what i am doing with my life
Nothing good, I can tell you that much.
Reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame like some kind of adult. I'm on chapter 15, which is way farther than I expected to get with my attention span. Also different than expected: I like it. As in, I find myself looking forward to reading it, and choosing it over other books and/or leisure activities.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I got the wrong translation of it, based on the fact that rogues are referred to as "rouges," and Clopin is King of Thunes rather than King of Truands.
Apart from that, I find myself dog-earing pages to quote. So far I have collected the following:
pg. 23: Supposing the entity of the poet to be represented by the number 10; it is certain that a chemist, on analyzing it, would find it to be composed of one part interest and nine parts vanity.
That one I like mostly because it's a very wordy way of saying something commonplace, and I guess I'm into that sort of thing?
pg. 28: "Monsieur the Archduke has more than once sought his gloves among my hose."
I like puns that imply gay sex. What can I say, I'm a simple creature. It's extra funny because the narrative goes on to say, "Hey, that was a pun, did you catch that? The audience thought it was really funny because they like puns. Just like you. Laugh already." In modern English that would probably annoy me, but because it's all wordy and archaic, I'm amused.
pg. 68-81:
All this is Clopin's second scene, which I was already fairly familiar with just from hearing so many other Clopin fans talk about it. Even so, it did not disappoint. I'd quote you the whole thing if it weren't, y'know, thirteen goddamn pages.
A summary: Pierre Gringoire, poet and generally useless human being, wanders into the Cour des Miracles (or "Court of Miracles" for you English-speaking, Disney types) and is immediately captured. Clopin, just a beggar in his previous scene, is revealed to be the King of Thunes (or Truands, if you have the translation that everybody but me seems to have), and also kind of a mood-swinging sociopath. But a delightful one, if that makes any sense. He immediately orders Gringoire to be hanged. Gringoire tries to argue that a poet is just like a thief, no really, for serious, don't hang me, and Clopin is having none of his shit. The King says that if Gringoire will join with "the men of Slang." (No idea what "Slang" is in everyone else's translation.) How does one join the men of Slang? By standing on a rickety stool, on one leg, and picking the pocket of a dummy covered in bells. Without ringing any of the bells. Naturally, Gringoire fails this test within seconds. Clopin offers him a second chance at not dying, if any of the women in the Cour des Miracles will consent to marry the poet. Three ladies consider it, but ultimately decide that they don't want to get with a penniless art kid. Then, at the very last second, Esmeralda comes up and is like, "Yeah, whatever, I'll be his wife, don't kill him."
Please note that the above summary is not only a text wall, but also lacks everything that makes this scene great, mostly Clopin explaining the purpose behind immediately hanging Gringoire (basically, the rest of society hangs Cours des Miracles people just for being Cours des Miracles people, so why shouldn't Cours des Miracles people hang everybody else just for being everybody else?), and his little aside about how even if Gringoire passes the pickpocket test, he will be hanged, just at a later date and by different people (e.g., the law).
And yeah, that's about as far as I've gotten. Little past that, Gringoire is like, "Oh hey we're married, so I totally get sexytimes, yeah?" and Esmeralda is like, "Dude you are dumb as a post, I just did that to save your life. I'm making you dinner but that's as far as it goes, now tell me all about that hot stud Phoebus."
Apart from reading like a literate college student, I am drawing like an illustration major. Also! newspaper, though you could probably guess that from the columns I keep putting up every week.
What's up with you?
-
Other adventures in Hunchback of Notre Dame reading include:
Part 1 (You Are Here)
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Reading The Hunchback of Notre Dame like some kind of adult. I'm on chapter 15, which is way farther than I expected to get with my attention span. Also different than expected: I like it. As in, I find myself looking forward to reading it, and choosing it over other books and/or leisure activities.
I have a sneaking suspicion that I got the wrong translation of it, based on the fact that rogues are referred to as "rouges," and Clopin is King of Thunes rather than King of Truands.
Apart from that, I find myself dog-earing pages to quote. So far I have collected the following:
pg. 23: Supposing the entity of the poet to be represented by the number 10; it is certain that a chemist, on analyzing it, would find it to be composed of one part interest and nine parts vanity.
That one I like mostly because it's a very wordy way of saying something commonplace, and I guess I'm into that sort of thing?
pg. 28: "Monsieur the Archduke has more than once sought his gloves among my hose."
I like puns that imply gay sex. What can I say, I'm a simple creature. It's extra funny because the narrative goes on to say, "Hey, that was a pun, did you catch that? The audience thought it was really funny because they like puns. Just like you. Laugh already." In modern English that would probably annoy me, but because it's all wordy and archaic, I'm amused.
pg. 68-81:
All this is Clopin's second scene, which I was already fairly familiar with just from hearing so many other Clopin fans talk about it. Even so, it did not disappoint. I'd quote you the whole thing if it weren't, y'know, thirteen goddamn pages.
A summary: Pierre Gringoire, poet and generally useless human being, wanders into the Cour des Miracles (or "Court of Miracles" for you English-speaking, Disney types) and is immediately captured. Clopin, just a beggar in his previous scene, is revealed to be the King of Thunes (or Truands, if you have the translation that everybody but me seems to have), and also kind of a mood-swinging sociopath. But a delightful one, if that makes any sense. He immediately orders Gringoire to be hanged. Gringoire tries to argue that a poet is just like a thief, no really, for serious, don't hang me, and Clopin is having none of his shit. The King says that if Gringoire will join with "the men of Slang." (No idea what "Slang" is in everyone else's translation.) How does one join the men of Slang? By standing on a rickety stool, on one leg, and picking the pocket of a dummy covered in bells. Without ringing any of the bells. Naturally, Gringoire fails this test within seconds. Clopin offers him a second chance at not dying, if any of the women in the Cour des Miracles will consent to marry the poet. Three ladies consider it, but ultimately decide that they don't want to get with a penniless art kid. Then, at the very last second, Esmeralda comes up and is like, "Yeah, whatever, I'll be his wife, don't kill him."
Please note that the above summary is not only a text wall, but also lacks everything that makes this scene great, mostly Clopin explaining the purpose behind immediately hanging Gringoire (basically, the rest of society hangs Cours des Miracles people just for being Cours des Miracles people, so why shouldn't Cours des Miracles people hang everybody else just for being everybody else?), and his little aside about how even if Gringoire passes the pickpocket test, he will be hanged, just at a later date and by different people (e.g., the law).
And yeah, that's about as far as I've gotten. Little past that, Gringoire is like, "Oh hey we're married, so I totally get sexytimes, yeah?" and Esmeralda is like, "Dude you are dumb as a post, I just did that to save your life. I'm making you dinner but that's as far as it goes, now tell me all about that hot stud Phoebus."
Apart from reading like a literate college student, I am drawing like an illustration major. Also! newspaper, though you could probably guess that from the columns I keep putting up every week.
What's up with you?
-
Other adventures in Hunchback of Notre Dame reading include:
Part 1 (You Are Here)
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12