When all of my classmates in the Program of Liberal Studies ( the Great Books Program at Notre Dame) were reading Woolf and Tolstoy and Herodotus...I was reading Glamour Magazine and the latest Jackie Collins mass market paperback.
I decided to remedy that by revisiting some of the classic novels from the pantheon of literature, and I'm happy to report that I thoroughly enjoyed Les Mis, Don Quixote, and Moby Dick very much.
But Mrs Dalloway?
Mrs Dalloway and I had a bit of trouble.
I really loved the book...truly, I did. But I felt like I was understanding about 7% of it. Surely, a 59-year old portly Spinster is capable of going deeper into a work of interiority and meaning, no?
Well, the YouTubes lead me to this book, so I'm hoping it gives me a good insight into all of the crap I missed or was just too emotionally immature to truly appreciate.
(But I still really loved the novel.)
(In case you're wondering, I'm reading Of Human Bondage at the moment, so we've gone from a middle-aged housewife planning a party to a little boy with a club foot making his way through boarding school and examining the nature of Faith.)
(What could possibly confuse me about THAT?)
In other news, I haven't stitched since my surgery. I'm feeling a bit "banged up"...
Never fear, though. I am truly feeling a hankering to pick up needle and thread as soon as my third or fourth cup of damn good kicks in.
(Or maybe I'll completely abandon my usual routine and just go right to the cold brew and not wait for the 3:00 hour.)
So that's the report from Hoosierville, Dearies. What do you suppose Stewey would have to say about my sudden interest in having a life of the mind? I can see him rolling his eyes now, and warning me not to get anything sticky on his Proust collection.Happy Saturday! Yes...it's still hot enough to boil potatoes out there, so until this passes...I'm in a deep interiority of my own with the a/c and lots of water! (No sploshing until the stitches come out on the 21st, and then you'll find me sporting a full-on hazmat suit to do my old lady arm exercises in the early morning hours!)
Ciao for now! Do something fun and come tell me all about it!
Stay nice and cool! We have a busted Geothermal unit, but a shiny new one is on order. Meanwhile, we're opening windows late in the day, venting all night with 2 box fans in opposite windows, closing windows in the morning, rinse, repeat. Getting to mid 90’s in western Oregon today and even higher tomorrow. š„µ
ReplyDeleteStewie would have suggested that if you felt the need to revisit the literature of your childhood, perhaps you should start with Nancy Drew books. Stewie was a tad bit snideš¤£
ReplyDeletePerhaps watching the Bette Davis film version of Human Bondage will help.
ReplyDeleteOh Coni, thank you for the chuckle. I haven't read Mrs. Dalloway and truth be told, I never heard of it. There were many books that we read snippets of during late high school and into college that I haven't given any thought to reading them in their entirety. Have a blessed Sunday. Thinking of you!
ReplyDeleteDo what makes you happy and what you have energy for. No guilt. But I must have missed something... surgery?? Hoping recovery is going smoothly. I am still appreciating your referral to Read Well podcast. I do love my Goodreads. I have my preferences, but its broad enough. Mrs. Dalloway was not one I've done. I find that type of stream of consciousness challenging. I've always felt guilty over how fast I read - or don't! I have to balance a non-fiction with something more entertaining. With multiples going, I am not quick... so library books are not my thing.
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