“The Hedgehog and the Fox” is a famously influential essay published in 1953 by the liberal philosopher Isaiah Berlin on Tolstoy’s view of history.
One recurrent theme in the book is a love of Tolstoy, especially by Renee. From that point on, there was less pontification and more plot.Ī note about the title: At one point, Paloma opines that Renee “has the elegance of a hedgehog: on the outside, she’s covered in quills, a real fortress, but my gut feeling is that on the inside, she has the same simple refinement as the hedgehog: a deceptively indolent little creature, fiercely solitary – and terribly elegant.”īut there is more to it than this. The story starts slow it did not pick up for me until Kakuro Ozu entered the equation. To simplify their general conclusions: art is timeless beauty reflects the essence of the matter and life can be summarized, not by Husserl, Marx, or Kant, but rather by John Lennon: all you need is love. The characters also debate (in their own minds) the meaning of art, the meaning of beauty, and meaning of life. The characters expound somewhat repetitively on the shallowness, superfluity, snobbery, and pretentiousness of the rich the injustice of class differentiation and the absurdity of academics: mired in self-importance yet producing meaningless drivel couched in esoteric terms, the only function of which is “the self-reproduction of a sterile elite.” The three of them “recognize” one another by virtue of the fact that they, alone in the building, actually look at the other person, instead of just using others as a mirror of themselves. They finally come together with the introduction of a new tenant into the building, Kakuro Ozu. In each chapter, these two lonely souls echo the thoughts of each other, without knowing all that they have in common.
She strives to satisfy her rich clients by conforming to the stereotype of a dull, thick-witted caretaker, but at the same time resents it, because in fact, she is an accomplished autodidact who is well-versed in philosophy, music, and art.Ĭhapters alternate between her voice and that of twelve-and-a-half year old Paloma Josse, precocious daughter of rich parents who are educated but vapid. Renee Michel is a 54-year-old frumpy concierge at a posh private building divided into eight luxury apartments.
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