BetterMost, Wyoming & Brokeback Mountain Forum

Our BetterMost Community => The Polling Place => Topic started by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 12:29:00 am

Title: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 12:29:00 am
Marcel Proust Questionnaire

(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/kez4oz/Proust1.jpg)
Marcel Proust
1871-1922

Hmmm, does that face look familiar? Jake, are you related to Marcel?

In Andre Maurois’ book, “The Quest for Proust,“  about the famous gay French writer Marcel Proust, he appends a questionnaire, which Proust completed at the age of 20.

Maurois states that, “(Proust’s responses to the questionnaire) reveals, as yet, not hardness or bitterness, but spiritual anguish, latent remorse, an insatiable craving for tenderness, and a desire to be swept off his feet by the strength of his instincts.”

The original questions are listed below, with Proust’s responses in purple. To respond, copy the following into a new post and replace the purple text with your own responses.

Enjoy!

1. What is your most marked characteristic?  A craving to be loved, or, to be more precise, to be caressed and spoiled rather than to be admired.

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Feminine charm.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? A man’s virtues, and frankness in friendship.

4. What do you most value in your friends? Tenderness - provided they possess a physical charm which makes their tenderness worth having.

5. What is your principal defect? Lack of understanding; weakness of will.

6. What is your favourite occupation? Loving.

7. What is your dream of happiness? Not, I fear, a very elevated one. I really haven’t the courage to say what it is, and, if I did, I should probably destroy it by the mere fact of putting it into words.

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Never to have known my mother or my grandmother.

9. What would you like to be? Myself - as those whom I admire would like me to be.

10. In what country would you like to live? One where certain things that I want would be realised - and where feelings of tenderness would always be reciprocated. (Proust underlined the last half of this sentence.)  

11. What is your favourite colour? Beauty lies not in colours but in their harmony.

12. What is your favourite flower? Hers - but, apart from that - all.

13. What is your favourite bird? The swallow.

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? At the moment, Anatole France and Pierre Loti.

15. Who are your favourite poets? Baudelaire and Alfred de Vigney.

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Hamlet.

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Phedre (crossed out by Proust) Berenice.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Beethoven, Wagner, Shuhmann (sic).

19. Who are your favourite painters? Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt.

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Monsieur Darlu, Monsieur Boutroux.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Cleopatra.

22. What are your favourite names? I have only one at a time.

23. What is it that you most dislike? My own worst qualities.

24. What historical character  do you most despise? I am not sufficiently educated to say.

25. What event in military history do you most admire? My own enlistment as a volunteer!

26. What reform do you most admire? (Proust has left this question unanswered)

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Will-power and irresistible charm.

28. How would you like to die? A better man than I am, and much loved.

29. What is your present state of mind? Annoyance at having had to think about myself in order to answer these questions.

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Those that I understand. (“Understand” is underlined by Proust)  

31. What is your motto? I prefer not to say - for fear it might bring me ill-luck.

c. “Les Confidances de salon,” published by Lesueur-Damby, 19 rue de Bourgogne, Paris. Property of Mr Edward Waterman.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 12:47:56 am
Here are my responses:

1. What is your most marked characteristic?  Introversion.

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Masculinity.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Femininity.

4. What do you most value in your friends? Unconditional love.

5. What is your principal defect? My introversion. And also setting standards too high for my friends to live up to.

6. What is your favourite occupation? Dreaming.

7. What is your dream of happiness? To live a long, happy, healthy, prosperous life.  

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Never to have experienced life as I am presently experiencing it in this incarnation.

9. What would you like to be? A famous painter.

10. In what country would you like to live? Australia.  

11. What is your favourite colour? Purple.

12. What is your favourite flower? Gardenia.

13. What is your favourite bird? All the Birds of Paradise.

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Mary Renault. Annie Proulx. Louise Hay

15. Who are your favourite poets? Kahlil Gibran.

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Ennis del Mar and Jack Twist, equally.

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Mimi and Floria Tosca from the Puccini operas “La Boheme” and “Tosca,” respectively.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Peter Tchaikovsky and Giacomo Puccini.

19. Who are your favourite painters? Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio (known as Caravaggio) and Wassily Kandinsky.

20. Who are your heroes in real life? George Chamberlain.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Queen Dido.

22. What are your favourite names? Varies.

23. What is it that you most dislike? Insincerity.

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Tomas de Torquemada, Grand Inquisitor of Spain.

25. What event in military history do you most admire? Alexander the Great’s conquest of Persia.

26. What reform do you most admire? Gay Liberation.

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Inspired artistic genius.

28. How would you like to die? At peace, in my sleep, with no regrets.

29. What is your present state of mind? Relaxed.

30 To what faults do you feel most indulgent? I am overly judgmental of others.

31. What is your motto? “It is better to dream one’s life, than to live it.”
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: injest on March 11, 2007, 01:43:01 am
1. What is your most marked characteristic? insecurity and self doubt


2. What is the quality you most like in a man? confidence.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? kindness

4. What do you most value in your friends? understanding.

5. What is your principal defect? lack of will power

6. What is your favourite occupation? dreaming

7. What is your dream of happiness? home with ALL my loved ones near

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? to die unremembered

9. What would you like to be? happy

10. In what country would you like to live? USA

11. What is your favourite colour? Red

12. What is your favourite flower? Daffodila

13. What is your favourite bird? cockatiel.

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Mary Renault

15. Who are your favourite poets? don't have one

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Bagoas

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Brandy

18. Who are your favourite composers? Mahler!!! (if you had asked me six months ago I would have answered 'I don't have one' THANKS ANDREW!!! LOL!!)


19. Who are your favourite painters? Michelangelo

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Garry and Don.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Olympias

22. What are your favourite names? Audrey

23. What is it that you most dislike? cruel gossipy people

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Ronald Reagan

25. What event in military history do you most admire? LOL...I am a Texan...HAVE to say the Alamo!!

26. What reform do you most admire? women's rights

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Will-power and irresistible charm.

28. How would you like to die? painlessly

29. What is your present state of mind? tired and wondering why I am still up

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? eating chocolate to make myself happy!!

31. What is your motto? One foot in front of the other.....one foot in front of the other....

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: delalluvia on March 11, 2007, 01:48:18 am

1. What is your most marked characteristic?  Pragmatism 

2. What is the quality you most like in a man?  The ability and desire to communicate.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman?   Self-respect

4. What do you most value in your friends?  Honesty.

5. What is your principal defect?  Defect in whose eyes?

6. What is your favourite occupation?  Learning.

7. What is your dream of happiness?  Freedom from want and fear

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?  Never to realize any hopes or dreams.

9. What would you like to be?  Healthy and wealthy

10. In what country would you like to live? A place where my freedom could not be hampered.

11. What is your favourite colour?  No real favorites.

12. What is your favourite flower?  Too many to mention

13. What is your favourite bird?  Don't know, haven't see them all.

14. Who are your favourite prose writers?  Too many to mention.

15. Who are your favourite poets?  I have favorite poems, rather than favorite poets.

16. Who is your favourite hero/ine of fiction?  Too many to mention

18. Who are your favourite composers?  I have favorite compositions rather than favorite composers

19. Who are your favourite painters?   Ditto

20. Who are your heroes in real life?  I don't have any real life heroes.  They are too human and thus eventually disappoint.  All my heroes are fictional.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history?  Too many to mention.

22. What are your favourite names?  Of what?

23. What is it that you most dislike?  Willful blind arrogance and ignorance.

24. What historical character do you most despise?  Don't know enough of them to say.

25. What event in military history do you most admire?  Ditto

26. What reform do you most admire?  Women's rights

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?  Proficiency in a professional field of interest

28. How would you like to die?   Peacefully, sound in mind and body

29. What is your present state of mind?  Contentment with a touch of excited anticipation (was planning my Paris trip right before taking this poll).

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?   Those that are difficult to overcome

31. What is your motto?  Don't have one
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: dot-matrix on March 11, 2007, 01:58:32 am
Mine Too  ;) :

1. What is your most marked characteristic?  responsibility

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Integrity with humor

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? loyalty

4. What do you most value in your friends? totally non-judgemental acceptance of all my quirks

5. What is your principal defect? My ranging shyness and personal insecurity.  I hold myself to a much higher standard than I do those around me so consequently I am always setting myself up for failure in my own eyes

6. What is your favourite occupation? Reading

7. What is your dream of happiness? To live a happy life, surrounded by those I love and to be remembered with love when I am gone.  

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Never to have loved or been loved by another human being.

9. What would you like to be? A parent.

10. In what country would you like to live? I am happy in America, but if I needed to chose somewhere else I think I would choose to give Ireland a try.  

11. What is your favourite colour? Green.

12. What is your favourite flower? Lilacs.

13. What is your favourite bird? Peacock.

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Nora Roberts. Annie Proulx. Pearl S Buck and Amy Tan

15. Who are your favourite poets? William Butler Yeats, T. S. Eliot, E. E. Cummings,Edgar Allan Poe,
Emily Dickinson, James Thurber, Edna St Vincent Milay, Maya Angelou, Robert Frost.

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Sidney Carlton in Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities"....."'It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.'"

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? I'm a sucker for all those fairy tales I cut my teeth on so I'd have to say, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Beethoven, Mozart, Berlioz, Rachmanioff, Greig, Mussourgsky

19. Who are your favourite painters? Johannes Vermeer, Monet, Mary Cassatt and Jeffrey Spicer.

20. Who are your heroes in real life? firefighters and our military and all other service people like them who put themselves on the line for us everyday.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Queen Elizabeth the First, Elizabeth's reign was one of the more constructive periods in English history: literature bloomed through the works of Spenser, Marlowe and Shakespeare; Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh were instrumental in expanding English influence in the New World; Elizabeth's religious compromise laid many fears to rest and de-fused a potential powder keg.  AND Eleanor Roosevelt, her integrity, her graciousness, and her sincerity of purpose endeared her personally to many--from heads of state to servicemen she visited abroad during World War II. Within a year of the Presidents death in 1945, she began her service as American spokesman in the United Nations. She continued a vigorous career until her strength began to wane in 1962.

22. What are your favourite names? Marie, Justin, Abra, Aubrey, Kyle,.

23. What is it that you most dislike? Meanness in all it's forms.

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Hitler, Ida Amin, Pol Pot, Papa Doc and Baby Doc, Mohamed Siad Barre, Sukharno, Duvalier, & Pinochet. and all the other Bloody Dictators who try to climb to power at the expense of and on the backs of their people

25. What event in military history do you most admire? The defeat of Adolph Hitler.

26. What reform do you most admire? The Emancipation of Women and Children, American Civil Rights and Gay Liberation all of which have the same precepts at their heart just one social group at a time.

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? musical talent, I can't sing worth a darn and can't play a note.

28. How would you like to die? At peace, pain-free, in my sleep, in my own home a very old age.

29. What is your present state of mind? Relaxed.

30 To what faults do you feel most indulgent? I am often impatient and do not suffer fools gladly.Also I can't type worth a penny

31. What is your motto? “It's not rocket science, don't make it harder than it needs to be.”

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: David In Indy on March 11, 2007, 03:11:45 am
Marcel Proust Questionnaire

(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/kez4oz/Proust1.jpg)
Marcel Proust
1871-1922

Hmmm, does that face look familiar? Jake, are you related to Marcel?



Marcel and Jake do look a bit alike!  :D

Marcel was a cutie!
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: David In Indy on March 11, 2007, 03:19:13 am
For those of you who don't want to see other people's answers beforehand, here is a blank copy of the questionnaire.

Just copy the questionnaire below and paste it into your reply box!  :D



1. What is your most marked characteristic?

2. What is the quality you most like in a man?

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman?

4. What do you most value in your friends?

5. What is your principal defect?

6. What is your favourite occupation?

7. What is your dream of happiness?

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?

9. What would you like to be?

10. In what country would you like to live?

11. What is your favourite colour?

12. What is your favourite flower?

13. What is your favourite bird?

14. Who are your favourite prose writers?

15. Who are your favourite poets?

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction?

18. Who are your favourite composers?

19. Who are your favourite painters?

20. Who are your heroes in real life?

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history?

22. What are your favourite names?

23. What is it that you most dislike?

24. What historical character  do you most despise?

25. What event in military history do you most admire?

26. What reform do you most admire?

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?

28. How would you like to die?

29. What is your present state of mind?

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

31. What is your motto?
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: David In Indy on March 11, 2007, 04:11:30 am
1. What is your most marked characteristic? My limitless energy. I have a very hard time sitting still!

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Chivalry and gentle strength

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? confidence

4. What do you most value in your friends?  Their ability to put up with me no matter what!

5. What is your principal defect?   Way to many to mention! My clumsiness is probably my principal defect. Or is he talking about PHYSICAL defects? I don't like my ears. I don't like the shape.

6. What is your favourite occupation? Physician. It's very hard work, but I think it would be very satisfying too, because I HATE seeing people sick or in pain. I think it would be nice if I could actually DO something for them.

7. What is your dream of happiness? I know it sounds corny, but my idea of hapiness is simply finding someone I love and who loves me, and settling down with him for the rest of my life.

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? A world completely devoid of love and hope.

9. What would you like to be? In general? A decent human being who, at the very least, brings joy and happiness to others.

10. In what country would you like to live? Wow! There's so many of them! Probably Denmark. I saw something on CNN last month which said Danes are the happiest people in the world. It's also a very beautiful country. I also love the Bahamas, and the Netherlands. Despite some of its shortcomings, the US is a very nice country too!

11. What is your favourite colour? Purple! I also love blue.

12. What is your favourite flower? Magnolia. I love my magnolia tree in my yard. Orchids are nice too.

13. What is your favourite bird? The Cardinal. They are so cute. They are also the state bird of Indiana!

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Annie Proulx of course!

15. Who are your favourite poets? Edgar Allen Poe, Rupert Brooke, Carl Sandburg, Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Henry Longfellow, Charles Baudelaire

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Jack and Ennis! Okay, too easy. Right now my favorite hero is probably Harry Potter. I'm a REALLY big Harry Potter fan!

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Hermoine from "Harry Potter". Also, Charlotte from "Charlotte's Web". She's an animal (a spider) but she's a female spider. Does she count?

18. Who are your favourite composers? J. S. Bach, Mozart, Corelli, Vivaldi, Haydn, Handel, etc...

19. Who are your favourite painters? Monet, Frans Hals, Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt, Marc Chagall

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who is not afraid to show others love and affection. Today's world hungers for it, I think.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Anna Shaw, Anne Frank, Princess Diana

22. What are your favourite names? Michael, Dennis, Cody, Christopher, Adam, Amy, Lisa, Tracy

23. What is it that you most dislike? Wars, killing and hatred

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Adolph Hitler

25. What event in military history do you most admire? The end of the American Civil War

26. What reform do you most admire? The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? I would love to be able to paint or draw.

28. How would you like to die? Quietly and painlessly in my sleep.

29. What is your present state of mind? I'm in a very good mood!

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? I'm not sure I understand this question. What does he mean by this? I hate it when I do something embarrassing or stupid in public (which happens A LOT!) haha

31. What is your motto? Keep them guessing, because everyone loves a mystery! Also, live every day to the fullest.

Wow Kerry! That was HARD!!!  ???  :P   :D
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 08:03:46 am
14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Mary Renault

Excellent choice, Jess! I concur!  ;)  :)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 08:10:58 am
22. What are your favourite names?  Of what?

That's a very valid question, Ms D. Until I read your response, I thought it related to people's names, but now I'm not sure!  ???   :-\   ;)   :)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 08:41:03 am
8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Never to have loved or been loved by another human being.

I agree, Dottie. We've had some horror stories recently in the media here in Sydney, about people who have died all alone in their homes and not been discovered until many months later. It's so sad to think that someone can be so completely alone, that absolutely no-one notices they've died. And right in the middle of a big city with several million people. So sad.

12. What is your favourite flower? Lilacs.

I love lilacs, too! 

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? I'm a sucker for all those fairy tales I cut my teeth on so I'd have to say, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Belle from Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel. 

I too love fairy tales, Dottie! Especially when translated to ballet - Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Nutcracker, etc.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Beethoven, Mozart, Berlioz, Rachmanioff, Greig, Mussourgsky

My favourite piece of music of all time is Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto. It was the first LP I ever bought when I was a teenager. 

20. Who are your heroes in real life? firefighters and our military and all other service people like them who put themselves on the line for us everyday.

Well said, Dottie. Good answer.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Queen Elizabeth the First, Elizabeth's reign was one of the more constructive periods in English history: literature bloomed through the works of Spenser, Marlowe and Shakespeare; Francis Drake and Walter Raleigh were instrumental in expanding English influence in the New World; Elizabeth's religious compromise laid many fears to rest and de-fused a potential powder keg.  AND Eleanor Roosevelt, her integrity, her graciousness, and her sincerity of purpose endeared her personally to many--from heads of state to servicemen she visited abroad during World War II. Within a year of the Presidents death in 1945, she began her service as American spokesman in the United Nations. She continued a vigorous career until her strength began to wane in 1962.

I read a wonderful Eleanor Roosevelt quote recently. It went something like, "People can only hurt you, if you allow them to do so." I don't think I've got that exactly right. Does anyone know it?
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 08:49:55 am
Marcel and Jake do look a bit alike!  :D

Marcel was a cutie!

I think he's cute too, David. He had lots of problems, both physical and emotional - he was an asthmatic, reclusive introvert, who had a heightened sensitivity to noise, spending much of his time in his cork-lined bedroom. And he was gay at a time when it wasn't considered so cool to be gay. I've always thought he had a sweet, sensitive lil face. I love his sad, expressive eyes - just like Jake's.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 09:34:53 am
5. What is your principal defect?   Way to many to mention! My clumsiness is probably my principal defect. Or is he talking about PHYSICAL defects? I don't like my ears. I don't like the shape.

I'm guessing the question is probably deliberately ambiguous, in order to reveal whether you see yourself flawed either regarding your character or physically. Alternatively, with no defects at all!

7. What is your dream of happiness? I know it sounds corny, but my idea of hapiness is simply finding someone I love and who loves me, and settling down with him for the rest of my life.

That's a lovely answer. You're a romantic, and we can never have too many romantics!

9. What would you like to be? In general? A decent human being who, at the very least, brings joy and happiness to others.

That's a sweet response, David, revealing your noble, altruistic outlook.

10. In what country would you like to live? Wow! There's so many of them! Probably Denmark. I saw something on CNN last month which said Danes are the happiest people in the world. It's also a very beautiful country. I also love the Bahamas, and the Netherlands. Despite some of its shortcomings, the US is a very nice country too!

Did you know that Princess Mary, the wife of Danish Crown Prince Frederick, is Australian? They have one baby son, Prince Christian (the Danish people have given him the nickname of the Little Kangaroo!), and she is presently expecting their second child - in May, I think.

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Hermoine from "Harry Potter". Also, Charlotte from "Charlotte's Web". She's an animal (a spider) but she's a female spider. Does she count?

I hope Charlotte isn't one of those huge, fat, furry Australian barking bird-eating spiders, David!

18. Who are your favourite composers? J. S. Bach, Mozart, Corelli, Vivaldi, Haydn, Handel, etc...

Oh, I love Mozart, Vivaldi, Haydn and Handel too!

19. Who are your favourite painters? Monet, Frans Hals, Jan Vermeer, Rembrandt, Marc Chagall

I love Marc Chagall too. Has anyone seen his painting on the ceiling of the Paris Opera? (I haven't seen it, but would like to)

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? I'm not sure I understand this question. What does he mean by this? I hate it when I do something embarrassing or stupid in public (which happens A LOT!) haha

However you wish to interpret the question is entirely appropriate.

31. What is your motto? Keep them guessing, because everyone loves a mystery! Also, live every day to the fullest.

We're a bit cruder in Australia. We say, "Smile! It keeps the bastards guessing!"

Wow Kerry! That was HARD!!!  ???  :P   :D

I agree, David. It took me longer than I though it would!  ;)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: mvansand76 on March 11, 2007, 03:48:01 pm
1. What is your most marked characteristic?

My enthusiasm

2. What is the quality you most like in a man?

Humour and creativity

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman?

Loyalty

4. What do you most value in your friends?

That they are honest

5. What is your principal defect?

I worry a lot

6. What is your favourite occupation?

Writing

7. What is your dream of happiness?

I am a happy person so I already know happiness, but I would become even happier if I was able to stop worrying about things that I shouldn't worry about

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?

If the world didn't know creativity

9. What would you like to be?

Myself. I don't want to be anybody else...

10. In what country would you like to live?

Switserland, to be more specific: Saas Fee, Saastal, Wallis.

11. What is your favourite colour?

Blue

12. What is your favourite flower?

Tulips

13. What is your favourite bird?

Not very fond of birds...

14. Who are your favourite prose writers?

Bill Bryson

15. Who are your favourite poets?

Keats

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?

Jack Twist

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction?

None

18. Who are your favourite composers?

Mahler, Pachelbel

19. Who are your favourite painters?

Rembrandt and Vermeer....

20. Who are your heroes in real life?

I don't have any heroes

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history?

None

22. What are your favourite names?

Sophia and Luca (the names of my sweet, sweet nephew and niece)

23. What is it that you most dislike?

Stupidity and ignorance

24. What historical character do you most despise?

I guess that would be Hitler

25. What event in military history do you most admire?
I am very happy that the Allied Forces liberated our country from the Germans in the Second World War. I just can't help but feel guilty because so many young men lost their lives for our freedom.

26. What reform do you most admire?

I am gonna leave this one unanswered too.

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?

Peace of mind

28. How would you like to die?

Peaceful and happy

29. What is your present state of mind?

Tired!

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

Whining

31. What is your motto?

It's not the things you did do that you will regret at the end of your life, it's the things you didn't do.


Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: David In Indy on March 11, 2007, 06:10:39 pm


I hope Charlotte isn't one of those huge, fat, furry Australian barking bird-eating spiders, David!


I'm not sure what kind of spider Charlotte was, Kerry. But she was a sweet, gentle spider just like Sinni was!  :)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Helly77/Book%20Covers/charlotte.jpg)


And Charlotte saved the life of a little pig in the story...

(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k13/fickle_02/movies/charlottesweb.jpg)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 08:08:01 pm
7. What is your dream of happiness?

I am a happy person so I already know happiness, but I would become even happier if I was able to stop worrying about things that I shouldn't worry about

My Mum used to say, "Stop worrying. It may never happen." She was a wise woman, my Mum!  :)

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?

Whining

 :laugh:    :laugh:    :laugh:

31. What is your motto?

It's not the things you did do that you will regret at the end of your life, it's the things you didn't do.

Profound!  :)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 11, 2007, 08:32:20 pm
I'm not sure what kind of spider Charlotte was, Kerry. But she was a sweet, gentle spider  just like Sinni was!  :)

(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y179/Helly77/Book%20Covers/charlotte.jpg)


And Charlotte saved the life of a little pig in the story...

(http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k13/fickle_02/movies/charlottesweb.jpg)

Pfew, thank goodness for that! If Charlotte had been a barking bird-eating spider, she would have gobbled-up that cute lil pig in one big gulp and spat out the bones!!!  :laugh:   :laugh:   :laugh:
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: ednbarby on March 11, 2007, 09:51:51 pm
1. What is your most marked characteristic?  My passion.  People say I'm the most "passionate" person they know.  (I think that's a nice way of saying I'm more than a tad bit obsessive.)

2. What is the quality you most like in a man?  Intelligence.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman?  Intelligence.

4. What do you most value in your friends?  Acceptance and understanding.

5. What is your principal defect?  My impatience.  I refer to it as the Mother of All My Flaws.

6. What is your favourite occupation?  Day-dreaming

7. What is your dream of happiness?  I'd like to be completely and utterly understood, accepted, and appreciated by my life partner.  Failing that, I could be very happy just living alone.

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?  Losing my mind

9. What would you like to be?  A recording artist, like Eva Cassidy.  I'd like to record songs that soothe the soul.  But I wouldn't like to go on tour.

10. In what country would you like to live?  England

11. What is your favourite colour?  Slate blue

12. What is your favourite flower?  Lilacs

13. What is your favourite bird?  Falcons

14. Who are your favourite prose writers?  Joyce Carol Oates, Barbara Kingsolver, Annie Proulx  

15. Who are your favourite poets?  Shakespeare

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?  Ennis Del Mar

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction?  Jane Eyre  

18. Who are your favourite composers?  Chopin, Debussy, Dvorak, Mozart - I like the pretty stuff.

19. Who are your favourite painters?  Andrew Wyeth

20. Who are your heroes in real life?  Anderson Cooper, Keith Olbermann, Michael Moore, Billie Joe Armstrong, Martin Luther King Jr., John and Bobby Kennedy

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history?  Margaret Sanger, Betty Freidan, Rosa Parks, Katharine Hepburn, Ann Richards, Molly Ivins

22. What are your favourite names?  Emma, Molly, Shannon, Lily, Will, Eli, Jake, Mark

23. What is it that you most dislike?  Ignorance

24. What historical character do you most despise?  George W. Bush

25. What event in military history do you most admire?  I don't admire events in military history.  I am a true pacifist.

26. What reform do you most admire?  The Civil Rights Movement in this country

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?  The ability to sing like an angel

28. How would you like to die?  While walking briskly outside in a cool breeze at the age of 95.  

29. What is your present state of mind?  Calm

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?  Gluttony and lust

31. What is your motto?  Never expect anything.  At best, you'll be pleasantly surprised, and at worst, you'll be validated.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Front-Ranger on March 11, 2007, 10:24:35 pm
1. What is your most marked characteristic? My ability--or need--to communicate with others

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Open mindedness

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Receptiveness

4. What do you most value in your friends? Enthusiasm

5. What is your principal defect? My need to be accepted

6. What is your favourite occupation? Writing

7. What is your dream of happiness? Living in a place where I can be outside much of the time and where I can write

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? For a child to grow up unloved

9. What would you like to be? Happily experiencing my second childhood!

10. In what country would you like to live? A Scandinavian or Mediterranean country.

11. What is your favourite colour? Green

12. What is your favourite flower? The Rocky Mountain Columbine

13. What is your favourite bird? Meadowlark

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Annie Proulx, Salmon Rushdie, Hemingway, Jonathan Franzen, Doris Lessing, Jonathan Safren Foer, Cormac McCarthy, Virginia Wolff

15. Who are your favourite poets? Walt Whitman,

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Holden Caulfield, the Virginian, Puss in Boots

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Orlando, Snow White

18. Who are your favourite composers? Debussy, Bob Dylan, Phillip Glass

19. Who are your favourite painters? Charles Russell, Klimt, Van Gogh, Turner, Whistler, Vermeer

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Julia Child, Madeline Albright, Jimmy Carter

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Madame Messier, Madame Curie

22. What are your favourite names? Erin, Gwenivere, Christian

23. What is it that you most dislike? prejudice, closed mindedness, bigotry

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Hitler, Timothy McVeigh

25. What event in military history do you most admire? Napoleon's conquest of Algeria

26. What reform do you most admire? Johnson's War on Poverty

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? The ability to sing

28. How would you like to die? In the process of striving for something just out of my grasp

29. What is your present state of mind? Peaceful and happy

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? The need to communicate with my friends

31. What is your motto? "It's Destiny!"
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 12, 2007, 03:16:46 am
8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?  Losing my mind

I worry about this one too. How awful it would be, to no longer recognise one's loved ones. Primarily distressing for them, 'cause you wouldn't be aware what was happening. Fortunately, I have no family history of this. A "friend" recently pointed out to me, however, that it has to start with someone! Thanks a lot, mate!    :-\   ::)   ;)   :)

18. Who are your favourite composers?  Chopin, Debussy, Dvorak, Mozart - I like the pretty stuff.

Oooh, I love Chopin and Debussy too!  :D

28. How would you like to die?  While walking briskly outside in a cool breeze at the age of 95.  

What a wonderful response. No sick bed. No lingering infirmity. Off you go, in full stride, before you even know what's happened. This really does appeal to me.  :)

31. What is your motto?  Never expect anything.  At best, you'll be pleasantly surprised, and at worst, you'll be validated.

There's much wisdom here. 
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 12, 2007, 03:43:05 am
7. What is your dream of happiness? Living in a place where I can be outside much of the time and where I can write

You'd love Australia, Lee! We enjoy a climate that's very conducive to outdoor living.    :D

9. What would you like to be? Happily experiencing my second childhood!

I'll join that queue! Oops, too late, I'm already in it!  :laugh:

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Holden Caulfield, the Virginian, Puss in Boots

Ah, Holden Caulfield. It's been a loooong time since I've heard that name. I first read "The Catcher in the Rye" waaaay back in the 60s, when I was the same age as Holden. You've prompted me to dust it off and give it an airing! And moving on briskly, from the sublime to the . . . well . . . um . . . less (or more?) sublime, why did you choose Puss in Boots? I'm intrigued! Do tell! Do tell!   ;)

19. Who are your favourite painters? Charles Russell, Klimt, Van Gogh, Turner, Whistler, Vermeer

Ah, yes,  dear sweet tragic Vincent. How could I ever forget Vincent? Such a beautiful soul.  :'(


Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Front-Ranger on March 12, 2007, 06:33:27 am
And moving on briskly, from the sublime to the . . . well . . . um . . . less (or more?) sublime, why did you choose Puss in Boots? I'm intrigued! Do tell! Do tell!   ;)


Puss made everything possible for his master, he was the master facilitator, LOL! And that's just what I like to be, helping people realize their dreams.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: ednbarby on March 12, 2007, 01:00:38 pm
There's much wisdom here.

Or cynicism.  ;)

Actually, this philosophy has served me very well, especially in recent years.  And it really isn't cynical - it's realistic.  (Spoken like a true cynic.)  Seriously, even optimistic.  I think that many of the unhappy people in the world - and of course I mean the ones who really have no physical or financial reason to be unhappy - are so because their expectations are too high.  They expect too much of other people, situations, themselves...  And naturally they're bound to be disappointed.

I have one friend in particular - I love her to pieces, but she drives me crazy - for whom the grass is *always* greener on the other side.  She is never, ever satisfied.  With anything.  And she always thinks that the next thing - that new car she's going to buy next week, the new job she's starting, the next marriage - is going to be the answer to all her unhappiness.  I tell her time and time again that the problem is she's expecting too much of all these things and not just being content in what she's got RIGHT NOW.  She says, "I know, I know...  But how do I change it?"  I say, "Well, when you feel yourself starting to put too much stock in something that's around the corner, STOP IT.  After enough times of concerted effort, it'll become habit."  But she just doesn't listen to me.  Probably because she's too busy thinking about how her lunch date with another friend tomorrow will be so much better than this one...

Case in point.  She worked at a job she constantly complained about for a year.  Then she changed jobs.  Then she complained about that one for a year.  Then she changed jobs again.  After the second year, she wanted the first job back.  I said, "But remember what you used to say about that place?  Do you think it's changed any since you left?"  Now that she's at the new job, she wants the second job back - a job, as I say, she constantly complained about for a year, complete with personality conflicts and a condescending manager, who she now says she "misses."

 ::)

I don't know how or when this philosophy got engrained in me - it's something my Dad used to tell me, but it never sank in until recently.  For me, I think it came from having a child and coming out the other side of clinical depression.  There's a line in a Phil Collins song I love that I never really felt until about four years ago:

"Well, it really [doesn't] matter much where you are, 'cause home is in your heart.  It's a feeling that you wake with one day.  Some people keep running all their lives and still find they haven't gone too far - they don't see: it's a feeling inside.  The feeling inside."

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: David In Indy on March 12, 2007, 05:18:47 pm
I have one friend in particular - I love her to pieces, but she drives me crazy - for whom the grass is *always* greener on the other side.  She is never, ever satisfied.  With anything.  And she always thinks that the next thing - that new car she's going to buy next week, the new job she's starting, the next marriage - is going to be the answer to all her unhappiness. 

I know a few people like that too, Barb. And for the life of them, they can't figure out why I'm satisfied with what I have. They tell me I'm not ambitious enough. They think I should always be striving for something better. Why? I have a house, a boyfriend, a good job, a cute dog and cat, lots of friends and plenty of groceries in the refrigerator. What else could I possibly want?

I see people running around here like chickens with their heads cut off trying to get more and more.

....AND MORE.  They could have all the money in the world, and they would still want more. I don't get it.

At some point we need to step back, look at ourselves and our lives and honestly ask ourselves "Am I satisfied? And if not, why?" "What will it honestly take to make me happy?" It really doesn't take all that much. All of these "extras" don't really make us happy; or satisfied. They only help to divert our attention, so we don't have to think  about it.

And I also think some people are not happy unless there is a crisis in their life. My sister is like that. If everything is going well for her, she'll find a crisis; even make one up if she has to. I've seen a lot of people do this. They aren't happy unless they're miserable.

It sounds like you and I are very much alike Barb!  :D

Thanks for posting this!  :)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Front-Ranger on March 12, 2007, 05:28:25 pm
At some point we need to step back, look at ourselves and our lives and honestly ask ourselves "Am I satisfied? And if not, why?" "What will it honestly take to make me happy?" It really doesn't take all that much. All of these "extras" don't really make us happy; or satisfied. They only help to divert our attention, so we don't have to think  about it.

And you can also vote in my "Do You Agree With Thoreau?" poll about happiness!

http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1951.msg156259.html#msg156259 (http://bettermost.net/forum/index.php/topic,1951.msg156259.html#msg156259)

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: moremojo on March 12, 2007, 05:57:18 pm
1. What is your most marked characteristic?  Approaching life from a thoughtful and reasoned angle.

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Nurturing in strength.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? An earthy charm.

4. What do you most value in your friends? Steadfastness in good times and bad.

5. What is your principal defect? Giving into fear too easily.

6. What is your favourite occupation? Reading.

7. What is your dream of happiness? Being at peace with myself, and sharing my life with someone who cherishes me in every way.

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? To lose my mental faculties.

9. What would you like to be? The most loving person I could be.

10. In what country would you like to live? One where the life of the mind is respected and encouraged.

11. What is your favourite colour? Blue.

12. What is your favourite flower? Wisteria.

13. What is your favourite bird? The dove.

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Emily Bronte, Voltaire, Joseph Conrad.

15. Who are your favourite poets? Sappho, Horace, Friedrich Holderlin.

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Don Quixote.

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Titania, the Wife of Bath, Lysistrata.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Beethoven, Debussy, Tchaikovsky.

19. Who are your favourite painters? Jacques-Louis David, Ingres, Gustav Klimt.

20. Who are your heroes in real life? All those who persevere while doing the least harm to their brethren.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Sojourner Truth, Emma Goldman, Florence Nightingale.

22. What are your favourite names? Samuel, Benjamin, Nicholas.

23. What is it that you most dislike? Cruelty.

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Hitler.

25. What event in military history do you most admire? Any moment when a truce was declared.

26. What reform do you most admire? The abolition of slavery.

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? An easy-going yet seductive charm.

28. How would you like to die? With full awareness that I am dying.

29. What is your present state of mind? Calm, but mindful that time is running out.

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Laziness, both physical and mental.

31. What is your motto? "Nothing compares, I think, when thinking right, to a good friend."

 
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 12, 2007, 06:59:52 pm
I have one friend in particular - I love her to pieces, but she drives me crazy - for whom the grass is *always* greener on the other side.  She is never, ever satisfied.  With anything. 

Ah, yes, I am very familiar with this mind-set. I consider myself to be most fortunate in that I am self-resourceful and sublimely content with my lot in life. Some might respond that this is easy for me to say, because I don’t lack for much. And certainly, this is true. My life is not one of hardship and privation. Nor, however, is it a life of overt opulence. I own my apartment, have a car, a job, food in the refrigerator, books to read and canvases to paint, friends on the other end of the phone. What more could one want? (a boyfriend who lives closer than several hundred miles away would be nice, but that’s another story!)

The idea of spending a wet week at home, alone, with my head buried in a novel, is my definition of bliss! Even better if the phone doesn’t ring during that week. I have a very dear friend (of some 30+ years) who absolutely freaks out about my lifestyle. He is a rampaging extrovert who is absolutely compelled to “enjoy,” manically, every minute of every day. He tut-tuts at me often! Why is it that extroverts can never appreciate that introverts are happy being introverts; that trying to force them to be extroverts is what stresses them most? Alas, my extrovert friend is rarely a happy little camper! He thinks he is, but he’s not! This is because he is always searching for happiness, which is constantly just out of his reach. Like me, he has a comfortable lifestyle, with all the “necessities” and gadgets he could ever need. Yet, he is still forever manically searching for more, more, more. I tell him that true happiness comes from within. A concept he has trouble grasping.

Another dear friend of many years is one of those people who must always keep up with the Joneses. Whether it be a new house, expensive landscaping, water feature in the garden, automatic garage doors, restaurants, live shows, vacations, cars, the latest interior design for his home – he MUST have it. The main reason for this endless pursuit of “objects” is to one-up everyone else. It absolutely destroys him when someone else, particularly a friend, has something bigger or better or newer than him. In my personal opinion, that is a very sad state of affairs. As is he. He is basically a very sad, unfulfilled person. He has a partner, who is just as bad at eternally trying to keep up with the Joneses as he is!

Truth of the matter is, I’ve known both these guys for many, many years. Our friendship has stood the test of time. And I must say that I am sure they think I am just as weird as I think they are (maybe “weird” is too harsh a word; perhaps “challenged” would be better). The former person because I am content with my own company and the latter because I have no interest whatsoever in other people’s possessions.

My parents taught me that, “The best things in life are free.” Maybe I should have used this quote as my motto in the questionnaire. 
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: ednbarby on March 12, 2007, 07:40:15 pm
And I also think some people are not happy unless there is a crisis in their life. My sister is like that. If everything is going well for her, she'll find a crisis; even make one up if she has to. I've seen a lot of people do this. They aren't happy unless they're miserable.

It sounds like you and I are very much alike Barb!  :D

OH.MY.GOD.  Did you ever hit the nail on the head, there.  I call such people "Professional Victims."  If they do not have a crisis in their lives, they create one.

Me, I grew up where I constantly felt like the sky was falling.  And I hated it.  So in my adult life I went the other way - I avoid/avert crises at all costs.  So as you can imagine, this particular type of person drives me *NUTS.*  And yet they seem to seek me out.  I must be the yin to their yang.  They always seem to call me when their lives are at, in their minds, their most frenetic.  I like to hope they'll remember me well - that they'll think I'm the one who gave them enough perspective to carry on.  But I think the reality is they seek me out at that time because I'm the only one who'll put up with it

And David, I must tell you - you saying that you think you and I are very much alike is the best compliment I've gotten in a long time.

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: ednbarby on March 12, 2007, 07:46:23 pm
The idea of spending a wet week at home, alone, with my head buried in a novel, is my definition of bliss! Even better if the phone doesn’t ring during that week. I have a very dear friend (of some 30+ years) who absolutely freaks out about my lifestyle. He is a rampaging extrovert who is absolutely compelled to “enjoy,” manically, every minute of every day. He tut-tuts at me often! Why is it that extroverts can never appreciate that introverts are happy being introverts; that trying to force them to be extroverts is what stresses them most? Alas, my extrovert friend is rarely a happy little camper! He thinks he is, but he’s not! This is because he is always searching for happiness, which is constantly just out of his reach. Like me, he has a comfortable lifestyle, with all the “necessities” and gadgets he could ever need. Yet, he is still forever manically searching for more, more, more. I tell him that true happiness comes from within. A concept he has trouble grasping.

Mine, too, Kerry.

One of my brothers is very much like this friend of yours.  I call this the "Can't-Be-Alone" type.  When this brother finds himself utterly alone, he picks up the phone, calls someone - anyone - and paces.  I can hear him pacing over the airwaves.

I once told him I was nervous about an upcoming job interview.  He said, "Why?  It's just talking to another person..."  I said, "Exactly.  A person I don't know."  He said, "Well, that's just silly."  I said, "Really?  Tell me - how do you feel when you find yourself completely alone with no one to talk to, no one at home when you call them on the telephone, nowhere to go to find someone to talk to...?"  He looked at me with this stricken, panicked look in his eyes.  I said, "That's how I feel whenever I meet a new person for the first time."  He just goes, "Oh."
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: delalluvia on March 12, 2007, 08:18:35 pm
Quote
I have one friend in particular - I love her to pieces, but she drives me crazy - for whom the grass is *always* greener on the other side.  She is never, ever satisfied.  With anything.

I had friends like this, too.

I got rid of them.

Because after a while, they were just wasting my time.  Like you, I suggested they might be happier finding happiness inside themselves, rather than looking outside for it.  They listened to me, nodded, agreed with the wisdom, how much better their lives would be if they did that - and went right back to doing exactly what they'd been doing, complaining about the same issues with the same situations, day in and day out, year after year while I listened, patiently offering the same advice until I sounded like a stuck record and realized I was just pissing into the wind.  They didn't want to improve their lives.

That was their perogative.  Mine was not to have to sit there and listen to them.

It's worse when it's a relative.  You can't ever get rid of them.  My mother listens patiently to my idiot aunt, gives her the same advice to the same problems as she's been doling out for decades.  And it just goes in one ear and out the other.  :P
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 13, 2007, 08:37:21 am
12. What is your favourite flower? Wisteria.

I too love wisteria, Scott.

15. Who are your favourite poets? Sappho, Horace, Friedrich Holderlin.

Aha, I detect a classicist in our midst!  :D

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Titania, the Wife of Bath, Lysistrata.

Are you familiar with Aubrey Beardsley's wonderful illustrations of Aristophanes' Lysistrata? Certainly was most courageous of the women of Athens to defend the city with nothing more than the contents of chamber pots and a lot of hot air!   :laugh:

(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/kez4oz/lysistrata.jpg)

19. Who are your favourite painters? Jacques-Louis David, Ingres, Gustav Klimt.

I love David's paintings of the court of Napoleon. Sooo romantic!

(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/kez4oz/Napoleon.jpg)

28. How would you like to die? With full awareness that I am dying.

I am intrigued by your response, Scott.

31. What is your motto? "Nothing compares, I think, when thinking right, to a good friend."

So very true. Alas, a good friend is so difficult to find.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: moremojo on March 13, 2007, 11:33:04 am
Aha, I detect a classicist in our midst!  :D
Classicist, with a touch of Romanticism!

Are you familiar with Aubrey Beardsley's wonderful illustrations of Aristophanes' Lysistrata?
Oh yes...I'm quite fond of Beardsey's infamous 'Lysistrata' set, and admire Beardsley's work in general.
I am intrigued by your response, Scott.
Luis Bunuel said something similar, and expressed joy (or relief) while on his deathbed to a friend that he was aware of his own dying.

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Arad-3 on March 13, 2007, 03:24:18 pm
1. What is your most marked characteristic?   I am very loyal and giving to my family and friends , but I have a tendacy to want to be liked by everybody, which can be draining.

2. What is the quality you most like in a man?  Strength, loyalty, tenderness, charm , Masculine beauty.  

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman?   Strength, loyalty, Nurturing. caring, Feminine beauty.

4. What do you most value in your friends?  Loyalty.  

5. What is your principal defect?   Sometimes I'm too nice, have been known to be a real pushover

6. What is your favourite occupation?  I think it would be fun to work behind the scenes making major motion pictures.  Maybe in makeup or wardrobe . But so far in my own life my favorite job was being a bartender back in my early twenties. That was a blast!

7. What is your dream of happiness?   One is:  I'm still around to see both of my daughters marry devoted partners and have healthy happy families of their own.   Second one is:  that someday I will be in a position to travel the world. I would really like conquer my fear of flying and go exploring with someone I love

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?   To my mind? That I go insane

9. What would you like to be?  If I could,
  I would like to a leader in world peace.  But in reality, I would love to be content

10. In what country would you like to live?    I like it here in the USA. But if I had to leave, probably I would return to where my family is from, Ireland.

11. What is your favourite colour?   Black. Seriously I love black.  Deep reds and purples next  

12. What is your favourite flower?  I love those enormous sunflowers. Also lilacs

 13. What is your favourite bird?  Peacock's and humming birds

14. Who are your favourite prose writers?  Ann Rice,    Hemingway,   Stephen King,   lots

15. Who are your favourite poets? Robert Frost. Edgar Allen Poe, Walt Whitman

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Superman

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction?  Cinderella, Scarlet O'Hara

18. Who are your favourite composers?  Beethoven Mozart, Elton John

19. Who are your favourite painters?   Kerry,  Van Gogh, Michelangelo

20. Who are your heroes in real life?  The young men and woman who volunteer to defend this country. The scientists that devote their lives to coming up with cures. 

 21. Who are your favourite heroines of history?  MotherTheresa,  Joan of Arc , Anne Frank, Helen Keller, Rosa Parks, Princess Diana   

22. What are your favourite names?  French names.

23. What is it that you most dislike?  How day in and day out how people gets fleeced  to death by oil and gas prices, high electric bills, taxes Insurances, interest rates, late fees,  , the list goes on and on, And there's nothing you can do about it only pay, pay , pay . Then to top it off, in the end, you get to die! And thats really expensive!

24. What historical character  do you most despise?  Hitler ,   Bin Laden ,  Stalin  I think alot of people forget about Stalin. He murdered millions of  Soviet citizens including his own wife for questioning him

25. What event in military history do you most admire?   Any event that ended a war. Except for August 6 and 9, 1945, the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki ,the dropping of the bombs on Japan. That might of ended the war but that went way beyond revenge for Pearl Harbor

26. What reform do you most admire?   Civil rights , womens rights.  Any reforms that protect children, minorities

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?  I would love to master the piano

28. How would you like to die?  As an old lady with my family around cheering , laughing and singing "I did it my way"

29. What is your present state of mind?  It's getting close to spring so I am feeling restless

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?  I think I like to party too much sometinmes.  

31. What is your motto?   In order to have a good friend..you have got to be a good friend

OMG Kerry that was exhausting!
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 14, 2007, 07:08:43 am
7. What is your dream of happiness?   One is:  I'm still around to see both of my daughters marry devoted partners and have healthy happy families of their own.   Second one is:  that someday I will be in a position to travel the world. I would really like conquer my fear of flying and go exploring with someone I love

May all your dreams and wishes come true, Geri.   :D

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Superman

Did you see the most recent Superman movie? It was absolutely brilliant! It was filmed here in Sydney!


19. Who are your favourite painters?   Kerry,  Van Gogh, Michelangelo

Aw, shucks, Geri, you are such a sweetheart! Thank ya kindly!  :-*   :-*


28. How would you like to die?  As an old lady with my family around cheering , laughing and singing "I did it my way"

Your response is an absolute hoot, Geri! I love it! I wish I had the courage to make such a response!

29. What is your present state of mind?  It's getting close to spring so I am feeling restless

I know that feeling only too well. There's the smell of blossom on the air. You start feeling frisky!  ::) Alas, we are presently heading into autumn here in Australia. I love autumn and spring most. No nasty extremes! Don't like extremes!  ;) 

31. What is your motto?   In order to have a good friend..you have got to be a good friend

So very true.  :)

OMG Kerry that was exhausting!

I agree, Geri. It is somewhat of a challenge!  :-\   ;)   :)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on March 14, 2007, 07:46:40 am
I bought my copy of "The Quest for Proust" waaay back in 1969 when I was only 19. I responded to the questionnaire soon after purchasing the book, meaning my initial responses were made at around the same age  Marcel Proust was, when he responded to the questionnaire.

As a matter of curiosity, here are my original 1969 responses:

1. What is your most marked characteristic? Mediocrity.

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Many.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Maternity.

4. What do you most value in your friends? Supportive loyalty. Stability.

5. What is your principal defect? Inability to comprehend "reality."

6. What is your favourite occupation?  Dreaming.

7. What is your dream of happiness? Artistic recognition (posthumous?)

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Lack of independence.

9. What would you like to be? At peace.

10. In what country would you like to live? Permanently in Australia. Also throughout Europe.

11. What is your favourite colour? So many.

12. What is your favourite flower? So many (jacaranda, gardenia, wisteria, jasmine).

13. What is your favourite bird? So many (sparrow, robin, bell-bird).

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Leon Uris, James A. Michener, Marcel Proust.

15. Who are your favourite poets? None.

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Apollo & Hiacinthus.

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? None.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Tchaikovsky, Chopin, Puccini.

19. Who are your favourite painters? Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse, Bonnard, Dali, et cetera.

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Vincent Van Gogh.

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? None.

22. What are your favourite names? Many and various.

23. What is it that you most dislike? Mediocrity. Deceivers.

24. What historical character  do you most despise? I have not enough space to answer.

25. What event in military history do you most admire? None.

26. What reform do you most admire? The social reforms of today.

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Inspired artistic genius.

28. How would you like to die? Young, following enormous artistic productivity.

29. What is your present state of mind? Inadequacy, mediocrity, desolation, despair.

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? Laziness, licentiousness, terror.

31. What is your motto?  "Nothing in the affairs of man is worthy of great anxiety" - Plato.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: ifyoucantfixit on March 31, 2007, 08:58:17 pm

1. What is your most marked characteristic? Stubborness

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? Comfort in his own skin

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? Resolve

4. What do you most value in your friends? Faithfulness

5. What is your principal defect?  Honesty

6. What is your favourite occupation? Reading, and listening to music

7. What is your dream of happiness? A successful and healthy family

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Not to have a family, or friends

9. What would you like to be? Rich

10. In what country would you like to live? America

11. What is your favourite colour? I love all colors, but it depends on for what...generally I notice that i miss green the most when it is not around....

12. What is your favourite flower? Gardenia

13. What is your favourite bird?   Meadow Lark

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Dickens, Twain, Shakespeare

15. Who are your favourite poets? Emily Dickensen, and Amy Lowell Walt Whitman, Robt. Frost

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Mr. Darcy  (Pride and Prejudice)

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? Cassandra

18. Who are your favourite composers? Gershwin, Berlin, Mozart

19. Who are your favourite painters?  Van Gogh, Da Vinci Matisse

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Anyone who befriends the weak or helpless

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Elizabeth the 1st and Eleanor Roosvelt

22. What are your favourite names? Grandma and Grampa, when spoken by my favorite, grandchildren

23. What is it that you most dislike? hateful, and mean behavior to others

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Hitler, Stalin, all the usual suspects

25. What event in military history do you most admire? Armistace,,,wwi ,,,wwii and the civil war surrender.

26. What reform do you most admire? Repeal of slavery, and the right to vote for all citizens

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?  grace

28. How would you like to die? peacefully aware

29. What is your present state of mind? mixed

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? in others, or myself? In others,
I tolerate most things except lies.  In myself, I indulge my lavishness to my grandaughter.              

31. What is your motto?  One foot in front of the other, just keep going.
[/quote]Because: "If ya cant fix it, ya gotta stand it."
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: CellarDweller on July 07, 2009, 11:40:47 am

Marcel Proust Questionnaire




1. What is your most marked characteristic?  Optimism.

2. What is the quality you most like in a man? A sense of humor.

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman? understanding.

4. What do you most value in your friends? respect.

5. What is your principal defect? weakness of will.

6. What is your favourite occupation? Loving.

7. What is your dream of happiness? To live comfortably with my future husband.

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes? Never to have known love.

9. What would you like to be? successful.

10. In what country would you like to live? where I am is just fine.

11. What is your favourite colour? purple or green.

12. What is your favourite flower?  don't have one.

13. What is your favourite bird? Rainbow Lorikeets from Australia.


(http://www.lunareye.net/images/birds/rainbow_lorikeet_398_9802.jpg)

14. Who are your favourite prose writers? Annie Proulx.

15. Who are your favourite poets? I can't say I have one.

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction? Angel.

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction? The Halliwell sisters.

18. Who are your favourite composers? Madonna

19. Who are your favourite painters? Escher.

20. Who are your heroes in real life? Martin Luther King Jr..

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history? Susan B. Anthony.

22. What are your favourite names? Boy - Aiden, Girl - Charisma.

23. What is it that you most dislike? My weakness of will.

24. What historical character  do you most despise? Hitler, but I wouldn't call him a character.

25. What event in military history do you most admire? dont't have one!

26. What reform do you most admire? ending of slavery, and gay rights movement

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess? Will-power and irresistible charm.

28. How would you like to die? peacfully in the arms of a loved one.

29. What is your present state of mind? amsued.

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent? laziness

31. What is your motto? If you don't keep moving forward, you become stagnant.

Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on July 07, 2009, 08:39:17 pm

13. What is your favourite bird? Rainbow Lorikeets from Australia.


Rainbow Lorikeets are absolutely beautiful birds, Chuck. Flocks of them sometimes fly past my window. There's no mistaking them. Not only because of their amazingly bright colouring but also because of the dreadful din they make as they fly past!   :o  Like all parrots, they are definitely not  song birds. They make the most ungodly skwarking noise and when there's a lot of them together, which is how one usually finds them, the noise they make is deafening. Their beautiful appearance makes up for the noise, however.  :D

(http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o126/kez4oz/Album%202/RL.jpg)
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: CellarDweller on July 07, 2009, 09:38:58 pm
Rainbow Lorikeets are absolutely beautiful birds, Chuck. Flocks of them sometimes fly past my window. There's no mistaking them. Not only because of their amazingly bright colouring but also because of the dreadful din they make as they fly past!   :o  Like all parrots, they are definitely not  song birds. They make the most ungodly skwarking noise and when there's a lot of them together, which is how one usually finds them, the noise they make is deafening. Their beautiful appearance makes up for the noise, however.  :D


I think they are so beautiful to look at.....and I seem to remember being told they can be taught to talk.
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: Kerry on July 07, 2009, 09:58:12 pm

I think they are so beautiful to look at.....and I seem to remember being told they can be taught to talk.

That's right. Like most parrots, rainbow lorikeets can be taught to speak. Sometimes with quite surprising results. Many years ago I lived in a garden flat with a big old passionfruit vine growing over a high wall at the rear. The cockatoos liked to eat the unripened passionfruit by taking one big bite out of the fruit and then dropping it to the ground, where it was discarded. I was in bed one morning and was woken by the sound of the cockies (cockatoos) skwarking in the passionfruit vine outside my bedroom window. I jumped out of bed and ran out, waving my arms about, trying to scare them off. They looked down at me with utter contempt and made no move to fly off, knowing full well that they were way out of my reach. I must have annoyed one, however, because he looked down at me, and with his head tilted to one side, as cockies do, declared "F*ck off!" before indignantly flying away. Can't imaging where he picked that up!  ;)   :D
Title: Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
Post by: min on July 09, 2009, 06:10:03 am
1. What is your most marked characteristic?  introversion

2. What is the quality you most like in a man?  being considerate

3. What is the quality you most like in a woman?  being considerate

4. What do you most value in your friends?  trust

5. What is your principal defect?  lack of purpose

6. What is your favourite occupation?  reading and listening to music

7. What is your dream of happiness?  a life with purpose

8. What, to your mind, would be the greatest of misfortunes?  loss of family and friends

9. What would you like to be?  content

10. In what country would you like to live?  wherever I am

11. What is your favourite colour?  black

12. What is your favourite flower?  tulip

13. What is your favourite bird?  hummingbird

14. Who are your favourite prose writers?  Annie Proulx

15. Who are your favourite poets?  can't think of one at the moment

16. Who is your favourite hero of fiction?  don't have one

17. Who are your favourite heroines of fiction?  don't have any

18. Who are your favourite composers?  Carole King

19. Who are your favourite painters?  Clark Esplin

20. Who are your heroes in real life?  don't have any

21. Who are your favourite heroines of history?  don't have any

22. What are your favourite names?  Mum

23. What is it that you most dislike?  disrepect

24. What historical character  do you most despise?  any tyrant

25. What event in military history do you most admire?  defeat of any tyranny

26. What reform do you most admire?  equality for all

27. What natural gift would you most like to possess?  many but esp musical

28. How would you like to die?  with the knowledge that my life made a difference to someone

29. What is your present state of mind?  sad

30. To what faults do you feel most indulgent?  laziness

31. What is your motto?  It's not what you said that people remember, it's how you made them feel.