Oh, so witty!

I think Stein's idea to write her own autobiography as though it was the autobiography of someone else is simply genius. There is no doubt her life was full of interesting people, places, and events, and incredibly worthy to be written about; however, there are just so many tidbits of information to digest. It almost feels like a tidal wave of names hits you with every turn of the page.

It is undeniable that her writing style is innovative, which coincides with the groundbreaking generation of artists she lived amongst in Europe. One of my favorite passages so far is a critique of Gertrude's writing and her witty retort.

"Haweis had been fascinated with what he had read in manuscript of The Making of Americans. He did however plead for commas. Gertrude Stein said commas were unnecessary, the sense should be intrinsic and not have to be explained by commas and otherwise commas were only a sign that one should pause and take breath but one should know of oneself when one wanted to pause and take breath" (132).

This quote is just one of many quips found throughout The Autobiography of Alice B. Toklas that exemplifies Stein's wit and ability to remain charming even when being obstinate. I think it provides a bit of insight to the inner workings of Stein's mind, and why she chooses to ignore the usage of commas, which is something most professional writers would frown upon. Obviously, Stein enjoys writing outside of the box and is throwing syntax out the window.

Her opinions are enigmatic and her anecdotes are brilliant. Gertrude Stein is unlike any other author I have read thus far, and I am really looking forward to reading the rest of this autobiography to see what education I will be able to garner from the mass amounts of information on every page.