This book seemed to encapsulate all the main features of the most recent and distinguished Italian narrative: on the one hand, the search for a rich, lucid, and effective language, far from both extremes of banality and literary pompousness; on the other, the sense that literature can only reveal, but not resolve, the mystery that lies at the heart of history and reality.
Montaigne in his essays pursued an ethical purpose, but with no pompousness or rhetoric.
A Jersey City artists' organization, for instance, called it "an insensitive, self-aggrandizing piece of pompousness by one of the world's blatant self-promoters".
"She used her famously fierce wit to deflate male pompousness".
Self's ability to prick his own pompousness, as well as everyone else's, made this series a real treat.
There is not enough hatred or bitterness or stroppiness or pompousness to make it really sing.
But this pompousness is easily forgotten after the first bite: this is perfectly, painfully crafted food made to impress.
And even though miscast as Othello, in Zeffirelli's 1961 RSC production, with a first night rich in falling scenery and collapsing reputations, Gielgud emerged to play a delectable Gayev in The Cherry Orchard - all wistful solemnity, lightly mocking his own pompousness.
And even though miscast as Othello in Zeffirelli's Royal Shakespeare company production, with a 1961 first night rich in falling scenery and collapsing reputations, Gielgud emerged not that much scathed from the disaster to play a delectable Gayev in The Cherry Orchard - all wistful solemnity as he lightly mocked his own pompousness.
Another highlight of the conference for me was Jane Garvey (ex-Five now 4) interviewing Van Klaveren, with the intelligence-minus-pompousness which distinguishes Five from much of 4 in my experience, and I suspect that of other northerners.
It's a hilarious accomplishment, and yet he never plays for laughs – he's got too much pompousness/timidity, smugness/vulnerability and enlightenment/confusion to get on with first.
