Whom Do I Love Moore?

*This post may or may not contain spoilers.

I have recently read a series of reviews regarding Christopher Moore's novel, Fool, and discovered that many of the readers had met an unfortunate consensus: they had despised this interpretation of Shakespeare's famous tragedy.  These critics described this interpretation as "vulgar," and "written in bad taste," yet I found myself enjoying every minute of it.  Maybe my humor is a bit immature, or maybe I have no censor when it comes to what is considered "vulgar" or "inappropriate."  Either way, I found Fool to be both witty and creative.  I was immediately drawn to the character Pocket, and appreciated him for his sharp tongue and tenacity.

Shakespeare's Fool made a few cameos throughout the course of King Lear, but failed to maintain a stable appearance in the drama.  Moore's Fool, however, was not only the protagonist of the novel, but the narrator.  This is Lear told from the point of view of a ridiculous court jester.  He gave Shakespeare's loyal audience what they had wanted--more of the Fool.  Pocket was everywhere.  He was telling the story (as mentioned previously).  He was a witness to the events that occurred.  He knew the Castle Lear inside and out, and he knew every secret that the royal family wanted to keep hidden.  Moore demonstrates an obvious respect toward the Bard through his interpretation, but does not hesitate while putting his own spin on the plot.  I am ashamed to admit this (due to the fact that Shakespeare is a literary genius), but I preferred Fool's ending to that of Lear's.  I never really saw the point of hanging the Fool in the original, and would have been rather disappointed if Pocket were hung after growing so attached to him.  Bravo Mr. Moore, for your interpretation of Lear was excellent.

I am a sucker for sarcasm and satire (hence my love of James Thurber and Stephen Colbert).  This being said, I absolutely adored Pocket.  Everything from his snarky remarks, such as "love needs room to grow, like a rose, or a tumor," to the equally sarcastic raven that resides by the castle, drew me into a literary trance.  By "literary trance," I am referring to the state in which a person is so enthralled with a book, that they cannot focus on anything other than the book itself.  Moore finds comedy in this original tragedy, a feat which must be very difficult to accomplish.  This accomplishment is part of the reason that I enjoyed Fool as much as I did.  While I very much enjoyed this aspect of the novel, others found it overbearing and idiotic--and not a good kind of idiotic.  Mr. Moore took a risk by throwing "bathroom humor" into his adaptation of a master work, which could be received in one of two ways.  On one end of the spectrum, the audience (myself included) recognized this humor as being characteristic of Moore's style of writing.  On the other end, the audience was rather disappointed with the use of this rather raunchy humor.  I found myself rather disappointed with the reviews regarding the latter end of the spectrum.  I enjoyed Moore's interpretation so much, that I took this negative criticism personally.  At the end of the day, everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  My opinion, however, is the right one.

Beta Males, Goth Girls, Outcasts--and Moore?

Christopher Moore has given life to a plethora of quirky characters.  Charlie Asher, star of A Dirty Job, is a beta male with a dirty secret.  The Gothic "Abby Normal," serves as a minion to the equally eccentric Countess Jody and Dark Lord Tommy Flood in the vampire love series.  The band of squirrel people, the "Emperor" of San Francisco, and Drool--the natural, and apprentice in Fool--are classified as the outcasts.  There are, of course, many other characters who represent many other archetypes, but Moore uses the above to create a very special relationship between his characters and his audience.

The beta male- an erratic, sarcastic man who is a major cause of road rage and uncomfortable situations. Charlie Asher makes everyone aware of his position as a beta male.  He is painfully self-conscious, finds it hard to concentrate in the presence of an attractive woman, and is vaguely reminiscent of a serial killer.  Mr. Asher never overcomes his life as a beta male, but does learn to become comfortable with himself--that is, until he is turned into a squirrel person.  Tommy Flood is another prime example of the beta male. Flood works at a supermarket in San Francisco, is friends with a bunch of guys who call themselves "The Animals," and is living as an unsuccessful writer who is doubted by both his parents and himself.  His life takes a more eccentric turn, when an extremely attractive redhead takes a suspicious liking to him.  Seeing as he is a beta male, and has an inkling for getting himself into sticky situations, Tommy turns into a vampire.  This new life however, does not prevent him from living out his life as a true beta male.  He continues his relationship with Jody, the attractive, redheaded vamp, and continues to be as self-conscious as ever.  Why does Christopher Moore take such a liking to the race of the beta male?  Perhaps Moore himself is a beta male.  Or perhaps, it is due to the fact that the majority of the male population consists of beta males.

Being the journal of Abby Normal, mistress of the night, Christopher Moore takes advantage of modern slang and stereotypical, Gothic language.  Kayso, Abby Normal is just your average, non-perky teenager, who has an inkling for stripped stockings.  Abby's best friend, and ironically her biggest rival, Lily, is another equally Gothic teenager, who makes her appearance in an entirely separate book.  Christopher Moore often uses characters, such as Abby Normal and Lily, to connect two separate, yet equal works.   Abby many come off as slightly annoying, but her placement in another one of the "insecure" archetypes enables the readers to identify themselves with her.  Everyone has gone through an identity crises at one point or another.  They dress outrageously, vie for the attention of their friends, and unsuccessfully attempt to estrange themselves from their parents.  Abby, though initially seen as another rebellious teenager, proves to be a rather dynamic character.  In fact, Abby Normal is much more than just a "whole Saturday night drunk tank of obnoxious."  She is Abby Normal, mistress of the night and minion to the Dark Lord Flood and Countess Jody, who also happens to pack a whole Saturday night drunk tank of obnoxious into one, little body.

The outcasts serve a very static role in Mr. Moore's novels.  The little squirrel people look like strange creations that have crawled out of Sid Phillips' very bedroom.  Drool, and rightfully named so, is a "natural" who has apprenticed Pocket, Lear's true fool.  The Emperor of San Francisco, alongside his trusty companions Lazarus and Bummer, roams the streets of San Francisco, on the lookout for anything that might pose a threat to his beloved city.  Every character that Moore has created, serves a very specific purpose: to function as a vital addition to the novel, and draw the reader that much closer to the story.  Every beta male, goth girl, and outcast has a purpose--a purpose to shed a whole new meaning on the role of archetypes.