Posted by susan C on August 8, 2002, at 10:18:48
In reply to The Sun also Rises, posted by mair on July 15, 2002, at 22:16:31
I was very impatient reading The Sun Also Rises. It took a great deal of restraint to not just put it down. I kept at it, finally, I began to feel I knew who was who and not be totally lost in the dialog. Then I lost my way with the french and the 1920's cultural language. Eventually, I skipped to the end to find out what happened, and I realized not much time had elapsed. None of the characters had 'developed' as far as I could see. In addition, it hit me that they were all drunks. I know Hemmingway was an alcoholic, but that is about it. I have not studied, nor read any of his work since High School when I read the Old Man and the Sea. This observation prompted me to count the number of pages where there was at least one reference to 'go get a drink', 'drunk', 'wine', 'bar', you get the idea. I found every third page or so, on average, contained references to alcoholic consumption. The first part of the book, had multiple references on every page. Another part of this observation, is I reacted to this book in the same way I react to movies from the forties and fifties, and, perhaps the sixties (The Rat Pack) where the entire movie consists of people smoking cigarettes and drinking, clink clink. I turned it off.
I think this was a horrible story, poorly written to stand the test of time and I look forward to the next book we pick.Perhaps, now having written all this, I am predjudiced myself, prefering and identifying with novels written within the time frame I have lived.
Now, a question for you: Is it coinsidence that we read this author during the month of his birthday, the Key West contest to find the annual Hemmingway look a like and noticing TV ads for Feline Pine? This ad is set in Hemmingway's home with decendants of not Hemmingway, but 60 generations of his cats.....
a strained mouse
poster:susan C
thread:548
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/books/20020616/msgs/590.html