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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
I turned the last page right before moving over to my office (the table in my living room) and starting to work (turning on my computer, clicking on the Zoom icon). The Monday routine!
I’ve always appreciated the notion of chance, luck and coincidences. These immaterial circumstances that are solely reliant on our noticing of them. They give rhythm to my life and offer messages in the most mundane situations. There was a time where seeing so many coincidences actually made me a bit afraid, a feeling of noticing fixed and recurring patterns. I then understood that it was only an affection and an attention given to these details, something which gives meaning and beauty to everyday life. This is something Kundera touches on as he speaks of our poetic memory and our willingness to convert insignificant occurrences into deep meaning on the partition of our lives. Simply put, I realised that our capacity to either infer meaning or simply to find these events amusing was something beautiful, reflective of our need to assign a narration to our life. I’m pleased that it was tackled throughout the novel as characters muse about the unfolding of coincidences which led to their relationship.
Kundera’s writing is free. He does not hesitate to speak directly to the reader, offering his own insights outside of the realm of the story. The storytelling telling itself bounces around characters, at different times of their lives which essentially showcases the various experiences of living framed around love. There is a passage I appreciated which details the different gazes each person lives under. Some strive to live under the invisible public gaze, others under the familiar gaze of their social circle and another group wishes to live under the gaze of a loved one. The final group is composed of the dreamers who live under an imaginary gaze. Whenever they are confronted with a choice, they turn to this gaze as a compass to follow. It can be the imagined considerations of an old lover, or those of an estranged father. There is a beauty but also a shackle associated to a lifestyle under these condition and it is essentially what Kundera highlights as the opposition of those whose being is weighed down and others who live lightly. This is framed in relation to Nietzsche’s concept eternal return, which questions whether we would be satisfied with our life and our choices if we had to repeat it over and over again. For some characters, this potential consequence inscribes heaviness to their every action and decision. For others who view life as a one-time trip, our actions bear no eternal consequences and in turns to gives lightness to their actions. Kundera never assigns a solution to choose from of course. We all chase novelty, whether it be for our personal development or through simple urges. There is this connotation that standing still is an act of resigning, that repeating the same day two times in a row is a failure and a shame when considering this singular life we live. Kundera suggests however that there is beauty to be found in repetition, embodied by Karerin, a dog who lives by his routine in satisfied manner, unbothered by existential aspirations.
This honestly really resonated with me. I know I don’t need to choose which camp I’m in. Am I living lightly? Am I living heavily? I’ll stick to finding elements of beauty here and there and trying to find joy in routine.
“C’étais le désir de ne pas être un corps comme les autres corps, mais de voir sur la surface de son visage l’équipage de l’âme surgir du ventre du navire.”
“Seul le hasard peut nous apparaître comme un message.”
“L’homme, guidé par le sens de la beauté, transforme l’évènement fortuit en un motif qui va ensuite s’inscrire dans la partition de sa vie.”
“L’amour était pour Franz l’attente continuelle du coup.”
“Un imbécile assis sur le trône est-il déchargé de toutes responsabilité du seul fait que c’est un imbécile ?”
“Il éprouvait le sentiment radieux de s’être une fois de plus emparé d’un fragment du monde ; d’avoir découpé avec son scalpel imaginaire une mince bande de tissu dans la toile infinie de l’univers.”
“Le temps humain ne tourne pas en cercle mais avance en ligne droite. C’est pourquoi l’homme ne peut être heureux puisque le bonheur est désir de répétition.”
“Un jour, on prend une décision, on ne sait même pas comment , et cette décision a sa propre force d’inertie. Avec chaque année qui passe, il est un peu plus difficile de la changer.”
“Personne n’a de mission. Et c’est un énorme soulagement de s’apercevoir qu’on est libre, qu’on n’a pas de mission.”
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I enjoyed this tremendously, to me it made me think of my own life, even though nothing like a situation I know.
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was generally a mind bending and captivating book that often brought me to asking profound questions of my philosophy around existentialism. The author mixes first, second and third person such that the books feels more than just a story; it is a letter to the reader and the world. This is one of those books that I would admit to not being smart enough to fully comprehend but I still enjoyed the existential content even more than I enjoyed the story itself.
I wouldn't say that I found the characters particularly relatable. They are hugely flawed characters with mentalities and extremes that I can't say I relate to. I do think these characters work for this book though as their extremes and philosophies are designed to highlight the existential points that the author is trying to make. The author uses the character's lives and choices to explain his own world-view.
The philosophies that the author discusses in the book are quite niche, they aren't the sort of thoughts that people have daily but they are questions that, once you start to consider them, are really thoughtful and profound. The author spends a decent amount of time explaining his opinions but I felt that there was space left for me as the reader to have my own interpretations.
I can't say that I was able to fully appreciate the whole book but that makes me want to read the book again considering it's an interesting story and there is a lot to think about while reading it again.
I wouldn't say that I found the characters particularly relatable. They are hugely flawed characters with mentalities and extremes that I can't say I relate to. I do think these characters work for this book though as their extremes and philosophies are designed to highlight the existential points that the author is trying to make. The author uses the character's lives and choices to explain his own world-view.
The philosophies that the author discusses in the book are quite niche, they aren't the sort of thoughts that people have daily but they are questions that, once you start to consider them, are really thoughtful and profound. The author spends a decent amount of time explaining his opinions but I felt that there was space left for me as the reader to have my own interpretations.
I can't say that I was able to fully appreciate the whole book but that makes me want to read the book again considering it's an interesting story and there is a lot to think about while reading it again.