Did you read the original or a translation? If translation,
which one? I don't read French, myself as yet but have been
told this makes a dramatic difference to reading
Robbe-Grillet as it does reading Baudelaire or Rimbaud. RG
was stylistically influenced by both Hammett & Chandler,
but he brings his own French twist to the style and
consequently is taken much more seriously by critics than
either of his mentors. I, too, find reading him in English
redundant and self indulgent. Someday soon I'll put a real
effort on French and see what the excitment is about.
Patrick King
--- Michael Robison <
miker_zspider@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Just finished this novel by Robbe-Grillet. It's
a
> short book and not much happens, repeating a
few
> scenes over and over again with small
variations.
> It's difficult to interpret the continuous
repeating
> of scenes as much more than artistic
> self-indulgence,
> but the scenes do carry a solid literary
effect.
> It's
> definitely well into the dissolution of self that
is
> so popular in postmodernism, and it's the
most
> successful effort in that direction that I've
read.
> It was written well before the postmodern
movement
> began. That probably has something to do with
it.
>
> The plot is related by a man on a banana
plantation.
>
> He never speaks outright and never refers to
himself
> in the first person. A woman who appears to be
his
> wife appears to be having an affair with a
neighbor.
>
> The narrative is objective, with little or
no
> introspection offered on the narrator's
part.
> Nuances
> of chosen details are needed to decipher
his
> thoughts
> and feelings. Mood and scene and symbol
interweave
> to
> produce a decent work.
>
> Recommended if you don't mind a little
artsy-fartsy.
>
> There was an essay on the work by Roland
Barthes
> included in the book. It was so off-target
and
> bogus
> as to be just about worthless.
>
> miker
>
>
__________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best
spam
> protection around
> http://mail.yahoo.com
>
__________________________________________________ Do You
Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam
protection around http://mail.yahoo.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 21 Oct 2007 EDT