The Grass Harp

infobox Book |
name = The Grass Harp
title_orig =
translator =


image_caption =
author = Truman Capote
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
genre = Southern literature, Novel
publisher = Vintage International
release_date = 1951
english_release_date =
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 216
isbn = ISBN 0-679-74557-2
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Grass Harp" is a 1951 novel by Truman Capote.

Plot introduction

The story focuses on an orphaned boy and two elderly ladies who observe life from a tree. They eventually leave their temporary retreat to make amends with each other and other members of society.

The story begins with Collin Fenwick losing his mother, and then his father, and moving into his aunts' (Dolly and Verena) house. Catherine, the servant, also lives in the house and gets along, for the most part, only with Dolly. Dolly is famous for her medicine, which she makes by going out into the woods with Catherine and Collin and randomly picking plants. THey then got to an old treehouse, which is propped up in a china tree. One day, after Dolly has argument with Verena (Verena wants to mass produce Dolly's medicine), Dolly, Collin, and Catherine leave their home and start walking. They go to the treehouse in the China tree, and decide to camp out there. Verena, meanwhile, informs the sheriff of her sister's disappearance; the Sheriff organizes a search party, and eventually arrests Catherine. During the course of the novel, others come to live in the treehouse, such as Judge Cool and Riley Henderson. In a climactic event, a confrontation among the search party and the residents of the tree house leads to Riley getting shot in the shoulder. After Judge Cool discusses the situation, everyone agrees that it was a pointless struggle, and old relationships are invigorated once again. Many people leave as friends. The story ends with how a "grass harp, gathering, telling, a harp of voices remembering a story."

Characters

*Collin Fenwick - the orphaned sixteen year old boy who takes up residence in the China tree. He serves as both the protagonist and narrator of the novel.
*Dolly Talbo - aunt of Collin; she also takes up residence in the tree.
*Verena Talbo - sister of Dolly, she urges the Sheriff of the town to investigate the disappearance of her sister Dolly.
*Morris Ritz - a man who woos Verena, and is popularly believed to open a factory with her but soon runs away with her money.
*Catherine Creek a black servant, who runs away with Dolly and Collin, and also takes up residence in the China tree.
*Riley Henderson a boy who becomes friends with Collin. He briefly takes up residence in the treehouse of the China tree.
*Junius Candle - the Sheriff of the town; he is persistent in finding perpetrators and organizes a massive search party to find Collin and Dolly.
*Judge Cool - considered the free thinker of the town, he helps Dolly and Verena come to terms with one another. He is the "wise man" of society, and in general, solves conflicts posed in the novella.

Literary significance and criticism

The "New York Herald Tribune" lauded the novel as "Remarkable...infused with a tender laughter, charming human warmth, [and] a feeling for the positive quality of life." "The Atlantic Monthly" commented that "The Grass Harp" charms you into sharing the author's feeling that there is a special poetry - a spontaneity and wonder and delight - in lives untarnished by conformity and common sense."

Adaptations

. [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=2057]

After five previews, a 1971 musical adaptation, with a book and lyrics by Kenward Elmslie and music by Claibe Richardson, opened on November 2 1971 at the Martin Beck, where it ran for only seven performances. The cast, directed by Ellis Rabb and Rhoda Levine, included Barbara Cook, Karen Morrow, and Max Showalter. [http://www.ibdb.com/production.asp?ID=3620]

In 1995, Stirling Silliphant and Kirk Ellis adapted the novel for a feature film directed by Charles Matthau. The cast included Matthau's father Walter, Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, Edward Furlong, Nell Carter, Jack Lemmon, Mary Steenburgen, Sean Patrick Flanery, Joe Don Baker, Bonnie Bartlett and Charles Durning. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113211/]