“The men who produce works of genius are not those who live in the most delicate atmosphere, whose conversation is the most brilliant or their culture the most extensive, but those who have had the power, ceasing suddenly to live only for themselves, to transform their personality into a sort of mirror, in such a way that their life, however mediocre it may be socially and even, in a sense, intellectually, is reflected by it, genius consisting in reflecting power and not in the intrinsic quality of the scene reflected.” – Marcel Proust, Within a Budding Grove (trans. Moncrieff and Kilmartin)
I’ll be your mirror
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4 thoughts on “I’ll be your mirror”
Leave a Reply to Averil Dean
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Social and intellectual mediocrity? I must be a genius!
Proust made a casual connection here, not a necessary one. As for you, sweet Averil, your writing can be brilliant and the social skills you display through your blog are first-rate.
The daily prompt has revitalized me. I’m finding it hard not to answer back in comments, though, as I usually do. The daily post is a way for me to step back a bit and stop inserting myself into every conversation, and is in keeping with a more rigorous writing schedule. However I love to read the responses, and look forward to yours especially—same as it ever was.
XO
As you may have noticed, hardly anyone comments here. It’s likely that’s because, in part, I don’t actively try to engage people in a conversation on this site — though I always welcome one when it occurs. These past few months, I’ve taken to duplicating my blog’s daily post on my Facebook wall (it it called a wall? I can never remember), where there is likewise not much in conversational feedback.
I enjoy reading what you write. Visiting your site every day is — I was going to say, “like having friends,” though that’s not quite it. It’s like having a ready room one can stop by at every day and hear what’s going on with the members of the accidental community that gathers there. Often I go there when I’m taking a short break from other activities; or, in the morning, when I’m about to have my breakfast, which I not infrequently have while I visit your site. In fact, I’m going to drop by in a few minutes, with my mug of Scottish Breakfast tea, bowl of yogurt, and fresh banana.