Signs, Mirages, Miracles?

Signs, Mirages, Miracles? RONALD JOHNSON

A CHARACTER in Mme. Mallet-Joris’ novel exclaims: “I’m telling you about life, a beautiful story of signs, mirages, miracles.” I use the word character, for in this book, though people do have names, they are a string of paper cut-outs inhabiting the author’s no doubt very French, dark, velvet-lined claustrophobic study. “Have it your way,” says Wal- lace Stevens, “the world is ugly and gray,’ and believes, just the same, that life is full of signs, mirages and miracles. But Mme. Mallet-Joris seems to live, like her characters, in a befuddled world where she is,

RJ

About the Author

Ronald Johnson

Signs, Mirages, Miracles? RONALD JOHNSON

A CHARACTER in Mme. Mallet-Joris’ novel exclaims: “I’m telling you about life, a beautiful story of signs, mirages, miracles.” I use the word character, for in this book, though people do have names, they are a string of paper cut-outs inhabiting the author’s no doubt very French, dark, velvet-lined claustrophobic study. “Have it your way,” says Wal- lace Stevens, “the world is ugly and gray,’ and believes, just the same, that life is full of signs, mirages and miracles. But Mme. Mallet-Joris seems to live, like her characters, in a befuddled world where she is,