Week Three: Louis Aragon, Paris Peasant
This book was quite a mind-bending trip. Fun to read, but also made no sense. I liked it.
The main feeling that I got from the narrator was a sense of nostalgia, a sense of time passing way too fast for his liking. As he took us on a tour of the various, curious little shops and stores around the neighborhood, I felt a desperation to hold onto each little moment that he was showing us in perfect preservation for as long as I could. The way he described each place in such immense, careful detail made me feel sad knowing that they were soon to be demolished and replaced. The word ephemeral kept coming to mind throughout my reading of this book. I thought about how the older I get, the faster time seems to fly by. When I was a small kid, I wanted nothing more than to grow up and get to what I thought was going to be the beginning of my life. What I didn't know then was that when I finally grew up, I would want nothing more than to go back and experience the little mundane moments of my childhood just one more time. No matter how many times an adult tells a child to enjoy their youth while it lasts, the ephemerality of life seems to be a phenomenon that one never understands until they are grown up and it becomes their turn to repeat the same words to another kid.
I especially liked the last couple of pages. It was like a summary of all the author's final thoughts and epiphanies about the state of love, truth, mind and reality. For me, those couple of pages were the ones that simultaneously made the most and the least sense out of everything that the author wrote in Paris Peasant. This quote stood out: "It matters very little to me whether or not I have reason on my side. I do not seek to be right. I seek the concrete." It's like he has the freedom to say exactly what he wants very carelessly but also very thoughtfully because he's not afraid of making mistakes, because he doesn't see making mistakes as a problem or as something to worry about while he speaks - he just speaks to seek the concrete.
Here is my question for everyone: Was this book worth reading? As in, do you feel that you personally extracted something of value or utility from this confusing text?
Hi Lisa! I like what you have to say about nostalgia (in in fact, a few of your peers have written on the same sentiment within and response to Aragon). I encourage you to use this as one of your tags for your blog post.
ReplyDeleteAnd, on the topic of nostalgia, what you say here really got me thinking: "The way he described each place in such immense, careful detail made me feel sad knowing that they were soon to be demolished and replaced." ... even if these places were effectively demolished and replaced, has Aragon not preserved (or in fact rebuilt/recreated) them through his novel, and immortalized them?
Hey Lisa! I’m just going to go straight into answering your question. I never regret reading anything because regardless of my evaluation of its quality, I learn something. Although I felt this books as more confusing than it needed to be, it was translated from its original text and written in a time besides our own. Secondly, it helps me realize that a piece of work considered good, may not be good to everyone as you intended it to be. It could be good for its grammar, its vocabulary, its meaning, or not even good at all. But it’s a good way to think when applying it to pieces we write ourselves.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! Great post :) I also got that feeling of 'ephimerality' from the text, as you so eloquently put it. Nostalgia at its finest and most wicked. In response to your question, I personally left the novel feeling the same way I did going into it, if not a little frustrated by the amount of words. However, I think different texts will speak to different individuals. This one just wasn't for me.
ReplyDeleteHey Lisa! I agree that I also got a sense of nostalgia from the narrator with the way he describes places with such vivid details. I find that it's difficult to say whether a book is worth reading or not, as I think we all learn something in anything we read, even if we don't fully understand it. I didn’t enjoy the novel as I found myself quite confused with the story and I didn’t think there was a plot either, which was the main reason for my confusion. I felt like instead of reading a novel, it was more like reading someone’s journal about their daily lives.
ReplyDeleteHi Lisa! I definitely picked up the nostalgic vibe from the book too, but I love the way you describe it! To answer your question, I can't say for certain that I enjoyed reading the novel, but I definitely think it was worth it. It probably merits a second read as well, because I think I would be able to glean more understanding from it a second time round. I'm not exactly sure what I would learn from it, but at the very least I would gain a better understanding of the world from the perspective of a 1920s French avant-garde/surrealist/communist so... there's that! - Deeba
ReplyDeleteLisa Hi Lisa! I find interesting your comments on nostalgia and how you related to childhood and growing up. It got you reflecting on these everyday moments and places that we often take for granted, so I submit that it was worth reading. As to mistakes, Prof Jon talks about the role of errors and misunderstandings in his video BTS, which you might want to have a look at if you haven’t already.
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