Friday, February 01, 2008

"at once brilliant and repugnant"

Distributorcap turned me on to a pretty funny Book Quiz, which has the distinction of being blurbed by none other than my old hometown paper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "One of the most sophisticated quizzes out there." AND somebody named Jennifer Weiner, whom the Book Quiz describes as "author of In Her Shoes" (never heard of it) made this hilarious overstatement:

"It's like it looked into my soul."

Indeed! How could I NOT take this quiz? Especially when Dcap was Crichton's Jurassic Park, a book that a teaching colleague of mine (back in the day) and I used as source material for an entire freshman composition course.

So, hoping that I too could be the embodiment of Ian Malcolm, Ellie Sattler, and a velociraptor, I took the quiz:


You're Ulysses!
by James Joyce
Most people are convinced that you don't make any sense, but compared to what else you could say, what you're saying now makes tons of sense. What people do understand about you is your vulgarity, which has convinced people that you are at once brilliant and repugnant. Meanwhile you are content to wander around aimlessly, taking in the sights and sounds of the city. What you see is vast, almost limitless, and brings you additional fame. When no one is looking, you dream of being a Greek folk hero.


Of all the crazy-ass books in the world, I get to be that monument to ponderous and boring literature???? Oh, the irony of it all....



... although I gotta admit -- the description actually sounds pretty fucking dead-on, almost creepily so. Holy shit, it IS like it looked into my soul! Maybe I ought to read In Her Shoes! And Ullyses, while I'm at it.

16 comments:

Sorghum Crow said...

I'd think you'd be more of a Virgil's Ulysses than Joyce's.

Sorghum Crow said...

Or maybe this version of Ulysses

http://home.bway.net/hunger/ulysses.html

Mary Ellen said...

Check out the book I ended up with in the book quiz.

You're Love in the Time of Cholera!
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Like Odysseus in a work of Homer, you demonstrate undying loyalty by sleeping with as many people as you possibly can. But in your heart you never give consent! This creates a strange quandary of what love really means to you. On the one hand, you've loved the same person your whole life, but on the other, your actions barely speak to this fact. Whatever you do, stick to bottled water. The other stuff could get you killed.


Yikes! What will Mother Superior say???

Claire said...

I did that a while ago, I was To Kill a Mockingbird (oh, somebody please tell me how to underscore in Blogger). Ulysses of all things...how ironic.

Mary Ellen said...

cdp- to underscore in blogger you use (u) at the beginning and slash (u) at the end.

Westcoast Walker said...

The universe is speaking to you, so it would seem (you may want to plug you ears)

Karen Zipdrive said...

dguz, the baby kitten pics you requested are up.
(mew)

Fran said...

Oh my- Joyce?! That is rich!!!

Fran said...

Wow, I took the quiz and the results should not really be a surprise.

Distributorcap said...

ulysses is one of the most boring books i have ever read.... along with the Fountainhead

you my dear are not Ulysses

Randal Graves said...

Don't worry, I got the same thing and feel the same way. I like the description, but as for the book itself, meh.

Claire said...

MaryEllen--thanks!

GETkristiLOVE said...

I think you make perfect sense.

dguzman said...

Sorghum Crow--works for me!

ME--I don't think Mother Dolorita will be very pleased with your behavior! (Mother Dolorita was the head nun at my Catholic church/school when I was a little kid)

CDP--justice!

Westcoast Walker--perhaps I should plug my ears.

Zip--cool! Thanks!

Fran--

Dcap--thank you!

Randal--we're just misunderstood.

GKL--cool!

Whiskeymarie said...

I am "Enders Game" by Orson Scott Card.
all I know about this book is that some of my husband's geeky friends love it.

I can NOT be THIS book.

I choose my own. I am now officially "The Stranger" by Camus.
So there.

dguzman said...

Whiskey, I've never heard of that book or that author. I'd go with L'Estranger as well.