Here is the commonly accepted English translation of the quote:
"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. A man's life, as viewed by himself, is a succession of accidents; but seen from the outside, or in retrospect, it has the character of a work of art."
A slightly fuller version (from Parerga and Paralipomena, Vol. I) appears in many translations as:
"In our own life we see only the successive present moments; but when we look back on it, it appears like a completed work of art. What seemed at the time accidental and disconnected reveals itself as necessity and coherence."
Thank you, I actually found this one and thought it was possible. I read the Houellebecq paraphrase as a statement about the limits of memory: that things slip away as we get older. But the line you quote seems to speak to a strength of memory: it creates order out of chaos. Not a flaw with Houllebecq, or Schopenhauer, (or you or me!), just different from how I remembered and interpreted it.
MH is being ironic. He knows this famous Schopenhauer quote and is using it to his own purposes, that is, turning its meaning 180 degrees. A very Houellebecq thing to do!
Loved this. And thanks for the thoughtful response to my essay. I had a dream last night about someone from high school whom I hadn’t thought of since graduation, but clearly he was still in there, somewhere. Our minds are so mysterious. Maybe we haven’t forgotten as much as we worry we have.
I liked this very much. I also experience regret about not remembering in greater detail the books I have loved, but then I think I wouldn't worry too much if I couldn't recall exactly a lunch I enjoyed six weeks ago, so it all balances out in the end.
The things I remember most clearly are those I recapitulate to others shortly after reading them. One of the reasons I enjoy talking with loved ones about what we’ve been reading.
Not sure if this gets you where you want to go:
Here is the commonly accepted English translation of the quote:
"Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. A man's life, as viewed by himself, is a succession of accidents; but seen from the outside, or in retrospect, it has the character of a work of art."
A slightly fuller version (from Parerga and Paralipomena, Vol. I) appears in many translations as:
"In our own life we see only the successive present moments; but when we look back on it, it appears like a completed work of art. What seemed at the time accidental and disconnected reveals itself as necessity and coherence."
Thank you, I actually found this one and thought it was possible. I read the Houellebecq paraphrase as a statement about the limits of memory: that things slip away as we get older. But the line you quote seems to speak to a strength of memory: it creates order out of chaos. Not a flaw with Houllebecq, or Schopenhauer, (or you or me!), just different from how I remembered and interpreted it.
MH is being ironic. He knows this famous Schopenhauer quote and is using it to his own purposes, that is, turning its meaning 180 degrees. A very Houellebecq thing to do!
We might forget but that doesn‘t mean that there is no small part in us that changed (influenced?)
Loved this. And thanks for the thoughtful response to my essay. I had a dream last night about someone from high school whom I hadn’t thought of since graduation, but clearly he was still in there, somewhere. Our minds are so mysterious. Maybe we haven’t forgotten as much as we worry we have.
This is great, Max
Thanks Dillon
I liked this very much. I also experience regret about not remembering in greater detail the books I have loved, but then I think I wouldn't worry too much if I couldn't recall exactly a lunch I enjoyed six weeks ago, so it all balances out in the end.
The things I remember most clearly are those I recapitulate to others shortly after reading them. One of the reasons I enjoy talking with loved ones about what we’ve been reading.