The Elegance of the Hedgehog - June CC Book Club Selection

seiclan · June 1, 2010, 11:07am

I sat down and finished the book on Sunday and as was said, found the second half to be more interesting than the first. I did not really love this book though and will not recommend it to my novel-loving friends and family. I had to keep a dictionary next to me to look up many words…which IMHO, was really unecessary. I was glad that Paloma found a reason to live but why kill off our heroine? I felt, after slugging through this novel, the reader deserved more than this overused ending. I suppose I might recommend this book to a Honors level Junior English class so that they could get vocabulary practice for their SAT’s but other than that…meh.

Onward · June 1, 2010, 3:41pm

That book was a work out. I can’t say I really enjoyed it and kept feeling as if I was smarter I might have got more out of it. Disappointing as I have picked this book up many times thinking it looked good.

Mary13 · June 1, 2010, 4:49pm

^ Agreed. I’m not embarrassed to say I am just not intellectual enough for this book. (Well, maybe I’m a little embarrassed :o)

Here is the link to the discussion questions:

[LitLovers</a> - The Elegance of the Hedgehog Discussion Questions - Book Club Guide](<a href=“http://www.litlovers.com/guide_elegance_of_hedgehog.html]LitLovers”>http://www.litlovers.com/guide_elegance_of_hedgehog.html)

In keeping with the style of the book, many of the questions are verbose and philosophical. The first is:

As regards “the ultimate celebration of every person’s invisible part,” the first thing I need to do is suppress the desire to respond to such a pretentious turn of phrase with a bad, off-color joke. (My apologies—guess it’s because I just finished reading the suggestive lyrics thread.)

Seriously, though…I do think that feeling “invisible”—or at least misunderstood—is a universal human complaint that all of us experience at some point in our lives. Neither Renee nor Paloma is ever seen for what they really are, except by Kakuro. Finding each other, albeit briefly, is a blessing for all three.

I thought this “clarity” between Renee and Kakuro was best and most touchingly expressed in the scene where the other tenants of the building greet the couple, but do not recognize the concierge:

ignatius · June 1, 2010, 5:07pm

Random Thought No. 1

Vocabulary - Specifically Lack of Vocabulary: Mine

What overweening hubris to apprehend my meager word-hoard as adequate! The Elegance of the Hedgehog disabused me of that particular vanity; hereafter, I resolve to descry my word-stock with sophrosyne.

Good grief! I used the dictionary throughout The Elegance of the Hedgehog, but not nearly as much as I could/should have. My fluent-in-French daughter suggests that perhaps the book might be an easier read – vocabulary wise – in the language in which it was written. In other words, it’s all in the translation.

Random Thought No. 2

On Grammar

In the section “The Rich Man’s Burden” Madame Michel feels pain at the misuse of a comma. I myself noticed that same egregious misuse of punctuation. So why – oh – why did we then read, “There was a little sound, a sort of quivering in the air that went, ‘shhhh’ very very very quietly … " (p.272)? Did the author misuse commas on purpose? After such an emphasis on grammar, the error has to be intentional, right? As to my feelings, I quote Renee: “I was not prepared for such an underhanded attack. I collapse in shock on the nearest chair. I even begin to wonder if I’m not going mad. Does this have the same effect on you, when this sort of thing happens?” (p. 109)

The above Random Thought – as opposed to Profound Thought - is really, really random – and admittedly tongue-in-cheek.

Overall, I like the book. I found it funny – whether that was the intent or not. (Should I have thought the words “this death by dry cleaning” funny? The main character dies, for goodness sake.) However, the book could have been quite as good with a different ending, if not better.

Now on to Mary’s discussion questions. :)

Alumother · June 1, 2010, 6:07pm

So I have a very high opinion of my verbal IQ - full disclosure here - and I thought the book was pretentious. It didn’t make me feel stupid, it made me annoyed. But maybe that’s just a defensive reaction on my part, you know, protecting my self-image by disdaining that which threatens it. That said, I prefer that literary tropes be subtle.

Mary13 · June 1, 2010, 6:34pm

^ LOL ignatius and Alumother. :)

ignatius, I think you’re right. I’ve been approaching this all wrong by looking at the book as a tragedy instead of a black comedy. What was I thinking? Those damn French. I should have remembered their fondness for Jerry Lewis and adjusted my perspective accordingly.

Delicate_Arch · June 1, 2010, 8:25pm

I read the book last summer while on vacation and didn’t like it much. Having said that, the thing that has stuck with me since then (so almost a year now) is the idea that small paintings may be more meaningful than big ones. At first I thought that the idea that miniatures were so great seemed dumb but then I gave it more thought.

For me, as an extension, this means rather than looking for the large breath-taking landscapes, to seek out and enjoy the little gems all around me. It has been surprising to me how powerful this perspective is.

So, although I didn’t love the book, it did have an impact.

ignatius · June 1, 2010, 9:25pm

As to the first question:

Do Paloma and Renee even see themselves, and if they dont, how can they expect anyone else to do so? Paloma hides herself from others, literally and figuratively, throughout the book. She finally acknowledges that Im afraid to go into myself and see whats going on in there. Her Profound Thoughts were nothing more than a Poor little rich girl rationalizing things, wanting to draw attention to herself. Renee hides in her loge and behind her caricature of concierge. She too has to view herself through different eyes before truly seeing herself. Kakuro serves as catalyst when he speaks to Renee: Renee, you are not your sister. Only then does Renee see herself apart from her sister and her sisters tragedy.

On a different note, The Elegance of the Hedgehog reminds me of The Help. Renee and Manuela remain a cipher to the families they work for in the building. Renee, of course, encourages the stereotype until she breaks from it at the end. Consider Renee to be Aibileen. Maybe Kakuro precipitating change - is Skeeter. I guess Paloma with her own set of troubles - could be Minnie, though the deep friendship between characters (Renee and Paloma) has yet to form. The occupants of the building remain as they are oblivious employers, some nice and some not.

Mary13 · June 2, 2010, 10:14am

Interesting. This is something that would never have occurred to me, and that I believe I missed altogether. I don’t remember the reference to miniatures; rather, if I were asked what the primary art focus was in the book, I would say still lifes. After seeing the Pieter Claesz painting at Kakuro’s apartment, Renee reflects at length about that particular art form:

Now I don’t pretend to know what all that means, but I would venture so far as to say that the still life painting is a reflection of Renee’s own life. A still life, per Wiki, consists of “commonplace objects which may be either natural or man-made in an artificial setting.” Renee, the commonplace concierge, has carefully placed herself in an artificial setting. But if an art connoisseur (Kakuro) looks closely, great beauty and meaning can be found in that simple arrangement.

This is the Pieter Claesz painting from Kakuro’s apartment, which Renee describes in detail on p. 198-199 (the chapter entitled “Dull Gold.”) I don’t know anything about Claesz, but Renee described the painting so well that it was easy to find online. It’s kind of mesmerizing to stare at it and imagine what made it so powerful for both Renee and Kakuro:

<a href=“http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Pieter_Claesz_001.jpg[/url]”>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/Pieter_Claesz_001.jpg</a>

ignatius · June 2, 2010, 5:56pm

I’m back to the passage that Mary quoted earlier – a touching moment between Renee and Kakuro.

Do you believe in a soul mate? Kakuro’s words indicate that he recognizes his soul mate in Renee. He still has a picture of his deceased wife on display and speaks lovingly of his family. Renee loved her deceased husband Lucien and describes their marriage as a happy one. Yet as she dies she thinks:

In other words, despite a happy marriage, Renee did not find Lucien to be her soul mate.

At the same time, she thinks of Paloma:

So –
A happy marriage with Lucien
A friendship with Manuela
A bond with Paloma
And Kakuro?

Do you believe in soul mates? In The Elegance of the Hedgehog the bond between Renee and Kakuro was immediate. (It happened over the correct grammatical usage of bring vs take another of those funny to me moments.)

I’m not certain whether or not I believe in soul mates, but Kakuro had me with the “I would recognize you anywhere” line. Now I’m aggravated at the ending of the book all over again. :(

I just read the thread discussing the Al and Tipper Gore separation after forty years of marriage. Oh well.

seiclan · June 2, 2010, 6:54pm

I felt the same way Ignatius. I loved that one line and really felt cheated by the ending of the book. The Gore separation…I suspect there is more to it than is being publicized at this time.

SouthJerseyChessMom · June 2, 2010, 8:19pm

I am enjoying reading everyone’s views of this very “interesting” little book.

ignatius, do you think Kakuro was Renee’s soul mate ?

I thought Paloma was her soul mate, not a love interest, but someone with whom you connect on the deepest, possible “spiritual” level.

Renee loved Lucien, she treasured her friendship with Manuela, and Kakuro was the fantasy,“knight in shining armor”, who offered her “hope” she could be “known” by another in her twilight years. He helped her bloom.

But, it was Paloma that she lists lasts in her list of special relationships in her life, and describes an “illumination” regarding Paloma, as she is on the ground dying. She sees Paloma and starts to cry “To cry from the joy inside”.

So, for this for me, was mostly coming- of -age story, within a grown up fairy tale.

I liked this book, enjoyed the way Barbery wove her personal interests and passions into this tale, making the Renee character very believable.
Barbery is Renee, to me.

Mary, thank you for the link to the still life by Claesz. Ignatius, very clever post regarding Random thoughts about grammar, and vocabulary.

I think this may be the most difficult book we’ve read thus far, and those reading group questions, may not make it any easier.

Mary13 · June 2, 2010, 8:58pm

This is true, and just as ignatius pointed out re Renee and Kakuro, the bond between Renee and Paloma is virtually instantaneous. I would have liked more scenes between Renee and Paloma. (Can you say “scenes” when it’s a book? Every book is a little screenplay in my mind.) Before I started the novel, I was under the impression that the story focused on the relationship between the two narrators, but in fact, Renee and Paloma’s first interaction does not take place until page 243, more than ¾ of the way through the book.

Mary13 · June 2, 2010, 10:51pm

Ignoring the official reading guide questions for a moment and asking one of my own:

What do you see as the significance of camellias? Why is the camellia Renee’s flower of choice? What is the point of Jean Arthens returning (from the dead almost) solely to ask Madame Michel the name of the flower?

I’m sure there are many interpretations, but here’s a thought: The emphasis on camellias could be a nod to the well-known French novel “La Dame aux Cam

SouthJerseyChessMom · June 2, 2010, 11:44pm

^^ excellent references Mary13, what a great comparison to French novel (which I didn’t know about) but it certainly applies to Renee’s life.

I simply thought that Jean Arthen’s moment of clarity or epiphany, was related to the reference to the Ozu movie, which moved Renee because of it’s message about what is beautiful (and, meaningful) in the world. Barbery’s passion for Japan, where she now lives.

From 13. Eternity chapter
Renee speaks about the Ozu film, and states " for the first time in my life the Art of the cinema made me laugh and cry as real entertainment should"

She speaks about an extraordinary scene-the father, is about to die and conversing with his daughter. strolling through Kyoto.

The father
“And, the Moss temple !The light made the moss even more splendid.”
Daughter Setsuko
“And the camellia on the moss, too.”

The father
"Oh, did you notice? How beautiful it was! …There are beautiful things in old Japan. …Insisting that it’s all bad… I find this outrageous. "

…Barbery explains that the film above all is about something that is unattainable to Western sensibilities, and that only Japanese culture can elucidate…

Here is the key to the film.
Setsuko
True novelty is that which does not grow old, despite the passage of time.

The camellia against the moss of the temple, the violet hues of the Kyoto mountains, a blue porcelain cup- this sudden flowering of pure beauty at the heart of ephermeral passion; is this not something we all aspire to?
And something that, in our Western civilization , we do not know how to attain?

The Contemplation of eternity within the very movement of life.

SouthJerseyChessMom · June 3, 2010, 10:14am

Just stumbled on another “flower” reference`
page 271- This broken stem that for you I loved.

(written the day after Paloma and Renee met, and Paloma poses the question to Renee
“Do you believe that life has meaning?”

In this chapter, Paloma discusses “major Zen tendencies, and at the same time a touch of Ronsard.”

Paloma walks into the kitchen, she is calm, alone and empty, so was able to take it all in.
A sound, a rosebud dropped onto the counter.
She intuits athe essence of Beauty"

And she thinks of Ronsard’s Poem

Here are two I found - Roses, and The Rose.

ROSES
RONSARD, 1550.

I send you here a wreath of blossoms blown,
And woven flowers at sunset gathered,
Another dawn had seen them ruined, and shed
Loose leaves upon the grass at random strown.
By this, their sure example, be it known,
That all your beauties, now in perfect flower,
Shall fade as these, and wither in an hour,
Flowerlike, and brief of days, as the flower sown.

Ah, time is flying, lady–time is flying;
Nay, 'tis not time that flies but we that go,
Who in short space shall be in churchyard lying,
And of our loving parley none shall know,
Nor any man consider what we were;
Be therefore kind, my love, whiles thou art fair.

THE ROSE
RONSARD, 1550.

See, Mignonne, hath not the Rose,
That this morning did unclose
Her purple mantle to the light,
Lost, before the day be dead,
The glory of her raiment red,
Her colour, bright as yours is bright?

Ah, Mignonne, in how few hours,
The petals of her purple flowers
All have faded, fallen, died;
Sad Nature, mother ruinous,
That seest thy fair child perish thus
'Twixt matin song and even tide.

Hear me, my darling, speaking sooth,
Gather the fleet flower of your youth,
Take ye your pleasure at the best;
Be merry ere your beauty flit,
For length of days will tarnish it
Like roses that were loveliest.

TXArtemis · June 3, 2010, 10:16am

I just stumbled into this thread and the fact there is a CC book club–what a neat idea! Thanks, mary13, for spearheading the discussion (and for offering the reassuring quote from The Big Chill about allowing art to flow over you!).

I read this book last summer and thought it was thoroughly engaging and very clever, although it didn’t have a lasting impact like some of the other CC book selections I’ve read, e.g., The Help. A likely contributing factor is that I definitely skimmed the philosophy passages that were impenetrable (to me)! In my rough analysis, I thought they were included as part of the overall satire on class/caste systems and the importance of being an aesthete vs. a Philistine. But then, when I went to my “real life” book club discussion, I learned the author was a philosophy professor. So I guess I would’ve gotten a lot more out of the book if I hadn’t skimmed!

Adding to the fun facts everyone’s contributed, this book reviewer pointed out a fascinating Tolstoy-hedgehog connection:
<a href=“http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/books/review/James-t.html[/url]”>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/books/review/James-t.html</a>

I look forward to reading more feedback on this one and to reading the next one with you!

ignatius · June 3, 2010, 10:47am

I do think Kakuro recognizes Renee as his soul mate. Renee recognizes the connection but panics. Kakuro never wavers, and Renee moves toward him in fits and spurts.

I found this quote (American writer Richard Bach) defining soul mate - and I admit to thinking the lock and key metaphor fit with the concierge theme :):

Now to Paloma:

When Paloma describes Renee, I felt she also described herself – at least, an as-yet-unformed self. Paloma still needs to grow into her intelligence, i.e. elegance.

Now to Renee:

Renee recognizes herself in Paloma and the possibility of that self becoming all Renee couldn’t become. Still, she views Paloma as a child rather than an equal. I like Renee’s term “my kindred soul.”

As she dies, Renee thinks:

I think when Renee cries with joy, as she dies, over Paloma, she intuitively knows that Paloma’s life will be worthy of her potential. In a way then, Renee lives on.

Back to Kakuro:

He recognized something in Paloma that made her his confidante in the matter of Renee:

Three people belonging together made a connection because of Kakuro.

SouthJerseyChessMom · June 3, 2010, 12:06pm

^^^Ignatius, good conclusion that all three are soul mates.

Txartemis, welcome!!!
Your link to NY Times review is so helpful. In it, the reference to Isaiah Berlin’s "The Hedgehog and the Fox, is very fascinating.

From Wiki
Berlin expands upon this idea to divide writers and thinkers into two categories: hedgehogs, who view the world through the lens of a single defining idea (examples given include Plato, Lucretius, Dante, Pascal, Hegel, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Ibsen, and Proust) and foxes who draw on a wide variety of experiences and for whom the world cannot be boiled down to a single idea (examples given include Herodotus, Aristotle, Erasmus, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Moli

Mary13 · June 3, 2010, 2:06pm

Thanks for all the wonderful observations, which are giving me a much greater appreciation for the book.

I just want to second SouthJerseyChessMom’s welcome! It’s great to have another reader aboard. Our thread for The Help might be a fun one for you to browse through; it was one of our liveliest discussions—the book really struck a chord with a lot of people.

Amazing! That’s what I mean about everybody’s posts increasing my appreciation for (and interest in) the book. Paloma’s line on p. 271 is almost a throwaway. She sees the stem and bud drop to the counter and says, “And that is why I thought of Ronsard’s poem, though I didn’t really understand it at first: because he talks about time, and roses.” I’m not familiar with Ronsard and let that sail by me. But the words to the poem that SJChessMom provided foreshadow Renee’s death and Kakuro’s loss. Renee “in short space shall be in churchyard lying” and of their “loving parley none shall know.”

Loved this. What a perfect description of the relationship between key-wielding Renee the concierge and her two beloved tenants, Kakuro and Paloma.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog - June CC Book Club Selection

CONNECT WITH US