Fourth in a series of 8. The book for this review is courtesy of Sarah EuDaly: Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.
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If life is a game, it is mostly mental. Witness the way people hang onto scraps of information, whether political headlines, sports statistics or celebrity gossip, and use it to give their everyday existence meaning. Observe the immediate absorption of young children in games with minimal or no props to aid their creativity. Think about how challenging it would be to sit alone in an isolation chamber without immediately setting your mind racing to a million memories or fantasies.
Airmail pilot Saint-Exupéry survived an experience far more extreme than that last hypothetical plunge into sensory vacuum: a 1935 crash landing in the Sahara desert, with only a day's worth of water. He and his navigator reportedly stopped sweating after a few days and experienced severe hallucinations before being rescued by a Bedoin. Out of that crucible of physical fatigue and mental exhaustion sprang a beloved classic of world literature.
Though it's regarded as a kid's book, much of The Little Prince is aimed squarely at adults who "never understand anything by themselves" and fixate on figures and statistics rather than the essential qualities of things, who are unable to see by the light of imagination. Children may chuckle at the buffoonish caricatures of wasted lives on various planets or coo over the Prince's devotion to his rose, but teachable older readers will drink a fuller draught of Saint-Exupéry's sarcasm and romance.
The story of the the Prince's quest throughout the universe is artfully inset within the desert dialogue between the Prince & the pilot narrator. The author's drawings are a key part of the story, though in my opinion there are a few too many of them for a book on imagination. Overall, though, it is hard to find a fault with a book which includes the following definition: "...Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful." Its depth and magic far exceed its slim size and have helped broaden my own imaginings. This volume would be well paired with Chesterton's Orthodoxy, which I highly recommend for its deeper look into the theological implications of fairy tales.
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If life is a game, it is mostly mental. Witness the way people hang onto scraps of information, whether political headlines, sports statistics or celebrity gossip, and use it to give their everyday existence meaning. Observe the immediate absorption of young children in games with minimal or no props to aid their creativity. Think about how challenging it would be to sit alone in an isolation chamber without immediately setting your mind racing to a million memories or fantasies.
Airmail pilot Saint-Exupéry survived an experience far more extreme than that last hypothetical plunge into sensory vacuum: a 1935 crash landing in the Sahara desert, with only a day's worth of water. He and his navigator reportedly stopped sweating after a few days and experienced severe hallucinations before being rescued by a Bedoin. Out of that crucible of physical fatigue and mental exhaustion sprang a beloved classic of world literature.
Though it's regarded as a kid's book, much of The Little Prince is aimed squarely at adults who "never understand anything by themselves" and fixate on figures and statistics rather than the essential qualities of things, who are unable to see by the light of imagination. Children may chuckle at the buffoonish caricatures of wasted lives on various planets or coo over the Prince's devotion to his rose, but teachable older readers will drink a fuller draught of Saint-Exupéry's sarcasm and romance.
The story of the the Prince's quest throughout the universe is artfully inset within the desert dialogue between the Prince & the pilot narrator. The author's drawings are a key part of the story, though in my opinion there are a few too many of them for a book on imagination. Overall, though, it is hard to find a fault with a book which includes the following definition: "...Since it is beautiful, it is truly useful." Its depth and magic far exceed its slim size and have helped broaden my own imaginings. This volume would be well paired with Chesterton's Orthodoxy, which I highly recommend for its deeper look into the theological implications of fairy tales.
SUMMARY
Appreciated the poignant, often profound meditations on true value and imagination
Disliked the profusion of illustrations, some of which were more distracting than helpful
I would recommend this book to children at heart.
Disclaimer: This book will stick in your memory if you've read it right--casual reading is discouraged.
Appreciated the poignant, often profound meditations on true value and imagination
Disliked the profusion of illustrations, some of which were more distracting than helpful
I would recommend this book to children at heart.
Disclaimer: This book will stick in your memory if you've read it right--casual reading is discouraged.
1 comment:
I suppose I really should read this. It sounds right up my alley.
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