and the first morning of The Picnic Girl's Reading Challenge too.
At the very least, I was really excited to enjoy this till the fullest bit. And what made it perfect, the Time seemed like agreeing with me by running extra slow this morning. Books in hand, high in sugar and caffeine, dreamy hot windy weather, begin it is. Ahh..
But of course, something happened, as it always does: I didn't realized my aunts come visiting.
And a surprise visit like this means: Foods! Snacks!
and.... Kids. tons of it.
Looks like it's not gonna be a quiet Friday.
Yet, thanks to ice creams and the technology, my reactions to these ambiguously lovely little creatures were seemed to be over dramatic, as it always be.
So between screams, tears, and extreme curiosities to chickens and fires, there's still some times to read:
or, rather I say: re-read, because technically, I already finished the book four days ago.
It did mesmerized me, and I chose to read it again, this time focusing on the 'other' stories; Kotick The White Seal, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi the mongoose, etc. . Because last time, stuffs distracted me when reading the Jungle Book. And also distracted me to really recognizing the true tone of the tales.
Not until now, after hours, I really realized how I have missed a lot of things. This Kipling masterpiece is not just a paw-paw, it got some prickly prick inside it too. Sure, the dark sinister twists of Mowgli stories I already understand from the four days ago. But the Shere Khan finale, the Sea Catch fights, Rikki-Tikki-Tavi story, they put the word Evolutionary Theory to my head.
Then the very same head also highlighted another words; Imperialism, Segregation, Domestic Violence... all the words that, in standards of the "Society", are not really for children. The Jungle Book is a book of tales for sure, but I don't think I'll put the same book to the Children Books genre.
I cringed at the first time, but more so when I started to question my head for thinking it. This conservative thought surprised me. Rudyard Kipling is not the first, and certainly not the ones about dark tones in tales.
Remembers the Brothers Grimm.
This thought, putting standards and rules the "Society" possessed; it forgot the fact that our civilizations have changed. Our civilizations are old.
I am old.
This also old brain also contained some bits of cultural historical political studies. and probably that's what made my head probing about the words and the thought.
So my head shook it all up.
The words are boring.
The thoughts are exhausting.
And thinking about it all the time certainly stopping me to enjoy reading the book.
Though the truth, exhausting and boring as they are, the words and the thoughts isn't gone. I'll be telling lies if I said I'm not interested on it.
The topic about lines between Children books and Tales and Cultures, it's a very dense one. I can talk long hours from it, in fact, I do have some stories from it.
Yet dearest readers, maybe that would be writings for another time. Because right now, they're still other heaps of books that I have to
There's train to catch!
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