Marivaux, lots o'mags

I read three of Marivaux's novels and all of his plays, 34 in number, while on a trip this week. It was interesting to see a man work and rework his themes, which is fluffy romantic comedy, until he perfects it. His novels, particularly Marianne, are funny but little read. His plays will use the same characters, from commedia dell'arte for example, over and over again. There are a lot of one-act plays, as well. Another aspect that was of interest to me was how he wrote the spoken French of the less educated, which is quite close to the French my own characters speak. For my novel, one only needs to suggest the dialect sounds, but for a play one has to write much more thoroughly how one speaks, and it was interesting to see that. I also wrote a booklet, written by several French authors from Ontario, about the publishing houses and what to expect for new writers. Published by the Ontario Association of Francophone Writers, it also offer a reading service for a small fee. Finally, I read the latest New Yorker, which had a heartbreaking article about John Keats, the latest Vanity Fair, and three issues of Eclectic Reading, which my common law partner Tony produces periodically.

I've got only Shirley yet to read so I can say I've read all the Bronte's, and assorted odds and ends on my night table, and the 18-volume set of Chateaubriand's complete works, all of which must be done before July 31st. I also have the e-book of Pin-Money, which I couldn't find in hard copy.