James Herriot

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James Herriot
Extraordinary Vet
Extraordinary Man
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• Biography and Herriot pictures, unless otherwise
  noted, are from http//www.jamesherriot.org/.
• Herriot video cliphttp//www.hambleton.gov.uk/hamb
  leton/herriot.nsf/pages/virtual.html

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James Herriot

• I love writing about my job because I loved
  it, and it was a particularly interesting one
  when I was a young man. It was like holidays
  with pay to me.

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Key Biographical Info.

• born in Sunderland, England on 10/3/16
• real name James Alfred Wight
• immediately moved to Glasgow, Scotland
• Father James Wight -- ship plater and musician
• Mother Hannah Bell Wight - professional singer

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And...

• attended Glasgow Veterinary College
• graduated (6 years later) in 1939
• joined vet practice in Yorkshire in 1940 -- the
  practice of J. Donald Sinclair (Siegfried)
• actual town was Thirsk
• married Joan Catherine Danbury in 1941

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And along came little ones

• son, Jimmy born in 1943he is a vet in Thirsk
  today
• daughter, Rosie born in 1947 she is a physician
  in Thirsk today
• one grandchild (an adult) Emma Page

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What about his writing?

• Started writing (again) in 1966 at age 50!

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• For years I used to bore my wife over lunch
  with stories about funny incidents. The words
  My book, as in Ill put that in it one day,
  became a sort of running joke. Eventually she
  said, Look, I dont want to offend you, but
  youve been saying that for 25 years. Youre
  never going to do it now. Old vets of 50 dont
  write books...

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And so

• So I purchased a lot of paper right then and
  started to write.

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Publishing history

• first 2 publishers rejected his first book
• third one accepted and published it
• first four books
• If Only They Could Talk
• It Shouldnt Happen to a Vet
• Let Sleeping Vets Lie Vets in Harness

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Who are these people?

• Herriot used his real life experiences, which he
  fictionalized, in his books. Heres the lowdown
• Siegfried J. Donald Sinclair (died, 1994)
• Tristan Brian Sinclair (died, 1990)
• Darrowby Thirsk
• Helen Joan Wight

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Who else?

• Mrs. Pumphrey Mrs. Marjorie Warner of Sowerbury
  (died, 1983)
• Granville Bennett Denton Petty (died in the
  1980s)
• Calum Buchanan Herriots assistant (in later
  books) (died, 1990)

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The American Way

• These four short books were then united to form
  the first American edition, published in 1972
• All Creatures Great and Small

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Commenting on his sudden success

• I was dumbfounded by the reaction to that
  first book, absolutely dumbfounded. The most I
  had hoped for was that someone would publish it
  and a few people quite enjoy reading it.

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Publishing history

• Herriot went on to write 15 books which have been
  published in 26 languages.
• He has sold 20 million books in 20 countries

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Herriots passing

• He died of cancer at age 78 on February 23, 1995.
• He had been ill for 3 years.

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Herriot on Herriot

• There were people who thought I was a pretty
  fair vet, some who regarded me as an amiable
  idiot, a few who were convinced that I was a
  genius, and one or two who would set their dogs
  on me if I put a foot inside their gates. All
  this in a year. What would be the position in 30
  years? Well, as it turned out, very much the
  same.

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Others Views http//www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/

• "If there is any justice, All Creatures Great
  And Small will become a classic of its
  kind...With seemingly effortless art, this man
  tells his stories with perfect timing and optimum
  scale. Many more famous authors could work for a
  lifetime and not achieve more flawless literary
  control."-- Chicago Tribune Book World

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And http//www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/

• "Herriot charms because he delights in life,
  embraces it with sensitivity and gust and writes
  with grace. All Creatures Great And Small may
  well be the happiest book of the year."-- The New
  York Times Book Review

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Key Themes

• transformation of the medical profession from
  pseudo-science to science -- also farmers
  superstitions and quack remedies
• death with dignity death as a part of life.

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Additional Themes

• the desire to prove himself
• the maturation theme (Bildungsroman)
• the power, beauty, dignity, wonder of the
  animals and the environment
• animals ability to make fools of humans
• the variety and unpredictability of life

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Herriots style What to look for

• Depiction of life in the 1930s
• use of detail
• use of imagery
• use of jargon pertaining to veterinary medicine
• use of irony

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Furthermore...

• use of humor
• use of figurative language
• use of contrast
• warm, gentle, distinctive, authorial voice
• incredible powers of observation

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How does he do that?

• I was helped by having a verbatim memory of
  what happened years ago, even if I cant remember
  what happened a couple days ago. Years ago
  farmers were uneducated and eccentric and said
  funny things, and we ourselves were comparatively
  uneducated.

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• We had few antibiotics, few drugs. A lot of
  time was spent pouring things down cows throats.
  The whole thing added up to a lot of laughs.

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Herriots traits

• inherent decency and honesty
• incredible courtesy, politeness, and manners
• love and respect of animals and nature
• belief in death with dignity
• charming social awkwardness

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To see more..

• www.hambleton.gov.uk/hambleton/
  herriot.nsf/pages/herriot.html

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Photo and text are fromhttp//www.amazon.com/exec
/obidos/

• Wight the younger (who followed in his father's
  footsteps and later joined the practice in
  Thirsk), is undoubtedly the best person to reveal
  the depths of a man whose public persona was as
  respected and trusted as the real man who tended
  to animals in and around the small Yorkshire
  village where he lived until the day he died.
  --Susan Harrison, Amazon.co.uk --

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To read more

• By Herriot
• All Things Wise and Wonderful Every Living
  Thing All Things Bright and Beautiful James
  Herriots Cat Stories James Herriots Dog Stories

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(No Transcript)
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When you do your writing homework, select from
these themes.

• transformation of the medical profession from
  pseudo-science to science -- also farmers
  superstitions and quack remedies
• death with dignity death as a part of life.
• the desire to prove himself
• the maturation theme (Bildungsroman)
• the power, beauty, dignity, wonder of the
  animals and the environment
• animals ability to make fools of humans
• the variety and unpredictability of life