“Whatever its other aspects, the everyday has this essential trait: it allows no hold. It escapes…the everyday is what we never see for a first time, but only see again, having always already seen it by an illusion that is, as it happens, constitutive of the everyday.” (p.36)
Reading through this book has been difficult, not only the word choice has been difficult but also the concepts. It was hard for me to find a quote or paragraph that I could understand to even reflect on. So although this may seen like an easy paragraph, I had to start somewhere…
The everyday life “allows no hold” in that time is constantly moving. There is not an instant where time has stopped. You yourself can stop and sit still for minutes, even hours, but everything else in the whole world continues. Even upon the death of a family member, the rest of the world is not in mourning, it keeps on moving; people go to work, walk their dogs, make a meal, etc. After those people have walked their dogs, that time spent walking their dog is gone. You don’t stop to think about how after your done walking your dog, that time you spent with your dog will be gone forever. “It escapes..”(36) states Maurice Blanchot. That everyday moment is no longer with you. “…the everyday is what we never see for a first time, but only see again, having always already seen it by an illusion that is, as it happens, constitutive of the everyday.” This statement means that the everyday is a thing, action, act, etc that we do on a monthly, daily, hourly basis. It is something that is so repetitive and common, we either do it many a times or we’ve seen someone else do it many a times.
When writing my response, my quote I picked reminded me of the movie Pleasantville. That movie to me depicts the definition of "everyday life". Which is why I attached a picture of a scene from Pleasantville.
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