Tortla's review

The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke
by Rainer Maria Rilke

[close]

blog this review

Copy/paste the text below into your blog.

<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46201.The_Selected_Poetry_of_Rainer_Maria_Rilke?utm_medium=api&amp;utm_source=blog_review" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img alt="The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke" border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/419WRSFES0L._SL160_.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46201.The_Selected_Poetry_of_Rainer_Maria_Rilke?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">The Selected Poetry of Rainer Maria Rilke</a> by <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7906.Rainer_Maria_Rilke">Rainer Maria Rilke</a> 
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9816778?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review"><h3>My review</h3></a>
 rating: 5 of 5 stars Honorary "dragons" shelving for being just that awesome.
 
 EDIT:
 Also, I think I've read all the poems and most of the extra stuff, but I'm not sure if I consider this as "read," yet. I think it's going to stay on the currently-reading shelf until I learn German and French so as to be able to read the pre-translated half (so it's quite possible that this book shall never be "read"). Seriously, Rilke has made me want to learn German and French so I can read his stuff in the original languages (and understand it...I've read parts of the the French/German and been able to tell what some of the words were, but it'd be nice to understand them without their translations, since translated poetry probably loses a lot of its meaning). ...I'm feeling pretty pretentious. 
 I think Rilke was a feminist. Case in point:
 "We are only just now beginning to consider the relation of one individual to a second individual objectively and without prejudice, and our attempts to live such relationships have no model before them. And yet in the changes brought about by time there are already many things that can help our timid novitiate.
 The girl and the woman, in their new, individual unfolding, will only in passing be imitators of male behavious and misbehaviour and repeaters of male professions. After the uncertainty of such transitions, it will become obvious that women were going through the abundance and variation of those (often ridiculous) disguises just so that they could purify their own essential nature and wash out the deforming influences of the other sex....This humanity of woman, carried in her womb through all her suffering and humiliation, will come to light when she has stripped off the conventions of mere femaleness in the transformations of her outward status, and those men who do not yet feel it approaching will be surprised and struck by it."
 -letter to Franz Xaver Kappus, May 14, 1904
 I mean, his portrayal of females tends to be a little outdated, but this was the early 20th century, so I think he has every right to be outdated. I think it's pretty adorable how much he seems to admire women so much that he says things like "The breaking away of childhood / left you intact." (in Antistrophes).
 I also really like Palm. That poem's so sweet.
 
 re-EDIT:
 Okay nevermind about the keeping it on currently-reading indefinitely thing. It's read. I should re-read it, but still.
 <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/95618?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_review">View all my reviews.</a>

Tortla's review
rating:

bookshelves: classics, dragons, religiony, rilke
recommended for: Shannon
status: Read in March, 2008

Honorary "dragons" shelving for being just that awesome.

EDIT:
Also, I think I've read all the poems and most of the extra stuff, but I'm not sure if I consider this as "read," yet. I think it's going to stay on the currently-reading shelf until I learn German and French so as to be able to read the pre-translated half (so it's quite possible that this book shall never be "read"). Seriously, Rilke has made me want to learn German and French so I can read his stuff in the original languages (and understand it...I've read parts of the the French/German and been able to tell what some of the words were, but it'd be nice to understand them without their translations, since translated poetry probably loses a lot of its meaning). ...I'm feeling pretty pretentious.
I think Rilke was a feminist. Case in point:
"We are only just now beginning to consider the relation of one individual to a second individual objectively and without prejudice, and our att...more Honorary "dragons" shelving for being just that awesome.

EDIT:
Also, I think I've read all the poems and most of the extra stuff, but I'm not sure if I consider this as "read," yet. I think it's going to stay on the currently-reading shelf until I learn German and French so as to be able to read the pre-translated half (so it's quite possible that this book shall never be "read"). Seriously, Rilke has made me want to learn German and French so I can read his stuff in the original languages (and understand it...I've read parts of the the French/German and been able to tell what some of the words were, but it'd be nice to understand them without their translations, since translated poetry probably loses a lot of its meaning). ...I'm feeling pretty pretentious.
I think Rilke was a feminist. Case in point:
"We are only just now beginning to consider the relation of one individual to a second individual objectively and without prejudice, and our attempts to live such relationships have no model before them. And yet in the changes brought about by time there are already many things that can help our timid novitiate.
The girl and the woman, in their new, individual unfolding, will only in passing be imitators of male behavious and misbehaviour and repeaters of male professions. After the uncertainty of such transitions, it will become obvious that women were going through the abundance and variation of those (often ridiculous) disguises just so that they could purify their own essential nature and wash out the deforming influences of the other sex....This humanity of woman, carried in her womb through all her suffering and humiliation, will come to light when she has stripped off the conventions of mere femaleness in the transformations of her outward status, and those men who do not yet feel it approaching will be surprised and struck by it."
-letter to Franz Xaver Kappus, May 14, 1904
I mean, his portrayal of females tends to be a little outdated, but this was the early 20th century, so I think he has every right to be outdated. I think it's pretty adorable how much he seems to admire women so much that he says things like "The breaking away of childhood / left you intact." (in Antistrophes).
I also really like Palm. That poem's so sweet.

re-EDIT:
Okay nevermind about the keeping it on currently-reading indefinitely thing. It's read. I should re-read it, but still....less

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it) flag

comments (showing 1-2 of 2)

newest »

date

message 1: by Shannon

03/03/2008 11:24PM

Are you sure it shouldn't be honorary "dragony-dragons" shelving?