On Stein (briefly)

Reading Gertrude Stein is like reading sunshine and laughter and interest that all got broken up sharply like peanut brittle and bits scattered all over the page... Even when she is describing sad or ordinary things the phrasing and reference and altogether unconventionality give a sense of a rigorous, inquiring mind, playing... Can never read too much at a time - a few pages perhaps, the unconventionality requiring more attention than usual, it's like touring a new and culturally diverse place (the Paris she described, perhaps?) - you need to read a little and then take some time to think about it, let it soak in, to be able to fully appreciate it rather than rushing through just to get to the end (which is OK for rubbish entertainment books perhaps but not Literature thick with idea and poetry and technical skill)...