just as interesting as, in every way
Your second story was every bit as interesting as your first.Husbands and Wives · 1992 — Chapter 8 of 15 · 3'13" · C1
Gabe and Rain Talk About Writing, Explained: knocked out by it
A walk becomes a conversation about writing and romance. Gabe praises Rain's story, she invents a word, and they trade literary metaphors, then drift to Paris, cafés, and what it takes to really be kissed. By the end she asks to read his novel, and he cannot say yes.
What happens
Gabe and Rain walk together and talk about writing. He praises her new story and says he was knocked out by it, and she talks about the writers she loves and the word she invented. The conversation wanders to Paris, cafés, and the romance of being kissed in the rain, until Rain asks whether she can read Gabe's novel.
Listen for
every bit as interesting asknocked out by itmade it updisenchanted with
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Phrase of the scene
knocked out by it
deeply impressed and overwhelmed by something
散步时雷恩读完盖布的第二篇小说，说自己被彻底镇住了；这份极致的赞美，后来也成了她开口要稿子的台阶。
We were knocked out by the final scene of that play.
Also in this scene
- every bit as interesting as
just as interesting as, in every way
- made it up
invented something that is not true
- disenchanted with
disappointed with something one once believed in
Everything marked in this scene
20 notes across 51 lines
deeply impressed and overwhelmed by something
- I was knocked out by it. - I'm thrilled. I'm so glad you like it.You're so encouraging to me, you know? I want you to know that.No, don't be... Oh, don't be silly. I'm just one opinion.I can't tell you how much your opinion means to me, you know?- Oh, you know... - Listen, you wanna go for a walk?Because the tension built up so, so beautifully, and you released all the energy in the last paragraph.- I thought that was very sophisticated. - Oh, thanks.I spent five days searching for the perfect word to describe the husband, and that's when I came up with "appucious.""Appucious," yeah. I looked that up in the dictionary, but I couldn't find it.invented something that is not true
- Yeah, I know. I made it up. - Oh, really?Tolstoy is a full meal.Uh, Turgenev, I would say, is a fabulous dessert.I used to think that was so romantic.Oh, I don't know. Time magazine, they said you lose your sexual attraction for the other person in four years, I think it was.- And Time must know, right? - Yeah.I just find that very romantic, you know? 'Cause I like café life.Listen, let me tell you. Until you've been kissed on one of those rainy Parisian afternoons, you've never been kissed.Ah. You know, it's... I'm very disenchanted with it. I'm really...- Oh, I shouldn't have asked you. - No, no, no, no, no.Gabe and Rain Talk About Writing, explained
What's really going on
The walk is a lesson in how the two of them flirt through ideas. Gabe's praise is generous and slightly careful — he calls himself "just one opinion" — while Rain keeps handing him the authority: "you're the opinion." The literary talk is real affection and also performance: Tolstoy as a full meal, Turgenev as dessert. When Rain admits she invented a word, Gabe admits he looked it up, which is the small, telling exchange of the scene. The mood shifts when they reach Paris and romance. Rain's line about the rainy Parisian afternoon is a wish dressed as wisdom, and Gabe's reply, "I wasn't kissed, but I was the kisser," turns it back on her. Then she asks to read his novel, and he retreats, because the thing he wants from her and the thing he is afraid to show are the same.
Theme
RomanceThe walk is full of romantic talk — Paris, cafés, being kissed in the rain — and the question of whether passion can last.
DreamsRain talks about living in Paris, writing, and getting a small flat, treating the life she wants as something still possible.
What you'll learn
- 'every bit as' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'knocked out' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
Oh, to write, to fall in love and to experience real passion.Rain's wish list for a good life, spoken like a line from the books they are discussing, half longing and half performance.
Tolstoy is a full meal.Gabe's way of describing a writer: Tolstoy gives you everything and fills you up, the start of a food metaphor they both enjoy.
Listen, let me tell you. Until you've been kissed on one of those rainy Parisian afternoons, you've never been kissed.Rain turning a private hope into a rule about life, as if a kiss only counts if it happens in the right city and weather.
Well, I-I wasn't kissed, but I was the kisser.Gabe's self-deprecating correction: he never got the romantic moment he describes, because he was always the one doing the kissing.
Questions about this scene
Why does Rain keep praising Gabe's opinion?
She is both grateful and drawn to him. She tells him he is the opinion that matters, and she treats his praise as something she needs, which makes the conversation personal.
Why does Rain invent the word 'appucious'?
She wanted one word that perfectly described the husband in her story, and nothing in the dictionary worked. Gabe admits he tried to look it up, which is how the scene shows their mutual attention.
Why do they talk about Paris and being kissed in the rain?
The writing talk opens onto the life they imagine for themselves. Rain's Paris fantasy is about romance and freedom, and Gabe's answer about being the kisser keeps the flirtation going without committing to it.
Why won't Gabe let Rain read his novel?
He says he is disenchanted with it, but the request is also personal. Letting her read it would expose the writing he cares about most, so he stalls and says he will think about it.
Why does Rain bring up Time magazine?
She is half-joking that desire has a shelf life, which fits the scene's question about whether passion can be sustained. Gabe agrees sarcastically that the magazine must know.
Husbands and Wives · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 9Sooner or laterSally Stops Michael From Rushing
Chapter 1grow apartJack and Sally Announce a Split
Chapter 2to the best of my knowledgeGabe and Judy's Late-Night Talk
Chapter 3a different ball gameSally Calls Jack During a Date
Chapter 4I meant it as a complimentGabe Praises a Student's Story
Chapter 5penchant forGabe's Kamikaze Women Theory
Chapter 6out of left fieldGabe and Jack Fight Over Sam
Chapter 7touch a nerveFriends Discuss Divorce Over Lunch
Watching · Chapter 8knocked out by itGabe and Rain Talk About Writing
Chapter 9Sooner or laterSally Stops Michael From Rushing
Chapter 10cleaned up my actGabe Meets Rain's Parents
Chapter 11out of lineJack and Sam Fight About Astrology
Chapter 12wipe outJack Comes Back to Sally Drunk
Chapter 13in your cornerRain Critiques Gabe's Novel
Chapter 14go sourJudy Tells Gabe It's Over
Chapter 15get the wrong ideaRain's Birthday Party in a BlackoutChapter 8 of 15 · about 27 min to go