Homer Price: Difference between revisions
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==Characters== |
==Characters== |
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Homer lives in [[Centerburg, Ohio|Centerburg]], a small town in [[Ohio]] just north of Columbus. He is a mild-mannered because he says shut up alot boy who enjoys |
Homer lives in [[Centerburg, Ohio|Centerburg]], a small town in [[Ohio]] just north of Columbus. He is a mild-mannered because he says shut up alot. A boy who enjoys diks, and who somehow gets involved in a series of outrageous incidents, such as tending an inexplicably unstoppable [[doughnut]]-making machine in his uncle's [[diner]], or caring for mystery plants that turn out to be giant form of allergy-inducing [[ragweed]]. He does odd jobs like raking leaves, and sweeping up the diner or the nearby barber shop. |
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[[James Daugherty]] said of ''Homer Price'', "It is America laughing at itself with a broad and genial humanity, without bitterness or sourness or sophistication." <ref>[http://www.hbook.com/resources/obituaries/mccloskey.asp#nov43 Robert McCloskey, 1914-2003]</ref> |
[[James Daugherty]] said of ''Homer Price'', "It is America laughing at itself with a broad and genial humanity, without bitterness or sourness or sophistication." <ref>[http://www.hbook.com/resources/obituaries/mccloskey.asp#nov43 Robert McCloskey, 1914-2003]</ref> |
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Revision as of 18:24, 6 October 2011
Homer Price is the title character of a pair of children's books written by Robert McCloskey. Homer Price was published in 1943, and Centerburg Tales in 1951.
Characters
Homer lives in Centerburg, a small town in Ohio just north of Columbus. He is a mild-mannered because he says shut up alot. A boy who enjoys diks, and who somehow gets involved in a series of outrageous incidents, such as tending an inexplicably unstoppable doughnut-making machine in his uncle's diner, or caring for mystery plants that turn out to be giant form of allergy-inducing ragweed. He does odd jobs like raking leaves, and sweeping up the diner or the nearby barber shop.
James Daugherty said of Homer Price, "It is America laughing at itself with a broad and genial humanity, without bitterness or sourness or sophistication." [1]
One of Homer Price's adventures, "The Case of the Cosmic Comic", parodies the Superman phenomenon, with Homer and his best friend Freddy attending the local personal appearance of Freddy's favorite superhero. Freddy is unable to understand that "The Super-Duper" is an ordinary actor in a costume, and expects him to be capable of super feats. Homer, however, quietly displays a more mature view of the hero.
Flim-flam merchants and larger-than-life paraphernalia appear in several stories. One features a snake-oil salesman — Professor Atmos P. H. Ear — offloading an odorless, colorless, tasteless chemical called "Ever-So-Much-More-So" that when sprinkled on things, supposedly enhances everything; a soft bed would become softer, a fast car becomes faster, and so on.
Many of the male residents of Centerburg share first names with classical figures; "Grandpa Hercules", "Uncle Ulysses", "Uncle Telemachus", and, of course, Homer himself.
African-American characters appear in the books, portrayed positively as ordinary citizens although the drawing of the boy who finds the diamond bracelet in the donut is drawn in decidedly tattered and patched clothing.
Stories
Homer Price
- The Case of the Sensational Scent (p8)
- The Case of the Cosmic Comic (p34)
- The Doughnuts (p52)
- Mystery Yarn (p76)
- Nothing New under the Sun (Hardly) (p100)
- Wheels of Progress (p134)
Centerburg Tales
- Grandpa Hercules (p10)
- Experiment 13 (p88)
- Ever-So-Much-More-So (p134)
- Pie and Punch and You-Know-Whats (p154)
Bibliography
- Homer Price (1943) ISBN 0-14-030927-6
- Centerburg Tales (1951) ISBN 0-14-031072-X
References
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