Posted by KVTaylor in Back from West Virginia slightly earlier than expected, and all is well. The car did in fact unknot many knotty things in my brain, and I am ready to carry on with the writing. Well, once I finish this little research book, anyhow. The problem with trying to write a mathematical genius– which I’ve already discussed vaguely– is really that one has to know what such a genius would think of. So beyond me. Thank god for Pascal’s letters!
Speaking of genius, I was reading Fitzgerald the whole weekend, The Beautiful and Damned. My love for him is no huge secret, but since there are writers and wish-they-were-writers in this book, there was a particular passage I thought would amuse. From page 16 of my edition:
Afterward he and Maury were going to the theater– Caramel would probably trot home and work on his book, which ought to be finished pretty soon.
Anthony was glad he wasn’t going to work on his book. The notion of sitting down and conjuring up, not only words in which to clothe thoughts but thoughts worthy of being clothed– the whole thing was absurdly beyond his desires.
Apart from being a testament to the wonderful awfulness of Fitzgerald’s characters, it has to give any writer a good chuckle. Maybe a slightly ironic one, but hey. Those are the best.
Also, I didn’t watch the Oscars, but I did see that Christoph Waltz won best supporting actor, which was the only category in which I had strong feelings this year. I know he’s won all the other awards so why not this one, but the man really, really deserves it. My husband dragged me to Inglourious Basterds and I was thinking, “Great, another Tarantino wankfest. Ohhh I write supposedly snappy dialogue for annoying people no one cares about! I’m so awesome!” But I ended up liking the movie a lot, and much of that had to do with Waltz’s performance.
Just putting that out there, since I’m appreciating genius today.
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Now playing: Franz Liszt – “Gretchen am Spinnrade”, S 558, No 8
via FoxyTunes
I make a point of never writing about geniuses.
I loved the title ‘Inglorious Basterds’ but have avoided the movie so far as I’m not a Tarantino fan.
Hee hee…wankfest. : )
Cate, I usually only do it if I can con a genius friend into writing their dialogue for me. But one as a PoV character? Duuuude. What was I thinking?
As for Tarantino, I’m not a fan either, but I was pleasantly surprised this time.
Nat, that’s the word!
Yeah, color me “not a Tarantino fan” as well. I might give this one a look see on DVD. I loved Jackie Brown for some reason. The rest of his stuff…zzzzz-snort-did you have to wake me up?
I’m snobbish that way.
I have not yet been brave enough to write a genius, but I did make the mistake of writing a poet.
Lapse in sanity, apparently. I think we all make them.
Also, Bullock got an award, and I think she’s hot, so I’m happy.
Aaron, I always end up liking certain scenes in his movies, but there’s way too much “trying too hard” involved and it’s dead dull. I don’t know, if you watch it let me know what you think, but I really like it.
Megh, yeah, that’s even harder any day. :/ I actually wrote a poem for this one the other day and it almost broke me. (Also, it is awful.)
And yes, yes she is hot.
If you are truly appreciating “genius” please enjoy this song, which I listened to FAR too much in college (before my more refined music tastes were developed):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGcdcVblZ-8
I have no refined tastes at all, so I gotta say, I heartily approve.
But I wouldn’t trust anyone who didn’t approve of a video full of riot gear.