Sometimes during this book I felt a little bit lost. Its hilarious at parts, and its so bizarre at times that you can't help but love it, but All About H. Hatterr is definitely out in left field most of the time. H. Hatterr's mixed heritage is the catalyst for his story, which is his search for enlightenment with the sages he visits. Its such a strange book topic, especially when you consider how its written, that most of the time I just didn't know what to make of it. Its funny to think that someone actually sat down and put this together, then sent it to an editor. Even the opening of the book makes a point to say that the language is not correct, but still perfect in its own way. “it is the language that makes the book. . .. It is not pure English; it is like Shakespeare, Joyce, and Kipling, gloriously impure.”
After reading a book by Joyce, I can understand how you can draw similarities between the two authors, even though the books are separated by a long time period and thousands of miles, the ideas are very similar. They're both all about a guy who doesn't know what hes supposed to do with his life, on a road to revelation that they never really seem to find. I think that's a fear that most people our age can relate to.
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I definitely know what you mean, this book gives me a lot of trouble too. The language is so stream of conscious that it is both really entertaining, and really confusing. The thought of someone actually spending the time to write this book is something I've mulled over too, and it's interesting to think about. The connections to Joyce are pretty solid, but as I talk about in my post, I also see the connections to Clockwork Orange! If you haven't read that, you should definitely check it out.
ReplyDeleteI really like how you made such a general, over-arcing comparison between Hatterr and Stephen Dedalus. I don't think I actually thought about them like that, but after you putting it out there, it makes perfect sense and couldn't be more true. One particular trait that stands out is their love for sin. It seems like they both blatantly state that it is essential in order to grasp the full extent which life has to offer.
ReplyDeleteLike Alyson, I also find your comparison of Hatterr to Dedalus to be intriguing. They both think that life experiences are important. For Stephen, going through experiences that involve sin make him realize that he would rather spend his life pursuing sin instead of staying away from it. In the case of Hatterr though, I'm not acutally sure what his experiences sought to teach. Sure, he learned that the only way to learn about life is to experience it. But, I have a tough time understanding what his overall conclusion was. Maybe, like you said, Hatterr "was just on a road to revolution he never seemed to find."
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