A Man Without Qualities is undoubtedly a difficult book to get through
as you know that all the plans, the hopes, fears and loves that the
characters play out are inevitably doomed, but that the characters
don't know they're doomed. Yet to read it is to be enveloped by
decadence, to be engrossed by the machinations of a soicety that's
doomed, but hasn't the self-knowledge to know it's doomed.
I guess what struck me at the time was the character of Ulrich, and
his inability to find something to do with his life that he actually
wanted to do.
I wish I could read the German version, but my German isn't good enough.
Roger
On 4/27/07, Joanna Boulter <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Tess of the Durbervilles? It's the dramatic irony that gets to me. I find
> things like that crucial letter pushed under the door and hidden by the mat
> totally unbearable.
>
> joanna
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Friday, April 27, 2007 9:30 AM
> Subject: Re: Abrupt Snap - What is the saddest book ever written?
>
>
> > It's hard to think of the saddest - there are lot of books that deal with
> > sadness (I'm curious, why is Bridge over the River Drina loathsome,
> > Jennifer? Is the book horrible, or does it deal with horror? should books
> > not deal with horrible things?)
> >
> > But maybe the most devastating book I know of - the ending is one of the
> > most profoundly sad I know - is The Last of the Just, Andre Schwartz-Bart.
> >
> > Cheers
> >
> > A
> > --
> > Editor, Masthead: http://www.masthead.net.au
> > Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com
> > Home page: http://www.alisoncroggon.com
> >
>
--
My Stuff: http://www.badstep.net/
"Patriotism is a virtue of the vicious." Oscar Wilde
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