Ms. Fortier's novel -- originally published as De Bon Usage des Etoiles in 2008 -- succeeds by refracting the light of its sources into a series of stellar vignettes, each of which captures a glimpse of one of the many figures who were caught up in the launch of, and search for, the Franklin expedition of 1845. Some glimmer darkly -- Crozier is almost a black hole of stellar suspiration -- while others, such as Lady Jane Franklin, take on the full refulgence of an Arctic sky. Sir John himself is cast deep in the shadows of his own expedition, reduced to a few doubtful-seeming journal entries, but we hardly miss him. His crew, on the other hand, is crammed with a variety of colorful characters, some based on its actual officers, some entirely fictional, such as the delightful "Adam Tuesday," who claims to have read every book in the ships' well-stocked libraries. In-between these leaves are folded, specimen-like, the fragments and documents of daily life: a dinner menu, a page from a manual of magnetism, a snippet of Eleanor Porden's poetry, a scribbled note attached to a button, a recipe.
The central portion of the narrative alternates between Crozier, whose dark matter grows in gravity and depth as the expedition progresses, and the lives of Lady Jane and her niece, Sophia Cracroft. Crozier's ineffectual courtship of Miss Cracroft is the connecting thread; in Fortier's version, their relationship seems far less futile than either of them feared, although (alas) neither will ever be the wiser. Crozier eventually must leave his reveries, and his ships behind, while Sophia comes to the realization -- with the help of Lady Franklin -- that perhaps, after all, the companionship of a conventional-minded man is far inferior to the company of a smart and free-spirited woman.
The social history of tea forms another delicate and finely nuanced strand, figuring both in Crozier's rivalry with Fitzjames and Lady Franklin's carefully choreographed social ensembles. And in the end, it's Lady Franklin who shines the brightest; never, in any of the other novels drawn from these histories, has she been so particularly, vividly alive as she is in Fortier's capable hands. She is here, she is there, she is everywhere -- equipped with little dogs named Mr. Darcy and Mr. Bingley, her color-coded maps, her calling cards, and her formidable recipe for Christmas pudding (given at novel's end should anyone wish to embark upon a two-month's journey from first stir to fiery arrival) -- she proves herself again and again a far more intrepid and tireless explorer than her seeming-heroic husband. One must see her, in this light, as the very first to make a fiction out of Franklin, and although here we witness only the first few opening brush-strokes, the reader can little doubt that, in the end, it is her portrait at which after-comers must ever ponder and pry, however various and disparate their ultimate visions.
There are two specific topics that I want to discuss from this text, with one being an inquiry and the other a comparison. From our previous discussions in class, I understood Sir. John Franklin as being an honorable man with a level head; however, some content in this fictional novel has clouded that perspective. Firstly, on the voyage Crozier captained the "Terror" and Franklin captained the "Erebus," and when they wanted to have a captain’s dinner one had to travel to the other’s ship. Now, I would expect that they would go back and forth traveling, since it is a voyage on their wooden boat, but that does not happen. Instead, Crozier is the one that always travelled to Franklin, which I assume is because Franklin did not want to travel. I found this selfishness out of character for Franklin, as well as when he changed moods so quickly when Crozier made a comment at the dinner one night. Furthermore, it is described in Lady Franklin’s section of the novel that Franklin was “…ill-mannered at table and seemed shockingly uninterested in any technical and scientific developments that did not immediately touch on his field of expertise,” which leads me to view Franklin as rude and difficult (Fortier 82). When someone was talking about something uninteresting to him, he did not acknowledge it. In this text, Franklin also appeared to be arrogant and disrespectful because when someone began to speak, he “…fidgeted, squirming in his seat like a bored child, and soon, unable to take any more, he would interrupt the speaker and launch into a new monologue…” (Fortier 82). He would directly interrupt people for his own benefit because he was bored with them. This novel appears to be putting a negative view on the man that I thought was heroic, brave, and honorable. Is this the true story about Franklin’s character or was this description of him just pure fiction?
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I made a connection between the English explorers Crozier and Franklin, and the Americans explorers Bessels and Hall. Towards the middle of this novel Crozier shares that the maps of the Peel Sound and King William’s Island were just vague outlines and that he wanted to do a more in-depth mapping while they were at that location. Crozier actually “…suggested the ships sail around the headland towards the east so as to map methodically the coastlines, but Franklin had given him to understand that they had no time to waste plunging into a cul-de-sac while the passage was doubtless within their reach” (Fortier 124). Crozier and Franklin had a dispute on the next course of action because Crozier wanted to do mapping to better exploration, while Franklin just wanted to explore. This is the same situation as Bessels and Hall on the "Polaris," because Bessels wanted to take the time to do more science discoveries and studies, but Hall just wanted to explore the North Pole. Both pairs had a similar dispute on their ships, which leads me to conclude that on both explorations there was no communal understanding of the main mission. This communal understanding that they lacked is so essential to the explorers maintaining their sense of community, and therefore their mental health during a long-term exploration.
This is probably my favorite thing that we’ve read so far. I’m really clicking with Fortier’s storytelling and her writing style. I find the way that she’s structured the narrative compelling, particularly with points of view. She utilizes multiple points of view of people who were involved in the Franklin expedition, and I especially like Crozier’s point of view so far and Lady Jane Franklin’s. Lady Franklin’s point of view caught my attention and I look forward to her sections each time they come up. I really like the inclusion of her point of view, especially considering that we speak so much about the expeditions and those on it, but we don’t spend as much time talking about those left behind. For me, Crozier and Lady Franklin make the story of the Franklin expedition come to life, and it feels so vivid. In the books we’ve read so far, I feel like I’ve been told a lot of things, and with On the Proper Use of Stars, I feel like I’ve been shown and invited to experience the narrative, if that makes sense. I’m curious to see how Fortier wraps up the novel knowing how the Franklin expedition “ends.” I wonder whose point of view will close out the novel.
ReplyDeleteGeorgia, I agree-- this is probably my favorite book that we have read so far in this class! I also think that because the way Fortier articulated the narrative structure, it was more inviting to the reader and made me more invested. I like how the voice of Lady Franklin has been shown through, and it makes the story more dynamic in my opinion than the ones we have been reading. It is not just about the captain, crew, and ship; but the other people not always acknowledged to be involved in the narrative. I also look forward to reading more about Lady Franklin in terms of her perspective and the course of action.
DeleteWhile reading this book so far I really enjoy hearing the point of view on Fortier because all the stories we have read so far we only read about the person who is going to adventure out but never about the ones who are left behind at home. So it is great that we get to see how they experience this lifestyle from a far and not just about Franklin himself.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Franklin, it is really interesting to me to view him as not so great of a person. He seems to be a little cold at times, sort of full of himself as well, and does not treat others very nicely as well. The way he treats people makes me think he views himself as better than others.
Madeleine Frost
ReplyDeleteTo describe “On The Proper Use of Stars” as a piece that “succeeds by refracting the light of its sources into a series of stellar vignettes” is spot-on. The way in which Fortier crafts the novel truly allows for a creative and comprehensive understanding of Franklin’s voyage. Perhaps obviously, Fortier uses sources from real life to craft a realistic fictional narrative. This dual narrative may prove to be more trustworthy and realistic compared to a singular-voiced novel. Take, for example, Poe’s “Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.” It’s a bit challenging to trust the voice of a singular person, especially when some of the events they describe are not always believable. When multiple people describe some of the same things in identical or similar ways, what they are describing becomes more realistic and believable. Thus, in “On the Proper Use of Stars,” Fortier employs multiple voices that enable her to craft a realistic narrative. In addition to the believability of it all, the plurality of narratives makes reading the novel more interesting. If we compare the novel, again, to Poe’s novel, the reader does not feel “stuck” with one person and instead gets to experience things with many voices. This also adds to the realisticness of it, especially as it relates to the narrative of an explorer. Instead of solely focusing on the explorer, or, in this case, Sir John Franklin and his crew, Fortier includes a narrative point of view from Lady Franklin as well. This way, the reader has the ability to observe Sir John Franklin’s actions and their impacts as well as how the exploration impacts Lady Franklin, who is not directly a part of the voyage. All in all, Fortier’s novel (so far) is a success because of the narrative tools she employs.
“On The Proper Use of Stars” is definitely one of the more prominent and interesting of the titles we have so far in the semster for me. For me, Fortier writes and structures their narrative in such a manner that it really drags you into not just the voyage itself, but the people outside the endeavor. Personally, this aspect of the text, as my contemporaries above have stated also, is very refreshing to have a new take on the story that we have beforehand.
ReplyDeleteNot to mention, Fortier's take on Franklin at times is rather different as well. He seems more rude, or arrogant at times, rather than the valiant explorer he is naturally made out to be. Fortier does a good job in bringing out the details of the journey, even making it seem more inviting than anything in their descriptions and use of multiple of voices.
I think this story is interesting so far because even though it tells the story of the voyage through the eyes of people that are on the ships, there is still foreshadowing, as if they have the sense that something bad is going to happen. The dove, the way hat Crozier talks about the ship hulls being crushed one night at dinner -- it makes you wonder if they were actually as prepared as they say they were or if Franklin just wanted to continue riding the coattails of his found fame, and wanted to go out onto the ocean ASAP.
ReplyDeleteI guess my only thing in reading this story that I questioned was why it was written. It's been over 150 years since the ships went missing, and most people now don't even know about the Franklin expedition. It also isn't, in my opinion, a particularly significant event. Ships sink and go missing all the time. But this isn't to belittle the attention it accrued. Rather, it really begs the question of why it matter so much? What gave this expedition staying power?
"On the Proper Use of Stars" gives a fresh perspective to the story. Instead of dredging through the story again from an academic standpoint, we actually get to live it, to go on the adventure, to experience it. There is something to be said about that I think. I find this book, so far, to be interesting because it was written in modern time with modern voice, and it allows you to engage with the story of this tragedy rather than just reading about it. So I'd have to agree that, regardless of why this story has staying power, the fact that it did allowed for this story to come out and rekindle interest in the expedition.
As a side thought, while I was reading, I really wondered: is Lady Jane, the reason why some people sometimes refer to girls as "Lady Jane"? I didn't look up the answer; I just wanted to ponder it.
"On the Proper Use of Stars" is a drastically different from the texts that we have been reading so far. I personally like when a novel is split up into smaller parts: it makes the reading seem less tedious. It is also refreshing to read different types of texts in one novel (Narratives, poems, journal entries).
ReplyDeleteSomething that we get from this novel that has been glossed over in the past readings we have done on the Franklin expedition is the way the sailors talk about the Inuit peoples. We have read that the white mad feels superior to the Inuit people, but this is the first time I have read about realistic conversations revolving around Inuit people and the white man. On pages 92-94, we see the sobering dialogue between sailors comparing the Inuit people to animals and calling them savages. These conversations are revealing to how aware the sailors were to their thirst for power and overruling.
Yes that's a key passage -- Fortier seems to be allowing some of Franklin's men at least some insight into the adaptability of the Inuit -- though along with it, a blindness to their own lack of adaptability.
DeleteSome of the comments about Inuit in some of the men's letters home were far harsher than the ones made in the fictional version: "On one of the islands there are about ten families of Esquimaux, and the whole population turned out on our account. They are, without exception, the ugliest, dirtiest set of beings I ever beheld, and smelling so strong of seal oil that it is disagreeable to come within five yards of them. We allowed several to come on board, and each brought up a bag with him, containing the things he had to barter. These people are very poor and wretched, and had nothing worth having. Each man comes off in a separate canoe, it being only made to contain one. It is the only neat thing they seem to possess. It is very light, made of sealskin stretched over a frame, and in the middle is a hole into which the man’s legs go, and where he stores all his provisions and utensils for fishing, &c. Their huts are more dirty and disgusting than their inhabitants. In one that we went into, there was a man very ill with rheumatism, and affection of the lungs, yet the grass was growing close under his bed, and the floor of this pigsty was several inches deep in mud. It really made me feel very small when I remembered I was of the same species as these creatures, and I thanked God that I was not born an Esquimaux."
DeleteSarah,
DeleteMy research paper delves into Western-Inuit relations. I agree completely. It is ironic that the White men look down on the Inuit, but they are the one's equiped to survive. The Inuit are less likely to die as the Franklin crew as they know how to hunt, stay warm, and navigate. The crew pekered off without food because they did not have these skills.
Call the Inuit as you wish, but you are the fool who you sought out the harsh terrain of the North with little skill in how to survive in it!
Alexandra
I, like many others in our class, appreciate the use of different texts in "On the Proper Use of Stars." I find that it helps to break up the reading into something more digestible.
ReplyDeleteThe take on Franklin being a less than cordial and warm individual is also refreshing, as I feel many historical figures, Franklin included, are memorized for what they did rather than who they were. We tend to forget the personalities of these heroes because we focus so heavily on their accomplishments and/or tragic fates. Putting a more tangible personality into Franklin and others creates more of an attachment to the narrative compared to some of the other texts we have read in this course.
The characterization of Franklin does also raise the question as to whether his expedition was fueled by ego, which in my opinion is an important distinction, even if the result remains the same.
I found the reading by Fortier, "On the Proper Use of Stars," to be interesting due to its collection of different forms to tell this story in a different light. I found the first episode of the TV show The Terror, however, to be a very telling version of this expedition. Although dramatized, I think that we were able to see much more of the passion and emotion behind some of these characters. I think we were able to see Franklin’s loyalty to this expedition and his crew on both ships much more in the show. Franklin also seemed to be much more optimistic as he persevered through the different scenarios they faced during their journey in the Arctic. Crozier's character in the show seemed much more realistic and seemed to follow the motto of “everyman for themselves,” instead of Franklin's “no man left behind” attitude.
ReplyDeleteI also found the scene when the sailor I believe by the name of Collins, goes underwater in an old fashioned scuba suit with the helmet, to be interesting. Franklin calls him a “pilgrim of the deep,” which I found to just be a funny, but true comment. At this time the ocean was also just as unknown as the Arctic and that is a whole adventure in and of itself. The sailor comes back up and describes his experience underwater to be a dream, but seems like he meant to say nightmare. He did seem scared while under there and I would argue to say was even more terrifying because there were probably creatures below that were unknown and it was dark/ quiet. I also found the Victorian scuba suit itself to be interesting, especially for the temperature conditions they were in. Although it was a nifty design/invention, they were probably not insulated. Not only this but they probably did not have proper warm clothing on to protect their body from the cold, so I can only imagine how terrifying that was in and of itself.
Reading “On the Proper Use of Stars” is like the ultimate culmination of everything we have read as a class about the Franklin expedition. If I did not have the background information of “Weird and Tragic Shores”, “The Man Who Ate His Boots”, and some background on Arctic forensics, I would be completely lost. Fortier incorporates elements from all of those stories in her novel. My favorite of which is when Crozier “took his knife from his pocket and started to open a tin on the label of which could be read: Beef Stew” (43). This connects to one of the old theories about the Franklin expedition in that John Franklin died of lead poisoning from tin cans. By having Crozier raise his objections to the use of canned food, readers who know about the expedition will experience a sense of dread that, had it not been for Franklin, the expedition would have gone a lot more smoothly.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that that I noticed in this book is the characterization of John Franklin. Franklin is portrayed as having a lot of hubris as he is described as bringing in tons of useless supplies, like silverware, aboard ship. Crozier even notes “that my fears regarding Sir John’s competence were perhaps unfounded” clueing readers in that there were doubts about Franklin’s ability to successfully lead the expedition early on (25). Even though this is not a historical account, I enjoy the alternative perspective of the Franklin expedition that Fortier brings to the table.
On The Proper Use Of Stars is definitely the Return of the Jedi of Franklin's expedition. If you don't have the context of the other stories of Franklin's expedition, then this wouldn't make much sense. I appreciated the different texts as well as framing Franklin as a flawed human, something I believe should be done with many historical figures. We idolise many people in history without looking at their flaws. Take Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, for instance. While I am a huge fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda's hit musical Hamilton and appreciate Lin's attempts at making Hamilton a flawed hero ("Say No To This," "The Reynolds Pamphlet," and "Cabinet Battle #2"), there is only so much that can be framed into a two and a half hour musical. Not featured in Lin's magnum opus is Hamilton's hypocrisy in terms of slavery, as well as Hamilton's monarchical tendencies, as well as being a capitalist. Despite these flaws, liberals tend to put Hamilton on a pedestal as the immigrant Founding Father who was unjustly forgotten, but people need to remember what he truly believed.
ReplyDelete