IMPROMPTU READ-ALONG: Charlotte's Web

I have a suspicion that the next week or so is going to be … let’s say “trying.” We are going to need to be engaged and prepared and present for our communities no matter what happens. But in order to maintain our chill, we are going to need a retreat, someplace to regather our strength.

So let’s retreat into Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White.

I’m going to start reading on Friday, November 1, and plan on finishing up by Friday, November 8. The goal is to create a virtual blanket fort. A brain haven. Whatever “cozy as fuck” means to you, that’s where we’re headed. When you reach the point of the day, or the night, where you just absolutely cannot anymore, maybe read a few pages of Charlotte rather than staring into the abyss or, worse, doomscrolling. Then check in here. I’ll be popping in here every day, all week, talking about pigs and spiders and a girl named Fern. And I have a soft spot for Templeton the rat.

It does not matter if you’ve read the book a hundred times, or only saw the animated version, or have zero Charlotte experience. Maybe you haven’t read it since you were a kid and you’d like to see what your adult self thinks of it.

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I am in the “hudred times” camp. Maybe not that many. But dozens for sure. Here’s the copy I got as a kid:

It is, to put it mildly, much loved, but not in bad shape for nearly four decades of reading and moving and shelving and pets and everything. I read from this book to my nephew, over the phone, during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. I was so relieved that he liked it.

I also have The Story of Charlotte’s Web, which is a focused biography of the author, E. B. White, and the creation of this book in particular. There is a non-zero chance that this book influenced my own master’s thesis, a biography of a medieval text called Ancrene Wisse. There are zero spiders in that book, but there is a mention of cats.

Finally, last summer I splurged and bought this letterpress edition of the novel from Thornwillow Press. If you are not familiar with the gorgeous editions this press creates, I am both delighted to share it with you and devasted for your bank account.

Take care of yourselves, everybody. Follow Charlotte’s advice:

You must try to build yourself up. I want you to get plenty of sleep, and stop worrying. Never hurry and never worry! Chew your food thoroughly and eat every bit of it. … Gain weight and stay well—that’s the way you can help. Keep fit and don’t lose your nerve.