영어로 읽는 고전 _ 부스 타킹턴의 퀘스네이의 손님
부스 타킹턴의 "퀘스네이의 손님"은 20세기 초에 쓰여진 소설입니다. 이야기는 파리를 배경으로 하며, 초상화 화가인 조지 워드가 활기차고 때로는 불미스러운 거리의 삶을 헤쳐나가는 모습을 중심으로 전개됩니다. 이야기는 워드가 파리 거리를 채우는 다양한 인물들을 관찰하는 것으로 시작되며, 그중에는 스캔들로 가득한 삶으로 인해 재산과 명성에 심각한 타격을 입은 주목할 만한 인물 라라비 하만도 포함됩니다.
책의 시작 부분에서 독자는 부유한 후원자들과 고군분투하는 예술가들을 포함한 다양한 인물들로 가득 찬 파리의 활기찬 분위기를 접하게 됩니다. 성공한 화가가 된 워드는 방탕한 삶에 빠진 옛 지인인 하만을 알아보면서 이야기에 끌려들어갑니다.
줄거리가 전개됨에 따라 워드의 세계는 하만과 수수께끼 같은 무용수 마리아나의 세계와 얽히게 되며, 파리 생활을 배경으로 명성, 몰락, 그리고 인간 관계의 복잡성이라는 주제를 반영합니다. 초반부 장면들은 독자들을 색채와 음모, 그리고 도시의 맥박으로 가득 찬 세계로 끌어들이는 풍부한 시각적 태피스트리를 구축합니다.
Classics Read in English _ The Guest of Quesnay by Booth Tarkington
Set against the vibrant backdrop of early 20th-century Paris, Booth Tarkington's novel "The Guest of Quesnay" presents a compelling exploration of fate, identity, and redemption. The narrative unfolds through the perspective of George Ward, an American portrait painter who has found both artistic fulfillment and commercial success in the City of Light.
As the story begins, Tarkington masterfully immerses readers in the pulsating energy of Parisian boulevard life. Ward, a keen observer of human nature, navigates through this colorful landscape populated by a rich tapestry of characters?from aspiring artists and wealthy patrons to vagabonds and celebrities fallen from grace. The bustling streets become a stage where the drama of human existence plays out in all its complexity.
Ward's attention is particularly drawn to Larrabee Harman, a figure whose name once commanded respect in social circles but who has since descended into notoriety. Once a man of means and standing, Harman's reckless lifestyle and penchant for scandal have precipitated a spectacular downfall, leaving him a shadow of his former self. Ward's recognition of this fallen acquaintance serves as the catalyst that draws him into an increasingly intricate narrative.
As the plot develops, Ward becomes entangled in the intertwined destinies of Harman and the enigmatic dancer Mariana. Their stories converge in unexpected ways, creating a narrative that examines the capricious nature of fame, the consequences of moral compromise, and the possibility of redemption even after profound disgrace.
Through his vivid descriptions and nuanced character development, Tarkington creates a sensory-rich world that captures the essence of Belle ?poque Paris?its artistic ferment, social stratification, and moral ambiguities. The opening chapters establish not merely a setting but an atmosphere charged with potential for both beauty and tragedy, setting the stage for a tale that explores the depths of human experience against the backdrop of one of the world's most captivating cities.
Among the contents
There are old Parisians who will tell you pompously that the boulevards, like the political cafes, have ceased to exist, but this means only that the boulevards no longer gossip of Louis Napoleon, the Return of the Bourbons, or of General Boulanger, for these highways are always too busily stirring with present movements not to be forgetful of their yesterdays. In the shade of the buildings and awnings, the loungers, the lookers-on in Paris, the audience of the boulevard, sit at little tables, sipping coffee from long glasses, drinking absinthe or bright-coloured sirops, and gazing over the heads of throngs afoot at others borne along through the sunshine of the street in carriages, in cabs, in glittering automobiles, or high on the tops of omnibuses.
From all the continents the multitudes come to join in that procession: Americans, tagged with race-cards and intending hilarious disturbances; puzzled Americans, worn with guide-book plodding; Chinese princes in silk; queer Antillean dandies of swarthy origin and fortune; ruddy English, thinking of nothing; pallid English, with upper teeth bared and eyes hungrily searching for sign-boards of tea-rooms; over-Europeanised Japanese, unpleasantly immaculate; burnoosed sheiks from the desert, and red-fezzed Semitic peddlers; Italian nobles in English tweeds;
