It's funny, I had the same thought as the other two responders upon reading that excerpt, though I didn't have it until about halfway through the piece. Initially I thought the writing was beautiful, but it eventually sounded forced. I wonder if it's as you say, and you excerpted a section which is particularly beautiful within its environment, but when extracted appears garish or forced. The idea of the novel seems nice, but one man's texture is another man's minutiae, in some respects. Anyway, I just wanted to comment to say I had the same initial reaction when I read this with no replies, but I can see where you're coming from that, in particular with books that are strongly dependent on stylistic writing, extracting that writing "at its best" may actually make it appear inferior.
I cannot even copy his manner because the manner of his prose was the manner of his thinking and that was a dazzling succession of gaps; and you cannot ape a gap because you are bound to fill it in somehow or other -- and blot it out in the process. -- Nabokov
Christine Montalbetti, Western
- 07/11/2010 07:09:32 PM
519 Views
It might just be the translation, but I really don't like the style of writing in that quote.
- 08/11/2010 11:21:13 PM
388 Views
Re:
- 09/11/2010 01:40:19 AM
491 Views
I agree with Rebekah and Camilla. There's something really unsettling about French-to-English.
- 09/11/2010 02:46:12 AM
434 Views
It's supposed to sound detached here
- 09/11/2010 10:59:30 AM
406 Views
Perhaps, but it applies equally to virtually all translations I've read.
- 09/11/2010 06:51:57 PM
421 Views