Try Take Five, and Who is Proust?
Who is this guy Marcel Proust? I keep hearing his name as a pinicle of literatary achivement, but I have no idea who he is. Someone said about the Davinvi Code "It's not Proust" to signify it was easy reading.
Tim in the office says he likes the novels of Proust to signify that he's a high brow guy.
In this movie South Pacific, this Plantation owner (who believes in freedom, but owns a plantation, cause natives often freely choose to give up half their island and tend to it for some foreign dude's benefit), tries to woo this nurse by telling her he has proust novels in his library (because something like that would be impossible to get on the mainland).
One time, TAB mentioned Proust on his blog and even CL got excited about it.
Can someone sum up for me:
Who the hell is Proust?
What does he signify?
What is so great about him?
Is this something I need to concern myself with?
Also in South Pacific, there is an island called Bananali High.
Which is funny, because that's also where Bananaman went to high school.
Most importantly,
I've just discovered the new best candy bar ever concieved.
It's made of pretzels, caramel, peanuts, peanut butter, and milk chocolate.
It's called a Take 5. I don't even know what made me try it.
posted by NJWT at
1:16 PM
15 Comments:
Proust was French, need I say more? Proust
4:34 PM, March 26, 2006
OK, I can't even get past that guy's name in that wikipedia entry!
9:53 PM, March 26, 2006
Proust is also mentioned in the musical "By Jeeves" by the main character Bertie Wooster.
5:20 AM, March 27, 2006
To hell with highbrow crap and people making fun of the DaVinci Code. It took effort to write, and if it's entertaining and riveting to so many people, the author did his job.
As for Proust, he was a thin pantywaste Frenchman who sat in his bed and wrote reams about childhood memories. It doesn't have to signify the peanockle of litter-ary achievement. You could probably die a healthy and happy person without reading him.
Someone who has to apologize for reading or liking DaVinci Code is kneeling to the power of the pretentious, but who can blame him? Pretention is all around us.
If you do care about Proust, there's a funny book called How Proust Can Change Your Life written by another funny Frenchman, but I fergit who.
9:34 AM, March 27, 2006
Wait! if Proust is a thin pantywaste Frenchman, is it really making fun of the Davinci code to say it's not it?
And Addled - all I have to say about people making fun of DaVinci code is that the same logic applies to people making fun of American Idol!
although, someone I know said he hasn't finished a book in over 10 years, until he read DaVinci Code.
10:27 AM, March 27, 2006
And you guya are missing the point, which is, TRY TAKE FIVE!!!!!!
10:27 AM, March 27, 2006
Ok, I know Proust was a little on the sweet side, but what has Proust to do with candy? Never mind; I will try Take Five while reading some Proust, and see if it tastes better that way.
2:08 PM, March 27, 2006
I've never read any Proust myself, but my dad's pretty into his books -- and from what he's told me about them (sometimes it seems like if he's not going on about work or medicine in general, he's talking Proust!), I admit that they do sound fairly interesting. I'll tell you what I think when I finally get around to checking them out.
...if it's entertaining and riveting to so many people, the author did his job.
Is that an author's job, Caren? No wonder I can't get anything published!
3:41 PM, March 27, 2006
When your father is talking Proust, what kinds of things is he saying?
6:38 PM, March 27, 2006
Yes, Wes, it certainly is part of an author's job to write something that keeps people interested/entertained/riveted. The other parts - educating and enlightening - are important too, but I figure any of those is a worthy achievement. Ideally, you want to do both.
As for DaVinci Code - reading it is a little higher up on the achievement scale than watching American Idol. There is actually a lot to learn and digest in the DaVinci Code. But I was mostly kidding about American Idol anyway; I think anything that entertains people is good. So yes, you're right, I shouldn't look down on American Idol fans, and I really don't. Heck, Val watches it.
As for Proust and candy, I have it on good authority that he preferred cookies and tea.
I still recommend How Proust Can Change Your Life. It's short and pretty funny.
7:16 PM, March 28, 2006
Don't forget. DaVinci Code came out in 2003. People who read the original NYTimes recommendation are hearing an old conversation.
They(we)'re also kind of embarrassed about taking the book at face value, since further investigation showed it to be empty, baseless Catholic bashing.
But the discussion is three years old. Who remembers the facts by this point? We just remember it was fiction posing as fact - revealing, were it true, but it wasn't. Perhaps it spurs on further investigation, but again, that's three years old by now.
In otherwords, DaVinci Code is prentension turned stale and therefore upon itself. Its facade has been penetrated long ago.
The whole thesis of women and the church reminds me of David Brent, to hear some people praise the book, "[Catholicism] disrespects women" (to camera, with emphasis) "Which I hate."
Anyway, I'm not sure why the fact that he may have boned some prostitute suddenly debunks a story about walking on water, coming back to life, curing lepers, and turning water in to wine.
AND everyone knows the holy grail is a cup. Indiana Jones found it in Last Crusade.
8:18 PM, March 28, 2006
Has anyone read Proust? If not, All I have to do is read one book, and then work it into every conversation.
"As Proust said...."
And then everyone will think I'm a genius.
8:21 PM, March 28, 2006
Intriguing. How would we kill Jesus off again in this story?
There is, of course, another option, which is to force Jesus dress up in a Banana suit.
5:06 AM, March 29, 2006
Holy shit, Keeper, you're going to turn me Catholic.... is it possible that the Pope is actually Bananaman in disguise?
In fact, I think it's damn likely, when you think about it!
3:44 PM, March 29, 2006
I must be mad, hopeless as it may be; I love Caren! If she were not married to her work, I would take her off the streets and make an honest woman out of her. And then I may study about doing a little rugrat farming. Oh why am I thinking these strange thoughts?
1:59 AM, March 30, 2006
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