a couple of successes on that front. They certainly imprinted their version of the stories into our culture. I actually think it's kind of cool that they wanted to break out of the fairy tale mode and tell an historical story for a change. I just feel like they blew a golden opportunity to tell a truthful story. With history, especially with a semi-biography about characters, I feel you have some obligation to represent their experiences accurately. I really don't think she got that.
I agree. And thanks for the clarification. :)
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