The Zeitgeist
Issue 8: French New Wave films, Gilded Age novels, and L.L. Bean sweaters.
On a recent rainy afternoon, I found myself tucked in a Christmas shop in the Old Port looking at rows of ornaments, nutcrackers, snow globes, and other holiday paraphernalia; some opaque, some reflective, and others, dazzling. I was here last December and bought a nutcracker ornament (one that has been unintentionally living on a surface of some kind in my apartment throughout this past year). Now come December again, I wanted to get myself a little gift from the shop; and a few moments later, I decided on a stuffed animal moose. It currently sits wrapped in a ball of tissue paper and I told myself I wouldn’t unwrap it until Christmas day. You’d have to trust me when I tell you that the little guy is perfect.
Anyways, hello all! I hope this newsletter finds you well and I hope the winter’s been treating you kindly. Long time no see. It’s been a while since I’ve written here. There were attempts to write that has only culminated in different versions of drafts for one reason or another, but today you will hear from me!
In this newsletter, I wrote about an Edith Wharton novel I’ve been reading, the French New Wave films I’ve been watching, and some objects of interest I’ve bought. Also included are entries from my pocket journals throughout the past couple of months. I do hope you enjoy!
Readings
I am about one month in and two-thirds through Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence, the novel that made Wharton the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. Although published in 1920, the story itself is actually set in the 1870s and more particularly, in the upper crust society circle of New York City (a background in which Wharton herself was a part of).
The plot revolves around a love triangle from the perspective of the male protagonist Newland Archer as he navigates conflicting ideas of conformity to societal conventions. To be more specific, these “societal conventions” are the customs and traditions that the upper echelons of the Gilded Age were expected to follow and practice (and that were ultimately considered “respectable”). For instance, to see and be seen at the Opera, to read literature considered unprovocative, and to spend summers in a quiet coastal town playing archery are all acceptable activities. But to consider getting a divorce from a European aristocrat, that is deemed shameful; an invitation to ostracize oneself from society. The story follows as Newland’s unfulfillment in these conventions starts to ruminate more often in his mind, and when this unfulfillment manifests itself in love, he finds himself conflicted; that is, whether to follow tradition or to break the mold.
If you were to get a copy, I’d suggest the Penguin Classics edition; it has a helpful footnotes section in the back that explains the context of certain vocabulary of the time. I began the novel quite slow (and I’m quite the slow reader in general) because I had to look up lots of unfamiliar words, but eventually picked up speed.
On another note, currently on my shelf is Joyce’s Ulysses, Achebe’s Things Fall Apart, and Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past (also known by the title, In Search of Lost Time), all patiently waiting to be read. These classics are enough to keep me occupied for a couple of months, but I think it might be worthwhile an idea to break these reads with more contemporary works of fiction. I’ll keep you posted.
Pictures
A genre of film I’ve been watching recently is the French New Wave, which as the name suggests, a film movement originating from France in the late 50s. The Criterion Channel summarizes the genre best:
The explosion of creative innovation that emanated from France in the late 1950s and early ’60s forever altered the course of film history by opening up new avenues of stylistic experimentation and trumpeting the concept of the “auteur” director, whose aesthetic vision and thematic obsessions took center stage. […] the French New Wave inspired filmmakers around the world by liberating cinema from commercial demands and reclaiming it in the name of unfettered personal expression.
The films I’ve been watching are (and linked are their respective trailers):
The 400 Blows by François Truffaut (1959)
Breathless by Jean-Luc Godard (1960)
Vivre sa vie (translated as “My Life to Live”, trailer has spoilers) by Jean-Luc Godard (1962)
La Pointe Courte by Agnès Varda (1955)
Of the four, the one I enjoyed most was Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, which follows a mischievous schoolboy named Antoine as he navigates life at school and family dynamics at home. There’s a childlike-wonder quality to it, of disobedience and of adventure. The character Antoine was based on Truffaut himself, and would go on to reappear as an older character in three of Truffaut’s sequels.
As for Godard’s Breathless and Vivre sa vie, I really liked their aesthetic qualities. Both films were mainly set in Paris. Breathless follows Michel, a man wanted for a hit-and-run, and follows as he tries to evade police and becomes involved with an American woman. I think Jean-Paul Belmondo (who plays Michel) was quite the charming actor. He has a je ne sais quoi quality that might be a combination of playfulness and confidence. Vivre sa vie follows Nana, a recently divorced woman who aspires to be an actress, but falters and becomes a prostitute. I thought the form of Vivre was interesting: 12 title cards that divides the film into an essay-like format; each division, a snapshot of Nana’s current progression in life.
Lastly Varda’s La Pointe Courte, the film that is cited as the first of the French New Wave. It tells two parallel narratives: a strained marriage between husband and wife, and a broader story of life in a small fishing village where the story is set. The husband and wife takes us through the landscape of the village, with imagery of laundry fluttering in the wind, flat fields, and water jousting, as they discuss and consider separation. This parallel narrative structure was inspired by a William Faulkner novel, The Wild Palms.
A basic reading on the movement tells me that there was quite a bit of intertwining going on with the French New Wave set. For instance, the storyline of Breathless was actually the work of Truffaut; Godard had to buy the rights to use the story for 100,000 Francs. Many of these directors also got their start as film critics in Cahiers Du Cinema, an influential French film publication co-founded by André Bazin, a notable film critic.
The French New Wave, quite broad of a movement, is categorized into subgroups, particularly the group with filmmakers associated with Cahiers (Godard, Truffaut), and those dubbed the “Left Bank”. As described in the footnotes of Godard on Godard (a book of collected essays by Godard):
‘the Left Bank group’ : So-called not only because they lived on the Left Bank in Paris, but because their cultural background (literature, politics and the plastic arts) was very different from that of the film-oriented Cahiers du Cinema group, comprising Godard, Truffaut, Chabrol, Rivette, Rohmer and Ooniol-Valcroze.
These Left Bank directors include Varda and Resnais. All of this to say, my knowledge on the genre itself is still quite superficial, but I’m looking to read further into the critical writings. On my eventually-to-watch is Resnais’s Hiroshima mon amour.
Objects of Interest
Note: None of the items linked are affiliates.
I’ve been wearing lots of L.L. Bean recently. Some products from them that I’ve purchased and loved:
Rollneck Sweater ($89.95 USD): I bought two (in the Natural and Charcoal colors) and I’ve been alternating between them on the daily. They’re nicely loose fitting and made of 100% lambswool.
Merino Wool (Blend) Socks, 2-Pack ($44.95 USD): Nice thick socks for the winter.
Wrinkle-Free Chinos ($69.95 USD): Comfortable, semi-formal pants. There are multiple variations of this same pant (plus a plaid-lined one for the winter), but I got the one with more room around the thigh (as linked) and they’re my favorite. Wrinkle-Free out of the washer as they say.
One shoe that caught my attention was the Birkenstock Utti Lace that comes in a suede finish ($165 USD), resembling a mix of the typical moccasin and the Clark Wallabees. They also have a version in a leather finish.
Last but not least, I came across two variations of these vintage 80s/90s J. Crew patchwork sweaters and the color block patterns are truly beautiful. I really do wish they would reproduce these.
Entries of Interest
In October, I bought a pack of Field Notes from a stationery store and have since kept one in my crossbody bag most times. The Field Notes brand of pocket notebooks holds a sentimental value to myself. There was a time when I couldn’t get my hands on a pack of these and would make my own. I’d mock up the covers on Photoshop (same dimensions, same typeface) and print out multiple prototypes on cardstock until they look just about right. Then I’d get a pack of loose leaf paper, cut them down to the right size, and assemble the papers and cover together with a stapler. But I digress.
These past couple of months, I find myself jotting down little entries at random intervals of the day; in the morning at a café or the afternoon at the library or evenings in lulls when cooking dinner or late night on my sofa. Fleeting words that would’ve been irretrievable if there’s no ink on paper. Of course, it’s not all important, just a random assortment of ideas, description of my day, fiction, etc. But sometimes they evoke an image in my head, of a memory past or of an idea to further develop, and there’s the value. I like to date entries down to the minute (and most of the time do) and below are a few of the things I’ve written this past fall.
October 26, 2025 - 10:32AM
On this AM morning, the cafe is playing: The Marías, Tate McRae, Sabrina Carpenter.
October 27, 2025
Shopping List
Chicken / Brown Rice / Eggs / Snack / Orange Juice
November 9, 2025 - 3:40PM
Snow is actually starting to gather on the ground, little by little. It feels like Christmas. The flakes are swept almost horizontally in the wind. The cast of the street lamp’s warm glow illuminates each speck.
[Montreal’s first (proper) snowfall of the season. Forecasted to receive up to 20cm of snow.]
November 11, 2025 - 12:21AM
It’s a bit past midnight and it’s still snowing. […] Will have to pull out the Timberland boots.
November 11, 2025 - 12:12PM
[I was sat at a cafe and outside the snow was deep (and still falling lightly). For ten minutes, I put down a line for every color coat I see people wearing. Black, as expected, was the most popular color.]
Military Green: IIIII III / Navy: IIIII / Black: IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII IIIII / Grey: IIIII / Red: III / Brown: IIIII / Light Grey/White: IIIII I / Pinkish Red: II / Beige-y Brown: I / Turquoise: II / Plaid: I
November 14, 2025 - 5:26PM
Came back from a walk. The streets are twinkling after the rain and snow. [...] The gloom of the day subsides and the city is sparkling. Buildings are decorated with holiday festivities: a large wreath, lined with fairy lights, a bush, lined with fairy lights, Christmas trees, lined with fairy lights. The city is dark at 5pm. People crowd the street as they get off work, school, on their way home or to a bar, or to have dinner. In the darkness, the city is quite intimate. The reflective exteriors of office buildings in the morning becomes transparent. Suddenly every movement is visible to the outsiders. Cozy, yellow interiors of restaurants. Fluorescent lights spilling out of the near-empty art galleries.
Thank you for reading. I hope you have a great Christmas! Until next time (which should be very soon). — C. S. Indoors.