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A review by jillian_lw
100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write: On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater by Sarah Ruhl
4.0
I thought this was a great primer to Sarah Ruhl’s writing style. Most of her essay ideas had fairly quotidian inspirations, but she expands outward to connect these ideas to other observations she has made about theater and the world. The effect is like a released balloon drifting off into the sky, and I found it soothing. My favorite of her essay ideas are:
18. Calvino and lightness
19. Satyr plays inside tragedies
50. On pleasure
58. More pleasure and more bad plays
59. It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it
Her assertions that the aesthetically light and subjectively “bad” are still valuable resonated with me. As a lover of reality dating television, this may be because I’m seeking validation that “trashy” shows are not a waste of time. I also liked the idea of sharing art for the purpose of pleasure rather than to gather feedback or praise (On pleasure), as well as the idea that something can be well-crafted yet fail to move an audience (It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it).
I didn’t necessarily find a rhythm while reading. While the essay ideas are loosely related, they are discrete. This made the reading experience slightly staccato. I’m looking forward to reading more of her writing and seeing her plays performed.
18. Calvino and lightness
19. Satyr plays inside tragedies
50. On pleasure
58. More pleasure and more bad plays
59. It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it
Her assertions that the aesthetically light and subjectively “bad” are still valuable resonated with me. As a lover of reality dating television, this may be because I’m seeking validation that “trashy” shows are not a waste of time. I also liked the idea of sharing art for the purpose of pleasure rather than to gather feedback or praise (On pleasure), as well as the idea that something can be well-crafted yet fail to move an audience (It’s beautiful, but I don’t like it).
I didn’t necessarily find a rhythm while reading. While the essay ideas are loosely related, they are discrete. This made the reading experience slightly staccato. I’m looking forward to reading more of her writing and seeing her plays performed.