Within three pages of The Unconsoled, I found that I couldn't stop thinking of Thomas Mann's Death in Venice. I'm not sure what it is about the prose or the story, since it's been many years since I read Death in Venice, but I keep wanting to go and read a few passages and see if this is just faulty memory or a real stylistic similarity.
I fought the text for the first few chapters, groping for a traditional plot where events spawned other logically flowing events. Seeing that this wasn't going to happen, I consciously let the expectation go and then found myself really enjoying Mr. Ryder's wanderings. Part of my brain is still wondering what all the point of it is, but I can see that each of his encounters reveals a little bit more about him and his concerns and is creating a detailed character portrait.
I still maintain that Mr. Ryder is my hero - my own psyche is appreciating his freedom to just forget about what he was supposed to do and never deal with any real consequences, particularly as end of semester deadlines are looming...
Comments (2)
I'll confess that I too love Ryder. In fact, my friend Gloria and I have a little game we like to play: when we find ourselves in strange or tense or off-kilter situations, we ask ourselves, "what if I were Ryder? What would he do?" (Sort of like, "What would Jesus do?!")
The Death in Venice connection is interesting. There are a couple of striking similarities: a character wandering in a place that's not his home (sort of, for Ryder) and aa somewhat inexplicable obsession driving the narrative. Anything else? Tone? Voice?
Posted by Lydgate | December 7, 2006 9:58 AM
Posted on December 7, 2006 09:58
I agree with you – I also had to learn to let go of my need for a traditional plot. For me, once that happened, I found myself getting drawn into the “logic” of the novel. For instance, by the middle of the novel, it made sense that Ryder would need to go to a hut in the mountains to practice the piece he was going to perform later in the evening.
Posted by vitaminc | December 26, 2006 10:56 AM
Posted on December 26, 2006 10:56