>
> I feel that Howie and Calvin are on the same wavelength. However, I do
> not believe that the material is "useless." The day-to-day aspects of life
> build our personalities and allow nostalgia to develop. The nostalgia of
> Howie's life may not have a plot or a profound moral theme, but, for me at
> least, these bits of rekindle past scenes in my life. In these revived life
> experiences, The Mezzanine lives. I believe the plot exists not in Howie's
> nostalgia, rather in the reader's.
>
> Tom McKnight
>
I think Tom's right. We read books written 100s of years ago and call them
classics because they have some kind of resonance with our lives today,
usually because they contain universal themes, which tend to last better
through time. So the Mezzanine may never become one of these books as it
is based on ever-changing material culture rather than "sublime" themes.
However, as long as it holds its rapport with the reader so to speak, it
is a living text.
Cath