What Are We Reading? 15 March 2021

[AB76]

FrancesBurgundy wrote: "AB76 wrote: "FrancesBurgundy wrote: re The Fortnight in September ."

In haste, what I think disappointed me a bit about it was that the characters weren't very fleshed out. It was almost as if eac..."

my mother said it reminded me a lot of her mothers generation and found familiar reference points. I wish there had been a sequel, i still wonder where all the characters would have ended up

i guess with the characters i felt it was a study of a fortnight, a family away from the drudgery of day to day life and highlighting the escape from lives they were trapped into and would return to, like all of us in some ways

[Miri]

@AB76 Sounds not far off from the characters he gets typecast as lmao

Always disappointing (but not particularly surprising) to hear actors you like aren't nice. Hope he's matured since his school days!

[AB76]

Miri wrote: "@AB76 Sounds not far off from the characters he gets typecast as lmao

Always disappointing (but not particularly surprising) to hear actors you like aren't nice. Hope he's matured since his school..."

he does play himself a lot to be honest lol but in The Terror there is real acting there, its not an easy part he plays and the episode i watched last week was very well acted in its tensions between Crozier(Harris) and Fitzjames (Menzies). he didnt seem as sneering at stages!

[Miri]

His character is one I like to use as an example of the really good character stuff on that show (...you may be able to tell I'm an annoying Trekkie evangelical about "The Terror"). At first you sort of consider him a stock character ("Who's this posh, anti-Irish classist prick?") but as the show goes on there is some really lovely development and he ends up being quite a movong character. I think I remember the conversation between him and Crozier (keeping it vague to avoid spoilers in case I've guessed wrong) and that was when I realised I'd grown to see him not as the stock posh arsehole character but as a real human being in pain. The show pulls this trick with a lot of characters who could seem like generic stock characters - the pastor (?) I remember is another one.

...I'm sorry someone sounded the "The Terror" klaxon and I had to show up with my earnest nerdy rambling because I adore that show.

[Slawkenbergius]

AB76 wrote: "is the difference in Portugal, that they speak the proper/older version in Portugal?"

There is something of that. Brazil became independent in the early 19th century, so the vocabulary diverges in several aspects. In terms of syntax, Brazilians also kept an older form of pronominal clauses - they say te amo, while Portuguese usually invert the order: amo-te. There are many other differences, some of which derive from different spelling reforms. Brazilian speech also has the tendency to suppress definite articles. If you present me a short text - a sentence or two -, it's rather easy to tell you if it's Portuguese or Brazilian.

And you're right, the massive Italian immigration probably had a lot to do with the way they speak - more open vowels, slenderer consonants (particularly the "d" and the "t", which are pronounced like "dj" and "tj" before certain vowels). Germans are quite numerous in the South, particularly in the State of Rio Grande do Sul; but they traditionally lived in closed communities, so I'm not so sure to what extent they influenced demotic pronunciation. Plenty of immigration from Eastern Europe and Near East as well. But in many other parts of the country, in Northern regions like for instance Pernambuco, their pronunciation remains similar to the way we speak in Portugal.

European Portuguese, with all its muted sounds - not necessarily elisions, but close enough; plenty of schwas -, does sound a bit like Russian. But we're not the only ones. Think of Catalan: in many ways its pronunciation sounds closer to Portuguese than Spanish (vocabulary-wise, it's a different affair). Even some forms of Occitan - maybe Gascon? - sound similar.

[AB76]

Slawkenbergius wrote: "AB76 wrote: "is the difference in Portugal, that they speak the proper/older version in Portugal?"

There is something of that. Brazil became independent in the early 19th century, so the vocabular..."

very interesting Slawk, thanks for that. i have read about brazil and argentinan culture a lot and the immigrant influence (see my earlier post about my reading a book on argentina-chile from 1890-1914), however without the important perspective of speaking portugese or italian

Catalan is another topical thing for me, as i'm fascinated by the language and its "lighter" feel than spanish. Like Portugese it differs significantly from spanish and sounds, to me, a bit like a mix of french portugese and occitan

[AB76]

Miri wrote: "His character is one I like to use as an example of the really good character stuff on that show (...you may be able to tell I'm an annoying Trekkie evangelical about "The Terror"). At first you so..."

no problem with all the rambling, its not the Guardian , you wont get censored or deleted! though sam ran the TLS well

[Bill]

Leo Putz - like Paul de Kock, a memorable name. I'd never heard of him. The snail paintings do seem a pretty idiosyncratic fetish - instead of "furries", "slimies". I wonder if Patricia Highsmith was aware of them.

I too was reminded of The Fisherman's Wife (NSFW):
(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]
which is, nevertheless, on an altogether higher artistic plane.

[Georg]

Bill wrote: "Leo Putz - like Paul de Kock, a memorable name....

Indeed ;-)

[giveusaclue]

and Line of Duty is back tonight folks.

[Tam]

I'd like to just mention the sad death of Nawal El Saadawi, a great loss to the world of women fighting religious and sexist conventions, in her own culture. You will be missed by many, Nawal... Her book 'Woman at Point Zero' is one of the seminal texts that explained to me the huge differences of how women are treated, all around the world, and why.

I know it is not exactly spelt the same but I like to think of her as a narwhal, who is delighting, and committed to using her massive tusk to toss around the the 'forces of orthodox conventions' and liberate all people to be able to express themselves, in a more egalitarian, and thoughtful way... R.I.P. Nawal... thank you for the time, and effort, that you put into making the world a better place to be in, for so many...

[SydneyH]

Tam wrote: "I like to think of her as a narwhal, who is delighting, and committed to using her massive tusk to toss around the the 'forces of orthodox conventions' and liberate all people"

Marvellous :) I can't imagine a better send off. R.I.P.

[AB76]

Tam wrote: "I'd like to just mention the sad death of Nawal El Saadawi, a great loss to the world of women fighting religious and sexist conventions, in her own culture. You will be missed by many, Nawal... He..."

i have read two of her novels and have a third in the pile,a sad loss...

[Hushpuppy]

Cabbie wrote: "Hushpuppy wrote: "that stunning last minute win of France ..."

It was a great game and I felt really sorry for Alun Wynn Jones. As to the rule book, it's one of the great mysteries of life."

Yes, I do too and he was very measured and dignified, especially in the face of the silly questions from the interviewer. But who was that utterly moronic Welsh commentator (during the match)? Christ, he was either making useless comments, or downright nonsensical or plain wrong ones. Couldn't even see the (red card) foul was not on Wyn Jones. Oh, and he kept banging on how much the Welsh were disciplined, right after the referee had asked the captain to keep a lid on his guys, because 2 were already in the sin bin, and more would follow if they kept this going. Partisan commentating is already annoying enough, but that was a whole other level! Great drama in this match though, that made up for it...

[Shelflife_wasBooklooker]

To AB76, and others who have been missing visiting museums, this filmed guided tour with discussions between visitors and guide, due to its more interactive character, might be of interest.

So, if you'd like to see "the best in the Gallery of Honour" of the Amsterdam Rijksmuseum, "join the guided tour and learn more about the great Dutch masters such as Frans Hals, Vermeer and Rembrandt. But also about real Dutch cheese!"
https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en/stories...

Georg and Bill: Good point about the precursors. The ticklish snail is tickled on the foot by a daemon (dark on upper left side), so it differs in this way, but still...
I know there is a tentacle subgenre about in certain writings and films, but I have always refused to be sucked into that particular kink (eurgh).

As you may see, I am back to arts books & things and have not made any progress reading - having lost my momentum, it seems.

Have a good start to the week, everyone.

[AB76]

Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "To AB76, and others who have been missing visiting museums, this filmed guided tour with discussions between visitors and guide, due to its more interactive character, might be of interest.

So, if..."

thanks shelflife...i loved the Rijksmuseum on my many visits and i will explore this!