Flann O'Brien's At Swim Two Birds

There is something really exciting about reading a novel that defies the standard expectations of form. Flann O'Brien begins his novel, At Swim-Two-Birds, under the premise that "A good book may have three openings entirely dissimilar and inter-related only in the presence of the author, or for that matter one hundred times as many endings." That is precisely how this novel begins...and ends. The narrative is written in layers with the actual author writing a story about a writer writing a story about another writer writing a story. In some odd way, it reminds me of the movie Inception, not by any means in content, but in form. You know, the dream within a dream within a dream?

I like the narration and humor. The narrator is a wonderfully odd man. The humor is subtle, a little dry, but hilarious. The story that the narrator writes is entertaining as well. I can't say that I always understand what's going on in this story within a story. It requires a little bit of effort of my behalf. Well worth it though. What's particularly nice about this novel, and what generates a sense of confusion as well, is the manner in which O'Brien's layers begin to overlap.

Check out this link: http://www2.citypaper.com/arts/story.asp?id=15434

Graham Greene's Brighton Rock

A murderer is regarded by the conventional world as something almost monstrous, but a murderer to himself is only an ordinary man. It is only if the murderer is a good man that he can be regarded as monstrous. Graham Greene

What a bloody brilliant novel! I'm completely captivated by the plot, the characters, the dialogue. I'm about 2/3 of the way through and I can't stop reading. Presumably, this novel is set in England, but it has this very "Brooklyn" feel about it.

In any case, I found this song by Queen, "Brighton Rock," affirming that yes, yes, this is British, very British:

Queen - Brighton rock

Evelyn Waugh's Handful of Dust

I spent Thanksgiving break in Los Angeles, California this year. On the flight to L.A., I began reading Waugh's novel Handful of Dust. I was pretty amazed at how quickly I read this book. One three hour flight and a couple hours later, I had finished it.

It was certainly humorous...in a way that reminds me of Jonathon Swift's A Modest Proposal. I'd venture to say that this was Waugh's attempt at satirizing the institution of marriage. Brenda and Tony's marriage seems pretty decent initially. Nothing to write home about, for sure, but they have a sort of routinized, comfortable life together, planning their diets and such. It was pretty amazing to me how quickly their marriage evaporated. Okay. I take it back. I'm not.

What was absolutely hilarious to me about this novel was Waugh's use of irony to illustrate the hypocrisy and manipulation of Tony and Brenda's social reality. For instance, Brenda initiates the divorce because she is having an affair with Beavers, but by the end she has convinced everyone, including herself, that Tony had been in the wrong and was the cause for the divorce. It was his drinking, of course.

I genuinely liked this novel. I'm starting to open up a bit more to this Brit. Lit. business. :)