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Title: Sorry--I just don't get it!
Review: "History or Messages from History" is a short work by the legendary Gertrude Stein. The back cover notes that this work was first written in 1930. It reads like an extended prose poem.I found "History" to have an experimental flavor, but ultimately I found it largely incoherent. There are a number of cryptic or nonsensical statements on history. Examples: "In history one does not mention dahlias mushrooms or hortensias"; "Intention is not history nor finality finality is not history. Think what is history"; "What is history it does not leave dogs for cows."Stein's language is occasionally whimsical, musical, and/or absurd. One fun snippet: "April is fully a holy day too / A holiday for a shoe." But overall, I didn't get much out of "History." Check it out if you're a hardcore Steinian.
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