And, though some of us like adventure travel, most prefer to sit in the sun like a rack of spareribs, basting ourselves regularly with sauce, and quietly frying, taking care to turn over so we'll be cooked on both sides.In a way, we really are preparing ourselves for consumption by others, visually.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Ackerman on tanning
Ackerman, in case you haven't caught on, fancies herself a bit of an adventurer. On page 92, she separates herself from the masses by saying that commoners enjoy relaxing, idle vacations in the sun. I find her writing is often indulgent, but she had a beautiful sentence, the rare line that makes me stop and ruminate on my own inadequacies in comparison.
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"In a way, we really are preparing ourselves for consumption by others, visually." -- we're browning ourselves with heat to be more appealing, so yes I agree. I've never been one for tanning- as you can probably tell. I like adventure but I also like being idle with a good book. I think this is one of those lines of hers where she comes off pretentious (as if she's calling us lazy though we have to sit idly to read her book so she should probably watch what she says).
ReplyDeleteAs it did with you, this line made me stop to think. For me, it was simply because the sentence was a bold metaphor, yet it worked, something Ackerman doesn't always succeed in. However, your analysis of it being about preparing ourselves visually for others' consumption makes me view the line as something with much more sophistication in its intent.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are right on here. And, Matt, I dig your concise summing-up.
ReplyDeleteBold metaphors are something to keep challenging yourself on. How far do we want to go? As far as possible until we border on parody, or do we want to stay simple?
DW