Last Friday night, Daniel and Mari attended the PTO movie night fundraiser at their school. They saw Hollywood’s latest version of the children’s classic book, Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White. I haven’t seen it yet but it looks like a well made movie and hopefully it is worthy of the huge amount of acting talent recruited for the many animal character voices. (Can you imagine a better choice than Steve Buscemi as Templeton the Rat?) I also hope this 2006 live action adaptation will redeem Hollywood for the sin of the saccharine 1973 Hanna-Barbera animated version which was just awful in my opinion (with the exception of Paul Lynde and Agnes Moorhead’s voicing.)
What I am glad about is that the kids got to see the benevolent personification of the lovely and useful garden spider. Without this gentle story as back drop, I don’t think they could have appreciated the beautiful creature that made her home next to our front door a couple days ago.
When we showed her to the kids, they were initially repulsed. But when we pointed out how beautiful her full, velvety black abdomen and legs were and how striking the bright yellow markings looked, they were more receptive to seeing beauty in this unusual creature.
However, Charlotte’s story truly came to life when the next morning a huge egg sac appeared beside her and her body was visibly smaller. Surely the effort to produce the thousands of
eggs must have taken a tremendous toll on the living creature and I can envision E.B. White observing with inspiration this very process on his rural Maine farm in the 1950s.
Our Charlotte is now being very still and I think is simply waiting for the fulfillment of her time. It makes me a little sad to pass her every time I enter and exit through that door. Yet I am grateful for this chance to see beauty in this unexpected place and, moreover, I am glad that Daniel and Mari have a chance to watch this act of nature up close.
Duane, your photos are amazing! I can see each little filament on your spider friend’s legs! And by the way, great minds, because I just recently documented my arachnid observations: http://livingmindfully.blogspot.com/2007/09/front-porch-denizen.html .
By: Shawndra on September 24, 2007
at 6:39 pm
Shawndra,
I have a sad update. Charlotte was not on her web this morning when the kids went out to wait for the bus. They were the ones who noticed her absence. They are sad because I think they know she has probably left for good.
By: Duane on September 25, 2007
at 12:54 pm
I guess the “good” news is that you’ll have thousands of little Charlottes knocking on your front door.
By: Troy on September 26, 2007
at 8:57 pm
I am anti-spider to even the tiniest crawly creature, but that really is a beautiful way to describe her life. Sorry she is gone.
By: Susan on October 1, 2007
at 2:35 pm
No joke. I came home the other afternoon and there was a spider that looked just like this one that had built its web on my fall door wreath. Of course I had John move her to the Lilac booth. I wonder what makes doors so attractive?
By: Troy on October 2, 2007
at 7:53 pm
Lilac bush I meant.
By: Troy on October 2, 2007
at 7:53 pm
Troy, your door has welcome written all over it!
By: Duane on October 2, 2007
at 8:01 pm
Man, I love spiders. When I was a kid, we had a few take residence on our porch to make an egg sac. I am not a huge fan of flying, buzzy insects (particularly biting ones) so I always welcome spiders into my life because, after all, they eat the bugs that annoy me
Charlotte’s Web was a very key book for me growing up, as were the other White classics, Stuart Little and Trumpet of the Swan. Swan was always my favorite. I’ve long refused to see the recent Stuart Little films, because they look absolutely nothing like the book I am so fond of. As for the ’saccharine’ animated Charlotte’s Web, well… I have to confess a fondness for it. I watched it a lot growing up, beginning with when I was a very young child.
I haven’t seen the new one, yet…
Given the sort of melancholy and taste for simple beauty that EB White was fond of expressing, I think the likelihood of Hollywood ever making a faithful adaptation of one of his books is, sadly, very slim.
By: Chaim on October 6, 2007
at 6:19 am
Chaim,
I agree with you on the usefulness of spiders on the buzzy bug thing. Plus when you live in the country, you just have to consider them a fact of life.
You are also absolutely right about hollywood not being able to capture the essence of most literary work. But, as your experience demonstrates, it is often a matter of perspective. We bought the animated version for the kids a couple years ago because my partner remembered it fondly from his childhood. I had never seen it and was not impressed. Similarly, my niece and nephew think the old Willy Wonka movie is superior to Tim Burton’s “Charlie” which I believe to be an instant modern classic and see new layers and nuance with every viewing.
By: Duane on October 6, 2007
at 11:48 am