Tuesday, June 30, 2015

The Existence of Something Better and Deeper

"People who suspect the existence of something better and deeper, and desire these things, are, I believe, likely to abstain more and more from all ridiculous external show, the nearer they approach, through experience and action, to the reality of their dream; on the other hand, however, the further away from it they are, the more they cling to such flaunting display."
Excerpt from Green Henry by Gottfried Keller

6 comments:

  1. quite the run on, but very intriguing. I like the thought of abstaining from the ridiculous external show....

    have you finished it?

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    1. I'm nowhere near finished. I am currently on page 152 and the book is 706 pages. It's a big fat book, not something that usually appeals to me, but the excerpts I read via W.G. Sebald were too appealing to dismiss. I like the way the 'through experience and action' part of this sentence shows being handed a dream is not as gratifying as earning one.

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  2. The excerpt intrigues me...and now I wonder what type of book this 700+ page beast is? And should I add it to 'the list'/ ;)

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    1. At the moment, I feel there is some real beauty and there are some boring bits. I'm going to carry on and see how it goes...

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  3. Hi Denise--how are you progressing with Green Henry? These days, I find a big fat book too daunting; I can't commit! But I like the chosen quote, the longing/search for depth and substance, the inner life.

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    1. Well... It seems we grew apart. I've moved on to Truman Capote's short novel, The Grass Harp.

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