The first book I am (we are) reading on the Top 100 List is actually #100 on the list (as we are reading the list from #100 to #1). The book is Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.I am just pages away from finishing Book 1, or the first section. I am hoping to have Book 2 done by the end of the weekend (yes, I know that's like 260 pages) and the rest of the book finished by the end of the week. I understand that this may be moving a little fast for many of you, but the beauty of this blog is that the discussions will be available for you whenever you are ready.
The discussion today will focus on Book 1. I will share some words I've looked up to help me better understand the story and descriptions, as well as a quote I really enjoyed. Please comment with any additional words you've looked up or quotes that struck you.
- On page 4, Rushdie says he will "work fast, faster than Scheherazade." He is referring to a story from Persia, where the king would marry a virgin and then kill her the next day. The king did this after finding out his first wife had betrayed him. He killed three thousand women this way before Scheherazade, against her father's wishes, volunteered to spend the night with the king. That night she told him a story and as morning broke, he asked for another. She replied that she could not tell another until the next night. She continued this for 1,001 nights and eventually became his queen, escaping death through her own portrayal of a Persian book called The Thousand Myths.
- Following the above quote, Rushdie/Saleem uses the word "absurdity" in the following way: "... if I am to end up meaning- yes, meaning- something. I admit it: above all things, I fear absurdity." Unbeknown to me before looking this up, absurdity not only means inconsistent or illogical, it also refers to being in a state of existence that is meaningless. Knowing that, I too fear absurdity.
- Saleem talks extensively about his grandfather, Doctor Aadam Aziz, and especially about the man's nose. One of the way he describes it is "cyranose" (p. 8). This likely refers to Cyrano de Bergerac, who was a French dramatist who portrayed himself with an overly large nose. Many years after Cyrano de Bergerac, there was a muppet with a foot-long nose that was a poet and was called Cyranose de Bergerac, but I'm sure Rushdie was referring to the former rather than the latter.
- Awesome descriptive quote: "his voice crackling like an old radio because decades were rubbing up against each other around his vocal chords" (p. 38)
So, my plans are fairly tentative, but hopefully will be more firm as I brainstorm and focus on the discussion plan a bit more this weekend... or maybe we'll just continue to wing it and see what grand ideas we can come up with through spontaneous discussion topics.
For anyone who is wondering, I will also be creating a posting so that there is room for discussion of The Shack. That will be an open discussion and I will not post anything specific because I have not read it yet.
Happy reading over the weekend!
Hey, I finished chapter 1. I have moved this from the bathroom to the car. This allows me more time to read nd contemplate my reading. I think I may have to add a little journal so I do not lose my thoughts as the come. :)
ReplyDeleteI wanted to comment on the nose portion of the book. Tai says that if you follow your nose (I am using my recall, so bear with me) you can stay safe and healthy. Well, sort of. Anyway, I have 2 thoughts:
One: think about this, one common saying is "Keep your nose clean". I thought that if we say such things, there is sense to what Tai said.
Two: At a sensory processing workshop last week, I learned that the sense of smell is one of the most developed at birth. A fetus can smell through the motehr's stomach. It just amazed me.
By the way, I want to thank you, Christie for researching the story reference about Scheherazade. It was one of the things I would have needed to look up. :)
Oh, and I have to say that I think part of my struggle is the flipping back and forth between the writer's present day and the grandfather's life. I think that if I could find time to sit for longer periods (the reason for switching the book to the car) I will be able to enjoy the storyline more.