What the black cat!?
Pre-Note: For this blog post I read up to page 128 which is about one-third of the way through the book (from the Translator’s Introduction through chapter ten).
P.S I commented on Will and Sophia's
Speaking of the book, what the heck even!? This book is insane and probably the oddest book I have read. Keep in mind we read Candide last semester which has a woman with one butt cheek, and this is EVEN WEIRDER. It is as if one moment you are reading something normal and then suddenly all logic is lost and you are just sitting there trying to figure out what the heck just happened. I like the book so far, don’t get me wrong, it is just very hard to follow. The perspective seems to change almost every single chapter so far and learning all these Russian characters’ names has become a bit of a struggle. Some of the characters even have nicknames, like homeless for example, which makes it even harder to keep track of who is talking about who. Earlier today my mother asked me what the book was about and I said, “To be honest I have no idea”. She proceeded to ask me what the genre was and I said, “I cannot say because it is unlike anything I have ever read”. This unfamiliarity is something I really admire about this book. The reader cannot predict anything in the book and it really seems to keep he or she on their feet. I am really anticipating and hoping that there is a chapter about the performance of Professor Woland, as I cannot even imagine what all his “act” will consist.
On another note, has anyone else noticed the constant theme of time? in my copy of the book, I have highlighted every time they mention the time and it seems to always be of importance for some reason. I am not sure if this will turn out to be an interesting or more important thing in the book or not, but I just thought it should be pointed out.
Pun of the Week: What did the black cat have for breakfast? Mice Crispies!
(I did not come up with that joke I just thought it as hilarious)
P.S I commented on Will and Sophia's
The unpredictability is one of my favorite elements of the book. One thing is for sure, this isn't a book you can understand by just skimming through. It requires time and careful reading to follow along, especially with all the Russian names. My recommendation for everyone is to not wait until the last minute to read it. If the people who gave themselves time to read it are lost, you will get nothing from trying to squeeze 130 pages into one hour.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad y'all appreciate the unpredictability, because I do not. I started reading it last week and still have only a vague idea of what's going on. I do, however, like some of the names: Homeless and Rat Killer are two of my faves.
ReplyDeleteRemember how random Dostoyevsky was? I couldn’t peg a genre on him, either... Russian literature must be its own odd little world (aside from Tolstoy, of course).
ReplyDeleteTime? Hadn’t noticed it. Might just be a way to help keep track of so many different characters doing different things in different places... This book might have the most expansive, scattered cast of the semester.
I had the same issue with following this book, to be honest. It's a fun read, but I keep having to reread several sections to make sure I'm following who's doing what and all that. I didn't notice it while reading, but there is a theme of time hinting itself into view.
ReplyDeleteYes I had the hardest time following this book. At one point I thought Homeless and Ivan were two different people and had to go back and figure who they were and how they played a part. I feel like I don't care for the book because of that feeling like I'm all over the place reading.
ReplyDelete