Magic Mountain
I have recently reached Hans Castrop's declaration of his love to Mme Chauchat, or at least I think I have, because it is all in French in the translation I am reading.
That is one of my pet hates, people who leave 2nd languages untranslated in books. It is not so bad when it is the odd Latin joke or phrase in French, but pages of dialogue is just not on. I know that most English speakers are horribly monolingual but, one would think that if one is reading a translation from the German that point has already been made.
I did actually get the point that he had made his declaration, 2 years of High School French does allow you to recognise the phrase, 'Je t'aime', but not a lot else. I do understand that it being in French, the conversation, was an important point and no doubt we will be reliving it in the days to come but it kind of ruined my lunch.
Actually in general I am rethinking the whole reading MM at luch time thing. There are descriptions of people dying from or being treated for TB that just really don't accompany cheese sandwiches very well.
I mean EWWW!
I have been reading about the history of the disease.
Mycobacteria are pretty fascinating actually, the disease causing ones and I mean their whole association with humans and other animals. Not just biologically, as social phenomena TB and leprosy were huge, and whole resurgence of TB after the West thought it had won thing is also pretty interesting example of the hubris of modern medicine.
Still that is a whole other rant.