Friday, October 3, 2008

Cuppa Nuttin

In the absence of anything cute or wondrous to report this week, the following observation and recommendation.

We occasionally stumble across things that surprise us here, most of them apparently trivial and easily explained by the merest of rational speculations. But they are surprising nonetheless. Here's an example.



It isn't so much the popularity of movies that surprises us, but rather that movies such as this--the one ardently, even radically, Catholic, and the other nominally mormon, and very obscure (though we know the director very well: he and his wife, a childhood friend, were in our ward at BYU, and I once raced against and then hung out with him when we were kids at a stake track meet)--would show up over here. In fact, though we didn't get a picture of it this time, we've seen The Work and the Glory many times over. Unfortunately. At least it wasn't Legacy or (horrors!) The BoM Movie.

Curioser and curioser, this place. Inscrutable its peoples. And that ain't orientalism, Herr Said, it's just otherness.

Here's a recommendation to all who love literature as literature, and don't mind occasional, if cautious, ickyness: read Julian Barnes' Arthur & George (with the ampersand, if you please).

Here is my preferred cover--the Canadian edition. I just likes it, I does. All mustardy and diminutive.



It is written by this bloke, who is, if I am pressed to generate such a list, one of my "favourites" with a 'u.'



It is about this old boy, a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle



and his doings in clearing the name of this unfortunate but apparently stoic and stolid solicitor of Parsee-Scotch parentage and English identity.



A wonderfully warm read, finely researched, humane as Barnes' work always is, and in the main both skeptical and credulous in equal and endearing measure. Just finished it, after owning it for more than a year. Read it in the last two days at a leisurely amble, and thought it very fine indeed. Dew tell us wot ewe finks uv it, guv. We'll be waiting to hear.


Shout-out: HEY! Is anybody beside ec and Smash out there? Hello? Geezum crow! I might have to resort to a canning "accident" or retread the old trespass-til-they-dismember-you trick so we can get some action here. No need to say anything clever, just let us know you're listening is all. It helps.

Bon weekend. And happy conference to all for whom that means anything.

6 comments:

Mom Penny said...

Hey!! I'm here, every week, and sometimes in between looking to see if you have anything posted.

And I comment regularly, so what's the deal, If it's your Mom it doesn't count, because she has to love you anyway? Lucky you, she does!!!!

How exciting is it to be getting a Temple in Rome??? What changes in the world will ultimately result from that?Exciting times!!!!!

Anonymous said...

We're here too...couldn't help but think of you as we heard the announcement of the temple in Rome! Very exciting...Hope things are all going well...guess you'll be seeing a lot of my sister-in-law in the near future...we'll try and check in more often!

Darren said...

I'm here too, I just usually don't comment on anyone's blog's for the simple fact that I usually don't read them. I figure if its worth reading they'll probably make a movie.
Thanks for the tip on the book, though I probably won't read it. After Harry Potter I don't think I will ever be satisfied by another book, so why try? (Just kidding)

Darren said...

Sorry for the irony in the last comment. I actually do read your blog pretty regularly, but Erin typically does enough commenting for the two of us.
And I probably will read "Arthur & George" if for no other reason than to brag that I have read a book that you have read (outside the standard works of course).

Adam said...

Well, I am just commenting to say that I am not going to comment because I do not want to reinforce your tantrums. Let me know when you lose your other leg.

Amber said...

This is a really delayed comment, and Darren probably won't see it, but Darren, this makes me miss you and your funny sense of humour!

Jon, I feel the same about comments, because I get way less then you do, but it is just in comparison to Erin's blog, and a couple others that I follow. :)