Day 13: On Jhumpa Lahiri

My bed was so comfortable that I couldn't bear to leave its hypnotic influence. Hence, the cap. I think I'll be wearing something similar tomorrow as well, only with a different necklace. Though I'm not too sure if this other one that I have in mind would be any more visible than the seams on this shirt.

Anyway, I've only read the first three chapters of Interpreter of Maladies and I'm positively entertained and beguiled by Lahiri's prose. There're so much in her stories that I can relate too, especially the food. My parents and I used to frequent Indian restaurants a lot, so I did get that insatiable sensation when her characters prepared masala or chutney. I can almost taste it from her words itself, and her attention to the quirky habits of each individual character enlivens her tales.

What I appreciate most about her book, however, would be her management with Indians and Indian culture. She doesn't explicitly mentions the ethnicity of her characters; rather, her characters just happen to be regular individuals, who just happen to be Indian. I can imagine how her characters depict the typical immigrant scene in the States, with one chapter having an Indian American family visit India, only to act no differently from a regular tourist.

I sometimes wish I could mimic those descriptive moments that Lahiri imbued in her collection. The child who didn't brush her teeth because she feared that she would wash away her prayer for a family friend; the indifferent mother who took off her right sandal and used her toes to scratch the back of her left foot. Goodness... to read great literature brings such bliss~

Speaking of which, I've had my first taste of the Arthurian legend today. The class started with a "brief" introduction on the probable origins of Arthur and his knights, from Geoffrey of Monmouth's The History of the Kings of Britain. Frankly, it's Beowulf all over, only that this isn't an epic poem, which makes the reading a little easier. It's written as a historic account of the early monarchs after all. During the class, Dr. Lyons (who happens to be my honors advisor as well) previewed photographs of certain locations in England that pertain to the legend itself. On that note, myths involve gods while legends incorporate pre-existing individuals.

To my surprise, this course actually provides the opportunity to students who enrolled for the class to travel to England during the first week of summer holidays. Alas, I begin work on the 9th of May so unless the trip is organized on a date before then, I shan't be able to participate on a journey through England's most mythical (and astoundingly beautiful) sites. We would presumably visit Arthur's birthplace and the supposed site for Camelot. How profoundly romantic~

But the greatest sham, at least for me since I wouldn't be able to go, is that the trip doesn't end in the UK; it would most likely conclude in Paris. Now I have been to France, and I did venture to see all the major sites including Versailles. But to lose out on such an opportunity again is so agonizing... I'd wish I hadn't known this trip would take place then...

Ah... c'est la vie...