The Rogue Speaks:
It's time again for Jenny's Alphabe-Thursday, and I can hardly believe we are up to "V." If you want to read more "V" entries, just go to Jenny's blog. I'm heading there as soon as I write my offering, so please read on:
Hurrah for the literary vagabonds! They have made our reading lives so full with their tales of daring deeds, and their struggles in life! A critic once defined a literary vagabond as one "with a vagrant strain in the blood, a natural inquisitiveness about the world beyond their doors." That certainly describes Jack Kerouac, and a host of others whose books we have read and music we have heard. Woody Guthrie was a vagabond, as was Henry David Thoreau. And I'll be you didn't know that Walt Whitman, and even Leo Tolstoy were considered vagabonds!
One famous vagabond was Ernest Hemingway. His travels around the world have given us such novels as A Farewell to Arms, Under Kilimanjaro, The Old Man and The Sea, and a host of others.
John Steinbeck is also on our list of literary vagabonds. Who can forget The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and Of Mice and Men? John Steinbeck traveled around as a vagabond, collecting material for his wonderful stories.
Now here's one for you--Abraham! Yep, he was a vagabond, traveling around with his band of followers, searching for the Promised Land. Did you know that Abraham is considered the father of three religions, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity? Well, he is, but that is a post for another day.
We cannot forget about Jack Dawson, that vagabond artist who stole the heart of Rose DeWitt Bukater in the movie "Titanic!" He was only one of many artists who loved the life of a vagabond!
Vagabonds have a serious case of wanderlust, and our literary vagabonds have wandered into many wonderful stories for our edification and enjoyment. We should always think of them kindly!!!
26 comments:
Wandering is good for the spirit-especially down unpaved roads. Add me to that troop of literary vagabonds.
I'm a wanderer, if I could I'd sell everything for an RV and go all over. That's Jason & I's plan for retirement. :-)
Oh I am so loving this post ... you just brought back so many memories of so many good reads ... wonderful ... I long to be a vagabond ... alas it's just not in the cards for me ... so i do it vicariously through reads and blogs and other special places ...
I would have never been able to write about the vagabonds you mentioned, yet I love the word . Out of all the ones you listed, I am most familiar with woodie guthrie, and Abraham of course ! I haven't read much in my life so sue me :(
Take care .
What a great topic for Alphabe-Thursday's V. You've covered a lot of great literary figures.
We used to take long road trips when I was growing up. I loved seeing the USA, hated having to share the backseat with my little brother, and frustrated my parents because I was chronically carsick.
I still love road trips. Wish Hubby and Princess didn't hate them so.
I guess I was one as well before I moved here 14 years ago. I had never stayed in one city more than 5 years, and the only thing I wanted was a home of my own! In Brazil 'vagabond' means more like a bum.
I'll always fall for a vagabond - at least in a movie or a book!
This is a great assortment of vagabonds for the letter v which is not the easiest I'm sure...I like the route you took! I really loved the the movie Titantic although I had a spilting headache afterwards, trying to hold back my tears! Thank you for bringing up some of my other favorites here too! Jack K. was an interesting man too wasn't he?
What a great collection of vagabonds in your post! Made me think of my youngest who has wanderlust something awful - she once told me when she was little that she loves the smell of the post office because it's the smell of travel...
Ah... Of Mice and Men...I'll be reading that again soon. My daughter has to read it in English this year and I'm trying to read along with her.
Enjoy your weekend!
I love to read literary vagabonds, since they allow me to travel all over the world, while sitting in my comfe chair. I guess you would say to astronauts are vagabonds too! Great post! {:-D
The literary vagabonds truly became artists among writers. There must be a true advantage to traveling as a writer and gaining insight to people from where they live. You have chosen some of the very best here, Judie.
On another note, you have totally convinced me to see the film "The Fighter." Of course, this means I actually have to leave my house and trek out in the snow, but it seems a worthy venture!
I wonder who the female literary vagabonds would be. Maybe theirs is a different route of vagabonding, going from job to job.
Hemingway was a dashingly handsome vagabond...i have a few of those great books on my kindle waiting their turn...
great info for V
BEAR HUGS
~victoria~
I too enjoyed that wonderful assortment of yours!
Of course, as you know, Ernie was and is my favorite vagabond. For Whom the Bell Tolls tops my list of thousands of books I have enjoyed in my life.
I am grateful for all the vagabonds out there, because when it comes right down to it, I am a homebody. *sheepish grin*
All are great stories!We do love the old classics! My husband has a favorite line from every story. I don't mind telling you, am so sick of hearing "Can I pet the bunny George!" Everytime we see's a bunny! :)~Ames
Love this post! V is for Vagabond conjures up all sorts of great ideas. Now...Where should I travel? I need some inspiration.
Hurray for literary Vagabonds!
I'm chuckling at your review on your sidebar of True Grit...Jeff Bridges' performance was so great, you could almost SMELL him...but he did sound like he had marbles in his mouth! I only caught every third word myself :-)
Perfect post for what happened this week at work.
We get this periodic email from the Downtown Baltimore Security group about whatever is happening there, be it road closures, credit card fraud or parking garage break-ins.
As it happened, a guy long known for breaking into cars in parking garages was apprehended. In the email, the city DA called the guy a "notorious rogue and vagabond."
I thought that was far too elegant a phrase to use in referring to a common criminal. In fact, I want to be called a "notorious rogue and vagabond." It sounds so dashing...
Meanwhile, using the term in that fashion defames the good name of a particular Rogue I know, who just happened to be writing about vagabonds this week.
(If I can't be a notorious rogue and vagabond, can I at least be a "raconteur?")
Nice V word, and thanks for the education on these literary masters. I've read a few of these and must admit, sadly, that they are not my favorites...perhaps it is the homebody in me?? Cheers.
Judie, I've waded through many of these books and I think I'm probably a shallow person. I always like a lighter read, distracting and easy to follow.
I figure much of the time my life lives like a complex novel with perilous plights around every corner...ha!
I love the idea of being a vagabond, though.
Just so long as I can have my own bed each night!
Thanks for linking this week. I'm off to read Jen's post.
A+
...ah!I think that you would do well on Jeopardy! I love to read, but I'm afraid that I either didnt pay attention as well as I should...or I "studied" for my literature exams and then they went to the far recesses of my mind. So...I love to come here and read what you share about artists of all kinds! Thank you for dusting off some of those cobwebs in my mind ;o)
Blessings & Aloha!
Oh! And how amazing about the diagram of how vincristine works that you created! I would love to see what that looks like. Do you have a copy of it?
I am afraid that those files are long gone! I kept all my illustrations for several years after I left Emory, but then tossed them because of a space issue. Sorry!
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