1949
Colette, translated by Elaine Marks
Excerpt from The Blue Lantern
B-
It's somehow fitting that the last of Colette's works I own, from almost the last thing she published, ends with "To be continued...." The nearly 50-year span of her writing that we've covered has been wildly uneven, but I can't say that it hasn't been an interesting ride. And what's most notable about her and her characters (except the ones that commit suicide) is that they always go on, their sparks of life impossible to extinguish. Colette herself lived to 81, still writing, and still outrageous. This last piece tells of herself as an old woman shivering before the fire, but there's a memory of a prize-winning reader, "at twelve and a half years of age, Gabrielle-Sidonie Colette." That madcap but clever tomboy lived on inside the sophisticated writer.
Just taking the works of Gigi and Selected Writings, there are a B+, 3 B's, 6 B-s, 2 C+s, a C-, and a D, but of course these are various lengths. A B- for the overall grade feels fair though.
Showing posts with label Colette. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colette. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Orchid
1949
Colette, translated by Roger Senhouse
Orchid
B-
Colette describes, yes, an orchid, comparing it to everything from an octopus to a shoe. Colette's grown daughter has a very brief cameo, but then the whole thing is only two pages.
Colette, translated by Roger Senhouse
Orchid
B-
Colette describes, yes, an orchid, comparing it to everything from an octopus to a shoe. Colette's grown daughter has a very brief cameo, but then the whole thing is only two pages.
Friday, May 25, 2012
The Sick Child
1944
Colette, translated by Antonia White
The Sick Child
C-
The title character lives a life of fantasy, until he gets well. Too drawn out, although there are a few nice turns of phrase.
Colette, translated by Antonia White
The Sick Child
C-
The title character lives a life of fantasy, until he gets well. Too drawn out, although there are a few nice turns of phrase.
Armande
1944
Colette, translated by Antonia White
Armande
D
What could be an interesting story about a young doctor who is afraid to tell the local heiress of his love for her is bogged down in sadism. He can't separate love from violence-- for instance, after he has an accident, he imagines "turning her into a wounded, moaning creature"-- and this is probably the most unpleasant thing of Colette's I've ever read.
Colette, translated by Antonia White
Armande
D
What could be an interesting story about a young doctor who is afraid to tell the local heiress of his love for her is bogged down in sadism. He can't separate love from violence-- for instance, after he has an accident, he imagines "turning her into a wounded, moaning creature"-- and this is probably the most unpleasant thing of Colette's I've ever read.
The Photographer's Missus
1944
Colette, translated by Antonia White
The Photographer's Missus
B-
The biggest problem with this story is the title character. I'd much rather read about the pearl-stringer. Still, it's interesting to see Colette as a character in what I assume is a fictional story. The setting is during the Great War, and she has working-class friends that her then-husband knows nothing about.
Colette, translated by Antonia White
The Photographer's Missus
B-
The biggest problem with this story is the title character. I'd much rather read about the pearl-stringer. Still, it's interesting to see Colette as a character in what I assume is a fictional story. The setting is during the Great War, and she has working-class friends that her then-husband knows nothing about.
Gigi
1944
Colette, translated by Roger Senhouse
Gigi
B
Here it is, probably Colette's most famous work, and it's still delightful. Set in 1899, shortly before the first Claudine book came out, it has automobiles and ortolans, scandal and innocence. As so often with Colette, none of the characters are exactly sympathetic, but it's fun to see them play off of each other. Even Gigi's weary actress mother, who's less involved in her life than the grandmother and great-aunt, has her moments. The joke of the story is that 15-year-old Gigi is being groomed to be a courtesan, but when a family friend offers for her, she loves him too much to accept, so he has to make a matrimonial offer instead. Tasteless, sure, but in a sophisticated way. I have almost no memory of the musical-- other than "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" of course-- but I'm amused that the 1951 stageplay was by that old expert of humorous gold-digging, Anita Loos.
Pity that Colette's humor is less in evidence for her other stories from '44....
Colette, translated by Roger Senhouse
Gigi
B
Here it is, probably Colette's most famous work, and it's still delightful. Set in 1899, shortly before the first Claudine book came out, it has automobiles and ortolans, scandal and innocence. As so often with Colette, none of the characters are exactly sympathetic, but it's fun to see them play off of each other. Even Gigi's weary actress mother, who's less involved in her life than the grandmother and great-aunt, has her moments. The joke of the story is that 15-year-old Gigi is being groomed to be a courtesan, but when a family friend offers for her, she loves him too much to accept, so he has to make a matrimonial offer instead. Tasteless, sure, but in a sophisticated way. I have almost no memory of the musical-- other than "Thank Heaven for Little Girls" of course-- but I'm amused that the 1951 stageplay was by that old expert of humorous gold-digging, Anita Loos.
Pity that Colette's humor is less in evidence for her other stories from '44....
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Excerpt from "The Cat"
1933
Colette, translated by Antonia White
Excerpt from The Cat
B
A young man is more in love with his cat than with his fiancée. It is a love of the senses and the spirit, but it's not sexual. (I think.) A well-done character sketch, as well as an unsettling union of two of Colette's favorite subjects. Unlike The Last of Chéri, I'd actually like to read more.
And this is the last of Colette I'll see for over a decade, when she'll return with four contributions, including Gigi, and outdo herself for the longevity record.
Colette, translated by Antonia White
Excerpt from The Cat
B
A young man is more in love with his cat than with his fiancée. It is a love of the senses and the spirit, but it's not sexual. (I think.) A well-done character sketch, as well as an unsettling union of two of Colette's favorite subjects. Unlike The Last of Chéri, I'd actually like to read more.
And this is the last of Colette I'll see for over a decade, when she'll return with four contributions, including Gigi, and outdo herself for the longevity record.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
The Pure and the Impure
1932, 1967 Farrar, Straus & Giroux edition
Colette
The Pure and the Impure, original title Ces Plaisirs
Original price $2.95, bought used for $1.50
Slightly worn paperback
B-
This is Colette's musings on love and passion, particularly homosexual. Some of it is personal, like her affair with poet Renée Vivien, but most of it is more general. My favorite part is the story of the Ladies of Llangollen, a real-life Irish couple who lived blissfully if quietly together for 53 years, till one died in 1829. Some of Colette's observations about gender and sexuality feel dated, or at least debatable, but it is interesting to get the perspective of someone who lived The Life in the early 20th-century. By the way, Colette has now passed Jane Austen as the author who covers the greatest span in my collection, 32 years and counting. (We've still got that Gigi etc. collection to finish.)
Colette
The Pure and the Impure, original title Ces Plaisirs
Original price $2.95, bought used for $1.50
Slightly worn paperback
B-
This is Colette's musings on love and passion, particularly homosexual. Some of it is personal, like her affair with poet Renée Vivien, but most of it is more general. My favorite part is the story of the Ladies of Llangollen, a real-life Irish couple who lived blissfully if quietly together for 53 years, till one died in 1829. Some of Colette's observations about gender and sexuality feel dated, or at least debatable, but it is interesting to get the perspective of someone who lived The Life in the early 20th-century. By the way, Colette has now passed Jane Austen as the author who covers the greatest span in my collection, 32 years and counting. (We've still got that Gigi etc. collection to finish.)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
"Look!"
1929
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
"Look!"
B-
A very short, well, look at how children see the world differently from adults.
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
"Look!"
B-
A very short, well, look at how children see the world differently from adults.
"The Savages," from "Sido"
1929
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
"The Savages" from Sido
B
In this excerpt from another book about Colette's mother, the focus is on the two elder brothers. As always, I like these stories of her family in the country. Here, she contrasts her brothers in adolescence with them as middle-aged or elderly men. The younger brother tells her of a recent visit to their hometown and his surprise at all the changes after more than 40 years. I also like the tale of how the boys reacted to the oldest sister's wedding. Sido is more of a supporting character, although she of course has some funny moments, like her answer about who the groom is: "Oh, some wretched upstart or other."
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
"The Savages" from Sido
B
In this excerpt from another book about Colette's mother, the focus is on the two elder brothers. As always, I like these stories of her family in the country. Here, she contrasts her brothers in adolescence with them as middle-aged or elderly men. The younger brother tells her of a recent visit to their hometown and his surprise at all the changes after more than 40 years. I also like the tale of how the boys reacted to the oldest sister's wedding. Sido is more of a supporting character, although she of course has some funny moments, like her answer about who the groom is: "Oh, some wretched upstart or other."
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Excerpt from "Break of Day"
1928
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
Excerpt from Break of Day
B-
At 55, Colette looks back at how her romances have caused her friends and pets to think less of her, but she hopes she's getting to the stage where she can enjoy men as just friends. (Spoiler, she'd marry her third husband in '35.) Some of this excerpt is too vague and meandering. I like the concrete details and the humor better. And as always, her mother, even in just a brief letter, is a scene-stealer.
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
Excerpt from Break of Day
B-
At 55, Colette looks back at how her romances have caused her friends and pets to think less of her, but she hopes she's getting to the stage where she can enjoy men as just friends. (Spoiler, she'd marry her third husband in '35.) Some of this excerpt is too vague and meandering. I like the concrete details and the humor better. And as always, her mother, even in just a brief letter, is a scene-stealer.
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Excerpt from "The Last of Chéri"
1926
Colette, translated by Roger Senhouse
Excerpt from The Last of Chéri
B-
This is one of the later chapters of the sequel to Chéri (1920), which I haven't read. In isolation, it tells of the reunion of two lovers after five years, he having lived through the Great War and a loveless marriage, she having happily surrendered to an old age of fat and wrinkles. He expects her to be unchanged, while she's much more realistic. As a dual character study, it's pretty good, but not enough to make me want to read more. (And from the Wikipedia description of the first novel and its 2009 movie version, I suspect that it's Claudine-level twisted sexuality.)
Colette, translated by Roger Senhouse
Excerpt from The Last of Chéri
B-
This is one of the later chapters of the sequel to Chéri (1920), which I haven't read. In isolation, it tells of the reunion of two lovers after five years, he having lived through the Great War and a loveless marriage, she having happily surrendered to an old age of fat and wrinkles. He expects her to be unchanged, while she's much more realistic. As a dual character study, it's pretty good, but not enough to make me want to read more. (And from the Wikipedia description of the first novel and its 2009 movie version, I suspect that it's Claudine-level twisted sexuality.)
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Excerpts from "My Mother's House"
1922
Colette, translated by Una Troubridge and Enid McLeod
Excerpts from My Mother's House
B+
This is what Colette does best, character portraits of her family and celebrations of nature. There are moments when the Claudine series achieves this, but there's too much twisted sexuality and misery. (And by twisted, I don't mean "bisexual," I mean cruel and dishonest.) The five excerpts are "Where Are the Children?", "Jealousy," "The Priest on the Wall," "My Mother and Illness," and "The Seamstress." We see her mother in particular, earthy and wise, vain and loving. Her father is most visible in "Jealousy," and we see how he isn't aware that he and his wife are getting older. Colette's three older siblings are glimpsed in varying degrees, although there's a sense, particularly in the first story, of them all, Colette included, hiding and living their lives as private individuals. Colette's daughter, also called Colette, appears in the last story. (She was born in 1935 and rarely saw her mother, although you'd never guess it from this tale.)
Like the "country" scenes of Claudine, the place where Colette grew up seems lush, wild, and beautiful, as in the passage on p. 45 that describes grass snakes, purple heather, blackberries, and all the other treasures that Colette and her brothers find. In the middle story, seven-year-old Colette hears the word "presbytery" and tries to guess what it means. She decides it's a yellow-and-black-striped snail. That sense of wonder, mystery, and playfulness still remained in Colette in this work written when she was almost 50.
Colette, translated by Una Troubridge and Enid McLeod
Excerpts from My Mother's House
B+
This is what Colette does best, character portraits of her family and celebrations of nature. There are moments when the Claudine series achieves this, but there's too much twisted sexuality and misery. (And by twisted, I don't mean "bisexual," I mean cruel and dishonest.) The five excerpts are "Where Are the Children?", "Jealousy," "The Priest on the Wall," "My Mother and Illness," and "The Seamstress." We see her mother in particular, earthy and wise, vain and loving. Her father is most visible in "Jealousy," and we see how he isn't aware that he and his wife are getting older. Colette's three older siblings are glimpsed in varying degrees, although there's a sense, particularly in the first story, of them all, Colette included, hiding and living their lives as private individuals. Colette's daughter, also called Colette, appears in the last story. (She was born in 1935 and rarely saw her mother, although you'd never guess it from this tale.)
Like the "country" scenes of Claudine, the place where Colette grew up seems lush, wild, and beautiful, as in the passage on p. 45 that describes grass snakes, purple heather, blackberries, and all the other treasures that Colette and her brothers find. In the middle story, seven-year-old Colette hears the word "presbytery" and tries to guess what it means. She decides it's a yellow-and-black-striped snail. That sense of wonder, mystery, and playfulness still remained in Colette in this work written when she was almost 50.
Sunday, March 25, 2012
The Old Lady and the Bear
1914
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
The Old Lady and the Bear
C+
This is only three pages, but it still feels like it takes too long to get to the point, comparing political debates to the title characters in a folktale.
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
The Old Lady and the Bear
C+
This is only three pages, but it still feels like it takes too long to get to the point, comparing political debates to the title characters in a folktale.
On Tour
1913
Colette, translated by Anne-Marie Callimachi
On Tour, from Music-Hall Sidelights
C+
Although there are some nice details, I can't say I was particularly drawn into Colette's glimpses of backstage. After her first divorce, she worked as a dancer, although at the time this was published, she was on her second marriage and I think had left the stage. According to Wikipedia, in 1907 her onstage kiss with her girlfriend in Rêve d'Égypte almost caused a riot, which definitely would've made a more interesting tale than this one of weary performers in a "hick" town.
Colette, translated by Anne-Marie Callimachi
On Tour, from Music-Hall Sidelights
C+
Although there are some nice details, I can't say I was particularly drawn into Colette's glimpses of backstage. After her first divorce, she worked as a dancer, although at the time this was published, she was on her second marriage and I think had left the stage. According to Wikipedia, in 1907 her onstage kiss with her girlfriend in Rêve d'Égypte almost caused a riot, which definitely would've made a more interesting tale than this one of weary performers in a "hick" town.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
The Journey
1905, from 1963 Signet Classic edition of Gigi and Selected Writings
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
The Journey
Original and purchase price unknown
Tattered paperback
This selection a B-
A short animal story in the form of a play, this deliberately develops the dog and cat more than the human couple of He and She. Colette understands animals, and I like how after the cat has been a drama queen, the dog gets the last word: "I have to lift my leg." He's named Toby, like Annie's dog in the last Claudine story, so I suspect Colette actually had a dog named Toby. The setting is a train, but it's not really about the journey or the destination and more about the contrast in personalities.
Colette, translated by Enid McLeod
The Journey
Original and purchase price unknown
Tattered paperback
This selection a B-
A short animal story in the form of a play, this deliberately develops the dog and cat more than the human couple of He and She. Colette understands animals, and I like how after the cat has been a drama queen, the dog gets the last word: "I have to lift my leg." He's named Toby, like Annie's dog in the last Claudine story, so I suspect Colette actually had a dog named Toby. The setting is a train, but it's not really about the journey or the destination and more about the contrast in personalities.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Claudine and Annie
1903
Colette
Claudine and Annie
C+
The last Claudine story is actually narrated by Annie, a naive new friend of Claudine's. Annie has a domineering husband, too, Alain, her childhood sweetheart who early on made her his "slave." But we learn in this story that if you're already submissive and/or if you and your husband don't really love each other, it's not good for him to be domineering. On Claudine's advice, Annie decides to divorce (or be divorced from) Alain. As in Anna Karenina, there's a great difference between being the "innocent" and the "guilty" party in the divorce, from a legal standpoint more than a moral one. But Annie is willing to be accused of adultery, even though Alain is the one who did the cheating.
I think this story is better than the middle two Claudine tales, partly because the change in narrators freshens things up, and partly because it's nice to have different settings, in this case mostly the vacation spots of the idle upper-middle-class. Spas certainly come across differently than in Anna Karenina. And another point of comparison with AK, Annie is a bit like Kitty with her innocent crushes on women, although Anna never seduces Kitty like Claudine is tempted to seduce Annie.
"1903" moments: a discussion of birth control, a reference to "cinema," and another mention of male feminists.
Overall, this collection averages a C+, although I'd mostly just recommend the first story. And I guess I should mention that Colette's first husband, "Willy" (Henry Gauthier-Villars), used to take the credit for them. He was 14 years older than her, and unfaithful. They separated in 1906 and divorced four years later. I like to imagine that Claudine, une Divorcée would've been the next sequel. Or better yet, Claudine et Fanchette.
Colette
Claudine and Annie
C+
The last Claudine story is actually narrated by Annie, a naive new friend of Claudine's. Annie has a domineering husband, too, Alain, her childhood sweetheart who early on made her his "slave." But we learn in this story that if you're already submissive and/or if you and your husband don't really love each other, it's not good for him to be domineering. On Claudine's advice, Annie decides to divorce (or be divorced from) Alain. As in Anna Karenina, there's a great difference between being the "innocent" and the "guilty" party in the divorce, from a legal standpoint more than a moral one. But Annie is willing to be accused of adultery, even though Alain is the one who did the cheating.
I think this story is better than the middle two Claudine tales, partly because the change in narrators freshens things up, and partly because it's nice to have different settings, in this case mostly the vacation spots of the idle upper-middle-class. Spas certainly come across differently than in Anna Karenina. And another point of comparison with AK, Annie is a bit like Kitty with her innocent crushes on women, although Anna never seduces Kitty like Claudine is tempted to seduce Annie.
"1903" moments: a discussion of birth control, a reference to "cinema," and another mention of male feminists.
Overall, this collection averages a C+, although I'd mostly just recommend the first story. And I guess I should mention that Colette's first husband, "Willy" (Henry Gauthier-Villars), used to take the credit for them. He was 14 years older than her, and unfaithful. They separated in 1906 and divorced four years later. I like to imagine that Claudine, une Divorcée would've been the next sequel. Or better yet, Claudine et Fanchette.
Claudine Married
1902
Colette
Claudine Married
C-
I don't care for either of Claudine's romances in this story. The father-husband thing with Renaud is troubling, especially when they're both flirting with 14-year-old girls. When she falls for the beautiful but boring and deceitful married woman Rezi, he encourages her and even finds a love nest for them. Then he has a fling with Rezi himself. Claudine finds out and returns to her father's country home. (The Slugman has gotten sick of Paris by this time.) The happy ending is supposed to be that Claudine reconciles with Renaud, planning to tell him, "I order you to dominate me!" I'm just glad that Claudine plans to live in the country permanently, with the much more interesting "menage" of Papa, Melie, and Fanchette, while Renaud visits occasionally.
Two "1902" notes of interest. This is the first work I own to mention "motor-cars." Also, there's a "feminist" writer at a party, but it's a man and too minor a character for us to find out anything else about his writing.
Colette
Claudine Married
C-
I don't care for either of Claudine's romances in this story. The father-husband thing with Renaud is troubling, especially when they're both flirting with 14-year-old girls. When she falls for the beautiful but boring and deceitful married woman Rezi, he encourages her and even finds a love nest for them. Then he has a fling with Rezi himself. Claudine finds out and returns to her father's country home. (The Slugman has gotten sick of Paris by this time.) The happy ending is supposed to be that Claudine reconciles with Renaud, planning to tell him, "I order you to dominate me!" I'm just glad that Claudine plans to live in the country permanently, with the much more interesting "menage" of Papa, Melie, and Fanchette, while Renaud visits occasionally.
Two "1902" notes of interest. This is the first work I own to mention "motor-cars." Also, there's a "feminist" writer at a party, but it's a man and too minor a character for us to find out anything else about his writing.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Claudine in Paris
1901
Colette
Claudine in Paris
C
More twisted than the original, and not in a fun way. The worst is Colette's friend Luce being abused by her sister and then escaping to Paris, where she becomes the reluctant mistress of her 60-something uncle. It's clear that she's mostly doing this as an alternative to starvation. Claudine herself falls in love with an "uncle," Renaud, the middle-aged widower of her first cousin, after a flirtation with her "Breton nephew," Renaud's gay son. She's quite clear that Renaud is a father figure for her, since her own father, who studies slugs, is an absent-minded professor type.
I do like the portrayals of Papa and Melie, who's sort of like Juliet's nurse. Fanchette has a larger role here, as she deals with Paris and pregnancy. (Colette is probably the best writer about cats until Doris Lessing comes along.) I want to like this story more than I do, but there's so much unpleasantness, especially in the second half, and some pointless retconning (e.g. suddenly she's known Luce at least since they were 14), I can't.
Colette
Claudine in Paris
C
More twisted than the original, and not in a fun way. The worst is Colette's friend Luce being abused by her sister and then escaping to Paris, where she becomes the reluctant mistress of her 60-something uncle. It's clear that she's mostly doing this as an alternative to starvation. Claudine herself falls in love with an "uncle," Renaud, the middle-aged widower of her first cousin, after a flirtation with her "Breton nephew," Renaud's gay son. She's quite clear that Renaud is a father figure for her, since her own father, who studies slugs, is an absent-minded professor type.
I do like the portrayals of Papa and Melie, who's sort of like Juliet's nurse. Fanchette has a larger role here, as she deals with Paris and pregnancy. (Colette is probably the best writer about cats until Doris Lessing comes along.) I want to like this story more than I do, but there's so much unpleasantness, especially in the second half, and some pointless retconning (e.g. suddenly she's known Luce at least since they were 14), I can't.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Claudine at School
1900, from 1976 Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition of The Complete Claudine
Colette, translated by Antonia White
Claudine at School
Original price $6.95, purchase price unknown
Tattered paperback
B
I got this Claudine collection from a different aunt, who probably had no idea that I was desperate for bisexual role models. I was then in my early 20s and monogamously married to a man who completely understood my crushes on female celebrities. I wouldn't kiss a woman till I was 29, three years after our divorce. But I liked to believe that there were happy practicing bisexuals out there, somewhere. Then I read these stories and was bitterly disappointed that, at least in La Belle Époque, women and girls who were attracted to their own sex were sadomasochistic liars.
And yet, Colette and her somewhat autobiographical protagonist are charming. Claudine is a delightful force of nature. You can't approve of her, but she's very entertaining. She's a bit like her cat Fanchette, amoral more than immoral. This read-through, I found myself most enjoying the actual school bits, things like essays and word problems. But, if you can accept that this is sort of Villette as written by one of the students, it is fun to spend time with lanky Anais, naive Marie, and the rest.
Colette, translated by Antonia White
Claudine at School
Original price $6.95, purchase price unknown
Tattered paperback
B
I got this Claudine collection from a different aunt, who probably had no idea that I was desperate for bisexual role models. I was then in my early 20s and monogamously married to a man who completely understood my crushes on female celebrities. I wouldn't kiss a woman till I was 29, three years after our divorce. But I liked to believe that there were happy practicing bisexuals out there, somewhere. Then I read these stories and was bitterly disappointed that, at least in La Belle Époque, women and girls who were attracted to their own sex were sadomasochistic liars.
And yet, Colette and her somewhat autobiographical protagonist are charming. Claudine is a delightful force of nature. You can't approve of her, but she's very entertaining. She's a bit like her cat Fanchette, amoral more than immoral. This read-through, I found myself most enjoying the actual school bits, things like essays and word problems. But, if you can accept that this is sort of Villette as written by one of the students, it is fun to spend time with lanky Anais, naive Marie, and the rest.
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