It is slightly difficult to conjure up questions
that I have after reading this book for two reasons. The first reason is because I have already
discussed a lot of the questions I've had while reading the book, and the other
reason is because I like to almost forget
a book after I’m done reading it. It
might sound awful, but I’m not a fan of reading books that stick with me for
ages after I finish them. Anyway, I’ll
discuss a few literary moles that have managed to dig their way into the
well-kempt lawn that is my mind.
Sedaris’ relationship with his partner, Hugh, is a rather confusing one. I find relationships in general to be quite baffling, especially when I have minimal knowledge about homosexual relationships. I absolutely love Sedaris’ description of the love between Hugh and himself in the essay “The End of the Affair,” in which he very blatantly discusses the reality of getting into arguments with a lover. I can definitely appreciate a raw approach to typical communication and compatibility problems of a relationship as opposed to a mushy approach, especially when the romantic aspect is preserved within the conflict. My question is not a clean-cut one, but I just wonder how Sedaris and his partner have managed to make it work after all these years while having seemingly polar opposite personalities.
A major aspect of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is Sedaris’ family, which brings a lot of entertainment into each story. Sedaris has a countless amount of siblings, all of which have massively colorful personalities and a plethora of great stories revolving around them. The thing that struck me was how extremely different David Sedaris seems to be compared to the rest of his siblings. I can see connections between him and his parents, but he seems to have gone off in a completely different direction than any of his siblings. I suppose David Sedaris’ life seems to give him the “black sheep” status within his family.
While reading Sedaris’ essays, I often find myself trying to recall a story that is funny enough to be written down and published in a book. Oftentimes I fail to recall such a story (let alone a whole book of stories) and I wind up contemplating how Sedaris managed to have such an eventful life. That would be my grand follow-up question to Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim: how can someone lead such a colorful lifestyle worthy of its own publication? I’d like to live like that.
(Question Answered: What questions do you have after reading the text?)
Sedaris’ relationship with his partner, Hugh, is a rather confusing one. I find relationships in general to be quite baffling, especially when I have minimal knowledge about homosexual relationships. I absolutely love Sedaris’ description of the love between Hugh and himself in the essay “The End of the Affair,” in which he very blatantly discusses the reality of getting into arguments with a lover. I can definitely appreciate a raw approach to typical communication and compatibility problems of a relationship as opposed to a mushy approach, especially when the romantic aspect is preserved within the conflict. My question is not a clean-cut one, but I just wonder how Sedaris and his partner have managed to make it work after all these years while having seemingly polar opposite personalities.
A major aspect of Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim is Sedaris’ family, which brings a lot of entertainment into each story. Sedaris has a countless amount of siblings, all of which have massively colorful personalities and a plethora of great stories revolving around them. The thing that struck me was how extremely different David Sedaris seems to be compared to the rest of his siblings. I can see connections between him and his parents, but he seems to have gone off in a completely different direction than any of his siblings. I suppose David Sedaris’ life seems to give him the “black sheep” status within his family.
While reading Sedaris’ essays, I often find myself trying to recall a story that is funny enough to be written down and published in a book. Oftentimes I fail to recall such a story (let alone a whole book of stories) and I wind up contemplating how Sedaris managed to have such an eventful life. That would be my grand follow-up question to Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim: how can someone lead such a colorful lifestyle worthy of its own publication? I’d like to live like that.
(Question Answered: What questions do you have after reading the text?)
Sedaris' stories and discussions considering his relationship with Hugh are definitely my favorite parts of the book. It's interesting to see so completely different people live compatibly (and humorously) together. I also agree with your curiosity in Sedaris' relationships with his parents and his siblings; while he seems to have inherited many of the values that his parents brought him up with, his clean-cut lifestyle and somewhat bossy personality are exactly the opposite of the lives of his siblings. Throughout reading this book, I wondered sometimes how many of these stories were actually 100% true. A few of them did seem completely plausible and in-step with family life, but others I thought Sedaris tended to make more appealing with his added, exaggerated details. I'm sure if you gave it enough thought, you could write some pretty fabulous stories, too ;)
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