The arrival of a new classmate prompted me to prepare another bio for school. Rather than cut and paste my previous one, I took some time today to answer the famous Proust questionnaire. On reviewing it, I decided it made fair fodder for a blog post, too.
• Your most marked characteristic?
My mythical surname, or my glorious shining head.
• The quality you most like in a man?
Reason.
• The quality you most like in a woman?
Frankness.
• What do you most value in your friends?
Affection.
• What is your principle defect?
Laziness.
• What is your favorite occupation?
Exploration.
• What is your dream of happiness?
My wife.
• What to your mind would be the greatest of misfortunes?
To lose my wife.
• What would you like to be?
Physically fit and audacious.
• In what country would you like to live?
The England that should be.
• What is your favorite color?
Ermine.
• What is your favorite flower?
Delphinium.
• What is your favorite bird?
Wood duck.
• Who are your favorite prose writers?
Alistair Cooke, James Lileks, Bill Whittle.
• Who are your favorite poets?
Edmund Clerihew Bentley.
• Who is your favorite hero of fiction?
John Shaftoe
• Who are your favorite heroines of fiction?
Alice in Wonderland, Éowyn of Rohan
• Who are your favorite composers?
Handel, Vaughan Williams, Roger Clyne
• Who are your favorite painters?
Vermeer, Constable
• Who are your heroes in real life?
Winston Churchill, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, Ranger Larry Cooper
• Who are your favorite heroines of history?
Sacagawea Charbonneau, Elizabeth II
• What are your favorite names?
Edmund, Lily
• What is it you most dislike?
Injustice
• What historical figures do you most despise?
Hermann Göring, Josef Stalin.
• What event in military history do you most admire?
The Piper of Lord Lovat, at Sword Beach.
• What reform do you most admire?
The American Revolution
• What natural gift would you most like to possess?
The ability to link names and faces.
• How would you like to die?
In a state of preparedness.
• What is your present state of mind?
Distracted.
• To what faults do you feel most indulgent?
The tendency to be a know-it-all, untidiness
• What is your motto?
Resurgam.
I shall rise again. Classy. But Vermeer? Really, nothing better than that? But this was telling in many ways and reconfirming in many others.
Posted by: Chris | 19 March 2008 at 11:03
I'm just not that into paintings, and Vermeer is really awesome.
Posted by: Dan | 19 March 2008 at 11:49
Very interesting. I'll have to do this questionnaire myself one of these days. On a slightly related note, my little sister married into the Charbonneau family--they're "Carbonneu" these days. A line of descendants decidedly more French than Shoshone.
Posted by: Kenneth Pike | 19 March 2008 at 18:31
When I read the question, "What is your favorite color?", I immediately asked the question:
"What... is your quest?" Guess Proust never saw Monty Python... heh.
Mom and I agree with Chris - very telling. Some answers made us go "Ahhhh!" and tear up. And they next would make us laugh. Well played, Sir, well played!
Vermeer? Okay. Constable
Posted by: Dad | 21 March 2008 at 01:51
(the rest got cut off; don't remember now what else I'd written, but I'll end the above no with "Meh.")
Posted by: Dad | 21 March 2008 at 01:55
Proust, eh? What's the specific source?
Posted by: Arion of Eleutheria | 21 March 2008 at 03:04