The idio-idio-idiosyncrasies of spiders are highlighted in this children’s book by the New Yorker journalist.
by Rich Watson
E.B. White was one of the first writers for The New Yorker before he ventured into children’s literature. His book Charlotte’s Web has become a twentieth-century classic tale of friendship.
It also made a heroic figure out of a misunderstood and often feared creature: the common household spider.
E. B. White and Charlotte’s Web in brief
Elwyn Brooks White, the New Yorker writer from the time of its inception in 1925, was also known for his seminal handbook on American grammar and style, The Elements of Style, with William Strunk Jr. In 2011, Time called it one of the best and most influential non-fiction books in the English language since 1923.
With New Yorker illustrator Garth Williams, White crafted his first children’s book, Stuart Little, in 1945. It was based on a dream he relayed to his nephews and nieces as a story.
Charlotte, also done with Williams, followed in 1952. It was inspired by an Atlantic Monthly article about how he was unable to save the life of a sick pig.
White gathered his information on spiders from two books:
- American Spiders by Willis J. Gertsch, and
- The Spider Book, by John Henry Comstock.
His info was quite detailed.
1. Eating insects
“You mean you eat flies?” gasped Wilbur.“Certainly. Flies, bugs, grasshoppers, choice beetles, moths, butterflies, tasty cockroaches, gnats, midges, daddy longlegs, centipedes, mosquitoes, crickets—anything that is careless enough to get caught in my web. I have to live, don’t I?”—chapter V
Some insects escape spider webs, but once the spider disables the insect with its venomous bite, that’s it for them.
Spiders have no teeth. The venom either kills or paralyzes the insect. Its insides liquify, leaving its outsides intact. Then the spider wraps its prey in silk and drinks the insides.
2. Strong webs
A spider’s web is stronger than it looks. Although it is made of thin, delicate strands, the web is not easily broken.—chapter IX
Spider silk strength is measured in terms of its tensility, its ability to be stretched out before breaking. When people say it’s as strong as steel, a strand is actually stronger for its size than a steel beam:
A strand of spider silk is made up of many smaller strands—thousands, to be exact, Science magazine reports. This is even more impressive when you consider that a strand of spider silk is 1000 times thinner than a strand of human hair.
Not all of the silk is sticky, so spiders know where on the web to step so they themselves don’t get caught. Parts of the web can detach, so the insect struggling to break free doesn’t destroy the entire web.
3. Hairy legs
“My legs are hairy for a good reason,” replied Charlotte. “Furthermore, each leg of mine has seven sections—the coxa, the trochanter, the femur, the patella, the tibia, the metatarsus, and the tarsus….”“Goodness!” said Wilbur, looking down at his own chubby legs. “I don’t think my legs have seven sections.”“Well,” said Charlotte, “you and I lead different lives. You don’t have to spin a web. That takes real leg work.”—chapter IX
The hairs on a spider leg are like sensory organs. They detect vibrations and smells. At one point in the story, Charlotte mentions she’s nearsighted. The amount of hair varies, from black widows (little) to tarantulas (much).
Charlotte neglected to add her legs have two claws each.
All eight legs are attached to the spider’s upper body, the cephalothorax. (The lower segment is the abdomen.) It operates via a blood-like fluid called hemolymph. Spider legs use hydraulic pressure, which “pushes” them out. The pressure also prevents contraction.
Hydraulics enable some spider species to jump well. That’s why Spider-Man is as agile as he is.
Spiders, if caught by predators, can lose a limb in order to escape. They can regrow them, though not all do. Eight legs are actually more than they need.
4. Kinds of silk
A spider can produce several kinds of thread. She uses a dry, tough thread for foundation lines, and she uses a sticky thread for snare lines—the ones that catch and hold insects.—chapter XIII
Spiders have silk glands. A substance like a watery gel travels down a tube, coated by things like stickiness and water resistance. Spigots ejaculate the silk. It hardens when it’s stretched.
5. Mating and egg sacs
“It’s a perfectly beautiful egg sac,” said Wilbur, feeling as happy as though he had constructed it himself.“Yes, it is pretty,” replied Charlotte, patting the sac with her two front legs. “Anyway, I can guarantee that it is strong. It’s made out of the toughest material I have. It is also waterproof. The eggs are inside and will be warm and dry.”—chapter XIX
We never see Charlotte mating in the story. It probably happened off the page.
When spiders mate, the male leaves his sperm on the web and picks it up on one of his head appendages, then drops it in the female’s genital opening. The sperm fertilizes the eggs near the ovaries. The male has a mating dance that has been compared to the “YMCA” dance (not by me).
After he gets his freak on, the male usually dies. The female’s eggs molt until they reach maturity. The mating process can take from seconds to hours.
Charlotte called her egg sac her “magnum opus.” They come in different varieties.
Also, the end of the story is no exaggeration; spiders can lay thousands of eggs at once.
Charlotte’s Web’s legacy
Among the awards for Charlotte include the Newberry Medal in 1953, one of the highest honors bestowed upon a children’s book.
Perhaps you’ve seen the Hanna-Barbera animated movie from 1973, with Debbie Reynolds as the voice of Charlotte, or the live-action version in 2006, with Julia Roberts voicing the character.
It is one of the most popular books read aloud to children. White himself recorded an audio version. The American Booksellers Association established an awards program, honoring books read aloud, named for White.
@byrichwatson
———
New York subway stations, beginning September 11.
No comments:
Post a Comment