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A review by novabird
Slowness by Milan Kundera
1.0
I am so glad that I never gave Kundera five stars on any of his previous works. Because this awful, absurd, ugly little book had really skewed philosophical content. His best content was his take on Epicureanism - that even love making as a pleasure was doomed by its own struggle and therefore could not be deemed as a pleasure. He applies this philosophy to the desires and copulations that are performed by the characters. Characters that Kundera likens either to that of a performance dancer or viewed by a worldwide audience and in opposition to Kundera's statement that, "epicureans stay hidden." He toys with the ideas stated in his perception of existentialism, "any new possibility that existence acquires, even the least likely, transforms everything about existence."
Kundera's shifting viewpoints presented through the various characters' eyes are so disjointed that I began to wonder if in all Kundera's talk on the 'border,' previously in his other works had propelled him into the border of madness or at the very least absurdity.
Maybe that was the whole point that when we lose ourselves to speed we lose our capacity for memory and then life becomes absurd, but he negates this position when he has the chevalier from the past experience the slowness of passion and then awakens to the idea that he has been used as a pawn.
The central idea is that to examine the struggle with love, is to analyze the courtship struggle as a philosophical concept. I think in Kundera's perception he meant to say that in its final analysis courtship and therefore love is absurd.
Kundera proves himself an elitist existentialist when he says "Forgive me, you're the victim of my crazy imagination ... as if your dreams are a wastebasket where I toss pages that are too stupid."
He cleverly crafts an allegory to the readers that he thinks do not understand his message. Therefore Slowness becomes a double entendre where he refers not to Speed vs Slowness, but Intelligence vs Slowness.
The best insults are those that are wrapped up in philosophical packaging that is 'above the head,' of the intended recipient.
Kundera's shifting viewpoints presented through the various characters' eyes are so disjointed that I began to wonder if in all Kundera's talk on the 'border,' previously in his other works had propelled him into the border of madness or at the very least absurdity.
Maybe that was the whole point that when we lose ourselves to speed we lose our capacity for memory and then life becomes absurd, but he negates this position when he has the chevalier from the past experience the slowness of passion and then awakens to the idea that he has been used as a pawn.
The central idea is that to examine the struggle with love, is to analyze the courtship struggle as a philosophical concept. I think in Kundera's perception he meant to say that in its final analysis courtship and therefore love is absurd.
Kundera proves himself an elitist existentialist when he says "Forgive me, you're the victim of my crazy imagination ... as if your dreams are a wastebasket where I toss pages that are too stupid."
He cleverly crafts an allegory to the readers that he thinks do not understand his message. Therefore Slowness becomes a double entendre where he refers not to Speed vs Slowness, but Intelligence vs Slowness.
The best insults are those that are wrapped up in philosophical packaging that is 'above the head,' of the intended recipient.