"Paris, on the other hand, looked exactly as it was supposed to look. It wore its heart on its sleeve, and the strange thing was that the heart it wore so openly was in other ways so closed—mysterious, uninviting" (7).
This description of Paris is inherently paradoxical, and further more, Gopnik is aware of this, admitting that it is "strange" to describe something as both open and closed, emotional yet enigmatic. In what way is this sense of paradox reflected in Gopnik's essays, as well as in the other texts we have explored throughout the semester? Do the relationships and character developments within these works mirror this enigma, and how can an exploration of the dynamics of Paris illuminate our analysis?
Gopnik's main draw towards Paris is an idealized one, and in this way his perspective on the city is colored by romanticism. Is it this romanticism that creates the personification of someone "wearing their heart on their sleeve," or does Paris indeed lend itself to that type of characterization? How can we use our prior readings to discover the true nature of Paris, and of the American experience within that sphere?
No comments:
Post a Comment