3.5

There were sections of this book that I really enjoyed, while other parts I found dragged a bit. This might be partly because, while there is definitely a beginning and an end, the middle part doesn't really have a linear plot, and there are a large number of characters I had a little bit of trouble keeping straight (although this is at least partly due to how long it took me to read, I think). I also think I missed out on some of the jokes/interactions because of the amount of dialogue in French, of which I was only able to understand a little. Because of the sections that had me smiling and laughing out loud, I would say I liked the book, but there were those parts that kept me from really liking it.

E. E. Cummings, The Enormous Room (Liveright, 1921)

Cummings became famous for his poetry, but before that he wrote a now obscure novel-cum-memoir about his temporary imprisonment during World War I, The Enormous Room. Modeled loosely after Bunyan's magnum opus, Pilgrim's Progress, Cummings gives us the arrest and detention (for he is never sent to prison, only detained awaiting the word of the Commission on whether he is to be imprisoned or freed) of a friend of his and himself. The friend is charged with treason after writing letters home critical of the French government; Cummings is charged with nothing but being his friend.

The book touches all the expected bases; the horrors of war, problems with authority, etc., etc. Nothing here you haven't seen before. What causes it to stand out is Cummings' treatment of the whole thing. Cummings takes an horrific experience and makes it a whimsical way to pass the time, only allowing enough of the horror to show through so that the reader can understand the irony of Cummings' presentation here.

The book is well-written, though a bit jarring in places; it is written rather like you would hear the story from someone sitting next to you at the club smoking a cigar, although all too overeager at times. Cummings' enthusiasm for his subject, though, is a refreshing change from the usual war novel. This is not a book that is easy to digest, but is worth the effort. *** ½

I picked this up at a library sale thinking, “Hmm, I didn’t know Cummings wrote prose.” It’s a Modern Library edition, which was an indicator of quality, so I bought it. I’m so very glad I did! While a knowledge of Pilgrim’s Progress and the ability to read French is a help, an understanding of irony is a must. He paints wonderful character sketches with his words, and leads us to unmistakable insights into human nature, the workings of bureaucracy, and the machinations of war. By turns droll and full of pathos, this book is a gem.

I had high hopes yet found it rather dull. Beautiful, but boring.

"I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture of a town. These streets with their houses did not exist, they were but a ludicrous projection of the moon's sumptuous personality. This was a city of Pretend, created by the hypnotism of moonnight. -- Yet when I examined the moon she too seemed but a painting of a moon and the sky in which she lived a fragile echo of color. If I blew hard the whole shy mechanism would collapse gently with a neat soundless crash. I must not, or lose all."

Cummings has the best intentions in writing and he does create pretty darn good portraits but this book is too long and not worth it in my opinion. I have no more will to carry on with it.