Paul emailed me his thoughts on Tropic of Cancer from Paris. Usually, I bring absentee comments to our meetings (to better ridicule the absent member, Paul) but this time I forgot. So here's Paul, speaking with not a little authority from a cafe in Paris:
.
I've now been through four books with MBC. Let's once again analyze the common threads:
Male main character? Check.
Main character is unsavory and broadly immoral? Check.
Main character is angst-ridden and given to self-destructive behavior? Check.
Implicit or explicit sex involved? Check.
Women are treated as inferior beings who are abused, abandoned, and/or killed? Check. (OK, I can hear Stan now saying "It's a MAN book club.")
Hmm. In four months, we've gone from testicles to...more testicles. Hence, if Garth regales you all with organic Rocky Mountain oysters, or with a French tart, it will all make sense.
I will now honor the great Hemingway by doing a tour of famous Parisian cafes and determining which espresso is manly enough.
Paul, your points are well-taken. However, to paraphrase Freud, sometimes a French tart is just a dessert....
Enjoy the rest of your trip!
No comments:
Post a Comment