At times bizarre, at times theatrical, these are modern fables for our times.
Writing humor is a
difficult art, reviewing
it is no less
difficult. Political correctness is understood to be the avoidance of expressions and actions that exclude, marginalize or insult socially disadvantaged groups of people. But political correctness as a form of humour? Is such a thing possible?
These are more enlightened times, says the author, and our literature reflects the bias and influence of our cultural past. This, then, is a satirical attempt to
correct the mistakes of the past!
Cinderella’s fairy is a man who refers to himself as a fairy godperson; and he gives her a poltical education on the Barbie-doll ideas of feminine desirability and beauty prevalent in a male dominated society.
Snow White, is not at all unpleasant to look at, but just cannot form a strong sisterly bond with her mother-in-law. And the seven dwarves have metamorphosed into bearded and vertically challenged men living in harmony with nature.
Jack (Jack and the Beanstalk) is warned of the dangers of eating beef and dairy products when he is trying to sell the family cow. And when his mother learns that he has traded the cow for three beans, she is upset enough to attend a support group meeting.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin leads the homeless unemployed to the highway in search of work. But, when he is not paid for his labors, he is equally adept in leading the children of the townfolk ideologically astray.
These are but a few examples of Garner’s zany imagination at work rewriting our fables. But this is a mixed collection – there are as many hits as there are misses. It has all the ingredients that made it a bestseller, yet one felt that at times the humor was somewhat forced. Still, the concept is original and the book was fun to read while it lasted (all of seventy-nine pages).