{"id":5259,"date":"2011-02-11T16:24:00","date_gmt":"2011-02-11T16:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lbpost.com\/articles\/life\/pets\/required-reading-t-s-eliot-s-old-possum-s-book-of-practical-cats\/"},"modified":"2011-02-11T16:24:00","modified_gmt":"2011-02-11T16:24:00","slug":"required-reading-t-s-eliot-s-old-possum-s-book-of-practical-cats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/pets\/required-reading-t-s-eliot-s-old-possum-s-book-of-practical-cats","title":{"rendered":"Required Reading: T.S. Eliot\u2019s Old Possum\u2019s Book of Practical Cats"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"12:56pm |<\/strong> Back in the day and back in New Jersey, I was fortunate to have had two high school English teachers who had a profound appreciation of Thomas Stearns Eliot, unarguably one of the greatest American poets. Mrs. Lefkowitz brought out the pathos of J. Alfred Prufrock\u2019s miserable existence, and Mr. Weiss appealed to and grew my appreciation of chilly dark menace through \u201cThe Hollow Men\u201d (\u201cThis is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper\u201d).<\/p>\n

And it was my mother, another high school English teacher, who presented me with Old Possum\u2019s Book of Practical Cats when I would come home spouting lines like \u201cHe laughed like an irresponsible foetus\u201d (from \u201cMr. Appolinax,\u201d and I all too briefly lived with a cat by that name). Although born, raised and schooled in the United States, Eliot wrote with the inflection, spelling and phlegmatic tone of the English writers of the time. His poems were heavily symbolic and were set with mythology, spirituality, odd and often gloomy landscapes, and frustrated dealings with human beings, but there was always a chuckle up his sleeve or a barmy British-inspired playfulness. It\u2019s no surprise, then, that he published a children\u2019s book. Equally notable is that another heavy\u2014a political one, although not as well known at the time\u2014published his first kids\u2019 book around that time: And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, published two years before in 1937.<\/p>\n

Old Possum\u2019s Book of Practical Cats was published in 1939. It consisted of 14 poems; \u201cCat Morgan Introduces Himself,\u201d a verse about a pirate cat, was added in a later edition. The delightful poem-stories are delivered with many a wink and very few exclamation points. They display Eliot\u2019s intimacy with Felis catus on a level that even the most cat loving poets never reached. \u201cThe Naming of Cats\u201d gives a serious discourse of the cat\u2019s given name and nickname, but reminds readers that among Puss\u2019s many secrets is a name that only he or she knows, and sits and contemplates when you think it\u2019s only a meatloafing nap in progress. \u201cThe Old Gumbie Cat\u201d with the delightful descriptive name Jennyanydots sits and sits and sits and sits but at night has herself a secret life that would surprise her human hosts. Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer in their eponymous tale take part in mischief and horseplay, the type of which any cat you know gets into, just for the sake of their own pleasure and the irritation of human beings. And then, of course, there\u2019s Mr. Mistoffelees, who is there when he\u2019s not and isn\u2019t when he is\u2014Andrew Lloyd Webber had a ball cooking up a special act for him.<\/p>\n

The original production of Cats, the hugely successful musical based on Old Possum, opened at the New London Theatre in the West End in 1981 and on Broadway at the Winter Garden Theatre in 1982\u2014it\u2019s the longest-running musical on Broadway. Eliot died in 1965 of a lung ailment at 76 years old. He likely would have been both amused and bemused at the monetary success that the least scholarly of his works brought him. Indeed, his cats are far better remembered by theatergoers than he himself was. John Xiros Cooper in The Cambridge Introduction to T.S. Eliot said that Old Possum\u2019s huge success over Eliot\u2019s more scholarly works could be attributed to one thing aside from literary merit: mass appeal.<\/p>\n

\u201cHis other works are widely read no doubt, but mainly by generally well-educated readers with an interest in culture,\u201d Cooper wrote. \u201cCats speaks to everyone, whether they are great lovers of cats or not.\u201d<\/p>\n

Musical Theater West<\/a> opens Cats on Feb. 11 (see below), coincidentally in the play\u2019s 30th anniversary year. Enjoy the Jellicle Ball, if you go, but first, curl up on the sofa and read the book. It\u2019s more than a companion piece.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAgain, I must remind you that
A dog\u2019s a dog\u2014A CAT\u2019S A CAT.\u201d
-\u201cThe Ad-dressing of Cats,\u201d Old Possum\u2019s Book of Practical Cats<\/em><\/div>\n

Virtual Pets<\/strong><\/p>\n

Meet some of the cats from the Jellicle Ball, all available to \u201cpractise a caper or two in the hall\u201d at your house. These friends are all available at ACS, 7000 East Spring St. in Long Beach. During the Thurs. Feb. 17 performance of CATS, 10 percent of single- ticket sales will go toward the care of these cats.<\/p>\n

\"\"
A Jellicle<\/em>
\u201cJellicle Cats are black and white, Jellicle cats are rather small.\u201d Friskie, around 4 years old, isn\u2019t at all small, but she\u2019s just as cheerful and bright-eyed as her literary counterparts. Ask for ID#A423069.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Jennyanydots\u2019 \u201cunderstudy\u201d<\/em>
\u201cI have a Gumbie Cat in mind, her name is Jennyanydots. Her coat is of the tabby kind, with tiger stripes and leopard spots.\u201d This 8-year-old tabby\u2019s name is actually Avalon, but by any name, she\u2019s still a Gumbie Cat and will sit and sit and sit all day with you, while she\u2019s not teaching manners to the mice. Ask for ID#A425791.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mungojerrie? or Rumpleteazer?<\/em>
This sweet 4-year old girl is a far cry from her calico cousins\u2019 \u201cextensive reputation\u201d of havoc, but in the same manner as the \u201cvery notorious couple,\u201d she\u2019ll pry open the door to your heart and make herself at home before you even know she\u2019s done it. Ask for ID#A425718.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Mr. Mistoffelees more clever than I? That\u2019s a laugh!<\/em>
\u201cHe holds all the patent monopolies for performing surprising illusions and creating eccentric confusions.\u201d He\u2019s 2 years old, his name\u2019s Petee and he\u2019ll let you know it, too. Ask for ID#A425846.

Pet Projects<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cats partners with ACS and FOLBA in the interest of Cats\u2014and Dogs, Rabbits, Miniature Horses\u2026 Feb. 11\u201327, Carpenter Performing Arts Center, Long Beach<\/p>\n

Musical Theatre West (MTW<\/a>) is proud to announce its continued partnership with Long Beach Animal Care Services (ACS<\/a>) for its upcoming production of CATS, based on T.S. Eliot\u2019s Old Possum\u2019s Book of Practical Cats.. Patrons attending performances will be able to meet and greet ambassadors from Long Beach Animal Care Services and purr-fectly adorable cats who are looking for a new home.  Long Beach Animal Care Services provides food, water and hospitality for more than 11,500 animals. Funding comes partly through licenses and fees, but is also reliant on donations from individuals and businesses. Furthermore, MTW is honoring Friends of Long Beach Animals (FOLBA<\/a>) by pledging 10 percent of all single ticket sales for the 8 p.m. performance on Thursday, Feb. 17. If you love cats, CATS and FOLBA, please contact the Musical Theatre West box office and purchase a ticket for the 17. Carpenter Performing Arts Center is located at 6200 E. Atherton St., Long Beach. Separate litter boxes for men and women. Click here<\/a> for tickets and price and seating info.<\/p>\n

Valentine\u2019s Day Yappy Hour & Card Contest for Abused & Abandoned Shelter Pets, Sat., Feb. 12, Animal Care Services<\/strong><\/p>\n

Call someone sweetheart and maybe take them home with you. Haute Dogs and Justin Rudd! are sponsoring the second annual handmade Valentine\u2019s card contest for Long Beach-area students (K\u201312) to create loveable Valentine\u2019s cards for the 200+ dogs and cats housed at the Long Beach Animal Care Services shelter. Classrooms, scout groups, church youth groups, and other organizations are encouraged to create cards for the animals. Cards from adults are encouraged, too, but will not be judged in the contest. Cards should be mailed or hand-delivered to Long Beach Animal Care Services, 7700 E. Spring St. Long Beach, CA 90808, on or before 2:30 p.m. Feb. 12. Place your name, grade level, teacher\u2019s or group leader\u2019s name and school or other organization name on the back of the card. The winning card\u2019s creator will receive a pizza party for friends, classroom or group (up to 30 people). Folded cards should not exceed 5 inches by 7 inches and should not include any particular animal\u2019s name. Direct any questions to Justin@JustinRudd.com<\/a>. Click here<\/a> for more information.

\u201cDining for Dollars\u201d AMRT Benefit, Weds. March2, Belmont Shore Super Mex<\/strong><\/p>\n

From 11:00am-9:00pm, Super Mex will donate 20 percent of your check for its great Mexican food to benefit Animal Match Rescue Team<\/a>. To be part of this heartfelt program, print out the flyer and show it to your server when you go. Super Mex Belmont Shore is located at 4711 E. Second St.<\/p>\n

Something to Crow About<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ah, the irony. This didn\u2019t happen in Long Beach, but the February 8 edition of the Press-Telegram<\/em> covered this story<\/a>, and that\u2019s close enough\u2014we just had to share it with you. The comments on the page were a combination of schadenfreude and a shared sense of karmic justice. We tried to comment, too, but our security software collided with Facebook\u2019s log-in on the P-T<\/em>. Someday, we\u2019ll find it\u2014the Facebook connection\u2014but meanwhile, we\u2019ll express ourselves at home: \u201cCan that rooster be rescued and given a tickertape parade?\u201d \u201cWell, it\u2019s starting, and we wonder what the bears and ducks have in store during hunting season.\u201d \u201cOf course, the poor man had a family, and\u201d\u2014have at it.<\/p>\n

Disclosure: Musical Theatre West is an advertiser of the Long Beach Post.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":70068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-5259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pets","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5259","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5259"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5259\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5259"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5259"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5259"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=5259"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=5259"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}