Friday, January 23, 2009
Cunningham & The Hours
To start things off, I must say this book is much more enjoyable for me than Mrs. Dalloway. Although the concept of time and the fact the whole novel takes place in one day is Mrs. D were aspects I did enjoy, The Hours is simply an easier read. Personally, I think I need to pay more attention to the symbolic and representational details, such as the many things that connect characters in the book to each other. Just at face value, however, I very much enjoy the three main characters split by chapters. Cunningham's vivid descriptions and intricate, slightly different tones he uses in each section make the book interesting, and pretty different than anything we've read. Even though Braithwaite's narration in Flaubert's Parrot does resemble Cunningham's point of view and interpretation of Virginia Woolf, the general makeup and format of The Hours is vastly different that Barnes' work. In short, I like this book. Although no characters really stand out to me and the storyline seems pretty simple, it's nice to get through a book with ease and simplicity.
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3 comments:
I agree with your oppinion about time in Ms. Dalloway and how its constantly fleeting. I also find this one easily as interesting but more fun to read. Ms. Dalloway was a great novel but at times was hard to understand The Hours is much easier. Good Stuff Meghan.
I agree that this book is nothing like Flaubert's Parrot, and also that it's nice to get through a book that is fairly simple, it's so much less stressful.
Meghan,
A nicely compact, thoughtful and observant post! I'm glad that you're enjoying the book (and I think you're right to point out that it simplifies many of the same actions and ideas of "Mrs. Dalloway" without necessarily dumbing them down). I'm anxious to hear what you think of the second half of the book, during which Cunningham may depart a bit more from the source novel.
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