The fruit stand owner in Fruit and Words, though a bit crazy, attempts to simplify the world. She creates words out of what they describe and makes words tangible. This isn't a new concept, (children's books come to mind) but an idea that doesn't seem to be acknowledged by adults, though it is attractive. I think the reason why people loved this woman's projects so much is because of their simplicity. She could take materials from a confusing, complicated world and derive a simple and beautiful object from them. Viewers can take her art at face value; what they see is what it is. Rather than awkwardly trying to describe air or hope, we would be able to point at an object and say "That. That's what hope is." Bender writes about our desire to be able to simplify and understand this world.
Malcolm Abbey 4
I think you very nicely sum up what the shopkeeper's artistic project is in construction words from the physical objects or things the words themselves refer to. And this is perhaps why the narrator finds the stand--at that moment she needs a simplified world.
ReplyDeleteCould you give some examples of children's books where similar situations occur?