pátek 5. května 2017
čtvrtek 4. května 2017
ON THE ROAD - Jack Kerouac (1957)
On the Road – Jack Kerouac (1957)
On the Road is the
most famous work of the Beat
Generation [1]of
writers.
On the Road is placed into America – the late forties and
early fifties if the 20th century – which is still plagued by class and racial
divides, but changing rapidly.
The main characters are based on Kerouac’s friends, many of
them prominent Beat Generation writers. Kerouac is also accounted[2]
as one of his main character – Sal Paradise.
His companion in this novel - Dean Moriarty is Neal Cassady - major figure of the Beat Generation ot the
1950s. On the Road describes dissatisfied young generation with their feelings,
ideas, experiencies – idealistic youth who yearn for something more than the bland[3]
conformity of a generally prosperous society.
In this novel appear many characters, but I have chosen the
most important for me.
Sal Paradise –
the narrator – main character. A young writer who lives in her aunt’s house in
Peterson - New Jersey – Long Island. He
loves his homeland, especially the grandeur[4]
of its landscape, the variety of its people.
Dean Moriarty –
the hero or failure – main character. A reckless[5],
frenetic[6], hyper –
energetic man full of ideas from Coloredo. He has been in and out of jail. He
is a big womanizer[7].
He has one by one wives and four children in the course of these three years.
He is a „holy goof[8]“.
Marylou – Dean’s first wife. A pretty young
blonde from Colorado.
Sal’s aunt – a tolerant, supportive and kind lady.
Throughout Sal’s wanderings she sends him money.
Camille – Dean’s second wife for whom he divorced
Marylou. Loyal Camille lives in San Francisco with her and Dean’s children.
Terry – a pretty Mexican girl. Sal’s mistress. He spends
with her fifteen days in California. She comes from a family of grape – pickers
in Sabinal and she has a small son Johnny. Terry escapes from her husband who
beats her.
Johnny – Terry’s seven year old son
Inez – Dean’s third wife. A sexy brunette who he meets
in New York.
Victor – a kind, polite Mexican man. He guides Sal,
Dean and Stan to Gregoria.
Laura – Sal’s girlfriend from Manhattan – N.Y. City at
the end of the novel.
The novel
began in the winter of 1947 in New York City. The narrator, Sal Paradise,
started to tell the story. He was depressed and bored. Reckless and joyous Dean
Moriarty, newly married, came to New York City and met Sal Paradise – a young
writer with an intellectual group of friends. Dean fascinated Sal. Dean’s
arrival “sparked” everything into motion. Sal was frenetic, hyper, and full of
ideas. Sal’s first impression of Dean was a young real perpresentative of the
West. They drank and talked until down. Sal liked Dean’s madness, eagerness, exuberance[9],
his Western spirit, different from Sal’s other friends. Sal felt like Dean was his a long – lost brother. Their friendship began three years of restless journeys
back and forth across the country with combination of bus rides and adventurous
hitchhiking and psychedelic escapades.
Sal
worked as a fieldworker in California for a while, among other things. The next
year, Dean came to East to Sal and they drove West together with more crazy adventures
ending in San Francisco that time. The winter after that, Sal went to Dean and
they travelled across the country again to New York and Dean settled there for
a while. In the spring, Sal went to Denver alone, but Dean soon joined him and
they went south all the way to Mexico City.
Perceptive Sal, who at the
beginning of the novel was weakened and depressed, gained in joy and confidence and
found love at the end.
On the Road,
in my opinion, is a novel of characters, moods, places, jazz music, lots of alcohol and drugs more than of
plot, and above all, the unceasing[10]
movement of the characters. Characters are often described with the attributes
of the place which they are from. Kerouac also compares attributes of the West
and East America. While the East is intellectual, stagnant, old, saddened and
critical, the West is passionate, young, exuberant and wild.
[1] The Beat Generation is a literary movement started by a group of
authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the
post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized
throughout the 1950s. Central elements of Beat culture are rejection of
standard narrative values, spiritual quest, exploration of American and Eastern
religions, rejection of materialism, explicit portrayals of the human
condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and
exploration - Wikipedia
[5] Lehkomyslný,
bezhlavý, lehkovážný, riskující
[6] Zběsilý,
bouřlivý
[7] Sukničkář,
proutník, záletník
[8] Blbec,
pitomec, trouba
[9] Veselost, bujarost, životní jiskra
[10] Neustálý,
nepřestálý
neděle 23. dubna 2017
A STREET CAR NAMED DESIRE (1947) – Tennessee Williams
A Street Car Named
Desire (1947) – Tennessee Williams
Is an American psychological drama situated in the South of
America (which is very conservative) – Louisiana state – New Orleans into the
fifties of the 20th century.
The plot is placed into a shanty town[1]
of New Orleans which has even if is it a poor quarter[2]
some charm. The main plot takes a place in a two-floor, corner house number 632
at a street called Elysian’s fields. To be more precious, mainly in the firts
floor of this house in a two rooms flat of Stanley and Stella Kowalski.
It is an early evening at the beginning of May
and the atmosphere is filled by tones of a „black piano“ in the background from
a corner bar.
The main
characters are working class people:
Blanche (Dubois) – is an American women over thirty
with French roots. She used to work as a teacher of English at Gymansium in a
town called Laurel. She is a „Southern Belle“[3]
and a coquette[4].
She likes to put on nice
dresses, plays “a theatre” and makes illusion about herself. She tries
to make illusion about her age, about her virtuousness[5],
primness,[6] her
whole life. She never forgets to ask : „How do I look?“ Blanche changes the rules of Stella and
Stenley’s family and also manipulates Stella.
Stella (Kowalski)
- is Blanche’s younger
sister. Stella is 25 and is pregnant. Stella wants to leave “old tracks”of previous
life. Most of the time she tries to calm down difficult situations with her
husband or her sister.
Stanley
Kowalski – as a
Polish emigrant, housband of Stella. He is in his thirties, physically is well
builded. He is independent, knows how to enjoy his life. Stenley is a strong
person - a “Macho man.” He has dominance
over Stella but he can not control
Blanche. But Stanley very soon reveales [7]
Blanche’s real situation.
Eunice – a white women, their upstairs neighbour.
Steve – husband of Eunice. One of the
poker players .
Pablo
Gonzales - One of
the poker players.
Mitch
Harold – a young,
serious, gallant man about thirty. He is also one of the poker players. He has
seriously sick mother.
“Another characters”
Shep
Huntleigh – a mysterious
lover of Blanche from Dallas
Mr
Graves – a director
of Gymnasium
Allan – Blanche’s former lover when they
were sixteen
Mr
Kiefaber – a travelling
salesman from the town Laurel
House – lost house Belle Reve
Blanche
came into New Orleans to visit her sister Stella. Blanche was shocked by the
place where Stella and Stanley lived. Anyway, she stayed with them in their
two-rooms flat plus a bathroom.
The bathroom
played a quite important role in this novel. Blanche loved frequent bathing and
occupied the bathroom very often. What is more, after her bath she mentioned that she felt
fresh and rested and never forgot to pour face powder around her and sprayed
her perfume. One
evening when Stanley, Mitch, Steve and Pablo played at Stanley and Stella’s
place poker, Stella nad Blanche went out for dinner and drink. On their way
back the man still played poker. Blanch and Stella came in, Mitch noticed
Blanche and immediately fell in love with her. They started to date, but
Blanche still kept illusion about her personality, moreover, she never
literally showed him her real face,only in the gloom[8]. That evening also happened a verbal fight between Stanley and Blanche
because of the radio. This quarrel [9]escalated
with fling[10]
the radio through a window by Stanley. In addition, Stanley in his fury
[11]physically
attacted pregnant Stella. Stella and Blanche run upstairs to Eunice’s flat to
find a shelter. Poker man calmed down Stanley and disappeared. Stanley
suddenly figured out what he did and run in front of the house and cried Stella’s
name. Between Stanley and Stella was a sensuous[12]
connection so she slowly came down and kissed and hugged each other. Blanche a next day told off [13]Stella
and named Stanley an animal, a stinky Polish and a prehistorical man.
Meanwhile
Stanley’s patience reached its top. He got sick and tired of Blanche’s manners[14],
sick and tired of Blanche’s secret drinking his whiskey and what is more, he
finally had an argument with Stella about lost house in Bella Reve. Stanley in
his fury emptied Blachne’s suitcase and lately argued with Blanche over the “documents”
of Belle Reve. Later one late
afternoon in the middle of September Blanche had a birthday. Stella made her a
birthday cake. Stanley did not forget to ask Stella : “How many candles you
sticked on the cake?” Stella sticked only 25. Stanley when Blanche was in the
bathroom also told to Stella the real truth about Blanche. Stella did not
believe him and argued, but a bit suspicion[15]
appeared in her mind. They invited for a birthday dinner Mitch, but he did not
come. Blanch was disappointed, but on the other hand she ask Stanley to tell
them jokes. Stanley started to get angry and quickly gave Blanche his present. An
envelope with a bus ticket back to Laurel. Blanche could not hide her panic.
Stanley hardly tried to keep the truth about Blanche’s real life – identity and
the dinner finished by smashed his plate. Blanche was still naively
surprised and unexpectedly Stella got contractions. Stanley and Stella went to
a hospital. Blanche stayed alone and suddenly Mitch came. He was crossed
because of the truth about Blanche from Stanley. Stanley discovered from a travelling salesman Mr Kiefaber in Laurel that
Blanche lost her job. She had an intimate contacts with many men in a hotel in
Laurel. Futhermore, she had an intimate contact with a seventeen year old
student at Gymansium where she taught. The headmaster Mr Graves fired her
immediately. She was incapable[16]
to hold this job. Blanche started to cry and explained to Mitch nearly
everything about her life. She told him about her sad relationship with a boy
Alan when they were sixteen. She told him about Allan’s relationship with some
man and how he shot himself. Stanley came back from the hospital and that evening had again an argument
with Blanche and finally "probably" raped her. Blanche in her played illusion
started to get muddled[17].
She wore a luxury dress and told to Stanley that she got an invitation from
Shep Huntleigh to join him at a cruise. She still waited for his call… Stella came back from the
hospital with a baby and life at house 632 continued. Blanche got mental
disaster. The novel finished when a doctor and a nurse came. The man played
downstairs poker, Eunice told to Blanche that she goes to vacation. Blanche was
confused, but finally left the house with the doctor…
T. Willams with mastery described inner experiencies of
main deeply different characters, often lonely, looking for filling their
desires. He used civil – the low middle class language - connected with their work which gave the
novel very realistic character. People are formed by its background and nobody respected
each other feelings. T. Willams used an open ending.
A Street Car Named Desire
considered by many to be one of William’s greatest was awarded by the Pulitzer
Price [18]for
Drama in 1948. In 1951 the play was adapted on a movie screen
and starring Marlon Brando as Stenley Kowalski.
[1] Chudinská
čtvrť
[2] Čtvrť
[3] Jižanská
kráska
[4] Koketa
[5] Ctnost
[6] Upjatost
[8] Šero, přítmí,
temnota
[9] Hádka,
roztržka
[10] Mrsknutí,
hození, švihnutí
[11] Zuřivost,
vztek, divokost
[13] Vynadat
[15] Podezření
[16] Nezpůsobilá
[17] Popletená, zmatená
[18] The Pulitzer Prize /ˈpʊlᵻtsər/[1] is an award for
achievements in newspaper, magazine and online journalism, literature, and musical composition in the United States. It
was established in 1917. Wikipedia
neděle 2. dubna 2017
OF MICE AND MEN - John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
The plot is placed into thirties years of the 20th century at a farm in a Salian valey in California - America during the Great Depression in the United States.[1]
Two impecunious[2]
men – farming workmen try to get a job at the farm in the Salian valey and at the same
time they dream about their own small property – a house – houskeeping, agriculture,
breeding[3] of pigs,
a caw, but most of all about breeding rabbits.
Both of them are completely different. While George Milton is a protective and foresighted[4]
man, Lennie Small, his
companion, as a feeble - minded[5]
( a bit special ) strong man.
Physically, George is rather short, moving, with a dark –
skinned[6] face,
restless eyes, firm features. On the other hand, Lennie is a giant with a
shapeless face, big pale eyes and with clumsy[7]
movement.
Lennie do everything after George. Lennie grew up with his
auntie Clara, but after her death George took care of him.
As for the plot…An agency "Muray – Ready" in Weed arranged for
George and Lennie jobs at the farm in the Salian valey in California. They got in a
trouble at a former farm, to be more precious, Lennie got into the trouble with
some girl. Lennie tried only caressed[8]
some girl, touched her dress, but the girl was affraid of him and he hold her
until her scream – yell. And the problem arose.
Lennie was also passioned by mice. He caressed them with no
gentleness and all of them he more by accident than by design,[9]
killed.
Before they got at the farm in the Salian valey by foot, they
stopped in nature next to a small green pool[10]
with willow trees. This place George marked as a meeting point – pre – arranged
– secret place if something bad happen. They got at the farm in the morning and
went into a house for workmen with eight beds. There they met an old workman
called Candy and also their keeper – owner of the farm. The owner questioned
George and Lennie, but Lennie got a ban form George not to speak at all. George
called Lennie his cousin even it was not true. George also described to the
owner Lennie’s mental disability,
but he swore he is a strong workman.
Candy – the workman without one hand had an old, stinky, shepherd’s dog
with a grey muzzle, pale-blind eyes and unhealthy fur.
An another
character in this novel was Curley –
the son of the owner. Curley was a thin young, small man with a dark-skinned
face, thick hair. He was a former nimble[11]
boxer. Curley had a wife who, generally speaking, loved men. The workmen called
her whore[12]
and express into a guod.[13]
Curley was extremely jealous and every single man was in huge danger with him.
Curley’s wife had no name in this
novel. She was a young woman who provoked men, she was a temptress.[14]
As for her appearence – she made up her full lips, made up her eyes, her nails
were red and her hair remainded sausages. When she met with George and Lennie,
Lennie looked at her with amazement but George warned him strongly.
Slim was an another
workmen at this farm. He worked as a coachman[15]
and had a calm, sensible character. He was also an owner of a female dog with new
born puppies. Lennie got a promise to have on of five puppies. Lennie spent one
evening in a stable[16]
with new born puppies until he got warning from Slim not to touch them so
early.
Carlson was a fat
workman with a gun. He persuaded an old Candy to kill his old stinky dog and
got a puppy from Slim. Candy finally refused to kill his loved dog so Carlson
did it one evening outside with his gun. He shot Candy’s loved dog.
Crooks was an another
character. He was a black man – horseman[17]
, physically disabled, who was separated – isolated from other workmen and had
a small room in a stable.
There was an accident one evening when Curley looked for her
wife. He got into workmen’s
house, argued with them and finally Curley attacted Lennie. Lennie was injured
in his face, but Curley got from this fight mashed his hand. Lennie mashed
Curley’s hand simply in
his fist. Curley was forced by the workmen to tell his father and his wife that
he put his hand into a machine.
The novel escalated one Sunday afternoon. The workmen played
outside with a horse shoe when Lennie was in the stable and looked at a dead
puppy which he killed by accident. Suddenly Curley’s wife came into the stable and found Lennie
with the dead puppy. Lennie caressed the dead body of the puppy and spoke with
it. Curley’s wife tried to cough Lennie’s attention and finally she did it. She
spoke about her hair and let him to touch her soft hair. Lennie enjoyed it but
he did it without gentleness. Curley’s wife started to yell and Lennie in fear
covered her mouth with his hand. She still yelled and begged him to let her go
but he got angry and unexpectedly broke her back of a neck. Lennie covered
half of her dead body with hay and disappeared with the dead puppy to their
meeting point – secret – pre-arranged place in nature – place with the small
green pool and willow trees. Candy went into the stable, looked after Lennie
and in horror he found Curley’s wife with the broken neck.[18]
He called George and later other workmen and also Curley came. What is more,
Carlson’s gun disappeared. All the workmen with Curley went to find Lennie.
George went for sure into their secret place. Meanwhile Lennie had an imaginery
– magic speech with her dead aunt Clara and then with a big rabbit. When George
got at their secret place Lennie yelled his name. George calmly sat next to
Lennie and told him to look over a river and just to listen to him. Lennie
often ask George to tell him about their future the small house, farming, rabbits, an idea of freedom etc…Lennie loved to visualize this idea and calmed himself
down. George took slowly the Carlson’s gun and put it on Lennie’s nape[19]…..
and shot him. Lennie fell into sand. He was dead. Suddenly Slim’s voice called
George…they found him dejected[20]…and
Slim offered George a shot…
Soledado was a
nearest town with pubs and prostitutes. The workmen spent most of their money
and days off in this town in a cathouse[21]
owned by Susana. Women spoiled men’s
dream.
[1] The Great Depression began in August 1929,
when the United States economy first went into an economic recession. Although the
country spent two months with declining GDP, it was not until the Wall Street Crash in
October 1929 that the effects of a
declining economy were felt, and a major worldwide economic downturn ensued.
The market crash marked the beginning of a decade of high unemployment,
poverty, low profits, deflation, plunging farm incomes,
and lost opportunities for economic growth and personal advancement. Although its causes are
still uncertain and controversial, the net effect was a sudden and general loss
of confidence in the economic future. Wikipedia
[2]
Nemajetný, bez peněz
[3] Chování,
šlechtění
[4]
Prozíravý
[5] Mentálně
zaostalý, slabomyslný
[6] Snědý
[7]
Neohrabaný
[8] Pohladit,
laskat
[9] Spíš
náhodou něž úmyslně
[10] Tůňka
[11] Mrštný
[12] Děvka,
kurva
[13] Basa,
kriminál, lapák
[15] Kočí
[16] Stáj
[17] Koňák
[18] Zlomený
vaz
[19] Zátylek
[21] Nevěstinec
čtvrtek 30. března 2017
Dear All,
Should you feel like doing so, have a look (and a listen) to one of the most important poets of the turn of the last centrury, Robert Frost (1874 - 1976), reading his famous "Birches"...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBw-OaOWddYAlthough towards the end the poem loses its momentum a bit, the beginning is just superb...
Birches
(Roberst Frost)
When I see birches bend to left and right
Across the lines of straighter darker trees,
I like to think some boy's been swinging them.
But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay
As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them
Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning
After a rain. They click upon themselves
As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored
As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.
Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells
Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—
Such heaps of broken glass to sweep away
You'd think the inner dome of heaven had fallen.
They are dragged to the withered bracken by the load,
And they seem not to break; though once they are bowed
So low for long, they never right themselves:
You may see their trunks arching in the woods
Years afterwards, trailing their leaves on the ground
Like girls on hands and knees that throw their hair
Before them over their heads to dry in the sun.
But I was going to say when Truth broke in
With all her matter-of-fact about the ice-storm
I should prefer to have some boy bend them
As he went out and in to fetch the cows—
Some boy too far from town to learn baseball,
Whose only play was what he found himself,
Summer or winter, and could play alone.
One by one he subdued his father's trees
By riding them down over and over again
Until he took the stiffness out of them,
And not one but hung limp, not one was left
For him to conquer. He learned all there was
To learn about not launching out too soon
And so not carrying the tree away
Clear to the ground. He always kept his poise
To the top branches, climbing carefully
With the same pains you use to fill a cup
Up to the brim, and even above the brim.
Then he flung outward, feet first, with a swish,
Kicking his way down through the air to the ground.
So was I once myself a swinger of birches.
And so I dream of going back to be.
It's when I'm weary of considerations,
And life is too much like a pathless wood
Where your face burns and tickles with the cobwebs
Broken across it, and one eye is weeping
From a twig's having lashed across it open.
I'd like to get away from earth awhile
And then come back to it and begin over.
May no fate willfully misunderstand me
And half grant what I wish and snatch me away
Not to return. Earth's the right place for love:
I don't know where it's likely to go better.
I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
And climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
Toward heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
But dipped its top and set me down again.
That would be good both going and coming back.
One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.
neděle 26. března 2017
FIESTA by Ernest Hemingway - 1926
The plot takes place in France and Spain in period after
1st World War.
The main
characters are:
Jack Barnes –
an editor, who is also a narrator of the whole novel
Brett Ashley – 34 years old pretty women with short hair cut,
emotionaly disbalanced, scandalous, promiscuous,
femme fatale
Mike Cambel,
Robert Cohn ( Jew), Bill Gorton.
They are all of them more or less good friends, come from middle or lower classes and they are
also bohemians, heavy drinkers and some of them layabouts.
Hemingway called
them – „lost generation“.
Before I tell the story I would like to explain the word Fiesta. Fiesta in this novel means
seven days long celebration of bull fights in a town called Pamlone in Spain.
People celebrate Fiesta in streets, bars, restaurants.
I am going to tell the story since Jack and Bill moved to
Spain countryside for fishing eels at river Irati. Hemingway describes in all
details nature, relaxed mood, summer weather, passion for fishing, drinking
etc. Later their friends came to Pamplone for Fiesta and bull fights and all of
them met there. They stayed in a local hotel where aslo stayed on of the
toreadors – Pedro Romero – handsome,
19 years old promising toreador.
Then Hemingway descibed Fiesta celebration in streets and
most of all he narrated in details the arena and bull fights. I did not like
this part very much as I do not like killing animals just for pleasure,
entertainment even if is it a national tradition. Anyway during bull fights
Brett crazy and seriously fell in love with Pedro Romero – the toreador. Her
lover Robert Cohn was extremely jalous and the novel escalated into serious and physical fight between Cohn and Pedro
Romero. The result was that Cohn had to leave Pamplone by morning train.
The Fiesta came to its end and the rest of the group was
leaving the town Pamplone. Brett left with Pedro Romero into Madrid. Jack – the
narrator decided to „restart himself“ after seven days long celebration and spent
a couple of days at sea cost in Spain in town San Sebastiano. Last chapter I
really liked because Hemingway described in particular deatils landscape of San
Sebastiano. He also narrated how was Jack enjoyed swimming in the sea, sunbathing,
watching people and relaxed atmosphere of the sea cost. He also described in
particular details for example how Jack took off his clothes and put on the
swimming suits and vise versa after swimming. Sudenly Jack got an urgent
telegram form Brett who was in that time in Madrid with Pedro Romero. Jack
packed all of his stuff and went by night train to Madrid. In a hotel Montana
he met with Brett who is dissapointed and confused by Pedro Romero. Jack calmed
her down and went with her for a walk…That is the end of the novel.
I would like to add that in the whole novel goes as a red
line alcohol – lots of bottles of wine,
beer and local spirits.
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