The Obscure Reading Group discussion
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Abigail
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June 1 - 7: Discussion #1 of 3: The First Third of ABIGAIL
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Oh, and as you asked, I think that this school does not exist to assist with the students’ emotional or internal lives. At least from what we have seen so far, all emphasis is on scholarship and deportment. And without apparent concern or awareness of sincerity. A major lapse from my point of view. I wonder, is this cultural, or perhaps the author’s creation to drive home her ideas, or maybe a combination? The teachers have limited views of their roles with the students but these seem to be dictated by the school too. In some ways the staff seem to lead equally restricted lives. Only Konig, who everyone sees as a patsy, including Gina, tries to be charitable to the girls, giving them breaks in various ways.
I am looking forward to the next chapter.
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Reading books through the years has expanded my definition of family. A boarding school itself can become a surrogate family. For that matter, on a smaller scale, so can a clique (or gang, if you prefer a more pejorative slant).
In this way, characters are formed for good or for bad. And there's no doubt that all of these girls, many decades later, will look back at the Bishop Matula days as seminal to their lives and their outlooks on life.
As for the war, in Part 2, which I have finished and which I am about to put a thread up for today, it comes much more into the picture. The mysteries surrounding Abigail remain, though I have my theory and would be surprised if I'm wrong (OK, delighted if I'm wrong).
Speaking of mysteries, the solution to the two teaching K's is not resolved in Part 2, either, but I will hold to THAT prediction, too, mentioned earlier in this thread with a nod of appreciation to the Von Trapps.
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I know that Gina's character seems selfish, entitled, etc. I feel that Szabo did this intentionally because the protagonist is about to undergo a transformation. I found it curious that Aniko Szabo, the "plump girl,” has the same surname as the author. Why that coincidence? And why does Szabo initially leave Gina off the list of names? In 1949, Magda Szabo was awarded the Baumgarten Prize for a book of poetry. That award was withdrawn the same day after the Communist party labeled her as an enemy of the state. Is Gina's being left off the initial roll call somehow a metaphor for the author once being considered an enemy of the people? She is given a prize and then it is taken away. In Gina's case, she is labeled an enemy and traitor of her classmates.
On the way to Mitsi Horn’s she places flowers at a statue. Here is how the statue is described, “It was the mutilated torso of a woman. She had no arms or legs, and her expression was one of absolute grief” (Szabo 91). What does this statue represent? The repression of Hungary under the communist regime? The placard found at the statue is labeled as propaganda against the resistance. “Stop this pointless shedding of Hungarian blood! We have lost the war. Save the lives of your children for a better future” (Szabo 91). From Fascism to Communism, the author appears to be asking are either of these a better future for the next generation? At one point, Szabo was forbidden to have her writing published and her books were banned from 1949 to 1956. Did she feel she had something in common with the mutilated female statue cutoff from the rest of the world?
While sitting at the table in Mitsi Horn’s house, Gina overhears some interesting conversation between Kalmar and Susanna, “The other day in the church I found a typewritten note lying on a pew…it was a summary of propaganda broadcast by radio Moscow” (Szabo 95).
In 1970 when this novel was published, Szabo was treading on dangerous ground since Hungary was still under Communist rule. Even though the rules had been relaxed, to say something like this in her novel was a bold step considering she had once been branded as an enemy of the state.
Going back to page 19, has anyone determined what the significance of the Latin inscription, “Non est currentis,” which Gina translates as, “The person running has nothing.” And how does this relate to her escape attempt? Perhaps the significance of Gina’s interpretation will become clear later in the novel.
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Cindy wrote: "I know that Gina's character seems selfish, entitled, etc. I feel that Szabo did this intentionally because the protagonist is about to undergo a transformation. I found it curious that Aniko Szabo..."Hello, Cindy,
Wonderful details here!
For me, I return to the school being a reflection of the larger society - - WWII Hungary in this particular story -- but it could reflect the author's own life/current country at the time of writing. Your revelation about the award used as both honor and punishment is striking. Now I am all the more curious about Szabó's other novels and poetry (now a new detail for me).
I noted the mutilated statue, likening it to the motherland Hungary, torn apart because of the war. I found that statue to be strikingly different from Abigail, who appeared during WWI, I believe. I took those differences to mean that Abigail could bring some hope or lessons for the community, or at least for the young girls and teachers at the school.
I noted the Latin inscription at the time I first read, and I wrote "I wonder if this is a call to action instead of fleeing. Is it perhaps a moral code of conduct? Could it be a national motto?" As I read - and I know we're now coming into the second section, I took it and other clues from the story to be about taking moral stands for beliefs, even if they mean going against the larger group. What do you make of the Latin inscription?
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And mea culpa on page 95. I actually flipped to the page to reread the paragraph you alluded to. The reference to Radio Moscow glided past my eyes unseen somehow.
Very interesting and proof positive that my Eastern European history is badly wanting. For some reason I didn't even perceive the Communists as being part of the picture until Germany's defeat in '45 when the Red Army ran over the eastern front all the way to Berlin.
As I recall, this book is set in '43 and then '44, so I have Hungary as a puppet regime under Germany's fascist boot. There was a reference to Horthy, who is also mentioned in the first chapter of Elie Wiesel's Night before the Germans and their Hungarian confederates place Wiesel's family on the transports. What's unclear to me is whether Horthy was the one deposed or put in place by the Nazis. I'll check that out as a minor point of interest vis-a-vis the book.
Anyway, excellent bird-dogging on Szabo's history as a writer in Hungary. I'm sure she's a source of great pride in that country now. I know I'll be reading The Door some time in the months ahead, and I'm surely enjoying this book now.
Just a few notes--Ken, I do think she is referencing WWII in the novel, but I also think she is very carefully drawing parallels to Communism. She had already been in trouble once for her "subversive" writing. By setting "Abigail" in WWII, she could more safely criticize her own government.I think the reference to "Radio Moscow" in conjunction with propaganda is a definite red flag. I'm surprised this escaped the notice of the censors in 1970. Maybe they just chose to look the other way. I would also like to read, "The Door" and her book of poetry, "Vissza az emberig" (Back to the Human). Her poetry is what got her in trouble to begin with.
Sandra, I think you are spot on about the mutilated statue representing Hungary in a larger context.
Looking forward to the next section.
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Sorry, Jan. My apologies. Thanks, Sandra for setting me straight. :)
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Ken, when you mention that Szabo is a source of pride in Hungary now, I can’t help but think she would be despairing about it’s state. Apparently its president has taken on dictatorial powers since the virus struck and the people have accepted it. He is one of, if not the most right wing leaders in Europe. It’s sad.
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Yes, sad's the word for the Viktor Orban situation in Hungary.
Ken wrote: "Sue wrote: "Ken, when you mention that Szabo is a source of pride in Hungary now, I can’t help but think she would be despairing about it’s state. Apparently its president has taken on dictatorial ..."Hello,
This is general because I'll contribute specific details in the discussion dedicated to Section II. I'm looking forward to that, and I realize that thread may have already begun.
Where do you see examples of control, inequity, and repression in the Bishop Matula school? We immediately observed separation from the outside world. There is the division between Matula and the public schools, seemingly innocent and widespread at first yet possibly more divisive. The rules imposed on the girls could serve two purposes: teach them about obedience but also foster and perpetuate strict adherence to group loyalty.
I think this is critical to ask because we are living in social institutions ourselves: some not clearly defined, others which could even be "chiseled" for us, and a great many of them in flux because of COVID-19.
Without diving into political sides or pointing fingers (hmm, talk about adherence and group loyalty), we can still draw parallels between our lives and this book's lessons. A formidable and enduring contribution of literature is how it can reveal something about ourselves and our current lives. Also, we have so much within our own group right here: religious, educational, historical, and social expertise. As we look around us at our current world, we find ourselves in a "decisive moment" in which our convictions and actions are critical. I've always seen respectful conversations here with this book and our original "Jude The Obscure" discussions. I believe those respectful and responsible actions will continue.
Cindy wrote: "Sorry, Jan. My apologies. Thanks, Sandra for setting me straight. :)"Never, ever a problem.
I'm enjoying the rich discussions, and many times I close my eyes and imagine our many "characters" engaged in a lively classroom lecture. As many of us (perhaps all of us) have experienced such dynamic and spontaneous classes, we can remember that not all formalities apply - nor should they.
Can you guess that I miss my lively students and physical school classrooms? (smile)
Thanks, Jan. That had to be quite a change in routine to switch from physical classrooms to online instruction. I'm not sure what grade you teach but online learning isn't for everyone. It requires a lot of discipline. Anyway I hope things return to normal in the fall.
Cindy wrote: "Thanks, Jan. That had to be quite a change in routine to switch from physical classrooms to online instruction. I'm not sure what grade you teach but online learning isn't for everyone. It requires..."Ah, Cindy, I appreciate that. We are not returning to normal this summer or in this upcoming semester, and I now wonder if we will ever be able to return to that original "ideal" again. Some days I'm confident with my ongoing plans and training; other days I grow worried about all the complexities. Yes, it all feels quite unreal.
Consider that hat from a while back: "Make Orwell Fiction Again" -- Damn! It's true! (smile)
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Wow Sandra, congrats on the successful parenting! Singapore sounds like a great place to teach virtually:)
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Sandra, your son and our own Laysee are in the same (albeit LARGE) city on the other side of the earth.
What was it Disney said? Ah, yes. It's a small world, after all.
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I still can't believe how quickly it spread and how prevalent air travel is!
Sandra wrote: "Yes, Jan. I have one son who is a professor at Humboldt in California and another who teaches at the United World College in Singapore. They are in the midst of all the questions and confusion that..."Ah, thank you, Sandra. What remarkable work your sons do. The work at Humboldt and then the active learning (kayaking - wow!) your sons do must make for wonderful experiences. Still, you're exactly right in saying that we may not return to education as we knew it. You raised them well; that's for certain.
I'm sure you miss them both tremendously. I just snuck in a visit to see my sister for about one hour. We live 4 miles apart yet can't see each other like we used to. Her work is also uncertain. As a pre-school teacher for blind children, she is now putting her earlier degree in Occupation Therapy to work in creating new equipment for the rooms, overseeing better accessibility in their garden (now called "Please Touch Garden, Please Smell Garden") and various occupational-therapy family resources. Still, we're both working on maintaining flexibility with our teaching.
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I do wonder about the war itself, as both a reality in this story and as metaphor perhaps for the structure of the school. Considering that it is in Hungary, not Germany, it seems to espouse the same principles in its absolutist teaching methods.
I am looking forward to beginning the next section which I believe many have already begun or finished. I should finish more quickly this week.