Thank God that's over

n  «Mi sembra che i furori politici ti siano sbolliti.»
«Effetto dell’età» rispose l’avvocato.
E si misero a fare il bilancio della loro vita."n





Protagonista de L'educazione sentimentale è Frédéric Moreau, un giovane provinciale.
Proprio la giovane età e il contrasto tra la vita di provincia con quella parigina sono i motori che scaldano una storia in continuo movimento.

Sul battello che lo riporta a casa (a Nogent-sur-Seine) Frédéric fa la conoscenza di un uomo di nome Arnoux (proprietario a Parigi de ”L’Art industriel (...) un’azienda ibrida costituita da una rivista di pittura e un negozio di quadri.”) e della moglie Marie:


”Fu come un’apparizione.
Stava seduta al centro della panca, sola; o almeno, nell’abbacinio che gli procurò il suo sguardo, Frédéric non distinse nessun altro. Mentre le passava davanti, lei alzò il viso; lui, istintivamente, chinò le spalle; poi, preso posto più lontano ma dalla stessa parte, la osservò.”


Frédéric si avvierà come Rastignac (Papà Goriot) alla conquista di Parigi (iscrivendosi anche lui a giurisprudenza) con l'aggravante di essere obnubilato dall’ossessione per una donna che in realtà non conosce.

Da subito si rivela come un giovane irrisolto:
è in quella fase della vita in cui potrebbe essere tutto i potenza ma ” l’ozio della mente e l’inerzia del cuore divennero una gravosa abitudine.”

Attorno a lui da un lato la cerchia di amici coetanei e le idee rivoluzionarie che stanno agitando il popolo francese anti-monarchico;
dall’altro, il cosiddetto, bel mondo costituito da una borghesia anch’essa effimera.

Tutti questi elementi fanno sì che la storia viaggi su binari paralleli non fermandosi ad essere il racconto dei sentimenti adolescenziali ma mette in campo tutte le utopie di una generazioni e i loro inevitabili fallimenti.

Flaubert dichiarò così le sue intenzioni:

«Voglio fare la storia morale degli uomini della mia generazione; sarebbe più esatto dire sentimentale. È un libro d’amore, di passione; ma di passione come può esistere adesso, cioè inattiva».

Due vene narrative, pertanto, che necessitano di equilibrio tra loro ed infatti egli scrisse in una lettera ad un amico:

”«Faccio molta fatica a incastrare i miei personaggi negli avvenimenti politici del ’48!
Ho paura che lo sfondo divori il primo piano.
È il difetto del genere storico. I personaggi della storia sono più interessanti di quelli della finzione, soprattutto quando questi ultimi hanno delle passioni moderate”.


In realtà, l’equilibrio c’è e si rivela in un’abbondanza sia sul piano privato e fantasioso sia su quello pubblico e storico.
Il risultato è una lettura corposa, piena di elementi anche speculari tra quelle che sono le vicende di Frédéric e quelle storiche.


Un romanzo che necessita una lettura attenta ripagata sia nella forma sia nei contenuti.



”Avevano fallito tutti e due, sia quello che aveva sognato l’amore, sia quello che aveva sognato il potere. Qual era stata la ragione?
«Forse la mancanza di una linea diritta» disse Frédéric.
«Questo può valere per te. Io invece ho peccato proprio per eccesso di linearità, senza tenere conto delle mille cose secondarie che sono più forti di tutto. Io avevo troppa logica, tu troppo sentimento.»
Poi diedero la colpa al caso, alle circostanze, all’epoca in cui erano nati.”

خطر لو رفتن داستان
گوستاو فلوبر نويسنده فرانسوي،تربيت احساسات را پس از هفت سال كار بر روي ان در سال ١٨٦٩منتشر كرد.گوستاو فلوبر را اغازگر و پايه گذار رمان مدرن مي دانند.تربيت احساسات هميشه زير سايه ي مادام بواري به عنوان دومين كتاب بزرگ فلوبر شناخته شده ولي منتقدان بزرگي تربيت را بهترين رمان او ميدانند.
تربيت احساسات داستان زندگي فردريك مورو است كه در ابتداي داستان به صورت اتفاقي در يك كشتي با اقاي ژاك ارنو اشنا ميشود و همان دم دل در گرو همسر او(خانم ارنو) ميبندد.فردريك كه خورده بورژوايي شهرستانيست با بلندپروازي زيادي به پاريس مي ايد.او در ابتدا مصمم و با اراده است ولي هر چه زمان پيش ميرود بيشتر در منجلاب زندگي بورژوازي غرق ميشود.او كه هميشه روياي نويسنده شدن يا پيدا كردن شغلي در دولت يا وزارت دارد نه تنها به روياهايش نميرسد بلكه تمام ميراثي كه از پدر و عمويش هم به او رسيده را در راه احساسات خام دستانه اش فدا ميكند..
فردريك كه در ابتداي داستان جواني با شرم و حيا و خجالتي معرفي ميشود"دور و بري هايش دانشجوياني مثل خودش بردند.از استادان و از معشوقه هايشان براي هم تعريف ميكردند.او از هيچ استادي ككش هم نميگزيد!معشوقه اش كجا بود!براي انكه شاهد خوشي هايشان نباشد هر چه ديرتر به انجا ميرفت".
فردريك در طول زندگي اش وابسته ٤ زن ميشود و دائماً بين انها در حركت و جابجايي ست:١-اولين زن همسر ارنو و اولين معشوقه او است كه به نظر ميرسد تنها زني هم هست كه او واقعا دوستش دارد.٢-دومين رزانت است كه او هم معشوقه ارنوست و انگيزه فردريك از خواستن او زيبايي و شهرت او بين مردان جامعه بورژوا و گاهي انتقام گرفتن از خانم ارنو.٣-سومين لوييز"دختر بچه اي بود كه دچار يكي از ان عشقهاي كودكانه اي شد كه هم به پاكي يك دين و هم به تندي يك نيازند" كه انگيزه فردريك از او بي اعتنايي زنان بورژوا به او و ثروت پدر اوست.٤-چهارمين زن خانم دامبروز همسر بانكدار ثروتمند است و باز هم انگيزه فردريك تحكيم كردن مقامش بين اشراف و ثروت اوست.
فردريك به هر ٤ زن قول ازدواج ميدهد و در اخر به هيچ كدام وفا نميكند و به هيچ يك از هدف هايش نميرسد.او در رابطه با اين زنها چنان اصول اخلاقي را زير پا ميگذارد كه فلوبر در توصيفش ميگويد:ديگر براي هميشه به دنياي برتر زناهاي اشرافي و دسيسه هاي مهم پا گذاشته بود.در حين كش و قوسهاي فردريك بين زنان،فرانسه دستخوش انقلاب ميشود.سلطنت واژگون ميشود و جمهوري برقرار ميگردد،جمهوري شكست ميخورد و متعاقب ان شورش ميشود و كشتار.فردريك كه درابتدا جوانيست مسئول كه سياست و جامعه و حكومت برايش مهم هستند،در حين انقلاب براي اينكه با معشوقه اش تنها باشد از پاريس خارج ميشود و به جاي بي خطري ميرود.
از نظر من مادام بواري كتاب بهتري از تربيت احساسات است.تربيت كتابيست با توصيفات بيشمار اشيا و فضا.ولي كار فلوبر انجا كه سراغ توصيف كاراكترها ميرود و تمام ابعاد شخصيتي انها از جمله ضعف و قدرت،بخل و حسد و نيرنگ،حماقت و ساده زيستي و البته فساد انها را به تصوير ميكشد بينظير است.توصيفات فلوبر از انقلاب ١٨٤٨ فرانسه عاليست.او در حين نشان دادن زندگي پوچ و بي معني فردريك به سادگي انقلاب و درگيريهاي بورژواها و طبقه كارگر را وارد داستان ميكند.
با اينحال تربيت رمان مورد علاقه من نيست.بسياري جاها كتاب كند پيش ميرفت و توضيحات زياده از حد بود.ضمن اينكه كتاب تعليق زيادي ندارد و صرفاً رفت و امدهاي متوالي يك جوان در ميان معشوقه هايش است.
قسمتهايي از كتاب:
در نتيجه حرمت مالكيت تا حد مذهب بالا رفته بود و انگار ان را با خود پروردگار يكي ميدانستند.حمله هايي كه به ان ميشد انگار از كفرگويي و حتي ادم خواري بدتر بود.تسغ گيوتين در تك تك هجاهاي جمهوري طنين مي انداخت،فرانسه ديگر خودش را سرور حس نميكرد،از ترس به داد و فرياد افتاده بود،چون كوري كه عصايش را از او گرفته باشنديا بچه اي كه لله اش را گم كرده باشد.
ص٤٢٧-براي دلبري از زنها بايد يا بيقيدي دلقك وار نشان داد يا خشم يك قهرمان تراژدي را.اگر ساده و بي پيرايه به زن بگويي كه دوستش داري مسخره ات ميكند.
ص٦٩-چيزي كه از زنها شما را فريب ميدهد،دقيقا همان چيزيست كه از نظر فكري مايه تنزل اوست،يعني پستان و گيسوانش
ص١٦٣-دولت دارد ما را مي بلعد،روي همه چيز دست گذاشته:فلسفه،حقوق،هنر،هوا..فرانسه دارد به صدا در مي ايد:زير چكمه ژاندارم و رداي كشيش به تنگ امده.
ص٤٣٦-هدف به چيزها حقانيت ميدهد.ديكتاتوري بعضي وقتها لازم است.زنده باد استبداد،به شرطي كه مستبد كار خوب بكند!
سپس براي انكه با ان چيزِ گنگ غير قابل تعريفِ چون اينه بازتاباننده اي اشنا شود كه محافل ناميده ميشوند.

موضوع کلی داستان ساده و چیزی نبود که قبل‌تر توی کتابی نخونده باشیم؛ اما امان، امان از جزئیات پرپیچ‌و‌تاب و زیبای فلوبر. هروقت نیاز به جزئی‌نگری در داستانی داشتید و حوصله‌تون به‌قدر کافی فراخ بود، این کتاب شما رو به دنیای دیگه‌ای می‌بره. و تنها ایرادی که می‌تونم بگیرم موضوعات سیاسی-اجتماعی‌ای بود که برای من خیلی جالب نبود و انگار با باقی کتاب حل نمی‌شد. به نوعی حس می‌کردم دارم کتابی از برادر داستایوسکی می‌خونم که اتفاق‌های داستانش حول عشقی در رفت‌وآمد پیش میره.

Más que la historia en general, lo que amé fue la forma de escribir de Flaubert. Las descripciones, los cambios de tiempo, los personajes; en fin, fue magnifico. Además esa tercera parte fue lo que más me agradó del libro. Su calificación sería un 4.5

“Tutto ciò che la gente critica nei romanzi come delle esagerazioni, voi me l'avete fatto provare»

Parafrasando stupidamente Calvino: a volte uno si sente incompleto, ingenuo, ipocrita, inconcludente, insopportabile, illuso… e invece è solo il giovane Frédéric Moreau creato dal sempre spietato genio di Gustave Flaubert.

Che capolavoro incredibile.

Protagonist Frédéric Moreau becomes infatuated with an older married woman, Marie Arnoux. Moreau is shallow, self-absorbed, and indecisive. Unable to court Madame Arnoux, he forms relationships with three other women (a mistress, a country girl, and a woman of social standing) but has trouble with commitment. He flits from one to another, always returning to his obsession with Madame Arnoux. He cannot decide on a career, vacillating between writer, painter, poet, politician, and lawyer. He is lucky in inheriting money but finds many ways to squander it. He is always searching for love but rarely finding it.

While Flaubert’s characters are not particularly likeable, with a few exceptions, they are believable. Flaubert indicts the moral vacuity of these characters. He infuses the narrative with a strong sense of irony. Published in 1869 and set in France in the 1840s, it covers a turbulent time in French history when events led to the abdication of Louis-Philippe, rise of the Second Republic, and rule by Napoleon III. Unlike many 19th century novels, the prose is not overly elaborate. I am always looking for opportunities to read about period history from those who lived it. I found it surprisingly relevant to today’s world.

Translated from French by Douglas Parmee
Narration by Jonathan Fried

اگر کسی مثل من توان خوندن یک رمان ۵۰۰ صفحه‌ای رو داره که صفحه‌به‌صفحه‌اش پر شده با توصیف ریزجزئیات منظره‌ها و مکان‌ها؛ و هم‌چنین حوصلهٔ نشستن در محافل و دورهمی‌های بلندمقام‌های پاریس در حدود ۱۸۴۰ رو داره، یعنی زمان پرالتهابی که در نهایت به انقلاب ۱۸۴۹ فرانسه ختم می‌شه، و از رجوع به توضیح‌های آخر کتاب خسته نشه، چون که برای فهمیدن زمینهٔ خیلی از گفتگوها نیاز می‌شه؛ و چنین شخصی اگه از دنبال کردن زندگی و احساسات شخصی و جاه‌طلبی‌های جوانکی به نام «فردریک مورو» خوشش بیاد، احتمالا خرده‌لذتی از خوندن این رمان هم نصیبش می‌شه.

in una delle scene più youtoubate di manhattan, woody allen colloca l’educazione sentimentale di flaubert al sesto posto, in ordine di comparizione, nell’elenco delle cose per cui vale la pena vivere. per dovere d’inventario, subito dopo i film svedesi («naturalmente») e prima di marlon brando e frank sinatra.
ed è un curioso contrappasso per questo immenso romanzo (e pace se il plot preferisce le slabbrature ai colpi di scena, e se qui dentro non si trova un eroe che sia uno: flaubert aveva in uggia il romanzesco in sé, e ci ha messo 5 anni per creare quest’opera a modo suo. ma ne è uscito, appunto, un immenso romanzo) dicevo che è un curioso contrappasso, la lista in cui allen inserisce l’educazione. perché girata l’ultima pagina, la prima cosa che ragionevolmente ci si chiede è proprio per cosa davvero ha vissuto frédéric moreau. per cosa, se il grande amore della sua vita è rimasto nella categoria miraggio, e se il dialogo che chiude le quasi 500 pagine sancisce che, per la strabenedetta educazione sentimentale del titolo, niente è stato più istruttivo di qualcosa avvenuto prima che tutto iniziasse. qualcosa che sembrava niente, ma aveva in sé l’entusiasmo non ancora corroso dalla disillusione. perché pur essendo stato pensato nella francia di metà dell’800, il protagonista frédéric fa la fine della giovane promessa di arbasiniana definizione. e per tutto il libro noi perdiamo leggerezza e fiducia a palate, insieme a lui.
(detto ciò: più flaubert per tutti, sempre).

More than likely the great-grandfather of texts such as The Savage Detectives on the one hand and American Pie on the other, this may be the archetype (though not the prototype) for all 'numbnut college bros chase tail' narratives. Its setting during the 1848 revolution tips it decisively toward Bolano in content--but that severe window dressing doesn't hide its trifling essence, aptly expressed by one pie-fucker as "the most equitable and forcible position is to have no opinion at all."

We see the interpenetration of two subject matters--affairs of state and affairs of marriage--in the novel's recognition that "this Republic of yours has to be kept like a mistress," a recombination of the classical polis and oikos over whose improvident fusion Greek tragedy obsessed. One socialist character is upbraided for "his sense of duty or a desire to exercise despotic authority," a zone of indistinction that applies both to a republic and to a mistress. A devotee of de Maistre, by contrast, a precursor to Trump and his cultists, "had doubts about the most well-established facts, contradicted history, and disputed things whose certainty could not be questioned; so that at the mention of the word 'geometry,' he exclaimed: 'what a joke this geometry is!'" Some things haven't changed, in rightwing politics or in marital affairs

All that said, this one is definitely a tragedy, but not a bloody Senecan exercise, considering the trajectory of the protagonist, who fears the "emptiness of his hopes" and "profound intellectual solitude," both emblematic of the erimo technis, a kenomatic state wherein "public affairs had become utterly unimportant to him, so deeply preoccupied he by his private concerns"--a reduction to the status of bare life for its own sake, collapsed to a singularity of lumpenized antisocial nihilism. Good times.

L'Education Sentimentale is well known to be one of Woody Allen's favourite books, and it explores one of Allen's favourite themes. Whether life is a tragedy or a comedy depends on hair-fine nuances. Melinda and Melinda is probably the clearest example: the perspective constantly, and rather confusingly, shifts back and forward between comedy and tragedy. A bit later, he redid the idea in a more convincing way, as the linked pair Match Point (the tragedy) and Scoop (the comedy).

In the same spirit, here's a linked pair of reviews. I wrote the tragic one first, but then felt that I really needed to balance it with a comic version.

________________________

Tragic review

O Hamlet, speak no more:
Thou turn'st mine eyes into my very soul;
And there I see such black and grained spots
As will not leave their tinct.

I'm afraid it's not exactly a fun beach read. If L'Education Sentimentale doesn't make you feel uneasy, you're either a remarkably secure person or you decided to quit before reaching the end. And Flaubert does a good job of sneaking up on you: for the first hundred pages or so, I felt it was one of those books where nothing was going to happen, and it wasn't until I was about halfway through that I really began to feel disquieted. He's good.

On the surface, it's unremarkable, except for the lovely prose. Frédéric is a stupid and shallow young man in 1840s France. After a chance meeting on a boat, he conceives a passion for Mme. Arnoux, a beautiful married woman. He manages to insinuate himself into her husband's social circle, and becomes friendly with him. After a while, M. Arnoux trusts young Frédéric enough that he introduces him to his mistress, the charming and scatterbrained Roseanette. Frédéric falls for her too, and then his romantic life becomes even more complicated. I'll try to avoid dropping any more spoilers, but I thought I should convince you that it's definitely not a book where nothing happens: as in Madame Bovary and Salammbô, there's ample sex and violence.

So, why's it so disquieting? One way to explain is to compare with two other novels, which were written not long after and certainly, at least in part, were inspired by it. In Proust's Le Côté de Guermantes, Marcel becomes as obsessed with the Duchesse de Guermantes as Frédéric does with Mme. Arnoux, but by the end of the novel he's got over her; we get a detailed account of how her charm gradually fades away, so that he can finally see her objectively. It's disappointing, but extremely rational. And in Maupassant's Bel-Ami, Georges Duroy cleverly exploits his series of mistresses to become rich and successful; this time, you're shocked at how cold-blooded he is, but it's also rational.

I thought at several points that Frédéric was going to take one of these paths; he doesn't. The novel's extraordinary strength is to get inside his mind as he dithers between the various women he's involved with, and demonstrate how he simply isn't capable of any kind of rational thought whatsoever. He's with X, and Flaubert shows with his usual exactitude how blissfully in love he is with her. Then, a few pages later, he's with Y, and his protestations of eternal devotion don't come across as hypocritical: much worse, they're sincere! And, in the next chapter, with Z... well, you get the picture. It's horrifyingly well done.

In the middle of all this, the Revolution of 1848 breaks out. (By the way: if you're as ignorant about French history as I am, I strongly recommend getting an annotated edition. Flaubert assumes you know the story already, and keeps referring to people and events I'd never heard of - I was flipping to the endnotes like I was reading Infinite Jest). I did wonder for a moment what the politics had to do with the main story; alas, that rapidly becomes clear too. Like the eponymous hero of the Rabbit series, Frédéric is constitutionally incapable of seeing past the end of his own dick. The fact that France has been given a once-in-a-century chance to establish a fairer and more democratic government completely escapes him. There is a magnificent sequence where a major event has occurred, and people are shooting at each other in the streets; all Frédéric can think about is the fact that he's missed an important date with one of his loved ones. I was strongly reminded of the scene near the beginning of Shaun of the Dead, where Shaun, who's just been dumped by his girlfriend, stumbles home in a daze while somehow managing not to notice that London is being invaded by flesh-eating zombies.

You will gather that L'Education Sentimentale does not present a positive and uplifting view of human nature. If only it were ugly or hastily written, one could dismiss it. But no: as always with Flaubert, it's meticulously crafted and a delight to read. A lot of the time, it's even funny. You may occasionally want to fling it across the room; more often, you're going to react with a wry smile. He's witty and entertaining.

I started with a quote from Hamlet, arguably one of the book's ancestors, and I'll conclude with one from Cat's Cradle, probably a great-grandson, and also a very funny book. Here's Kurt Vonnegut on the same subject.

And I remembered The Fourteenth Book of Bokonon, which I had read in its entirety the night before. The Fourteenth Book is entitled 'What Can a Thoughtful Man Hope for Mankind on Earth, Given the Experiences of the Past Million Years?'

It doesn't take long to read The Fourteenth Book. It consists of one word and a period.

This is it:

'Nothing.'

________________________

Comic review

["Sex and the City" theme tune. CARRIE is lying across her bed typing industriously on her laptop]

CARRIE: [voiceover] I read that over 60% of all American men cheat on their partners. That's a lot of cheating. It's happened to me. It's happened to my best friends. It may have happened to you. And, the other day, I started wondering [the title comes up as she speaks the words] When Men Cheat On Their Partners, What Are They Really Thinking?

[Dissolve to a trendy Manhattan restaurant. CARRIE is sitting alone at a table set for four people, reading a paperback novel. Camera zooms in to show the title, "Sentimental Education"]

CARRIE: [turns a page, and shakes her head reflectively] Jeez!

[CARRIE is so engrossed that she doesn't notice that CHARLOTTE, SAMANTHA and MIRANDA have arrived, and are looking at her curiously.]

CHARLOTTE: Good, isn't it?

CARRIE: [starts violently] Uh... yes! So you've read it too? Don't tell me how it ends...

SAMANTHA: [checking to see how far CARRIE has got] Oh, you're nearly finished. You know, this reminds me of something that happened to Charlotte and me a few years ago. [She gives CHARLOTTE a teasing look] You don't mind?

CHARLOTTE: Um...

CARRIE: [voiceover] Charlotte did mind, but Samantha steamrollered her.

SAMANTHA: [steamrollering her] Come on, babe, all ancient history now! But we need some cocktails first. [To waiter] Four Cosmopolitans!

CARRIE: [voiceover] This was during Charlotte's first marriage, a period she doesn't like to talk about. Her husband Jack was a lot older than her.

[Montage. CHARLOTTE'S FIRST HUSBAND evidently doesn't take her seriously.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Samantha hadn't yet discovered she had a talent for PR. She was wondering if she would make it as an actress.

[Montage. SAMANTHA's movie roles don't require her to wear much.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Samantha was also a close friend of Jack.

[Montage. JACK and SAMANTHA are having noisy sex. Dissolve back to restaurant.]

SAMANTHA: [smiles and pats CHARLOTTE on the arm] Of course, Charlotte and I didn't know each other yet.

CARRIE: [voiceover] Now Jack ran this publishing company. He had a cute intern called Fred. One day, Fred met Charlotte.

[Dissolve back to the past. Montage. FRED, very young and innocent, meets CHARLOTTE. He's obviously smitten.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Fred had never seen anyone so beautiful in his life. He immediately knew he could never love another woman. But how could he meet her again?

[FRED looks sad and pensive, then suddenly brightens up.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Fred needed to get friendly with Jack.

[Montage. JACK is talking, FRED is hanging on his every word.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Jack liked the attention. He started inviting Fred to his dinner parties.

[Montage. Dinner party at JACK and CHARLOTTE's. FRED gazes raptly at CHARLOTTE, while she ignores him.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Jack had really got to trust Fred. He started taking him to parties at Samantha's place too.

[Montage. A much wilder party. FRED looks embarrassed, but is clearly eyeing up SAMANTHA]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Pretty soon, Fred had fallen for Samantha as well. Oh, and somewhere around here he went back to Wisconsin for a couple of months and managed to get engaged to the girl next door.

[Montage. FRED is with the adoring GIRL-NEXT-DOOR, who's even younger and more innocent-looking than he is. Dissolve back to restaurant. MIRANDA is struggling to keep up with the story.]

MIRANDA: So, uh, let me see, he can only love Charlotte but he's got the hots for Samantha and he's engaged to the girl next door?

[CHARLOTTE looks like she wants to sink through the floor. She takes a large sip of her cocktail. SAMANTHA is having fun.]

SAMANTHA: [to MIRANDA] Don't worry, babe, it hasn't got complicated yet.

CARRIE: [voiceover] Fred made progress with Charlotte. She let him hold her hand while she told him about her problems. But that's all that happened.

[Montage. FRED and CHARLOTTE gaze soulfully into each other's eyes, go for walks hand-in-hand, pick flowers, etc]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Obviously, Fred wanted more. He made a date with Charlotte at the New York apartment he'd just started renting. This was going to be it.

[Montage. FRED, in an agony of suspense, is waiting outside the apartment block. He keeps looking at his watch.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Unfortunately, the date was September 11, 2001.

[Montage. The Twin Towers erupt in flames. People screaming in the streets. FRED is still looking at his watch as they stream past.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] Fred was so angry with Charlotte for not turning up. He went to see Samantha.

[Montage. FRED and SAMANTHA are having sex. Dissolve back to restaurant.]

SAMANTHA: [elaborate shrug] Well, I needed a fuck pretty bad.

CARRIE: [voiceover] Fred liked being with Samantha. But deep down, he never forgave her for making him betray his true love. He started seeing someone else, the wife of a rich banker.

[Montage. FRED is having sex with RICH BANKER WIFE. Back to restaurant.]

MIRANDA: [completely lost] So, he's sleeping with you and the banker's wife because he can't be with his true love? And what's with the fiancée?

SAMANTHA: [large sip of cocktail] That's it, babe. He thought it was my fault, and the banker's wife's fault. And maybe the fiancée's fault too, but I was never quite sure about that. Of course, it all ended in tears.

[Montage. SEVERAL WOMEN are yelling at FRED, throwing things, etc]

SAMANTHA: [back in restaurant] Your friend Stanford told Charlotte and me we should read Sentimental Education. He was right. It's just uncanny. Flaubert is a bit of an asshole, but he sure spills the beans on how men think when they cheat. It helped. [putting an arm around CHARLOTTE] And somehow, Charlotte and I ended up friends. Sorry babe. [She drains her glass. CHARLOTTE drains hers and hugs her back. There are tears in her eyes.]

CARRIE: [voiceover] I swear, I'd become a lesbian if I didn't like cock so much. And I wish I'd read Flaubert earlier.

[Theme music, credits]

Floberovo "Sentimentalno vaspitanje" je knjiga koja počinje u ranoj mladosti, a završava se u ranoj starosti jednog pametnog, ali previše osećajnog Francuza sa umetničkim senzibilitetom, Frederika Moroa, na čijem primeru se pokazuje i kako ne tako surove životne okolnosti (izuzimajući Revoluciju koja je na nivou epizodnog lika u očima Frederika) vrlo lako mogu da ubuđave mladalačke snove i ambicije.

Istina, Frederik nije baš nevina žrtva: nije da se ne angažuje u cilju te propasti, sve i da je taj angažman nekakava samopovodljivost ni za čim, gotovo strastvena ambivalentnost (da, sve paradoksi), on lebdi iznad i izvan života, menjajući stvarnost za iluzije a iluzije za život. Na kraju nema lekcije, a mi nemamo osećaj kruženja po istoj putanji.

Frederik je od onih likova koji, naizgled, sve rade pogrešno, ali za čije postupke ne nalazite alternativu (u tom smislu, roman je hermetički zatvoren). Svakako među najzanimljivijim književnim likovima za koje znam.


Iako je glavni motiv (momenat iz Floberove biografije takođe) celoživotna ljubav prema jednoj ženi, u roman su uklopljene još 3, koje Ingrid Šafanek poredi sa 4 elementa koja bi mogla da čine nekakvu celinu Frederikovih potreba. Pogrešno bi bilo sklapati od njih idealnu jednu, to nije namera.

Ovo nije ljubavni roman, makar ne u mom shvatanju. Pre bih ga svrstala u grupu onih što postavljaju pitanje "šta bismo menjali kad bismo živeli u svetu najboljem od svih?".
Kažu da je Flober hteo da prikaže izgubljenost svoje generacije, ali se namestilo da su i potonje izgubljene u sličnoj meri i na sličan način, pa mu je vanvremenost došla gratis. Doduše, sa zakašnjenjem, budući da ni kritiku ni publiku Sentimentalno vaspitanje nije fasciniralo. Ali jeste Džojsa, Hamsuna, Prusta, Kafku (koji se nije odvajao od francuskog izdanja ove knjige).

Struktura romana, jezik i stil su nešto o čemu ne treba govoriti: sumnjam da išta može biti toliko sivo i gorko u toj količini sjaja i slatkoće.
Velika preporuka!