Friday, January 17, 2014

Reading in Tandem


I enjoy reading French literature, but it's much more of a challenge for me than reading in English. What's most frustrating is that I sometimes miss certain nuances that are indeed important if you truly want to understand the work.

So this time, I decided to cheat… but just a little. My husband, a Sorbonne literature graduate, and I would read Sartre's play "Huis clos" in tandem. I read a few pages, then he zipped through those and a few more (showoff!), then it was my turn, etc. One book. Two bookmarks.

This actually was an excellent plan, even if it was more to my advantage than to my husband's. It was fun to share our thoughts as we progressed through the play and reached the end. The book includes a second play, "Les mouches," so we will do a tandem read on that as well.

Our project also took the stress out of reading a foreign book because I knew that if I missed something, I had someone here who certainly wouldn't! OK, I admit it… This attitude is a bit lazy!

As for my thoughts on "Huis clos"…

It is about three characters (a man and two women) who arrive in hell and find themselves locked in a sort of living room together. It's a bit warm, but otherwise, no pitchforks or fire. Just the three of them.

We find out why they are in hell, but the question is why are the three of them together?

I don't want to spoil "Huis clos" for any of you who would like to read it, but I will reveal part of the message… Hell isn't pitchforks, fire or physical torture. It's something more profound. If you would like to know more, I will leave it to you to read this well-crafted play!





8 comments:

  1. That's a good idea if you have that opportunity. My only way of reading in tandem is to have a translation by my side. But that's fatal.... the French version gets abandoned

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    1. Yes, I agree... Whenever I've tried that, I always end up reading the English version. Only problem with my new plan is my husband and I don't always share the same literary tastes. ;)

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  2. A brilliant way to read. I did something similar with the recent Bout of Books readathon.
    I read two books with two other readers. We would set an amount of chapters to read and then take a break to discuss the book so far. It was a brilliant way to read!

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    1. That sounds like fun! It's wonderful to share thoughts as you go along... and sometimes you each pick up on an angle that the other missed. Thanks for visiting my blog!

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  3. I love your idea of reading the book together! I'm currently reading a book my boyfriend just finished and I'm really enjoying discussing it together :) I'm also very impressed that you're reading in a second language! Awesome!

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    1. Thank you! Having a reading partner helps motivate me when it comes to reading in a second language. Otherwise, I might not be so courageous... Your reading plan with your boyfriend sounds great too! Each person brings new thoughts and perspectives and in the end everyone has a richer experience. Thanks for reading!

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  4. I wish I could read in another language! That would be cool!

    Thanks for linking up to the Spread the Love Linky Party! I've also pinned this! :D

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    1. Thanks for pinning, Rebecca! And I really enjoy participating in the Spread the Love Linky Parties... Thanks for hosting them!

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