Dear Everyone,
As a writer and as a reader, I’m interested in the way that music can set a scene, hint at a subtext, or offer clues to a mystery. I’ve explored some of these options in “Gabriel’s Inferno.”
In one scene, I envisioned “You and Me” by Matthew Barber playing in the background while the central characters talk over dinner. This song emphasizes the differences between the characters and the way they have chosen to live their lives. The song also mentions the contrast between virtue and vice.
Few contemporary songs include references to virtue and vice, but Matthew Barber is not your typical singer-songwriter. You can watch him perform the song here. (And you can purchase the song from the “Ghost Notes” album on iTunes.)
Professor Emerson confesses to having all Seven Deadly Sins: pride, envy, wrath, sloth, avarice, gluttony and lust. He thinks that he’s a magnet for a sin. On the other hand, the lovely Miss Mitchell is a paragon of the Seven Virtues that oppose those vices: humility, kindness, patience, diligence, liberality, abstinence and chastity. The virtues and vices are paired in this way because humility is the corrective for pride, kindness is the corrective for envy, etc.
Liberality is perhaps the virtue least familiar by name. It can be likened to generosity and it’s supposed to combat greed. We normally think of generosity in terms of giving to others, particularly in terms of donating money to charities or worthy causes.
Through Goodreads, I have been able to meet a number of my readers. The interface on that website is set up in a similar fashion to Facebook so that one can see updates on what one’s friends are reading, what their ratings are of particular books, etc. Recently, I saw that one of my readers was reading a series of books by an American author named Heather Huffman.
Mrs. Huffman describes her novels as stories about strong female leads who face difficult situations. She provides her books for free through Barnes and Noble for Nook readers or anyone who uploads a Nook application to their cell phone or PC or Mac computer.
Why would a novelist provide ALL her books for free?
Mrs. Huffman answers this question on the top of her website, where she states that she would prefer her readers make a donation to WorldVision or the charity of their choice, rather than paying for her book. In particularly, she encourages her readers to donate to WorldVision’s program to support and protect sexually exploited girls.
Mrs. Huffman’s work is a great example of the virtue of liberality. She donates her writing to charity and in so doing, inspires others to give of their talents to worthy causes. Donations don’t always have to be financial – one can donate time, things that one makes, or even one’s writing. One person can make a difference.
All the best,
SR
PS. If you read one of Mrs. Huffman’s novels or if you make a contribution to a charity or a worthy cause, would you let me know? I welcome your comments below.
I am honoured to have had all three of my novels appear on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists. I was a Semifinalist for Best Author in the 2011 and 2012 Goodreads Choice Awards. {
Bruce Cockburn is the only contemporary artist I can think of who also writes songs related to virtue and vice. His work tends to have a more global/political meaning, though. (It isn’t always about the mangoes.)
Hmmm…Joni Mitchell has used similar themes. She often writes about avarice, temptation, and lust, and how the different ways two people view these characteristics can come between them.
(And all three are Canadians! Jeez, I hate to think Americans aren’t that contemplative.)
Thank you for the information on Heather Huffman. Her generosity is so inspiring. This is on a much smaller scale, of course, but I feel very proud of fellow fanfiction authors who donate their work for the various “fandom gives back” efforts. I feel selfish saying this, but I’ve felt really good at the times I’ve written stories for these causes.
For the past several years, my family and I have participated in a bike ride that raises money for local charities that help fight hunger, homelessness, and poverty. My husband rides (for 200 miles!), and our daughter and I are on a team that accompanies the riders to make sure they have everything they need. The best part is that we’ve been able to meet a lot of the people who’ve benefitted from the funds we’ve raised. And again, it’s almost selfish, the amount of satisfaction that we get from it.
I want to thank you for sharing Matthew Barber’s music with us. It is perfect for that scene in your book. I enjoyed it so much.
I also want to say this is one of the things I most love about SR. He truly cares about people and if it weren’t for his generosity of time, spirit, and heart I would not be here. At all! And I remind myself constantly in hard times that his example will always be the best example I could have clung to. I remember that I finally have someone who is really proud of me and so I continue to not only fight to really live but to follow his example of charity.
Charity isn’t new to me but renewed because of SR. I don’t think there is much else more joyful in the world than knowing you have lessened the burden of another, even if it is only a little bit.
I will share a story that happened a couple of days ago. I drove up to a grocery store with my oldest son and a man who appeared to be very dirty, partially blind and desperately hungry was with his dog begging people to help him.
Normally in the town I live in it is very dangerous to trust strangers like this, some people do ACT the part to get money or rob you. It can be very frightening to even approach them because you never know. However, I wanted my son to know that no matter how little we have, we have to help people like that. To imagine himself in that situation and no one will even look at you, if he were so desperate and he had a little dog who clearly needed food and possibly medical care.
In these instances I don’t even think about it, I grabbed a few dollars from my wallet and had my son take it to him. It was probably only six or so but you know it was more than this man had.
I did this in response to Heather Huffman’s books which SR kindly informed us of. It doesn’t matter how little you have to give, whether it is money or time or just holding up a friend who is down, you just do it.
Not for fanfare but because it is the right thing to do. Letting someone suffer because you are scared is wrong. Say he did trick us and has a huge house and a BMW? The heavens up above will see this as no less a gift on your part and if it made you feel good, then that is worth it too.
Thank you once again for being a positive inspiration SR.
Oh and I love Mangoes.
Thanks for these great comments MC and EB. And thank you both for being generous in your communities and making a difference.
I received a very nice note from Heather Huffman yesterday.
All the best and thanks,
SR
http://youtu.be/sKKH82bZkB4
You and Me album version
Love that I got an intro to Mathew Barber from you SR. HE is on my favorites list now too.
Virtue and Vice. There is a dark and little bit silly band…gothish and not very deep ;-), Called The DeathStars and they have a song called Virtue to Vice.
http://youtu.be/5YB4g05tgTY
These secrets I’ll bring to you
Are of thorns and ice
Hush….
Don’t tell them nothing, not a word
Hush…
Don’t tell them nothing, not a single thing that I’ve said to you
Hear all my secrets
Tell all the lies
Hear all my secrets
Tell all the fucking lies!
Can you hear it scream?
Deep deep inside
Hush…
Now listen carefully, here it comes
Hush…
It’s what I keep inside, this is the crime that I’ve tried to hide
Hear all my secrets
Tell all the lies
Hear all my secrets
Tell all the fucking lies!
Can you hear it scream?
Deep deep inside
Envy…Sloth…Gluttony…Wrath…Pride…Lust…Greed
These secrets I’ll bring to you
Are of thorns and ice
These secrets I’ll give to you
Will turn virtue to vice
These secrets I’ll bring to you
(These secrets I’ll bring to you)
Are of thorns and ice
(Are of thorns and ice)
These secrets I’ll give to you
(These secrets I’ll give to you)
Will turn virtue to vice
(Will turn virtue to vice!)
Can you hear it scream?
Deep deep inside
I’ll tell you only once…
There is also a choral group from Portland, Oregon Called The Julians that have a concert titled 7 deadly sins. They play in churches and such.
http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2011/02/21/the-julians-explore-virtue-and-vice-in-song/
http://youtu.be/dAG9IEY0oAI
Interesting. There are more videos
Heather Huffman sounds like an amazing person. I’ll look into her stories and charities. That is another thing I thank you for SR. Being more charitable. Thanks for that 😉