Author Topic: Marcel Proust Questionnaire  (Read 15498 times)

Offline Kerry

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #10 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?
« Last Edit: March 11, 2007, 09:37:55 am by Kerry »
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #11 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.
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #12 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!  ;)
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mvansand76

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #13 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.



Offline David In Indy

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #14 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!  :)




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

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Offline Kerry

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #15 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!  :)
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Offline Kerry

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #16 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!  :)




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



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:
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Offline ednbarby

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #17 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.
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Offline Front-Ranger

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #18 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!"
"chewing gum and duct tape"

Offline Kerry

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Re: Marcel Proust Questionnaire
« Reply #19 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. 
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