These are our Internet readers responses to the novel The Shipping News.
 
 

I am a senior secondary education/English & communications major at Penn State University, and I am currently enrolled in Jim Albright's language and literacy 412 course.  I am writing in response to the web site your class has posted on Proulx's THE SHIPPING NEWS. I must admit that I was not impressed with the novel, and at times it was quite painful for me to read.  I was relieved to find out that even some Newfoundlanders had problems with the text. I was intrigued with the notion of Proulx not accurately representing Newfoundland within the text.  I honestly had no idea what Newfoundland is like, so I attempted to look up some information on the Internet as our class began reading the book.  I was mislead, though, as some of your students discuss on the web page.  I was filled with the same stereotypical ideas of the land that Proulx portrays, but I am happy to finally understand that they do not represent the entire population. The parts of your web site that I find most useful are the terms and concept explanations and the passage explanations.  Perhaps part of the reason I did not enjoy this book is the fact that I was lost most of the time.  I really wish Jim had given us the address of this web site when we began reading the book, as it would have been a great help to me!  I also enjoyed reading through the teaching ideas on the book, although I am still unsure as to whether or not many schools would allow this book to be taught as a mandatory text.  I would not know where to begin if I had to teach this book, but I do know that a secondary source such as your web site would be a great help to the students as well as myself.  I hope that your classes are able to view our web site on THE SHIPPING NEWS, if you are still teaching it as a text in your class.  Thank you!   Sincerely, Stefanie Duelley

First I must say that I was terribly impressed with the quality of sites you and your students made.  One of the first things that I told Jim in our seminar was that if we would have looked at your site prior to reading the book, perhaps we would have liked it more.... or at least been able to engage the text at a deeper level.  You see, a lot of our class, and I in particular, had a great deal of trouble identifying with, and relating to the text.  Perhaps it was that I am totally unfamiliar with Newfoundland, or that  Proulx's style was so atypical.  It may have simply been that I did not particularly like the storyline.  Regardless, reading this book was certainly a chore.  The one aspect that I loved greatly was Proulx's use of metaphor.  Some of her images were so captivating, they certainly brought the book alive (or at least gave it a faint heartbeat).  I say all of this not to bash E. Annie Proulx, but rather to praise you and your students.  You see, I could not visually imagine the landscape or put faces to the characters.  We looked at a few pictures of Newfoundland that Jim brought in, but they were only "cameo shots" of lighthouses and particularly famous bays/coves.  More importantly, I could not really understand what type of people Proulx was discussing in the book.  (Lord knows that I am not saying that you and your students are all like the characters in the book).  But when I looked at your  site, it gave me a better understanding as to the human conditions that Proulx tried to write about. With regards to specific aspects of your site, I noticed that it provided a great deal of insight about the culture of Newfoundland.  I could be wrong, but it seemed that you and your students almost felt offended by some of the  portrayals that Proulx depicted, and wanted to make a site that in part "set the record straight".  Whatever your motivation was, the various aspects about the dependence on the sea, the insights about weather, dialect, and cuisine, as well as the various pictures and photographs were all very helpful.  It painted a visual and conceptual picture/framework that a  prospective reader could use to establish a basis of understanding about the people of Newfoundland.  I particularly loved the one student who drew her own black/white drawings of different scenes in the book. I did notice that there was not as much textual analysis, rather the text was perhaps a sub-set of a larger text; the culture of Newfoundland. Oh, one other thing, our class recognized that your students included a great deal of literature, while our class seemed to incorporate a great number of songs that we thought related some how to The Shipping News. All in all, your class should be commended. Scott Wild  Senior - Secondary Education - English Penn State University

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed this web site.  After having to read The Shipping News for a class as well, I feel that the students who constructed this web site really captivated a myriad of different themes that I oversaw or underestimated in importance.  Your students really devoted a lot of time to unearthing many distinct characteristics of the culture that I, as an American, was unable to even start looking for.  Wanda’s personal response really set me straight with the liveliness of the Newfoundland area.  Proulx does depict a desolate, lifeless atmosphere throughout her novel, but I was challenged to look at this view critically through the passionate words of Wanda.          Seamus T. Stamp’s connection of the movie Revenge of the Nerds III was something I never would have even dreamed of!  The whole “loser” reference is a great way to get pop culture pulled into a reading of such a dense text like The Shipping News.          The explanation of the “Old Hag” is one of amazing detail and creative integration into a reading of this novel.  The page was well constructed and introduced a topic that Non-Newfoundlanders are generally uninformed about.  Although, I must give double the applause to the ending where the page author asks us to gauge this phenomenon against an alien visitation.  Terribly creative!          My reaction to your web page overall was one of sincere admiration.  Your students did an excellent job of finding connections, developing themes, and presenting all that they learned on an aesthetically pleasing web site.  Hats off to your class and to you for an outstanding job!!  Sincerely, Jen Doebler

I was very impressed with the web page on The Shipping News that your students created.  By having each student contribute several pages and their own personal reflections, thoughts, and impressions of the novel the entire page grew into a very thorough collection of responses and insights.  One thing that struck me was the diverse opinions that students had of The Shipping News.  One student wrote that he "thought it was a very well written novel" but that he believed that "Newfoundlanders would appreciate it more."  He thought that it was "a great novel with a bias, but nonetheless it deserved a Pulitzer Prize."  Another student thought that the novel should not be taught outside of Newfoundland because it is "largely stereotypical" and may "leave many foreigners to Newfoundland with a wrong impression" of the culture.  And another student wrote, "My favorite thing about The Shipping News was the ending.  Why?  Because it was over."  Students at Penn State also had some mixed reactions, but I believe that the general consensus was more likened to that of the third Newfoundland student I quoted.  I liked the style of E. Annie Proulx, but I did not particularly enjoy the book, nor would I feel comfortable teaching it in a high school.  I enjoyed looking at your web page, however, because it did clear up some misconceptions that I had of Newfoundland.  One thing that I particularly enjoyed was the explanations of phrases and terms that are spoken in Newfoundland.  Never in a million years could I have translated "Right on buddy, go and do!" as "No kidding" and "Good-bye."  I enjoyed that each student could put their own personality, pictures, and opinions into their pages. Thank you and thanks to your students for working so hard.  Sincerely,  Robin Hatfield  rjh195@psu.edu

The Shipping News web site created by your class is quite interesting.  It provokes many thoughts and responses from me, several of which I would like to share with you.  Several authors objected to the novel's portrayal of Newfoundlanders, such as Margaret B., who said that although she like the novel, its inaccurate and "largely stereotypical" depiction of Newfoundland should prevent it from being taught in schools outside of the province.  Perhaps because of my culture as an American from the northeast, I find Margaret's view difficult to understand.  People here seem less tied to place.  Families are mobile and often split up for employment opportunities and other reasons.  I don't think that negative portrayals of the area in which I live would particularly disturb me.  Also, I wonder about Margaret's assertion that The Shipping News "should not be taught in schools away" (emphasis added).  I hesitate to say that a piece of literature should not be taught--that idea makes me nervous (it seems to suggest censorship).  Isn't it possible to teach the novel in context-- examining Newfoundland history and culture in an effort to determine what is accurate and inaccurate in Proulx's sense of place of Newfoundland?  Many other issues could be examined such as why the author chose to portray the area as she does, and who such a portrayal may benefit or hurt.  Essentially, I am suggesting that we read the novel critically with students rather than keep it away from them.  I also noticed that many authors commented on the incest, sexual abuse, and/or death in the novel.  These grotesque elements caught my attention as well, and I wanted to suggest that your students might find an essay by Proulx called "Returning Death's Gaze" interesting (it would be a good companion piece to read with the novel).  The essay argues that humans have an innate desire to stare at the dead, dying, and injured, and that we often find it acceptable to do so through photographs but not literature.  I enjoyed The Shipping News site created by your class, and I hope that they will enjoy ours.  Sincerely,  Heather Turner

Dear Class ( for lack of a better opening :) ),          It was a very interesting experience for me, to say the least, to read The Shipping News ! I admit, much to my chagrin, that I had only heard of the book within the context of it being "some award winning book"--as quoted to me by my brother. Once my professor, Jim Albright, MADE us read the book, I really, honestly, tried to 'get into it'. I COULD NOT!! I fought tooth and nail with this book, all the way to the end and I really don't know why. I had to go away from it for a LONG time (as you can see I am the type of writer that loves putting added emphesis on words by using capital letters; as if THAT action signifies 'pay attention to me!!') in order for me to "get it"--whatever it is that I get.      What I do know is that I wish we knew about your site BEFORE reading the book. I honestly might try to read the book again now that I have read your site. Your slant on the text is much different in many reagards than mine and I enjoy that. As an "outsider"--FAR outside, I missed alot of the cultural and historical references and simply got drowned in the writing style; far too painfully descriptive for my intro character-make a conflict-intro a love interest-throw in a threat to love interest's life-resolution--novel style taste. Your site, though, was very informative and well crafted. I enjoyed several entries and the recommended supplemental readings.      The sites I especially noted were Marilyn Babineau and Brian James Crockers' personal reflections. Brian noted that the book "...is a story of a man coming home, finding his roots..." and Marilyn commented that she "...put aside thoughts of grammar or sentence formation..." and simply read the book (I need to do that!). I got that sense of return to roots and understanding the self from the novel once I started "reading" it. Susanna Hogan's response to the criticism of CFA's  (come from away people) who seem to be airing the dirty laundry was very informative. I have to honestly say that it didn't even cross my mind to have a negative opinion about Newfoundland based upon this book. But, to realize that some might was interesting. The web site design and color choices and overall fabrication are very eye catching and enjoyable. The site is a great supplemental text in itself that serves as a companion to the book.    Please excuse the spelling mistakes if there are any and the verbage. Jim wanted this last Thursday and I am tardy. Also, I just don't like jotting down junk--although I'm good at that too! Have a wonderful rest of the year and good luck to you all in your endeavors!!  Sincerly,  Dana Salter- State College, Pa.

i really enjoyed your web page on 'The Shipping News' a lot. it helped in understanding of the novel, especially in terms of local terms and history, etc.  I didn't realize previously that the scenery was so fantastic in Newfoundland.  I might even vist sometime some summer since i do not enjoy cold weather.   i really enjoyed the style of the writing although it took some getting used to.  I also think 'The Shipping News' is way overrated.  The style and writing is great but the story lacks substance, and the characters are flat so you don't get into why it happened the way that it did.  I guess it was a nice story that i enjoyed but that i will forget rather easily. ed bristol

No, we don't all take this work as God's truth on Newfoundland. In fact the place is so far from me that I had to get out the huge atlas to see where Newfoundland is. But Proulx's book is a huge dose of happiness. Fresh and salty, magical - . Know dear students that this book has opened your world to millions and we love it!  I live in the south of france- it's hot, balmy, superficial. I'm not a student- single working mother in fact. I  have a friend who has the physique of Quoyle, really. Would you like a photo? With a double helping of seal fin curry Ella

Hi, My name is Dottie Love, and I'm from Texas. I've been reading your page and wanted to respond. I LOVED Shipping News-read it twice-and am coming to Newfoundland this summer as a result. You see, every August when it gets really hot (110-115 F), my husband and I would daydream about the Maritime Provinces. In WWII, my dad was stationed in Goose Bay, Labrador. He only says it was really COLD. We were delighted to hear that The Shipping News was placed in NF. A few Augusts later, my husband found, on the Internet, an artists' residency project at Pouch Cove. We applied 18 months ago and are thrilled to be spending June there. We are coming as a package deal--we are both artists--with my in-laws, an artist/writer and poet/retired English prof.   After reading many of the personal response papers, I must make some points. First, I'm impressed with the high level of writing ability evidenced by your students. Second, y'all are too sensitive! I don't think anybody feels NF is a bunch of incestuous, abusive families.  I was very surprised by the level of paranoia expressed by the students of "what they must think of us." Maybe it's because I'm a Texan, but I don't think one writer's depiction, in a work of FICTION, is any indication warranting a stereotype.  However, I surely hope that NF is a very different place, though, and I am looking forward to odd talking, odd humor, and odd food. That's why I'm coming to Newfoundland. If you come to Texas, you won't find Edna Ferber's Giant, or TV's "Dallas." I will admit though that some of my students are on rodeo scholarships....   Anyway, I would love to correspond with any of y'all. Bye!

I love your website.  This is an excellent way to share thoughts from Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders about The Shipping News. I am from Foxtrap, Newfoundland.  I moved to Louisville and eventually Mount Washington, Kentucky after spending the first 29 years of my life on that great island in the North Atlantic.  Kentucky has been my home for the past four years now. The perspective you get about Newfoundland is totally different when you leave that great Rock.  My sister, who is living in Toronto, once described Newfoundland as 'rugged'.  "The people are rugged, the weather is rugged, the landscape is rugged."  At the time I was living in Newfoundland and took great offence to her comment.  Now I have embraced it. You have to have incredible courage and stamina to make a go of it in Newfoundland.  If you can find a job, and keep it, then brace the harsh winters, you're about a quarter of the way there... As for the upsetting reference to sexual abuse in the book, I think it's important to remember this novel is fiction.  E. Annie Proulx lives in Newfoundland for part of the year and I do not think her intention was to make all Newfoundlanders look like sexual predators. Take the book for what it's worth - a good, fictional read that is forcing Newfoundland in the limelight. Sincerely, Heidi Caravan Producer, State of Affairs WFPL Radio  89.3 FM 619 South Fourth Street Louisville, Kentucky 40202