Comments on: On reading “Harriet the Spy” http://www.malindalo.com/2010/07/on-reading-harriet-the-spy/ Author Sun, 05 Feb 2012 19:43:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: JJ http://www.malindalo.com/2010/07/on-reading-harriet-the-spy/comment-page-1/#comment-206299 JJ Tue, 20 Jul 2010 04:03:34 +0000 http://www.malindalo.com/?p=3206#comment-206299 I read HARRIET THE SPY when I was young, and the fact that Harriet just went on with a new notebook just seemed to me that she learned to ignore what people thought of her and pursued her passion anyway. I will also admit that the book inspired me to carry around notebooks and spy on random strangers, but I never went through any great lengths to, you know, crawl into someone else's dumbwaiter. When I reread the novel as I got older, the class issues definitely struck me, as well as how true to life Harriet's perception of her parents and peers is. She understands her surroundings through the filters of a child, but it's fascinating to see her parents' marriage and her best friend Sport's financial situation through someone with limited and privileged understanding. I would also recommend Harriet's sequel, THE LONG SECRET, which isn't about Harriet so much as Beth Ellen, summer in the Hamptons, and puberty. I also find the queer subtext in THE LONG SECRET really interesting, as Louise Fitzhugh was reportedly queer herself. I read HARRIET THE SPY when I was young, and the fact that Harriet just went on with a new notebook just seemed to me that she learned to ignore what people thought of her and pursued her passion anyway. I will also admit that the book inspired me to carry around notebooks and spy on random strangers, but I never went through any great lengths to, you know, crawl into someone else’s dumbwaiter.

When I reread the novel as I got older, the class issues definitely struck me, as well as how true to life Harriet’s perception of her parents and peers is. She understands her surroundings through the filters of a child, but it’s fascinating to see her parents’ marriage and her best friend Sport’s financial situation through someone with limited and privileged understanding.

I would also recommend Harriet’s sequel, THE LONG SECRET, which isn’t about Harriet so much as Beth Ellen, summer in the Hamptons, and puberty. I also find the queer subtext in THE LONG SECRET really interesting, as Louise Fitzhugh was reportedly queer herself.

]]> By: Natalie L. Sin http://www.malindalo.com/2010/07/on-reading-harriet-the-spy/comment-page-1/#comment-206298 Natalie L. Sin Tue, 20 Jul 2010 02:34:43 +0000 http://www.malindalo.com/?p=3206#comment-206298 Oh man...I cringe when I read my old diaries. Oh man…I cringe when I read my old diaries.

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