[PBF] Les Douleurs de Mort

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 2:14 am

venndiagram wrote:

"du" is for when you combine "de" and "le". so, masculine singular nouns in the partitive.
but death is a lady! mort is a feminine noun! thus, de la
(say, that makes me wonder about sandman comics translated into french. the french word "delirium", "délire", is masculine. so does that seem odd to french readers of sandman? of course, with translation you lose the delicious alliteration.)

I think that the problem here is maybe that you don't understand that the gender of the noun doesn't necessarily have any relation to the gender of what the noun describes (if applicable).

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:02 am

frozenpixie wrote:

Fancy Pants McBigwords wrote:

perambulator.

just wanted to point that out. also, to point out the images i am having of the green ambler from chronotrigger pushing a baby stroller during his race.

PeRAMbulator = PRAM

Happy now?

Joined: 01 Aug 2005 Posts: 1181 Location: Adventure

The Famous Mr. Klaw wrote:

venndiagram wrote:

"du" is for when you combine "de" and "le". so, masculine singular nouns in the partitive.
but death is a lady! mort is a feminine noun! thus, de la
(say, that makes me wonder about sandman comics translated into french. the french word "delirium", "délire", is masculine. so does that seem odd to french readers of sandman? of course, with translation you lose the delicious alliteration.)

I think that the problem here is maybe that you don't understand that the gender of the noun doesn't necessarily have any relation to the gender of what the noun describes (if applicable).

I'm pretty sure "Mort" is being used as a proper name, so no definite article is even needed.

Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 3741 Location: Cumming

Sir Mr. Mister, III wrote:

PeRAMbulator = PRAM

Happy now?

what's a PRAM?

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:58 pm

A baby carriage.

Posted: Sun Nov 05, 2006 7:10 pm

A perambulator.

Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 1942

The Famous Mr. Klaw wrote:

I think that the problem here is maybe that you don't understand that the gender of the noun doesn't necessarily have any relation to the gender of what the noun describes (if applicable).

well, yes, this is true. i guess this is only confusing to me since gendered nouns aren't my norm, and when i hear "masculine" i think "male".

Joined: 08 Dec 2005 Posts: 9009 Location: SOMEWHERE EXTREME

So when Apple told me to zap the PRAM they meant electrocute babies?

Joined: 04 Feb 2006 Posts: 1942

no, just their containers

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 12:59 am

PRAM is an acronym that stands for Pushcart for Really Annoying Moppets.

And to head off the inevitable question from frozenpixie, MOPPETS is an acronym that stands for Most Other People Point Excitedly at these Tiny Stinkers.

Posted: Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:31 am

i got the impression that death pushes baby away to die, as baby hurtles toward oblivion he/she stretches out arms to be cuddled, Death experiences an all-time low in job satisfaction.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 3300

Dr. Mr. Vandertramps wrote:

i got the impression that death pushes baby away to die, as baby hurtles toward oblivion he/she stretches out arms to be cuddled, Death experiences an all-time low in job satisfaction.

"My heart's just not in it anymore, the stork."

"I know what you mean.....

CACAW"

Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 3741 Location: Cumming

Boorishly P. Foundry wrote:

PRAM is an acronym that stands for Pushcart for Really Annoying Moppets.

And to head off the inevitable question from frozenpixie, MOPPETS is an acronym that stands for Most Other People Point Excitedly at these Tiny Stinkers.

thank you

Posted: Tue Nov 07, 2006 11:18 am

Dr. Mr. Vandertramps wrote:

i got the impression that death pushes baby away to die, as baby hurtles toward oblivion he/she stretches out arms to be cuddled, Death experiences an all-time low in job satisfaction.

I thought he was just a little peeved because now he has to walk all the way down the hill to finish the job off.

Joined: 28 Apr 2006 Posts: 777 Location: calipornia

I thought that Death did not mean to kill the baby but rather to playfully hide it from its mommy figures. I figured the baby's arms reaching out to hold Death were an indication of their familiarity- Death is almost like this baby's imaginary friend.

I like all the other interpretations too though.

Posted: Wed Nov 08, 2006 11:46 pm

But then why is death peeved-looking at the end?

Joined: 09 Oct 2005 Posts: 7953 Location: egg

Um I kind of thought that death was only personafied when someone was gonna die so you guys are thinking too much.

Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 4:32 am

I assumed that the guy was actually the baby's dad, and he was trying to scare the baby, but the baby sees through the disguise and reaches out to his dad, and dad realizes his costume-making skills suck and he hangs his head in shame.

Posted: Thu Nov 09, 2006 1:04 pm

Okay, no.

Joined: 28 Apr 2006 Posts: 777 Location: calipornia

I dunno, Death didn't look that peeved to me. Maybe I just really want this baby to be friends with Death.

Joined: 24 Apr 2007 Posts: 1

Has anyone seen the alternate version to Les Douleurs de la Mort? It was printed in publications such as the Weekly Dig.

The 3rd frame is completely different - in this version the baby carriage is successfully toppled over, but it reveals only empty bottles that a random bum has collected (no baby!), and this bum is waiving his arm back in anger.

I thought this was even more hilarious than the original? "baby carriage" version discussed here. Death can be so pathetically careless at times. Smile

Does anyone have this alternate "bum carriage" version scanned or saved anywhere? I'd love to show off a copy to my friends to further promote PBF (my absolute favorite comic since the Far Side and Calvin & Hobbes).

Thanks.

Whimsy Overcomes Him Joined: 18 Dec 2005 Posts: 8612

really just posting to endorse the weekly dig. the weekly dig is awesome.

Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 2:32 pm

haha this has got a few I hadn't seen before.

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 3300

I like all the versions!

Joined: 27 Jul 2007 Posts: 27 Location: US

By the way, I loved reading the T and BBF archives, and while I'm not disagreeing with most comments concerning PBF, I can't understand why this strip had so many differing interpretations.

My understanding:

Death is omnipotent and everywhere, even at the top of a hill with a baby carriage. When he pushes the carriage, he is taking advantage of opportunity and fate, and expects a certain result.

He doesn't get the expected result, he fails and is bereft at the idea that All-Powerful Death can't succeed in this very ordinary instance.

It's like the world's strongest man being unable to lift a couple of hundred pounds, WTF?

Yes?... nothing too complicated, just another instance of perfect comedic timing.

Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2007 3:50 pm

Dando Dangerslice wrote:

Dr. Mr. Vandertramps wrote:

i got the impression that death pushes baby away to die, as baby hurtles toward oblivion he/she stretches out arms to be cuddled, Death experiences an all-time low in job satisfaction.

I thought he was just a little peeved because now he has to walk all the way down the hill to finish the job off.

Ya srsly. It's like, "Geez man, I thought I was gonna have a really nice afternoon killin' babies, but instead i gotta spend it walking all up and down hills and shiznit, dang!"

Joined: 08 Aug 2006 Posts: 3300

still my favourite