Long live the blog:
www.powellathon.blogspot.com
The adventure continues...
Monday 7 July 2008
Wednesday 28 May 2008
Temps perdu
A summer gets into its stride, can I suggest we begin to take steps to end this blogette over the next month or so. I think there is some fun further reading, both of the Proust corpus (OK, only Pleasures and Days), but also related works - this I noticed reviewed in the LRB the other week, but this should be discretionary. However, there is some nonsense out there so some caution needed.
And I would have thought that a shiny new blog starting in (say) July in preparation for an August or September start for Powell is in order. I am transferring thoughts on other reading across to my actual - if intermittant - other blog, so am keen to make sure we start having something lengthy and pretentious to chat about soon.
How about an August start date?
And I would have thought that a shiny new blog starting in (say) July in preparation for an August or September start for Powell is in order. I am transferring thoughts on other reading across to my actual - if intermittant - other blog, so am keen to make sure we start having something lengthy and pretentious to chat about soon.
How about an August start date?
Thursday 8 May 2008
Further thoughts on dancing
I started to comment, but realised I had too much to say. E & I had drinks on this subject, so I cannot claim this is all mine. In no particular order:
1. Do we want this blog to continue or do another one?
2. I suggest we hold off till Sept, in line with the academic year
3. I also suggest we change our rules and keep months rota, but only count days from the opening of the volume to completion.
4. I can think of a number from my end who might join in, even possibly Anna though this would make 3 essential, as we're not buying each volume twice. It does depend though on what we read. I suggest we take informal soundings.
5. What do we do with Alexis?
6. Finally, other thoughts. Though I am pro-Powell, there are a number of other options; wikipedia has this useful list (though it does say of Proust, "in some serious sense, it escapes classification"). But, at some point the pinnacle has to be Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle, coming in at 20 volumes. Or terrifyingly, Balzac's Comedie Humaine at nearly a hundred items.
1. Do we want this blog to continue or do another one?
2. I suggest we hold off till Sept, in line with the academic year
3. I also suggest we change our rules and keep months rota, but only count days from the opening of the volume to completion.
4. I can think of a number from my end who might join in, even possibly Anna though this would make 3 essential, as we're not buying each volume twice. It does depend though on what we read. I suggest we take informal soundings.
5. What do we do with Alexis?
6. Finally, other thoughts. Though I am pro-Powell, there are a number of other options; wikipedia has this useful list (though it does say of Proust, "in some serious sense, it escapes classification"). But, at some point the pinnacle has to be Zola's Rougon-Macquart cycle, coming in at 20 volumes. Or terrifyingly, Balzac's Comedie Humaine at nearly a hundred items.
Come Dancing!
So, it's decided then - the Proust blog continues!Our next assignment will be Anthony Powell's 12 volume A Dance to the Music of Time - hence the gratuitous use of the glorious Poussin painting of the same name (which hangs in the Wallace Collection and apparently inspired Powell) and the suitably awful yet predictable title of this entry. Apparently, The Dance is littered with Proust references and even a trip to Cabourg (Balbec), so it seems all the more appropriate.
I suggest the best way to tackle this is one (~200 page) volume per month for a year. Giving us plenty of scope for other reading and the blogging thereof. Suggest we curb our competitive instincts this time round, at least with regard to days spent reading. Instead we could, indeed should, institute a system of Proust points for references spotted in this (and other) books. So two issues remain:
1. We need a start date - I suggest July or August (although I'm not averse to June if other Proustanauts are keen). I already own the first two volumes of The Dance so could begin forthwith - others may appreciate a break from big projects. Alternatively we could coincide with M. Garrood's job move (since Proust coincided with mine last time round).
2. Any prospective Powellanauts (as new initiates must surely be titled) out there?
Tuesday 6 May 2008
Et puis, M. Smith est finis
Gasp.
Finished this morning just before jumping on bike and cycling through London to work - an antidote to Proustian self-absorption if ever there was one.
I found the last pages by turns heart-rending and immensely frustrating, trying to remember who had married who and who had changed their name accordingly, &c. &c. But then that I suppose goes for the rest of the beast as well so it wasn't like that was enormously surprising.
The musings on Art were a bit wanky I thought, more so than usual at any rate; but ultimately I found the whole of the last section rather too much folded up in on itself. Discussing a book he's about to write that will interrogate the reader's self is all very well but it's a bit like listening to actors talk about acting. I find I would much rather be watching a performance. Or, heaven forbid, reading a book. With, y'know, some plot in it and that.
Irritatingly of course Proust is largely successful (at least with this Proustanaut) at forcing this introspective self assessment from his reader, if only because you've got so much time to fill between anything bloody happening.
Disappointed that M. Charlus simply faded out of view, and I also found the massive gaps in time deeply unsatisfying. Although of course as we all know it is not a linear thing.
Er, is it?
I'm glad to have done it though, and of course very glad to have had some company along the way.
What's next? =)
Finished this morning just before jumping on bike and cycling through London to work - an antidote to Proustian self-absorption if ever there was one.
I found the last pages by turns heart-rending and immensely frustrating, trying to remember who had married who and who had changed their name accordingly, &c. &c. But then that I suppose goes for the rest of the beast as well so it wasn't like that was enormously surprising.
The musings on Art were a bit wanky I thought, more so than usual at any rate; but ultimately I found the whole of the last section rather too much folded up in on itself. Discussing a book he's about to write that will interrogate the reader's self is all very well but it's a bit like listening to actors talk about acting. I find I would much rather be watching a performance. Or, heaven forbid, reading a book. With, y'know, some plot in it and that.
Irritatingly of course Proust is largely successful (at least with this Proustanaut) at forcing this introspective self assessment from his reader, if only because you've got so much time to fill between anything bloody happening.
Disappointed that M. Charlus simply faded out of view, and I also found the massive gaps in time deeply unsatisfying. Although of course as we all know it is not a linear thing.
Er, is it?
I'm glad to have done it though, and of course very glad to have had some company along the way.
What's next? =)
Monday 5 May 2008
In Search of Imaginary Time... or at least a decent explanation of it
Books read since last post:
Life and Times of Michael K; J.M.Coetzee
A Brief History of Time; Stephen W. Hawking
Persepolis; Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis 2; Marjane Satrapi
Fitting that my first two post-Proust books had the words time or times in the title. With Coetzee it's obviously incidental - Michael K was very good and very haunting although I preferred Disgrace overall. It's a fairly meaningless debate to have (although M. Garrood might refute that point), both were worthy Booker winners and should the rest of his oeuvre come close to these, then Coetzee is a worthy Nobel Laureate.
I re-attempted Hawking after an aborted attempt 6 years ago. Even then I found it surprisingly accessible (not unlike my initial reaction to Proust). This time I ploughed through and finished it in 6 days - more than 2 chapters a day is far too hideous to contemplate. I can proudly say that I understood it... well most of it... some of it anyway. No look, I got the point of it and the general message - a remarkable enough achievement for a pop sci book on theoretical physics. Where Professor Hawking really lost me was with the concept of imaginary time, which he none-too-helpfully describes as being like imaginary numbers (e.g. square root of -1 = i) but with time... nope - I don't get it either and I'm not coming from his baseline "general members of the public" target audience. As I see it, anyway, the only practical implications of this might be that when counting days reading Proust in imaginary time I may actually have beaten Will... a mathematical proof requiring the full attention of the Lucasian Professor in Mathematics I feel - I'll pop next door to Caius and suggest it to him.
My other reading was a joy. I read both Persepolis books yesterday - for the uninitiated an autobiographical graphic novel by the great-granddaughter of the last Shah of Iran. Her parents are Marxist revolutionaries who are engaged in protests against the Islamic regime. The first part, about her childhood, is dreamlike and a joy. The second part, in which she lives in Austria for some time before feeling too out of place in the West and returning home, is a lot more political and still very good. I feel a lot more informed about life in modern-day Iran having read this - but best of all it's very funny and I laughed a lot. There's a movie out now - set to become the desperately cool film to watch over the next few weeks and in keeping with my trendy young don image I'll probably toddle along, but I recommend the book very highly first.
Life and Times of Michael K; J.M.Coetzee
A Brief History of Time; Stephen W. Hawking
Persepolis; Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis 2; Marjane Satrapi
Fitting that my first two post-Proust books had the words time or times in the title. With Coetzee it's obviously incidental - Michael K was very good and very haunting although I preferred Disgrace overall. It's a fairly meaningless debate to have (although M. Garrood might refute that point), both were worthy Booker winners and should the rest of his oeuvre come close to these, then Coetzee is a worthy Nobel Laureate.
I re-attempted Hawking after an aborted attempt 6 years ago. Even then I found it surprisingly accessible (not unlike my initial reaction to Proust). This time I ploughed through and finished it in 6 days - more than 2 chapters a day is far too hideous to contemplate. I can proudly say that I understood it... well most of it... some of it anyway. No look, I got the point of it and the general message - a remarkable enough achievement for a pop sci book on theoretical physics. Where Professor Hawking really lost me was with the concept of imaginary time, which he none-too-helpfully describes as being like imaginary numbers (e.g. square root of -1 = i) but with time... nope - I don't get it either and I'm not coming from his baseline "general members of the public" target audience. As I see it, anyway, the only practical implications of this might be that when counting days reading Proust in imaginary time I may actually have beaten Will... a mathematical proof requiring the full attention of the Lucasian Professor in Mathematics I feel - I'll pop next door to Caius and suggest it to him.
My other reading was a joy. I read both Persepolis books yesterday - for the uninitiated an autobiographical graphic novel by the great-granddaughter of the last Shah of Iran. Her parents are Marxist revolutionaries who are engaged in protests against the Islamic regime. The first part, about her childhood, is dreamlike and a joy. The second part, in which she lives in Austria for some time before feeling too out of place in the West and returning home, is a lot more political and still very good. I feel a lot more informed about life in modern-day Iran having read this - but best of all it's very funny and I laughed a lot. There's a movie out now - set to become the desperately cool film to watch over the next few weeks and in keeping with my trendy young don image I'll probably toddle along, but I recommend the book very highly first.
Wednesday 23 April 2008
Out of the Fug
And into the cool light of day. Well, the last volume in any case. Found Fug really hard going, but now things have started to happen again (metaphorically of course) in the final volume I've read nearly 30 pages without once looking to see how far I've got to go.
Oh.
Ah well.
He doesn't really do plot does he? Just has arbitrary things happen at the end of books so he can spend the next one wittering on about the arbitrary thing that happened at the end of the last one. Found the twist about Saint-Loup interesting but not surprising, really, but most damning of all I don't at this stage particularly care for either of them so it didn't have any real emotional impact.
I did however very much like Marcel's misreading of Gilberte's interest in him, which did feel very true to life.
As ever it seems there are little nuggets of brilliance in there somewhere, it's just wading through the rest of it that's the challenge...
Oh.
Ah well.
He doesn't really do plot does he? Just has arbitrary things happen at the end of books so he can spend the next one wittering on about the arbitrary thing that happened at the end of the last one. Found the twist about Saint-Loup interesting but not surprising, really, but most damning of all I don't at this stage particularly care for either of them so it didn't have any real emotional impact.
I did however very much like Marcel's misreading of Gilberte's interest in him, which did feel very true to life.
As ever it seems there are little nuggets of brilliance in there somewhere, it's just wading through the rest of it that's the challenge...
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