February 25, 2013

"For Daisy was young and her artificial world was redolent of orchids and pleasant, cheerful snobbery..."

"... and orchestras which set the rhythm of the year, summing up the sadness and suggestiveness of life in new tunes."

That's today's sentence from "The Great Gatsby."

What kind of flowers does your world — artificial? — smell like? Is your snobbery perky and inoffensive? What kind of musicians are playing the music that sets the rhythm of your year? Assuming your life is sad and suggestive, what new tunes are summing things up for you?

17 comments:

George M. Spencer said...

"Redolent"

Such odoriferous writing.

Sneezing is warranted.

Guildofcannonballs said...

So much better by many magnitudes than anything I at my most contemplentuous assumed others could not do and, knowing that, didn't attempt, looks like I shoulda been a dentist, depressed.

Guildofcannonballs said...

All I know is that "you're no Daisy" spoken by V. Kilmer surpasses any and all sub or presequent Daisy mentions now and forever.

Indeed.

kentuckyliz said...

My new theme tuneage: Glad Rag Doll album by Diana Krall.

edutcher said...

I don't know there's only sadness or suggestiveness in life.

There certainly is joy, as anyone who remembers the Meadhouse romance knows.

NotquiteunBuckley said...

All I know is that "you're no Daisy" spoken by V. Kilmer surpasses any and all sub or presequent Daisy mentions now and forever.

You mean, "You're a daisy if you do".

Guildofcannonballs said...

In discussing the devolution, there is much.

Guildofcannonballs said...

There is much in being devolved. A whole lot.

A whole lot of everything.

Guildofcannonballs said...

The wisest of all always say "sure sure" it seemingly seems.
Sometimes.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I'm not in this demographic.

dreams said...

Cramer's Mad Money - The Gatsby Index

http://seekingalpha.com/article/1223531-cramer-s-mad-money-the-gatsby-index-2-25-13?source=yahoo

Anonymous said...

Naked Ed Gein Robot would make a slipcover for his armchair from this sentence.

Anonymous said...

Naked Ed Gein Robot would then sit in the armchair, the word "redolent" upon his face, and listen to Patsy Cline.

Anonymous said...

How many times had he cut "Daisy" out of a sentence? Four times? Five?

He had Daisy in the appropriate burlap sacks and shoe-boxes, always there, always waiting, only for him.

Anonymous said...

Patsy Cline singing "Walkin' After Midnight" -- it was as if she was singing to him alone. "Dance in the Moonlight, Ed, dance in the Moonlight."

Anonymous said...

With the proper knife, carefully sharpened, Ed knew he could cleanly slice "orchids" away from the body of the sentence.

Orchids: it was practically an invitation to dance.

Anonymous said...

"pleasant, cheerful snobbery", however: those words were begging to be cut out roughly, with edges left ragged and raw -- a worn blade would be fine.

These words he would push into an empty soup can and set it by the kitchen sink, there to collect and contain various drippings.

Anonymous said...

When dissecting sentences there were always drippings in need of collecting and containing.