Tuesday, January 11, 2022

It's Discussion Day for Matrix

Hello and welcome to our Read With Us discussion of Matrix by Lauren Groff. The format is the same as usual, CaroleKym, and I have each posted a question on our blogs today, and we will have an in-person Zoom discussion at 7:00 pm this evening. You can send me an email (email address is in the upper right) to RSVP and I will make sure you get an invitation with the Zoom link if you haven't already.


My question concerns work at the abbey. One of the significant changes Marie makes at the abbey involves shifting how the nuns do their work. Before her arrival, they were assigned the tasks at which they excelled least well, as a lesson in humility. Marie emphasizes productivity and assigns tasks based on inherent skill. Consider how Marie’s attitude toward work shapes life at the abbey, and what kind of change it allows for the community. How does it compare with modern views of work? What are the benefits or drawbacks of the change, as seen in the book?

Please feel free to answer the question and add your opinions in the comments if you are unable to attend the Zoom discussion tonight, but you needn't feel obligated to comment here if you are attending the Zoom discussion. Your thoughts, comments, and opinions are valuable and we'd like to hear them here or in person tonight. I just don't want you to feel like you need to discuss the book twice!

I had some issues with the book, and I know several others did also. There were things I liked and admired about Groff's writing and others where I just felt lost. Usually, I'm a solo reader, but discussing the book is one of the big advantages of reading with others. Previous Zoom discussions have enlightened me, enriched my reading experience, and given me a new appreciation for many of the books. I hope the same things can come from talking about Matrix, and I do hope you'll Read and Discuss With Us, whether it's here or in person tonight. 

14 comments:

  1. I did finish the book, but found it to be such a slog! I am planning to join the Zoom tonight and am hoping that the in-person discussion will give me an appreciation for the book.

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    1. I'll look forward to seeing you tonight! At least we'll have the pleasure of your company even if you found the book was a slog (I know several others did also).

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  2. I actually enjoyed the book quite a lot, and I look forward to discussing it tonight -- and reading the comments on our blogs today. I found the book to be richly layered -- so many things to talk about! As for the "work" angle . . . I think Marie's approach to assigning tasks made so much more sense than the previous "administration's" approach. When Marie arrived, the abbey was struggling mightily -- the nuns were starving and dying and everything was quite bleak. After allowing the nuns to work at tasks they liked best/were good at doing, life at the abbey - and, indeed, in the entire village community - improved and life brightened. I do think we do our best work when we enjoy what we're doing, and even more once become competent at doing it! And if you're building a feminist utopia, doesn't that make sense? ;-)

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    1. I didn't exactly enjoy the book; it felt like a slog to me and there were times that I wasn't sure exactly what was going on (during Marie's visions?). But like Carole, I appreciated Groff's language and prose and why she would feel compelled to write a feminist utopia during the Trump years. I did like Marie's approach to work better than the previous abbess, for all the reasons you gave. I think the nuns were happier, more productive, and displayed more creativity towards work. My sister converted to Catholicism for her second marriage, so I usually ask her questions about Catholicism and she said they are big on "suffering makes you stronger", humility, and penance. It would just irritate me to do something I didn't like if I was a nun!

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  3. This is a very interesting question and one that really made me stop and think... if you look at this from a strictly 12th century religious context, then Marie failed because everyone became full of pride. But if you take religion out, it was a huge success. I really struggled with what I perceived to be the "religion of me" that grew bigger and bigger in the book. It was the downfall of them all.

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    1. I think you make an excellent point, and one I hadn't even considered. I thought that the abbey was prospering and succeeding under Marie, but that was by today's standards. But by 12th century and Catholic standards, they were prideful, and that became their demise. Good points!

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  4. I'm with Vera. I found this book to be a slog. It was clear what the author was attempting to portray, it just felt like she was forcing her own agenda rather than allowing the characters to develop. That said, her writing style just doesn't hold my interest....it feels very self conscious (or self involved) as if she is trying to demonstrate her cleverness rather than just tell the story. I found that to be true in The Monsters of Templeton as well.

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    1. I didn't exactly enjoy the book, but l did appreciate Groff's language and prose and can understand why she would feel compelled to write a feminist utopia during the Trump years. The book as a whole was just not for me.

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  5. I pretty much agree with what Kym said. I think prior to Marie's arrival, the approach to work assignments was perhaps taken with humility in mind, but it really led a pretty dire situation. I think perhaps Marie's changes had a lot to do with the fact that she didn't really choose to become a nun, so she really thought about how to run the abbey in a new way.

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    1. I like how Marie changed the approach to assigning work, and since she had managed her mother's estate, she had some experience with running things. I think she may have been fueled by anger at being shipped to the abbey in the beginning, but she certainly thought about new ways to develop it into a growing and prosperous concern.

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  6. Well, this book was such a slog that I read over half of it, and I just could not force myself to finish it. I thought the story was boring, and I did not like the writer's style at all. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate!

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    1. Exactly! Not every book is for every person, so yes to vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry!

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  7. I did find it a slog but I got through it. I didn't think about that time versus this time period. I thought it was better that the nuns did what they were good at. I would have thought that would have made them more content which would be better for the convent all the people in it.

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    1. We just finished our Zoom discussion, and while I can't say I like the book any better, I do have a better understanding and appreciation for it. Some people made the point that with the nuns doing jobs that they were good at, that didn't necessarily create a well-rounded person and maybe not the community as a whole. I know I'd rather do a job I enjoyed, but thankfully I'm not in a 12th century abbey.

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