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icepixieOof. I finially finished Charles Palliser's The Quincunx, all 800 pages of it, and I feel cheated. In case I'd spoil it for someone, let's just say that one of the two things I most actually expected to happen at the end most decidedly did not, and we're left hanging about the fate of the other. WAY TO GO.
I forgot to mention that I also recently finished Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, which was amazing. It's...kind of hard to describe, but basically there's a misprint in If on a Winter's Night, which leads the reader (referred to as "you") on a wild goose chase to find the rest of the book. He keeps running into the opening chapters of other books, which we get to read as well, and never does find the ending to any of them. He also falls in love with another reader who's having the same problem, becomes briefly embroiled in a South American conspiracy, and has other adventures, all in the name of finding the next chapter of whatever book he's currently trying to read. It's brilliant, and funny, and metafictional, and very postmodern. You know, I actually like postmodern literature; I enjoy particularly the fun many writers seem to have playing around with text and narrative and perspective. It's just much of the postmodern style of criticism I hate.
I'm wishing I'd kept Invisible Cities from Clarvoe's class. Lord knows it was the only reading material I enjoyed from that course. (It heavily featured Elizabeth Bishop--who's okay, but not my favorite--and William Carlos Williams, whom I detest.)
*
My iPod's shuffle feature spat out Moxy Fruvous's "King of Spain" at me today. I'm fairly certain I annoyed a few of my cubeneighbors with the toe-tapping, finger-drumming, and other irritating little movements I made while listening to it, because you just can't stay still for that one. Had I the space, I probably would've been doing merengue somewhere, despite knowing only one step of merengue. And now, hours later, it is still stuck in my head.
(Hey, Kenyon folks. Remember that live version that floated about on Kenster, with the "DON'T...talk about Lisa" interjection? Anyone know where I might get ahold of that?)
In that vein, I'm wondering: does anyone else think "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" would make a most excellent Fraser/Ray(V) vid, using copious footage from "Some Like It Red"? Anyone? Anyone? Just me, then? Okay.
I forgot to mention that I also recently finished Italo Calvino's If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, which was amazing. It's...kind of hard to describe, but basically there's a misprint in If on a Winter's Night, which leads the reader (referred to as "you") on a wild goose chase to find the rest of the book. He keeps running into the opening chapters of other books, which we get to read as well, and never does find the ending to any of them. He also falls in love with another reader who's having the same problem, becomes briefly embroiled in a South American conspiracy, and has other adventures, all in the name of finding the next chapter of whatever book he's currently trying to read. It's brilliant, and funny, and metafictional, and very postmodern. You know, I actually like postmodern literature; I enjoy particularly the fun many writers seem to have playing around with text and narrative and perspective. It's just much of the postmodern style of criticism I hate.
I'm wishing I'd kept Invisible Cities from Clarvoe's class. Lord knows it was the only reading material I enjoyed from that course. (It heavily featured Elizabeth Bishop--who's okay, but not my favorite--and William Carlos Williams, whom I detest.)
*
My iPod's shuffle feature spat out Moxy Fruvous's "King of Spain" at me today. I'm fairly certain I annoyed a few of my cubeneighbors with the toe-tapping, finger-drumming, and other irritating little movements I made while listening to it, because you just can't stay still for that one. Had I the space, I probably would've been doing merengue somewhere, despite knowing only one step of merengue. And now, hours later, it is still stuck in my head.
(Hey, Kenyon folks. Remember that live version that floated about on Kenster, with the "DON'T...talk about Lisa" interjection? Anyone know where I might get ahold of that?)
In that vein, I'm wondering: does anyone else think "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors" would make a most excellent Fraser/Ray(V) vid, using copious footage from "Some Like It Red"? Anyone? Anyone? Just me, then? Okay.
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Date: 2007-08-29 03:23 am (UTC)I... think i kinda need to read this now. Even though i don't even completely understand your description. But is If on a Winter's Night a separate book?
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Date: 2007-08-29 03:36 am (UTC)The book starts out with the reader ("you") reading the book you-the-real-reader have in your hand, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler. The printing error means that the first chapter is repeated over and over until the end of the book, so the whole story begins with him (for the reader is quickly shown to be a him, despite the "you," which Calvino remarks on) attempting to find a complete copy of the book.
It's impossible to describe accurately (although someone on Wikipedia tried, with some mild spoilers). You just have to read it.
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Date: 2007-08-29 05:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-29 05:34 pm (UTC)I don't know how to get it, though, short of buying it.
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Date: 2007-08-30 01:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-29 10:11 pm (UTC)Hopefully I'll like it--I'd hate to find some things I like and then end up back with something else well-recommended that it turns out I just don't get. :-\
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Date: 2007-08-30 01:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-30 01:57 am (UTC)