Reading 1001 discussion

Review thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I had a head start on reading this novel, as I had checked it out and read about half of it in late Nov-early Dec before I had to return it to the library. I expect to finish up in a few days so will have something to say about it then. It's semi-long and not what I would call quick reading, so I think people will probably be taking until the middle or end of the month to finish it.
It does pick up some more of a storyline in the last 30 or 40% so hang in there if you feel somewhat at sea. The story line really isn't the stronger characteristic of this novel- I would say that it's the way the characters' thoughts flow and shape their behavior, similar to a Virginia Woolf story like "To the Lighthouse". The ambiguity about what is going on seems intentional.

"The Melancholy of Resistance" is a novel written by László Krasznahorkai. It is known for its complex narrative and philosophical themes. Here are 10 study questions to help you delve deeper into the novel:

1. How does the structure of "The Melancholy of Resistance" contribute to the overall tone and atmosphere of the novel? Consider the use of long sentences and the absence of traditional chapter breaks.

2. Analyze the character of Mrs. Eszter. How does her perspective and actions shape the unfolding events in the novel? What role does she play in the broader themes of resistance?

3. Explore the symbolic significance of the circus in the novel. How does it function as a metaphor, and what does it represent in the context of the narrative?

4. Discuss the theme of resistance in the novel. In what ways do the characters resist various elements, and how does this resistance impact the overall narrative?

5. Consider the role of prophecy and premonition in the story. How do these elements contribute to the sense of melancholy, and do they serve as foreshadowing for the events that unfold?

6. Analyze the portrayal of the town in the novel. How does Krasznahorkai use the setting to convey a sense of isolation and unease? What does the town represent in the broader context of the narrative?

7. Examine the character of Valuska and his obsession with numbers. How does his unique perspective contribute to the overall themes of the novel? What is the significance of his calculations?

8. Explore the political and social commentary present in the novel. How does Krasznahorkai address issues of power, authority, and conformity in the narrative?

9. Discuss the relationship between music and the narrative. How does the recurring motif of music contribute to the atmosphere and themes of the novel?

10. Examine the role of religion and spirituality in "The Melancholy of Resistance." How do religious elements intersect with the broader themes of the novel, and what commentary is Krasznahorkai making about faith and belief?

I read this in November for my TBR takedown. I gave it 4 stars - it would have been 5 if it had paragraph breaks. I know that's kind of petty, but being faced with solid rectangular blocks of text for 300+ pages made my eyes slide and my attention wander. I tried to keep focused, but I'm sure I missed a lot.

It was published in 1989 and I assume the atmosphere of panic and destruction was related to the end of communism, but I kept thinking of climate change and how that might destabilize our communities. My heart went out to the character of Valuska, a simple innocent fascinated by the stars and supported by people who'd known him all his life, but completely unprepared for sudden change.

I am struggling with the no paragraph breaks as you know my eyes aren't the best and this kind of writing just makes me fall asleep.

Glad to hear it picks up later in the book as at the moment it is a real slog.

I am about a quarter in so far.

His writing is good but why no paragraphs is beyond me. A person needs a break. I made it to 4%, not looking good for finishing it by end of month.

1. The use of long sentences and the lack of paragraph breaks causes an irritation and anxiety that couples well with the overall plot of the novel. Everything is either rushing along out of control or bogged down in verbiage that does not illuminate the situation.

2. Mrs. Eszter is a plotter and a manipulator. She not only takes advantage of a dangerous situation, she causes the situation to get out of control by actively not working to prevent it. If any of the characters are metaphors, and there is some argument to be made that they are all metaphors although that would be too easy an out in terms of understanding this novel, Mrs. Eszter is the rebellious fascist, rising to power on the chaos of the times.

3. The circus brings two attractions to the small provincial Hungarian town both of which have no natural home there. The whale, the leviathan from the deep, and the homunculus, a small but even more dangerous creature from the deep, could represent the outside forces that contribute to promoting agitations and rebellions.

4. The whole novel pivots around the themes of staying in balance and being overwhelmed. We are introduced to the novel as Mrs. Plauf fights off a terror that may be all in her own mind (until we learn later more about her potential source of terror). Her journey is balanced with the comfort and quiet she finds in her own house. Mr. Eszter and his extreme bitterness and depression is balanced by the awe and goodness inherent in Valuska. The chaos that originally descends on the town is one in which everyone has a sense that radical change is about to happen but does not know from which direction it will come.

5. The brilliance of the book, as far as I am concerned, is that the author Krasznahorkai, managed to make me very ill at ease throughout the reading. It is not an easy book to read and there is little satisfaction in reading it. However, there was a continual sense of doom, despair, and change for the worse paired with a strong sense that life has no redemption. The prophecy in the book didn't reflect a magical nature. Even our "Prince" is not what you would consider magical, he is simply the seed of a despair so intense that one might as well destroy everything around one.

7.Valuska was a refreshing character among a whole set of unlikable ones. He reflected a love of order, although it was an un-understandable cosmic order. He loved numbers and the nature of the sky, sun and stars. He had patterns of repetition in his everyday life that he perceived to be right and good while the rest of the town suffered from seeing change and rot everywhere.

8.The novel was written in the year that Hungary rejected Communist rule. No one knew what alternative sources of power would arise although it was a peaceful transition to a democratic election. After the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was suppressed by Soviet forces, Hungary remained a communist country. As the Soviet Union weakened at the end of the 1980s, the Eastern Bloc disintegrated. All of this is reflected int the novel; the nature of breakdown, the nature of power, and the way that ordinary citizens get caught up in and used by the powers that be.

9. Mr. Eszter is a famous or noted musician and composer. He has rejected the "12 tone order" and carries a deep despair because of his years at "the academy" where there was no learning, no inspiration, no true exchange of love of music. His music and his playing of Bach at the end as a way of drowning out the universe, is the straightest line regarding music in the book. However, the book is full of sounds, the sounds of the passengers on the train eating, the murmuring of crowds as they wait for The Prince, the hum of the tank are just a few examples. Also, Krasznahorkai, uses silences well and he also very often has his characters unable to process what is being said to them.

10. Although God flies away in this novel while the devil's assistant sticks around, I did not read this novel to be as much about religion as it was about a different kind of faith or lack of faith in mankind. The loss of hope, the belief that nothing has meaning in this world, carried a despair that was deeply rooted in how human beings treat each other.

Hands been bad this month so going to answer the first few questions that summarize some of the things I found interesting about this book:

1. The ceaseless paragraphs seem to mimic the the un-ending drudgery of the town (in place of the Hungarian regime) and the beaten down effect that has on the reader/person living in that situation.

2. Mrs. Eszter also seems to be a reflection of the Hungarian authoritarianism that the author was writing during. also the way resistance (or indeed revolutions) are not always clearly triumphant but sometimes lead to a replacement of different or worse suffering (the melancholy the title suggests).

3. I like how the only thing the circus has to show is the dead whale- a lifeless corpse that only contains the form of a once great and epic living thing- what a way to consider a state or a people.

1. Personally this made it a struggle to read I found myself looking for the next full stop so I knew where I could break rather than being absorbed into the story. It did make the storyline confusing and chaotic which may have been the point.

2. She is a manipulator who sees an opportunity to gain control and power without considering the cost to others or more realistically not caring.



3. Not sure others have mentioned outsiders coming in and it is that. The giant whale is dead. The Prince is a force of darkness. Not sure I really understood the whole significance at all.

4. The bit that stood out for me was the young couple and child resisting being caught by the mob even when it was inevitable. They resisted as long as possible.

5. Personally I didn't notice any.

6 The town is isolated it does appear to be on its own away from civilisation but it does have the railway within running distance. The events can take place because there is no outside police force etc to come and regain control.

7.Obsession with numbers missed that LOL.

8. Again LOL.

9. Gail got so much more out of this novel than me I love her answers.

10. God and the Devil feature other than that I wouldn't have said it was really religious.

1. This book was a difficult read, but I was surprised at how the extremely long sentences and lack of paragraphs were not what made it challenging. In fact, I found that I was reading it quite comfortably. It was the subject matter and the philosophical ideas that were the challenge. I applaud the translator, for this muct have been a huge challenge.
2. I love the term 'rebellious fascist", Gail! She was ambitious, manipulative and courageous. She took a huge risk in facilitating the riotors, but succeeded in gaining political control of the town.
3. Krasznahorkai emphasises the chaos of life throughout this novel. I think the circus (with only a dead whale and an enigmatic Prince) is a surreal symbol of chaos, which it certainly brings to the town.
4. Mrs Plauf is the figure of resistance, as depicted by Mrs Eszter. Her own motives were less clearcut, although she did rigorously resist Mrs Eszter's overtures. Resistance is futile as Mr Eszter discovers. The gruesome description of physical decay at the end is the embodiment of the melacholy of resistance.
5. There is a foreboding to Krasznahortai's writing, but I did not note any prophesy. Valuska did have premonitions, but his thoughts were muddled.
6. The rubbish piling up in the streets conveyed the despair and hopelessness of the town.
7. Valuska's obsession with numbers reveal his efforts to find stucture in the chaos of life. He loved the way the planets moved, though people wer fond of mocking him for his obsession.
8. I, too, was thinking about what was going on in Hungary in 1989, the year the book was published. Presumably he was writing it in 1988, and remembering how very quickly communism collapsed due to Hungary opening its borders with Austria in May 1989, his writing WAS prophetic. I visited Hungary in June 1990. It was full of German tourists.
9. Again, Gail, I love your phrase that Mr Eszter played Bach to drown out the universe. Perfect!

I agree with others that this was a difficult book to read because of the style. I suppose good authors make you feel something out of the norm or think differently, and the deep seated discomfort that settles into as you are reading this is I guess an accomplishment!