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December 12, 2011
6 notes
“The window gave onto a view of dove-gray roofs and balconies, each one containing the same cracked flowerpot and sleeping feline. It was as if the entire city of Paris had agreed to abide by a single understated taste. Each neighbor was doing his or her own to keep up standards, which was difficult because the French ideal wasn’t clearly delineated like the neatness and greenness of American lawns, but more of a picturesque disrepair. It took courage to let things fall apart so beautifully.” - Jeffrey Eugenides, from ‘The Marriage Plot’.

“The window gave onto a view of dove-gray roofs and balconies, each one containing the same cracked flowerpot and sleeping feline. It was as if the entire city of Paris had agreed to abide by a single understated taste. Each neighbor was doing his or her own to keep up standards, which was difficult because the French ideal wasn’t clearly delineated like the neatness and greenness of American lawns, but more of a picturesque disrepair. It took courage to let things fall apart so beautifully.” - Jeffrey Eugenides, from ‘The Marriage Plot’.

Tags: lit Paris rooftops of Paris The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides books about Paris Europe travel France courage cultural differences literature

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December 01, 2011

A little too wild about Oscar

When I mentioned to a friend that Oscar Wilde’s grave at Pere LaChaise cemetery is covered with lipstick marks, she wrinkled her nose and said, “Ewwww….” Yeah, it is kind of icky. So why the kisses? Wilde is loved and all, but so are a lot of other writers and artists, and except for Jim Morrison, their graves aren’t quite as…decorated. According to this news article, in 1999 “someone had the idea of planting a large, lipsticked kiss on the tomb, sparking a craze for Wilde’s many admirers visiting Paris.” The same article features an image of the glass shield recently unveiled to protect the newly cleaned tombstone from further displays of affection. I have to wonder if people won’t just start kissing the glass, instead?

Tags: Oscar Wilde literature travel France Paris Europe Irish writers Pere LaChaise

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November 01, 2011
47 notes
“Archer did not accompany his son to Versailles. He preferred to spend the afternoon in solitary roamings through Paris. He had to deal all at once with the packed regrets and stifled memories of an inarticulate lifetime.” Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

“Archer did not accompany his son to Versailles. He preferred to spend the afternoon in solitary roamings through Paris. He had to deal all at once with the packed regrets and stifled memories of an inarticulate lifetime.”

Edith Wharton, The Age of Innocence

Tags: Age of Innocence Edith Wharton Paris literature prose travel France