Ella Minnow Pea
Encyclopedia
Ella Minnow Pea is a novel
by Mark Dunn
, copyrighted in 2001. The full title of the hardcover version is Ella Minnow Pea: a progressively lipogramatic
epistolary fable, while the paperback version is titled Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters.
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
." This sentence is preserved on a memorial statue to its creator on the island and is taken very seriously by the government of the island. Throughout the book, tiles containing the letters fall from the inscription beneath the statue, and as each one does, the island's government bans the contained letter's use from written or spoken communication. A penalty system is enforced for using the forbidden characters, with public censure for a first offense, lashing or stocks (violator's choice) upon a second offense and banishment from the island nation upon the third. By the end of the novel, most of the island's inhabitants have either been banished or have left of their own accord.
The island's high council becomes more and more nonsensical as time progresses and the alphabet diminishes, promoting Nollop to divine status. Uncompromising in their enforcement of Nollop's 'divine will', they offer only one hope to the frustrated islanders: to disprove Nollop's omniscience by finding a pangram of 32 letters (in contrast to Nollop's 35). With this goal in mind "Enterprise 32" is started, a project involving many of the novel's main characters. With but five characters left (LMNOP) the elusive phrase is eventually discovered by Ella in one of her father's earlier letters: "Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs." The council accepts this and restores the right to all 26 letters to the populace.
, in that the government attempts to control every aspect of written communication among the citizens. Once the laws begin to be passed, the people of Nollop are scared to even attempt to rebel against the council for fear of the harsh penalties. This theme is brought to the forefront in the first letter of the novel. Ella writes to Tassie saying that '"in the end, our assessments and opinions counted for (and continue to count for) precious little, and we have kept our public speculation to a minimum for fear of government reprisal'".
. The restriction upon written language in the story is caused by the religious belief in Nollop and his omnipotence; a critique on ideologies held in certain religious beliefs. Not only are the citizens of Nollop not allowed to use certain letters, but they are not allowed to speak out about how unjust the new laws are. If they interpret this particular situation any other way besides that of the council, they will be punished. In the council's letter to the citizens, the council writes that no alternate interpretations can be made because they are considered heresy, and heresy will be punished.
are made throughout the novel.
This binary is completely flipped upside down when the high priest comes up with the idea of the sentence challenge for the people. This challenge gives the people back some of their freedom. It isn't necessarily the freedom of using forbidden letters, but they have the freedom to control their future. If they can "win" this challenge, they will get back all of their old freedoms. After losing their freedoms, they appreciate them more, causing them to fight harder for them. The high priest and council do not know exactly how much power they were giving back to the people. They put very strict guidelines on this sentence challenge thinking that there was no one who would meet it.
Larson Award-winning writers Scott Burkell (script/lyrics) and Paul Loesel (composer) selected it out of many books to be produced as a musical, and got its first full production in November 2008 at the Arthur Miller Theatre on the University of Michigan campus, performed by auditioned students in the respected musical theater program. Anne Markt and Derek Carley starred.
The full story can be read at Playbill
.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Mark Dunn
Mark Dunn
Mark Dunn is an American author and playwright. He studied film at Memphis State University followed by post-graduate work in screenwriting at the University of Texas moving to New York in 1987 where he worked in the New York Public Library whilst writing plays in his free time.Among the...
, copyrighted in 2001. The full title of the hardcover version is Ella Minnow Pea: a progressively lipogramatic
Lipogram
A lipogram is a kind of constrained writing or word game consisting of writing paragraphs or longer works in which a particular letter or group of letters is avoided — usually a common vowel, and frequently "E", the most common letter in the English language.Writing a lipogram is a trivial task...
epistolary fable, while the paperback version is titled Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters.
Plot summary
Ella Minnow Pea is set on the fictitious island of Nollop, an isle 21 miles SE off the coast of South Carolina, and home to Nevin Nollop, the supposed creator of the well-known pangramPangram
A pangram , or holoalphabetic sentence, is a sentence using every letter of the alphabet at least once. Pangrams have been used to display typefaces, test equipment, and develop skills in handwriting, calligraphy, and keyboarding...
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog
"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" is an English-language pangram, that is, a phrase that contains all of the letters of the alphabet. It has been used to test typewriters and computer keyboards, and in other applications involving all of the letters in the English alphabet...
." This sentence is preserved on a memorial statue to its creator on the island and is taken very seriously by the government of the island. Throughout the book, tiles containing the letters fall from the inscription beneath the statue, and as each one does, the island's government bans the contained letter's use from written or spoken communication. A penalty system is enforced for using the forbidden characters, with public censure for a first offense, lashing or stocks (violator's choice) upon a second offense and banishment from the island nation upon the third. By the end of the novel, most of the island's inhabitants have either been banished or have left of their own accord.
The island's high council becomes more and more nonsensical as time progresses and the alphabet diminishes, promoting Nollop to divine status. Uncompromising in their enforcement of Nollop's 'divine will', they offer only one hope to the frustrated islanders: to disprove Nollop's omniscience by finding a pangram of 32 letters (in contrast to Nollop's 35). With this goal in mind "Enterprise 32" is started, a project involving many of the novel's main characters. With but five characters left (LMNOP) the elusive phrase is eventually discovered by Ella in one of her father's earlier letters: "Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs." The council accepts this and restores the right to all 26 letters to the populace.
Ella Minnow Pea
Ella Minnow Pea is the 18-year-old protagonist of the novel. Her name is a play on words as it sounds like the pronunciation of the letters "LMNOP", fitting with the content of the novel. She is a strong and intelligent young woman who uses her determination and persistence to survive the hardship placed on the island of Nollop by the high council. Towards the end of the novel, she is the only one in her family left on the island and is in charge of Enterprise 32. She eventually runs across a sentence in her father's farewell letter that will save the citizens of Nollop from the oppression they are experiencing, and allow her family to return to the island.Gwenette Minnow Pea
Gwenette is Ella's mother and Mittie Purcy's sister. She is a very strong woman who instills the qualities of determination and hope in her daughter. Eventually, she, along with the others in her family, becomes banished to the States after her third offense.Amos Minnow Pea
Amos is Ella's father. He makes liquor jugs and other ceramic vessels for a living, and he is a recovering alcoholic. The insanity of the forbidden letter laws become too much later in the story, and he returns to his old ways of excessive drinking. He also commits a third offense and is banished. His farewell letter to Ella and his wife contains the sentence that eventually frees Nollop from the rules and regulations concerning the use of restricted letters.Mittie Purcy
Mittie is Ella's aunt. She is a teacher at the local elementary school. Because of her career, she finds the laws passed by the council quite difficult to follow and obey. This, in turn, creates serious problems for her. She commits her first offense while explaining to her students that 12 eggs is equal to a doZen. The laws and restrictions put on the use of language on the island create a sense of depression in her life. She, along with her daughter and Nate Warren, travels to the States to escape her daughter's death sentence.Tassie Purcy
Tassie is Ella's cousin and best friend, being only a few months older. She falls in love with Nate Warren, the writer and scholar, and gets into serious trouble with the council for sending them death threats because of their new legislation. Her threats, though admirable, create much trouble for her. Nate eventually returns to the island after his banishment to rescue her from her punishment due to her rebellion of the council's laws. Her temperament is rather hot-headed, and she is quick to see the negatives of a situation.Nate Warren
Nate Warren is a researcher who lives in Georgia and travels to Nollop when he hears about the government rulings against taboo letters. He is willing to pose as "an old family friend" of the Purcys and use his knowledge and resources to help the people of Nollop find a logical solution to the "forbidden letter fiasco." He brings to Mr. Lyttle, a council member, that the tiles falling is a result of the adhesive breaking down of the fixative holding them in place. Unfortunately, this report doesn't affect the decisions of the council, although it brings about the sentence challenge. He is later discovered to be the scholarly writer he really is and is sent back to the States. He falls in love with Tassie Purcy.Rederick Lyttle
Mr. Lyttle is the high priest on the council, and he seems to be the most sensible of those on the council. Although he doesn't accept the scientific solution to the tiles falling presented by Nate Warren, he is the man who proposes the idea of the Nollopians creating a 32-letter sentence containing all the letters in the alphabet to free themselves from the regulations pertaining to the forbidden letters. Not only does he propose a challenge to find the sentence, he himself participates and searches for the sentence that will free the citizens of Nollop.Nevin Nollop
A children's book he read as a child about fox and a dog contained a pangram scrawled in his childish handwriting that sparked the monumental dedication, and eventual reverence and worship, of him. Although the people don't worship him as a god, the council does. When the tiles of the monument begin to fall, the council believes that it is Nollop who is speaking to them from beyond the grave. In the end, the council finally figures out that Nollop is not holy like they had believed earlier. He most likely was a fraud.Dr. Mannheim
Dr. Mannheim is a professor at the local university. He plays a vital role in the attempt to find a pangram that fits the qualifications set by the council (also known as Enterprise 32). He and Tom, his assistant, lead the way in finding a sentence. He manages to create a sentence that is 37 letters in length, but his quest for a 32-letter sentence is ended abruptly when he refuses banishment and is shot and killed by island officials.Georgeanne Towgate
Georgeanne Towgate is a citizen of Nollop who, at first, believes strongly in following the laws set up by the council. Her view of the issue quickly changes when her family is directly affected by the law, when her son, Timmy is shipped away. Her loneliness is obvious, and she begins to slowly lose her mind as the story progresses. Towards the end of the novel, she decides to paint her entire body for fun. This act leads to lead poisoning from the paint, and she dies from the poisoning.Plot summary
The plot is conveyed through mail or notes sent between various characters, though with the banned letters missing, creating passages that become more and more phonetically or creatively spelled, and requiring more effort of the reader to interpret.Setting
The novel takes place on the imaginary island nation of Nollop. Nollop is 63 square miles (163.2 km²) in area and is 21 miles (33.8 km) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Originally called Utopianna, the island was renamed in honor of native Nevin Nollop, who created the pangram "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." There is a cenotaph of Nevin Nollop and a baniford beneath with the pangram on it.Totalitarianism
One of the main themes of the story is totalitarianismTotalitarianism
Totalitarianism is a political system where the state recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible...
, in that the government attempts to control every aspect of written communication among the citizens. Once the laws begin to be passed, the people of Nollop are scared to even attempt to rebel against the council for fear of the harsh penalties. This theme is brought to the forefront in the first letter of the novel. Ella writes to Tassie saying that '"in the end, our assessments and opinions counted for (and continue to count for) precious little, and we have kept our public speculation to a minimum for fear of government reprisal'".
Freedom of speech
The novel also addresses the importance of freedom of speechFreedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. The restriction upon written language in the story is caused by the religious belief in Nollop and his omnipotence; a critique on ideologies held in certain religious beliefs. Not only are the citizens of Nollop not allowed to use certain letters, but they are not allowed to speak out about how unjust the new laws are. If they interpret this particular situation any other way besides that of the council, they will be punished. In the council's letter to the citizens, the council writes that no alternate interpretations can be made because they are considered heresy, and heresy will be punished.
Good citizenship vs. freedom
The citizens of Nollop are torn between being good citizens by following the unjust laws or rebelling against the government by fighting for their precious freedoms. They realize that if they speak out for their freedom of speech, they will be punished. Many decide that living on the island under this tyranny is not worth it, so they rebel in order to be banished. Others rebel to stir up the emotions of the other citizens. There are many that just follow the orders of the council, but, once affected by them, decide that a change must be made. The citizens have two distinct choices: submit to the rules and live a life of misery or stand up for what is rightfully theirs and live a life of freedom.Allusions/references to other works
Several allusions to the BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
are made throughout the novel.
- An allusion is made in one of Amos's letters to Ella. He is writing about the food that they have had to eat for the past few days. He says "Praise God for the abundance of loaves and fishes during these belt-tightening times; just leave us the loaves and take away all them fishes!" This is an allusion to the Bible story of Jesus feeding the 5000.
- Later in the book, when Nollop is being treated more like a god by the High Council, Nate compares Nollop to Ba'al, a god worshipped in the Old TestamentOld TestamentThe Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
by some of the inhabitants of CanaanCanaanCanaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
. - When having to face the lack of certain letters, someone's daughter renamed herself Batsheba, one of David'sDavidDavid was the second king of the united Kingdom of Israel according to the Hebrew Bible and, according to the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, an ancestor of Jesus Christ through both Saint Joseph and Mary...
wives.
Deconstruction approach
Deconstructing the novel identifies the council as the master and the citizens as the slaves to the new laws. The high council has probably never had this much power before, and they start to become greedy. The citizens have very little freedom once the new laws are passed. Although this may seem horrible for the citizens, they can learn a lesson about appreciating freedoms when they have them. These freedoms they took for granted earlier are no longer accessible, and they must work to get them back. As the high council takes more freedoms away, it becomes even more power hungry. It begins to lose respect from the citizens, and the people of Nollop feel a certain anger toward them. From this, the council can learn the lesson of what is more important in life: power and greed or respect and trust.This binary is completely flipped upside down when the high priest comes up with the idea of the sentence challenge for the people. This challenge gives the people back some of their freedom. It isn't necessarily the freedom of using forbidden letters, but they have the freedom to control their future. If they can "win" this challenge, they will get back all of their old freedoms. After losing their freedoms, they appreciate them more, causing them to fight harder for them. The high priest and council do not know exactly how much power they were giving back to the people. They put very strict guidelines on this sentence challenge thinking that there was no one who would meet it.
Allusions/references to actual history and current science
- The island of Nollop gained sovereignty during the American Civil WarAmerican Civil WarThe American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. - E-mail exists in this time; however, modern technology is shunned on the island.
Awards and nominations
Ella Minnow Pea was selected as Borders' Book of the Year.Larson Award-winning writers Scott Burkell (script/lyrics) and Paul Loesel (composer) selected it out of many books to be produced as a musical, and got its first full production in November 2008 at the Arthur Miller Theatre on the University of Michigan campus, performed by auditioned students in the respected musical theater program. Anne Markt and Derek Carley starred.
The full story can be read at Playbill
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
.