The Dark is Rising
I wish I could find the secret door in the back of my wardrobe that leads to another world. Winter is coming in this one. And it feels like the dark is rising. I need a fictional vacation destination. But to where? A holiday in the Shire would suit me, hiding in a cozy hobbit hole, with a steaming tea pot and plate of seed cake. But of course, the dark riders, the Nazgûl, would come. I could revisit Narnia, and sit by the fire with Mr. Tumnus, the faun, but it's always winter there, thanks to the terrifying white witch. Maybe some butter beer at the Three Broomsticks, not far from Hogwarts? On second thought, no. Some patrons of that establishment have allied themselves with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
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Fantasy novels ooze darkness – like the real world. I need to escape to a world more fantastical than a fantasy novel – a place where there is no darkness. A place like Stars Hollow, the gentle dream of small town America that is the setting of the television show, Gilmore Girls. The worst crime in Stars Hollow was the theft of a lawn gnome. The town's religious leaders were pals who hung out in the local diner together. The town misanthrope hid a heart of gold under his crankiness. There was one unpleasant character: Taylor Doose – politician, business owner, real estate mogul all rolled up into one bossy, know-it-all package. But when Taylor starts turning into a self-serving petty dictator in a comfy sweater, local farmer Jackson challenges him in a race for town selectman, and the essentially goodhearted people of Stars Hollow hand him a landslide victory. Yep, Stars Hollow is the perfect place for a vacation from reality just now.
Stars Hollow is, of course, the home town of book obsessed Rory Gilmore, who said, in her valedictorian speech, “I live in two worlds. One is a world of books.” Rory didn’t go anywhere without at least one book; she usually had several. All glammed up and off to a fancy party, Rory tucked a copy of The portable Dorothy Parker in her bag, just in case. Her tastes were eclectic — from Anna Karenina, to the comedy of P. G. Wodehouse, to Social origins of dictatorship and democracy. By one count, there were 339 books referenced in the series. I wonder what Rory will be reading in Gilmore Girls: A year in the life, which debuts on Netflix on November 25. Who knows, maybe she's written a book herself. After all, Lauren Graham, who plays her fictional mom Lorelai, has written two:
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Here are some books referenced in Gilmore Girls, according to the website BuzzFeed:
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When Gilmore Girls ended in 2007, Rory was about to embark on her first job as a journalist, filing reports for an online publication about Barack Obama's campaign for the Democratic nomination. Watch Alexis Bledel reprise her role as Rory, overwhelming First Lady Michelle Obama with her book lust:
You can borrow all seven seasons of Gilmore Girls in DVD format from the library. Good news! We've changed the loan period for DVD TV series from one week to two! Click to reserve a copy:
Gilmore Girls. The complete first season
Gilmore Girls. The complete second season
Gilmore Girls. The complete third season
Gilmore Girls. The complete fourth season
Gilmore Girls. The complete fifth season
8 thoughts on “The Dark is Rising”
Wow – what an excellent post. A great lineup of titles, too!
I keep thinking of the Yeats poem. You know the one, The Second Coming! And the days are getting shorter and darker now because winter IS actually coming, to Canada at least! The Gilmore Girls sound like a ray of sunshine! I’ll have to look into that! A light, any light, illuminating the shadows, will make me feel cosier and therefore better.
So glad you enjoyed it, Stephen. A lot of great books were referenced in that series — I selected just a few.
Yes, I know it well! Seems apropos these days… Let’s hope mere anarchy isn’t loosed upon the world…
Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for a great blog, Maureen! Cooper, Tolkien and Lewis are three of my favourite authors, but you have sold me on “Gilmore Girls” and I have put a hold on the first season!
I think you’ll like it. There are no guns, explosions, violence…in one episode there’s a bit of blood — a cut on the finger of the manly diner owner, Luke, which, as I recall, is covered with a Barbie bandage. Stars Hollow is the kind of town a lot of people would want to live in — if only to attend the town meetings in Miss Patty’s Dance studio — you’re going to love the town meetings! Thanks for commenting!
Hi Maureen,
Great blog! I just read it today. I came to Gilmore Girls late in the game and watched most of the show in reruns. Got caught up in a lot of the “minor” characters. Kirk, the town’s jack-of-all-trades, master of none, was one of my favourites. Had no idea of the scope of the literary references in the show! Thanks.
Kirk is one of my favourites too! The dance he choreographed and performed at Patty’s Dance Studio in one episode was hilarious. Hope you got to catch the update on Netflix. There’s a major plot strand which is book related — that’s all I can say, without being a spoiler. It was such a pleasure to revisit Stars Hollow, especially when the real world seems to have gone mad. Thanks for commenting Anna.