 On
Bear Mountain
Reader's Guide
Hello from Deb Smith! I'm honored you've chosen On
Bear Mountain for your group. Here are some
background details and insight about the novel I hope your
members will find interesting. As an amateur folk artist, the themes of On Bear
Mountain had a particular appeal to me as I was
writing the book. Here in my part of the United
States—the South—folk art has a rich tradition and is
also known as "Outsider Art." Self-taught, whimsical,
profound, deceptively primitive in look, it speaks to
people who consider themselves outside the mainstream,
either due to poverty, race, religion, or by virtue of
having an uncommon vision of the world.
Thus, the folk art embraced by the Powell family in the
South had a lot in common with the abstract modern art
loved by Quentin's father. Both art forms require the
viewer to look at the world from an
unusual perspective, and both art forms have taken a lot
of abuse from critics who don't "get" the idea.
In some ways, the same can be said of "romance novels."
<smile> Like many women who write that genre of
fiction, I'm often dismayed when people assume my books
fit some narrow definition of romantic fiction. Twenty
years ago, after working as a newspaper reporter and
medical writer, I broke into novels by writing small,
Harlequin-romance type paperbacks. I was labeled a
"romance writer," and have been called that, ever since.
But I'd be willing to bet that if I put one of those old
books into a non-romancy cover and handed it to someone
who swears she doesn't read "those kinds of books,"
she'd be shocked and impressed by how even those early
books of mine don't fit her idea of a "trashy" formula
read. Many, many fine writers work in the romance genre. It's
a vast, diverse group of books, ranging from the cute
and simple to the serious and complex. I'm proud to be
part of it. I continue to call my books "romances," because their
core always revolves around a strong love story. I adore
sentimental and even melodramatic love stories—I admit
it! <smile> As a child I cut my teeth on Gone With
The Wind, swooned at Jane Eyre, and greedily
devoured stacks of bodice-ripping historicals. As a grown-up (well, I guess I'm grown-up, or at least
as mature as I can ever hope to be,) I recognize the
deep and profound bond between two loving people as one
of the most transcendent and civilizing elements of
human life on this planet. It's not sappy to celebrate it, whether in books labeled
(often derisively) "romance novels," or in general
fiction. The world of literature would be a cold, dark
place without the glorious heroism chronicled when two
people fall in love and declare their faith in each
other. So . . . I hope y'all enjoy the romance in On Bear
Mountain as well as the story of the families,
the setting, and, most of all, the marvelous Iron Bear. A little trivia here: I got the idea for the Bear from a
real sculpture on display near the University of
Georgia, where I went to college. Decades ago, an artist
donated a larger-than-life, abstract, "Iron Horse" to
the university. It was put on display on campus.
Students at that time had never seen modern art before,
and they repeatedly vandalized the sculpture. The situation grew so annoying that the university gave
the massive sculpture to the first person willing to
haul it away. It ended up in a farmer's field, standing
proudly and weirdly among the waving grasses and curious
cattle. It has remained there ever since. Over the years,
students began to make whimsical pilgrimages to the Iron
Horse, often toting beer along for an outdoor party in
the farmer's field. Now the sculpture has become a beloved and
sentimental part of university lore. In recent years,
its reputation as a work of art has been fully restored,
so much so that the university grumbles mildly about its
value and has even made a few half-hearted attempts to
make the owner return it. No way. Today the Iron Horse remains right where it
belongs. You can read articles about it on-line.
Here's a good one. Again, I totally honored to have a book selected by your
group. And do let me know if I can be of more
assistance.
Reader's Guide Questions:
1. Ursula and Quentin struggle to come to terms
with their respective fathers' intense devotion
to unusual art. How to you feel about "modern
art" and other non-traditional types of painting
and sculpture? 2. Have you ever been disgusted or even just
bewildered by a sculpture displayed in a public
place? 3. Quentin's father's obsession with artistic
success leads to tragedy. Do you believe in the
image of the tormented starving artist? Do you
think artists have to suffer for their work to
be good? 4. The bears featured in the book are Black
Bears, who are not generally dangerous to
people. Have you ever had an encounter with a
bear? Do you see them as noble creatures or just
big, scary moochers? 5. If you could be a successful artist, what
would your favorite subject matter be? Why? 6. A major theme of the book is art versus
money. Do you think the two are mutually
exclusive? How do you feel about art that is
deliberately offensive (such as religious themes
some see as sacrilegious?) Who should decide
what's acceptable? |
