Mumbo Jumbo is a Kid's Show
As dense as this book is, this would make a great cartoon episode from the 60s. I know Mr. Mitchell mentioned that Reed himself referred to this book as cartoony but I just cannot stop reading this book like a Scooby-Doo episode. The pacing and goofiness just lend themselves to the medium so well. I was adding my own sound effects to every scene throughout the book.
Firstly, Hinckle Von Vampton and Hubert “Safecracker” Gould are two of the most stereotypical villains I have ever read. Vampton even wears an eye patch. Vampton even has the wacky maniacal laugh that every villain written for 5-year-olds has. “Heh heh. He laughed. Heh heh, Hinckle laughed. Passersby stopping to watch this man double up on the street HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEH.” It is just impossible not to see him and his evil henchman as the most basic antagonists ever devised. Their schemes for villainy are also very reminiscent of Doofenshmirtz's plans, just the most surface-level logic being applied. The scene where they are revealed at the party is also very funny where Gould’s ingenious disguise is revealed like Fred yoinking the mask off the bad guy at the end of a mystery.
Papa LaBas is similarly cartoony. The way he gives a monologue after solving the case to lay everything out from the beginning is just filled with the same need for closure that children’s cartoons have. The way he says no time to explain before getting in a car that the reader won’t see them in. The way he brings the ornate box without having checked it first only to find that it was empty the whole time. Everything about our protagonist also screams goofy cartoon. His pacing is exactly the same as these shows.
The most cartoony scene in the whole thing is when Woodrow Wilson Jefferson’s dad comes to check on him and finds him in the middle of putting the skin lightening cream on. He knocks Hinckle out with one punch and then shoves his son into a cotton sack. I could never picture that happening with real people but it is very easy to imagine that happening with kid logic in these kinds of shows.
The way the plot also just magically explains itself at times is also reminiscent of a 20-minute episode ending. The person who gave Abdul the text suddenly appears when they are wondering about it. Abdul’s note that was delivered late explains the note that led them to the text. Jes Grew is magically gone. The convenience all screams “sorry folks, that’s all we have time for, come back next week!”
I would watch this if someone decided to make this into a television special. I think it would be very entertaining and bring the goofiness of this complex book to light for those of us who were a little bogged down at times.
Their names are funny as well – maybe it's the two V's or his first name being Hinckle, but Hinckle Von Vampton sounds exactly like a Doofenshmirtz style villain. When reading the book, I didn't really think of the comedic style other than the names and the laugh, but after you mentioned the part with the one-punch knock out and cotton sack, I'm wondering how I didn't think of it as a scene from a cartoon.
ReplyDeleteI personally loved the cartoonish elements of Mumbo Jumbo, especially towards the beginning of the book, where I was still trying to gain my footing with the writing style, humor was almost the only thing that made it bearable to read. I would also certainly watch this if it was remade in live-action, although if I'm being honest, I would be worried at what kind of wonky formatting the filmmakers would add to mirror the style of the novel.
ReplyDeleteMumbo Jumbo is filled with parodies and references to real world. I would argue that because of the book's cartoonish nature, Reed makes us laugh while also forcing us to examine our own society in greater detail. Much of the action would make no sense in "the real world," but MJ confronts the real world problems perpetuated by Western civilization.
ReplyDeleteMumbo Jumbo almost satirizes the concepts it attempts to share. Reed shares his message about culture by humorizing the story, which allows it to get across to more people. I also enjoyed the book more because of the humor. Without it, I would be quite lost. I would also watch a TV adaptation of Mumbo Jumbo to see how they address the humor. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThe cartoonish element of Mumbo Jumbo is honestly what makes this book bearable and almost enjoyable to read. Even thought the book is very hard to follow and some people may even hate it, but I think almost everybody can appreciate the goofiness in this novel. Ishmael Reed is just messing around throughout the book, doing anything he wants, and this is a good example of this. Nice job!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the cartoon-y element of Mumbo Jumbo, and in a book that could otherwise feel pretty disorienting and confusing to follow, having these classic, almost cliched tropes to fall back on as a frame of reference was helpful! It's certainly a bit of a risky style choice for a book that's trying to explore some pretty big, serious concepts, but I think it works really well with the novel's tone. In the end, Reed makes a point of not taking himself too seriously, even (or maybe especially?) in the delivery of important ideas, and he invites the reader not to either.
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