Week 3 / Paris Peasant

 While reading Paris Peasant, I was constantly trying to make sense of what was really going on. Prior to starting the novel, I thought that my ability to speak french and the title being “paris peasant” would provide me a leg up, but that was not the case. Although I am not sure of the original language this text was written in, it did not feel french. But, that may also be due to the advanced vocabulary… There is mention in this week's video that the incomplete thoughts create suspension, however for me, it only created frustration.  


At some points, small trains of thought would progress from the narrator and I would begin to think I ‘sorta’ understand what's going on…. Then flip to the next page and I would feel completely lost again, but I think that was the point.


As a psychology major where my textbooks consist of clear topics which flow nicely from page to  page, this style of writing is totally new and challenging for me. It is frustrating when reading to feel the need to understand what is happening before moving along, however that is something I'm trying to move away from as that doesn't seem to be very useful for these texts. 


While reading the first 30 pages, I had made a note that I feel as though the author is lonely in his life. He seems to always have a lot going on around him yet the background seems quiet, and his thoughts seem so loud that they overtake everything else. I enjoyed it when he said “Everything distracts me indefinitely, except for my distraction itself”. I think this signifies that at the end of the day, the world around him distracts him minimally, in comparison to his thoughts that seem to never stop.


Something else that stood out to me was that I felt the narrator was very opinionated, especially when it comes to women. Although I am aware that these are his own thoughts and not necessarily something he is saying out loud and to others, it seems as though he judges women off their bodies and their whereabouts a fair amount. 


My question to the class is if anyone feels that they can relate to having this magnitude of thoughts throughout the day similar to the narrator…always thinking critically of the world around them, and taking everything not just simply how it is, but thinking deeper of its meaning and significance. Personally, this is something I do not relate to whatsoever. I feel as though my thoughts are minimal and I tend to just go with the flow. 


Comments

  1. Hi Daisy! I really enjoyed reading your posts because the incomplete thoughts initially annoyed me a bit as well and I got lost; I'm used to reading more coherent narratives as well. Although looking back, I think that if Aragon had tried fleshing out everything and adding smooth transitions between the narrator's observations, it wouldn't feel spontaneous or like a product of just a wandering mind, maybe.

    To answer your question, I was thinking that we likely process enough in a single day to fill a whole book if we were to describe in detail what we saw, and also try and fit it into a greater social or political context, somewhat like what Aragon did. That said, we also forget a lot of things; if I could freeze time and were compelled to write that much while walking around, then I probably could, but many of those thoughts are quickly discarded for whatever reason. I feel like Aragon wringing so much detail and insight out of these observations is part of finding wonder in the everyday, which he seems to strive for.

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  2. Hi Daisy,

    Thank you for your insightful post! To answer the question that you posed, I definitely am not that critical of everything that I come across in my day either. Some things I will stop and think about but yes it seems that the narrator is very focused on every detail of his day to day life, in a way that seems like it would be very exhausting. The way in which the narrator supplies the reader with so much information makes the novel seem more packed with substance.

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  4. Hi Daisy! You pose an interesting question. I wonder how much of the narrators "opinionatedness" comes from the sheer amount of time that he has to wander and observe as the "flaneur" type. Wandering and observing, for our narrator, is akin to a profession! Or a non-profession, perhaps. Personally, I would love even a day to let my feet and mind wander, and critically reflect, as you say. And though I try to always be critically reflecting, this is often on the go - on the run, on the drive, while packing school lunches and making dinners...! Multitasking at its finest. Or perhaps worst. :)

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