The comfort of loneliness

It's come down to a very pleasant temperature these past few days in Chicago which has provided some very lovely reading conditions.  I do wish I had some kind of balcony or  lounging area with lots of windows to pull in the breeze to lay around in with my books.  Perfect lazing weather.

I liked The Book of Laughter and Forgetting more than I did The Unbearable Lightness of Being probably because I am so fixated on memory, which had a big part in this novel.  I like this:

"We will never remember anything by sitting in one place waiting for the memories to come back to us of their own accord!  Memories are scattered all over the world.  We must travel if we want to find them and flush them from their hiding places!"

If ever there was a reason to travel, what a nice excuse this would be.

I'm a little undecided about Kundera's writing style and whether I like it or not.  His writing is decadent.  The way he layers stories and images reminds me of criticisms and feedback I received on my own writing while at school, but I often feel that he brushes against a poignant idea rather than really hitting it on the mark. I suppose it's nice to be inspired by vague ideas he presents, but it gives me a little bit of an uneasy feeling as if I'm being haunted by its ghost rather than really understanding it.

Sex is also a very prominent topic that Kundera always seems consistent in including.  There is not much sanctity in fidelity...or rather...adultery is accepted and comfortably average.  I'm okay with this, but it really seems to bring awareness to a lonely rift...or...perhaps more accurately, an empty space that's always blindly skirted in one's pursuit of happiness.  Because of that, there's a persistent sadness that hangs over everyone in Kundera's novels.  I guess that's reflective of his "pessimism".

<3:
"He thought about it for weeks afterward.  How could he have said no to a girl he liked?
He was on the other side of the border from her."

My copy of this book had a short interview of Kundera by Philip Roth at the end.  It also had a Dole fruit sticker stuck on the back.  Anyway, in honor of that, I think my next reading project will be by Roth.  Now to decide...Plot Against America, or American Pastoral?

I am alone, like Dr. Moreau

Sigh. Colleen and her hubby are leaving for California on Sunday, which means that yesterday - of which I spent a lovely Fourth with her - will be the last time I see her in a while. Now I am basically in this city all alone, like the Doctor. I am probably going to start fusing weird animals together now in hopes of making (literally) friends.

So from that I hope you gather that I finished reading The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells. I was already familiar with the plot line, as I have a shadowy recollection of watching some terribly-made film version of it in some sort of middle school science class. I only vaguely remember a dark scene where (I think) Prendick was stalking around the building where the operations were taking place. I'm almost certain I as a young girl was offput by this film with its lack of cute and pretty imagery.

I'm not sure that it was meant to be, but I think it's hard to ignore an association between religion and the beast men's codes of law. From what I got, it was an affirmation of the harm that belief in religion can do...rather than man has created these boundaries and rules for himself that are hurting him more than doing good. It's strange though how fleeting of a character Moreau himself was. He barely even made an appearance so it's hard to make a judgement call on what type of man he was (which I assume the movie goes ahead and twists its own idea of this to push on the viewer).

I realized perhaps I am rather sensitive. There was really nothing very gruesome or disturbing depicted through the physical words in this novel, but I was really feeling a heavy weight of unsettling vibes when it came to the animal-people. Traditionalist, perhaps? Or just downright Conservative? Nah...I'm all for science and progress (after all, I do hope we can track down that pesky particle zipping around out there all sneaky-like). Plus I'm not even American. Figure that one out.

Crunch time

Colleen, who has lent me a small library of books to read before she leaves for San Francisco is leaving in a matter of days, so I am down on the wire trying to cram as much literature as I can. Bah!!

My latest read was One Few Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. I really enjoyed it. McMurphy embodies such a celebration of life in a way that is beyond just upbeat/carefree attributes. He (and the Chief) actually seemed real and layered in a sensitive way. It's difficult to create believable characters with this kind of purpose, I think, and Kesey did a fine job.

Living your life the way that you want, and doing things for the sole purpose of enjoyment is a wonderful thing. Not entirely practical these days, but with the seemingly meaningless miracle of life, why shouldn't one do whatever they want? I'm not exactly one to advertise this notion...as I'm a bit uptight when it comes to priorities...but I really do appreciate the appeal of making the most of it while you're alive. It's a refreshing thought. Within reason, too, I'm all for being selfish in the pursuit of happiness. In McMurphy's case, his selfishness only led to good, and to teaching others the value of life. I've had a few people in my own life helping me realize what risks are worthwhile for the outcomes that you want, and I couldn't be more grateful to them for showing me who I really ought to (and want to) be.

The Nurse, too, I thought was well-played. She was a perfect balance of spite and business, and it came across in a very successfully accurate manner. Not entirely evil, with human weaknesses like everyone else. I was happy though, for the introduction of a pleasant "Jap" nurse. ^______^

All in all, an elegantly written book, I think. For me, the ending was peaceful and perfect and not at all macabre. It seemed very natural and "right", and I'm glad for Kesey's decision to do it so simply.

p.s.
.....I just looked up images of the book and see that Jack Nicholson played McMurphy in the movie version. .....nooooo