MovieChat Forums > Youth (2015) Discussion > Jimmy Tree reading WHO? WHY?

Jimmy Tree reading WHO? WHY?

posted 9 years ago by chuck-526
2 replies | jump to latest

When Jimmy Tree and Fred Ballinger are walking and talking Fred asks about what are you doing, and Jimmy answers "reading XXX". This occasions further discussion, with Fred indicating he knew who XXX was, but was quite surprised a Hollywood actor would be reading him.

Who was this (i.e. is it a "real person")? And what does the reference mean?

[–] gillygoo 9 years ago

Novalis is the writer they are talking about. I've heard him referenced before, but don't know anything about his writing. Here's the wikipedia page on him:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novalis

[–] mamlukman 9 years ago

Here is Walter Pater quoting Novalis: "to philosophize is to throw off apathy, to become revived." Remember how Michael Caine keeps saying people say he is apathetic? But finally her emerges from that by…philosophizing.