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Date Created
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2024
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Description
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This braided object represents the braiding of the different timelines in Nora’s life that make her the person she is at the end of the novel. The circular shape represents the cyclical elements in the novel. The pale green and brown represent Nora before she dies (birth). Brown conveys the comfort and stability of Nora’s life at the beginning of the novel, while pale green signifies her untapped potential and the nurturing she needs in order to evolve. Purple, the colour of the library, embodies the mystery and wisdom she encounters after she tries to end her life and finds herself at the library (death). The library books are dark green, representing growth and limitless opportunities for transformation (rebirth). By exploring different lives, Nora eventually discovers her true self and integrates all the lessons she has learnt to create the life of her dreams.
MARA MIRCIOIU ON WHAT THIS CRAFTED OBJECT TEACHES US:
Rag-rug making first became widespread during the Industrial Revolution and experienced fluctuating popularity throughout its history (“Rag Rug”). Initially, making rag rugs was a common way to repurpose old clothing, and such rugs were made mainly out of wool (“History of Rag Rugs.”). The rag rug’s main purpose was to keep floors warm before fitted carpets became common (“History of Rag Rugs”). They were valued for their practical use rather than regarded as pieces of art. Although in the present day, rag rugs are appreciated as a form of art, they were not recognized and appreciated by “the needlework elite” until recently ("History of Rag Rug Making"). There is less research available on rag rugs compared to other textile crafts because of their lack of widespread appreciation and because their history has primarily been passed down through oral tradition ("History of Rag Rug Making"). Nonetheless, rag rugs have had a strong impact since their invention; they are a method of creative reuse and serve as a critique of modern mass production (Shaffer).
I chose Matt Haig’s The Midnight Library for my project. This novel was originally published on August 13, 2020 by Canongate Books in the UK, quickly becoming an international bestseller due to its themes of mental health resonating with readers during the COVID-19 pandemic and because it achieved widespread attention on social media platforms such as Tik Tok (Wikipedia). The Midnight Library was named a bestseller by The New York Times, The Boston Globe, and The Washington Post (Wikipedia). The novel was nominated for the Audie Award for Fiction (2020) and the British Book Award (2021), and it won the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction in 2020 (Wikipedia). It is sold in multiple formats, such as eBook, hardcover, audiobook, and paperback (HarperCollins).
When I first enrolled in ENSH 482, I doubted that crafting could impact my understanding of a work of literature, let alone teach me anything about a novel of my choice. However, after comparing the process of making a rag rug to the form and themes of The Midnight Library, I realized I was completely wrong. I created this rag rug to demonstrate the crafting skills I learned in this class and to show how the process of crafting the rug has deepened my comprehension of my literary text.
My process started by choosing a craft. Given that the rag-rug activity was my favourite we did in class, it was the first one I thought of. I reflected on my first rag-rug creation experience and realized that my rug, like my story, has cyclical elements. My understanding of the cyclical elements in the novel is reflected through my selection of colour and the circular shape of the rug.
The novel unfolds in three main stages, which I have categorized as birth, death, and rebirth. The novel begins with the line “Nineteen years before she decided to die, Nora Seed sat in the warmth of a small library” (Haig, 1). The introductory chapter lasts 2 pages before readers are transported to “twenty-seven hours before [Nora] decided to die” (Haig, 5). Readers know upon reading the first line that Nora will die, yet at this moment she is introduced and brought to life in readers’ minds. As she approaches her death, Nora avoids anything that challenges her or takes her out of her comfort zone. She constantly dwells on the happiness of others and wishes that she could be someone else. For this reason, I selected the colours pale green and brown to represent the first stage of the novel. Brown is often associated with comfort and stability ("Exploring”). This colour association relates to Nora because she constantly wishes her life were different but refuses to make changes. Pale green is a colour that represents something in need of nurturing, like a young plant. Initially, Nora is deeply dissatisfied with her life. She is aware of her need for help but struggles to find a solution to her unhappiness, seeing death as her only option.
Once Nora decides to die, she is transported to a library. Not only is its exterior partly purple, but the colour purple has associations with mystery and enlightenment (“Color Psychology”). While in the library, Nora plays chess with the librarian, Mrs. Elm, while surrounded by books. Each book contains a life Nora could have lived if she had made different choices. Initially, Nora does not want to try any alternate lives and plays chess with Mrs. Elm. However, Mrs. Elm helps Nora understand and navigate the library through the game of chess, showing her that a single life holds countless possibilities, just like how there are countless chess combinations. Mrs. Elm represents Nora’s inner guide throughout the narrative. She uses chess to teach Nora to look at her life from different perspectives, ultimately inspiring her to grab a dark green book off one of the bookshelves.
The colour dark green represents growth, renewal, and the unending cycle of life ("Forest Green"). The moment Nora decides to pick up a book, she does not stop trying alternate lives until she finally realizes that the only life she wants to live is the one she had before she tried to end her life. She tries out various lives and learns valuable lessons from each one. Ultimately, she discovers that none of the alternate lives suits her because she never feels genuinely like herself in any of them. Each time Nora experiences a new life, it feels like starting over, as if she is reborn. Once she chooses to return to her original life, she does so with an entirely new perspective, bringing all the wisdom she has gained from her past experiences.
The colours are interwoven rather than appearing in subsequent phases because both the evolution of Nora’s life and the structure of the novel are non-linear (Haig). For instance, after exploring various lives, Nora wants to give up and even considers dying for good. Moreover, in each life she explores, she is a different age, and readers transition between different timelines. Creating my rag rug was not a linear process either. I restarted my rug in the beginning stages because I didn’t like the result. I also corrected mistakes along the way when I accidentally looped pieces of fabric through the same hole too many times. Just as I had to unravel and adjust the fabric to achieve the desired design, the narrative's non-linear structure allows for flexibility in exploring different moments and choices in Nora's life, ultimately creating a richer, more complex character and story.
Another formal aspect of the book that I better understood through the process of creating my rug was the importance of the use of casual language in the novel. I watched several videos and read articles about rag-rug creation, but many explanations were unclear because they often used jargon that wasn’t accessible to someone like me, a “non-crafter”. My struggle to find a clear tutorial made me appreciate the straightforward and engaging language in my novel, even though it often addressed complex philosophical concepts because Nora has a passion for philosophy (Haig).
The novel depicts the human experience of facing and overcoming struggles, a process that is recurring and cyclical. By creating my rag rug, I gained a better understanding of the themes of perseverance, regret, personal growth, the impact of perspective, and flexibility in my novel. I often resonated with the protagonist’s feelings as I went through my creative process. For instance, like Nora, I, too, felt like giving up at times because my rug kept getting knotted. In the end, Nora and I both made it through the hardships we encountered and took the lessons we learnt with us. Crafting the rag rug helped me better understand the non-linear structure of The Midnight Library, as I myself experienced a similar sense of nonlinearity while making my rag rug. The experience also deepened my appreciation and understanding of simple, clear language over more complex, technical language. I will definitely be creating more rag rugs in the future.
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References
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"Color Psychology of Purple." Verywell Mind, 18 Oct. 2023, https://www.verywellmind.com/the-color-psychology-of-purple-2795820. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
"Exploring the Deeper Meaning Behind the Color Brown." NLC, https://nlc.com/university/exploring-the-deeper-meaning-behind-the-color-brown/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
"Forest Green." Figma, https://www.figma.com/colors/forest-green/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Haig, Matt. The Midnight Library. Viking, 2020.
HarperCollins. Haig, Matt. “The Midnight Library: A Novel”, 2020, https://www.amazon.ca/Midnight-Library-Novel-Matt-Haig/dp/1443455873. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
"History of Rag Rugs." Ragged Life, https://raggedlifeblog.com/history-of-rag-rugs/. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
"History of Rag Rug Making." Rug Makers Homestead, https://www.rugmakershomestead.com/history.html. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
"Light Green Color Meaning." Kive, https://kive.ai/colors/color-meanings/light-green. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
"The Midnight Library." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 4 Dec. 2024, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Midnight_Library. Accessed 4 Dec. 2024.
"Rag Rug Making." Heritage Crafts, 2024, www.heritagecrafts.org.uk/craft/rag-rug-making/. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.
Shaffer, Talia. “Novel Craft: Victorian Domestic Handicraft and Nineteenth-Century Fiction”. Oxford Academic, Oxford University Press, 3 Mar. 2015, https://academic.oup.com/book/12300?login=true&token=eyJhbGciOiJub25lIn0.eyJleHAiOjE3MzU4NjE4MjQsImp0aSI6ImE4MjBhMzJlLTM1NWYtNDUxMC1iMjE0LTUzOGE5N2RmNTAzZiJ9. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.