I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
Minority Report: HL Mencken’s Notebooks.
Why read it? If you have not read something by H.L. Mencken, you have missed one of the truly memorable misanthropes in civilization, who wrote in a style that infuriated most of his readers. He is a wall-to-wall critic of almost everything to be encountered in American society in his own day and today, and each of his shafts brings from readers the response, “Damn it, he’s right!” Well, half-right, anyway. Anyone who reads H.L. Mencken never forgets him.
Montaigne: Selected Essays. The Charles Cotton, W. Hazlitt Translation. Revised and Edited with Introduction by Blanchard Bates.
Why read it? Beyond the definition of the essay as written on a single subject, there are two types of essays. The first type of essay is planned, with a beginning, middle and end, like the essays of Francis Bacon and Joseph Addison, and the essays written by students in modern American schools based on the model of the “five-paragraph essay.”
The second type of essay, less imitated, is like those of Montaigne. These essays give the impression of not being planned, of moving as the mind muses, from idea to idea. As the editor of these selected essays of Montaigne, Blanchard Bates, describes them: “Often a sentence rambles on, idea suggesting idea and clause added to clause and then suddenly returns to the original thought. He wanted the style of the essays to convey an impression of the movement of the writer’s thought.”
Mr. Blue. Myles Connolly.
Novel. Why read it? Mr. Blue is an unusual character. He is a Christian who loves life, who can sacrifice his own personal interests to help others with no promise of reward other than alleviating the plight of others. He is, in short, a replication of Christ in the modern world. An unforgettable character.
My Antonia. Willa Cather.
Novel. Why read it? A story about the struggles and hardships of settlers in the West, the settlers who made life easier for the generations that followed. “Antonia” is pronounced An’ toe nee’ ah. The history books can tell about the westward movement, but this novel—and others, notably Giants in the Earth—can convey the experience and the human cost of being a pioneer.
The Naked and the Dead. Norman Mailer.
Why read it? The battles can be named, won or lost, and the statistics of losses can be compiled, but the personal experience of war is most vividly found in novels like this one. A novel about the complex inner workings of people who engage in war, their interactions with others, and the effects of authority on those who are under their command. This novel demonstrates again the ironies of warfare.
Nathaniel Hawthorne in His Times. James R. Mellow.
Biography. Why read it? You’re going to learn about the contradictory personality of one of America’s greatest writers—the recluse who forced himself to become involved in society and politics. His themes are hidden sin and the unpardonable sin in his romances (novels?), tales and stories. He once said he could not read stories like those he wrote because he would not have the patience to do so. Believe me, reading his stories is worth the time that it takes.
The New Golden Bough. Sir James George Frazer. Edited by Dr. Theodore H. Caster.
Why read it? This book contains a thorough discussion of primitive superstitions. The book may appear to be of formidable length, but it is readable, entertaining and even humorous. I loved discovering ideas buried in my memory that had been passed on to me by my mother and other relatives. Readers will learn just how much our thoughts are controlled by ideas that go back to primitive people. They will be surprised by the degree to which these superstitions are part of our present-day consciousness.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
Books and Ideas (09)
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
The Mayor of Casterbridge: A Story of a Man of Character. Thomas Hardy.
Novel. Why read it? Twenty years ago, when I was an English supervisor in a K-12 school district, a parent asked me, “Why is all the literature we read in English so depressing?” She might have been referring to this novel, Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge. A man gets drunk at a fair and sells his wife and daughter to another man. He repents and becomes a successful citizen and mayor of Casterbridge. But he cannot escape the consequences of his evil act. Depressing? No, an insight into life.
Memoirs by Harry S. Truman. Vol. One: Year of Decision.
Why read it? To understand the magnitude of Harry S. Truman’s achievement, the flexibility of his personality, the sophistication of his political skills and the application of his fundamental principles. This memoir belies his image of a small-town hayseed who somehow managed to stumble through his Presidency. He was a prolific reader.
Memoirs by Harry S. Truman. Vol. II: Years of Trial and Hope.
Why read it? The second volume of Truman’s Memoirs concerns the major issues with which he had to deal after WWII: Russia and the Cold War; the Berlin Blockade; labor, management and the Taft-Hartley Law; Korea, Communist China; Mac Arthur; the Marshall Plan and, of course, his reelection in 1948.
Memoirs of the Second World War: An Abridgement. Winston S. Churchill.
Why read it? Churchill was given the power to lead when things looked darkest, used the power of the English language to rally his people, maintained the willingness to fight until the bitter end in order to save Western civilization, managed to hold off defeat in spite of horrendous bombings of London, U-boat depredations and fears of invasion until America entered the war, went on alone in spite of the fall of France, worked with Roosevelt and clashed with Stalin to win the war, and, when the Allies had won and their enemies had surrendered unconditionally, was promptly turned out of office by his people. This too is democracy.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Allusions. E. Webber and M. Feinsilber, Eds.
Why read it? I bet you think reading dictionaries is a nerdish activity. Maybe so, but if you love language, you have to enjoy reading books that talk about words. In this review of allusions, you will find a rich assortment of indirect references, references assumed by writers to be understood by their readers and therefore unexplained in the text. Spot an allusion you don’t understand? Look it up in this book. Reading the allusions in this book is a bachelor of arts degree in itself.
Microbe Hunters. Paul DeKruif.
Why read it? The stories in this book are about known and unknown heroes of humanity. They are distinct personalities. Sometimes they doggedly worked to achieve their goals and sometimes they achieved them by accident. Paul DeKruif, the author of these biographies of scientists, has an engaging style of writing. Your eyes will fly over the pages of this book. These scientists struggled to achieve victory over disease, a victory that today we take for granted. You will also learn from this history of science that science is not a neat, orderly process.
Middlemarch. George Eliot.
Novel. Why read it? The theme of this novel is the loss of idealism. Dorothea is disillusioned to find that her husband is a desiccated scholar, a scholar whose work is a waste of time. The second loss of idealism occurs with Dr. Lydgate, a physician. The lost idealism of Dr. Lydgate is probably true of many physicians today. Depressing? No, an insight into life.
The Mayor of Casterbridge: A Story of a Man of Character. Thomas Hardy.
Novel. Why read it? Twenty years ago, when I was an English supervisor in a K-12 school district, a parent asked me, “Why is all the literature we read in English so depressing?” She might have been referring to this novel, Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge. A man gets drunk at a fair and sells his wife and daughter to another man. He repents and becomes a successful citizen and mayor of Casterbridge. But he cannot escape the consequences of his evil act. Depressing? No, an insight into life.
Memoirs by Harry S. Truman. Vol. One: Year of Decision.
Why read it? To understand the magnitude of Harry S. Truman’s achievement, the flexibility of his personality, the sophistication of his political skills and the application of his fundamental principles. This memoir belies his image of a small-town hayseed who somehow managed to stumble through his Presidency. He was a prolific reader.
Memoirs by Harry S. Truman. Vol. II: Years of Trial and Hope.
Why read it? The second volume of Truman’s Memoirs concerns the major issues with which he had to deal after WWII: Russia and the Cold War; the Berlin Blockade; labor, management and the Taft-Hartley Law; Korea, Communist China; Mac Arthur; the Marshall Plan and, of course, his reelection in 1948.
Memoirs of the Second World War: An Abridgement. Winston S. Churchill.
Why read it? Churchill was given the power to lead when things looked darkest, used the power of the English language to rally his people, maintained the willingness to fight until the bitter end in order to save Western civilization, managed to hold off defeat in spite of horrendous bombings of London, U-boat depredations and fears of invasion until America entered the war, went on alone in spite of the fall of France, worked with Roosevelt and clashed with Stalin to win the war, and, when the Allies had won and their enemies had surrendered unconditionally, was promptly turned out of office by his people. This too is democracy.
Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary of Allusions. E. Webber and M. Feinsilber, Eds.
Why read it? I bet you think reading dictionaries is a nerdish activity. Maybe so, but if you love language, you have to enjoy reading books that talk about words. In this review of allusions, you will find a rich assortment of indirect references, references assumed by writers to be understood by their readers and therefore unexplained in the text. Spot an allusion you don’t understand? Look it up in this book. Reading the allusions in this book is a bachelor of arts degree in itself.
Microbe Hunters. Paul DeKruif.
Why read it? The stories in this book are about known and unknown heroes of humanity. They are distinct personalities. Sometimes they doggedly worked to achieve their goals and sometimes they achieved them by accident. Paul DeKruif, the author of these biographies of scientists, has an engaging style of writing. Your eyes will fly over the pages of this book. These scientists struggled to achieve victory over disease, a victory that today we take for granted. You will also learn from this history of science that science is not a neat, orderly process.
Middlemarch. George Eliot.
Novel. Why read it? The theme of this novel is the loss of idealism. Dorothea is disillusioned to find that her husband is a desiccated scholar, a scholar whose work is a waste of time. The second loss of idealism occurs with Dr. Lydgate, a physician. The lost idealism of Dr. Lydgate is probably true of many physicians today. Depressing? No, an insight into life.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Books and Ideas (08)
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Volume One. James Boswell.
The most famous and thorough biography in English literature. Samuel Johnson is one of the most quoted people in the English language.
The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher. Lewis Thomas.
This book by Lewis Thomas, a physician, is a series of essays consisting of ideas and reflections about medicine, biology and the nature of the cell. One idea that stood out for me was Lewis’s speculation about the hereafter: Where do all the consciousnesses go?
Lolita. Vladimir Nabokov.
Novel. Ah ha! A dirty book! Right? The basic plot certainly seems so--a middle-aged man chasing around after a pre-teenage girl. However, Nabokov says it is actually a celebration of the American language and culture, and anyone who reads it will begin to realize this purpose during the odyssey of Humbert and Lolita across America. In some ways, Lolita is like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
The Magus. John Fowles.
For a while, in the early 1970s, this novel became a cult classic. Many high school and college students were reading it. No one could figure it out. The scenes were page-turners. You couldn’t stop reading them, But put them together and what did they all mean? It took several readings, but I finally figured it out.
Main Street. Sinclair Lewis.
Novel. Lewis captures the “spirit” of small-town America—its tediousness, self-importance; endless repetition of activities, jokes and stories; conformity; and intolerance. Carol sets out to reform the town, to introduce it to high culture, but the town eventually reduces her to resigned acceptance of its values.
The Making of the President 1960. Theodore H. White.
Gives insights into the personalities and strategies of the Presidential candidates, JFK and Richard Nixon, in 1960. Also reveals the strain of undergoing the primaries. The first television presidential debates.
Mansfield Park. Jane Austen.
Novel Example of life at a different time (early 19th century) in a different society (British). In a sense, Austen’s novels are soap operas. The plots move at a snail’s pace and feature many twists and turns. However, they are about real people who use and hurt other people. In this novel, two good people emerge—Fanny and Edmund—and they eventually find their way to each other.
The Marble Faun or The Romance of Monte Beni. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1860).
Romance/Novel. Theme is the need for the experience of sin in order to become truly human. Complete innocence results in an inhuman intolerance. A meditation on guilt and the effects of sin. It’s also a pretty good travelogue on the city of Rome.
The Masks of God: Creative Mythology. Joseph Campbell.
The author tries to show that we are unwittingly controlled by mythology and that mythology, of which we are conscious and unconscious, rules our responses to life, guides our actions in life.
Medea. Euripides.
This play is the story of a woman scorned, who took vicious revenge on her lover, Jason.
The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. Volume One. James Boswell.
The most famous and thorough biography in English literature. Samuel Johnson is one of the most quoted people in the English language.
The Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher. Lewis Thomas.
This book by Lewis Thomas, a physician, is a series of essays consisting of ideas and reflections about medicine, biology and the nature of the cell. One idea that stood out for me was Lewis’s speculation about the hereafter: Where do all the consciousnesses go?
Lolita. Vladimir Nabokov.
Novel. Ah ha! A dirty book! Right? The basic plot certainly seems so--a middle-aged man chasing around after a pre-teenage girl. However, Nabokov says it is actually a celebration of the American language and culture, and anyone who reads it will begin to realize this purpose during the odyssey of Humbert and Lolita across America. In some ways, Lolita is like Jack Kerouac’s On the Road.
The Magus. John Fowles.
For a while, in the early 1970s, this novel became a cult classic. Many high school and college students were reading it. No one could figure it out. The scenes were page-turners. You couldn’t stop reading them, But put them together and what did they all mean? It took several readings, but I finally figured it out.
Main Street. Sinclair Lewis.
Novel. Lewis captures the “spirit” of small-town America—its tediousness, self-importance; endless repetition of activities, jokes and stories; conformity; and intolerance. Carol sets out to reform the town, to introduce it to high culture, but the town eventually reduces her to resigned acceptance of its values.
The Making of the President 1960. Theodore H. White.
Gives insights into the personalities and strategies of the Presidential candidates, JFK and Richard Nixon, in 1960. Also reveals the strain of undergoing the primaries. The first television presidential debates.
Mansfield Park. Jane Austen.
Novel Example of life at a different time (early 19th century) in a different society (British). In a sense, Austen’s novels are soap operas. The plots move at a snail’s pace and feature many twists and turns. However, they are about real people who use and hurt other people. In this novel, two good people emerge—Fanny and Edmund—and they eventually find their way to each other.
The Marble Faun or The Romance of Monte Beni. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1860).
Romance/Novel. Theme is the need for the experience of sin in order to become truly human. Complete innocence results in an inhuman intolerance. A meditation on guilt and the effects of sin. It’s also a pretty good travelogue on the city of Rome.
The Masks of God: Creative Mythology. Joseph Campbell.
The author tries to show that we are unwittingly controlled by mythology and that mythology, of which we are conscious and unconscious, rules our responses to life, guides our actions in life.
Medea. Euripides.
This play is the story of a woman scorned, who took vicious revenge on her lover, Jason.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Books and Ideas (7)
Books and Ideas (07)
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims’ Progress. Mark Twain.
Twain poked fun at hallowed European landmarks. Some of the scenes are hilarious. A very entertaining view of tourism.
In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. Robert S. McNamara with Brian Van DeMark.
There were eleven major causes for our disaster in Vietnam. McNamara explains each of the eleven causes, half of which were also true in Iraq. Didn’t any U.S. government official read this book before repeating our Vietnam experience in Iraq?
East of Eden. John Steinbeck.
Novel. Parallel to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck’s philosophical musings are interesting. Themes of evil vs. good and heredity vs. free will. Realistic portrait of California farming.
Jane Austen. Carol Shields.
Biography. Jane Austen was one of the finest writers of English novels, often ranked with Shakespeare. One reason to read this biography of Jane Austen is to realize the degree to which women of her time were restricted by living in a man’s world. We’ve come part of the way, Baby.
The Jane Austen Book Club. Karen Joy Fowler.
Novel. presents an interesting contrast between the life styles of Jane Austen and the characters in her novels and 21st-century liberated American women. A thoughtful look at the role of women in society—then and now.
Justice at Nuremberg. Robert E. Conot.
Read to understand the enormity of the Nazi atrocities. And to understand that vengeance might have been better served by summarily executing the German leaders without a trial, which refused to allow the defendants the logical defenses that the Allies had used in their histories the very atrocities—the Boar War and concentration camps and the extermination of Native Americans, for example—with which the Nazis in WWII were charged. The charges were made up after the fact. A travesty of American justice.
Karl Marx: His Life and Environment. Isaiah Berlin.
This is a biography of ideas, not a biography of action. We can learn some things from Karl Marx, who said, “I am not a Marxist.” One idea that especially influenced me was Marx’s belief that the history of the world involves economic exploitation. Also, his view of competition and cooperation Today’s business models emphasize both processes.
Kennedy. Theodore C. Sorenson.
Sorenson presents a comprehensive view of Kennedy’s ideas and methods of leadership. Kennedy was a reader and he had a sense of history. His philosophy of government was very much like Harry Truman’s.
A Left-Hand Turn Around the World: Chasing the Mystery and Meanings of All Things Southpaw. David Wolman.
If you’re not left-handed, you have probably not given the topic of left-handedness much thought. “Gauche,” “sinister,” “left-handed compliment,” “maladroit”: the English language has treated left-handers negatively. So our author, a left-hander, decided to explore the phenomenon of left-handedness. Conclusion? Considerable research, but not much help on learning the causes, nature and effects of left-handedness.
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims’ Progress. Mark Twain.
Twain poked fun at hallowed European landmarks. Some of the scenes are hilarious. A very entertaining view of tourism.
In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam. Robert S. McNamara with Brian Van DeMark.
There were eleven major causes for our disaster in Vietnam. McNamara explains each of the eleven causes, half of which were also true in Iraq. Didn’t any U.S. government official read this book before repeating our Vietnam experience in Iraq?
East of Eden. John Steinbeck.
Novel. Parallel to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck’s philosophical musings are interesting. Themes of evil vs. good and heredity vs. free will. Realistic portrait of California farming.
Jane Austen. Carol Shields.
Biography. Jane Austen was one of the finest writers of English novels, often ranked with Shakespeare. One reason to read this biography of Jane Austen is to realize the degree to which women of her time were restricted by living in a man’s world. We’ve come part of the way, Baby.
The Jane Austen Book Club. Karen Joy Fowler.
Novel. presents an interesting contrast between the life styles of Jane Austen and the characters in her novels and 21st-century liberated American women. A thoughtful look at the role of women in society—then and now.
Justice at Nuremberg. Robert E. Conot.
Read to understand the enormity of the Nazi atrocities. And to understand that vengeance might have been better served by summarily executing the German leaders without a trial, which refused to allow the defendants the logical defenses that the Allies had used in their histories the very atrocities—the Boar War and concentration camps and the extermination of Native Americans, for example—with which the Nazis in WWII were charged. The charges were made up after the fact. A travesty of American justice.
Karl Marx: His Life and Environment. Isaiah Berlin.
This is a biography of ideas, not a biography of action. We can learn some things from Karl Marx, who said, “I am not a Marxist.” One idea that especially influenced me was Marx’s belief that the history of the world involves economic exploitation. Also, his view of competition and cooperation Today’s business models emphasize both processes.
Kennedy. Theodore C. Sorenson.
Sorenson presents a comprehensive view of Kennedy’s ideas and methods of leadership. Kennedy was a reader and he had a sense of history. His philosophy of government was very much like Harry Truman’s.
A Left-Hand Turn Around the World: Chasing the Mystery and Meanings of All Things Southpaw. David Wolman.
If you’re not left-handed, you have probably not given the topic of left-handedness much thought. “Gauche,” “sinister,” “left-handed compliment,” “maladroit”: the English language has treated left-handers negatively. So our author, a left-hander, decided to explore the phenomenon of left-handedness. Conclusion? Considerable research, but not much help on learning the causes, nature and effects of left-handedness.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Books and Ideas (06)
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
The Devil in Massachusetts. Marion L. Starkey.
Young girls set off hysteria by charging that they had been hurt by witches. The result was both chaos and crisis, the Salem Witch Trials—and executions of innocent people. A study of irrational behavior in society.
The Greek Way. Edith Hamilton.
The Greek spirit: rejoice in life; the world is a beautiful place and a delight to live in. Joy, sorrow, exultation, tragedy stood hand in hand in Greek literature. Even in the darkest moments, the Greeks did not lose their taste for life or for criticizing the powerful and influential.
A Handful of Dust. Evelyn Waugh.
Novel. Bored British aristocrats and the breakup of their marriage.
Here at the New Yorker. Brendan Gill.
The joy and hard work of producing interesting stories and nonfiction at The New Yorker. Brendan Gill, the author of this book, fills his pages with gossip about the editors and the writers and the process of putting together each week’s issue.
A History of Reading. Alberto Manguel.
I thought I knew all there was to know about reading until I came across this book. Manguel’s ideas gave me plenty to think about. Examples. Socrates: “Only that which the reader already knows can be activated by reading.” Kafka: “One reads in order to ask questions.”
The House of the Seven Gables. Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Romance/Novel. The plot is glacial, almost like a somnolent summer afternoon in New England. Small crises gradually enlarge to a major crisis. The curse of one generation is resolved by the marriage of a young couple who represent the cursed and the curser.
How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking. Dale Carnegie.
Some interesting and practical points on successful public speaking. Interesting opening: Know explicitly in advance. Don’t use humorous story unrelated to your speech. Plan your ending in advance. Close with a brief summary of your points. Appeal for action.
How to Read a Book: The Art of Getting a Liberal Education. Mortimer J. Adler.
Books must be read in three ways: to understand, to question and to criticize the work.
I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born BC X. Murdered and Deified AD LIV. Robert Graves.
Novel. RayS.: My research revealed Claudius to be far from the benign, scholarly narrator of Graves’ I, Claudius. He was as cruel as his predecessors and the emperors who followed him.
Iliad. Homer (800BC).
Events of a few days near the end of the Trojan War, focusing on the withdrawal of Achilles from the contest and the disastrous effect of this act on the Greek campaign. Took place in the 13th century BC. Four centuries later, the material was organized and attributed to Homer.
The Immense Journey. Loren Eiseley.
Series of essays concerned with the meaning of evolution. Eiseley views evolution as a continuing process, changing to become—who knows what? Men and women as they are now will not be the men and women of the far future. We are working out what we are going to be.
The Devil in Massachusetts. Marion L. Starkey.
Young girls set off hysteria by charging that they had been hurt by witches. The result was both chaos and crisis, the Salem Witch Trials—and executions of innocent people. A study of irrational behavior in society.
The Greek Way. Edith Hamilton.
The Greek spirit: rejoice in life; the world is a beautiful place and a delight to live in. Joy, sorrow, exultation, tragedy stood hand in hand in Greek literature. Even in the darkest moments, the Greeks did not lose their taste for life or for criticizing the powerful and influential.
A Handful of Dust. Evelyn Waugh.
Novel. Bored British aristocrats and the breakup of their marriage.
Here at the New Yorker. Brendan Gill.
The joy and hard work of producing interesting stories and nonfiction at The New Yorker. Brendan Gill, the author of this book, fills his pages with gossip about the editors and the writers and the process of putting together each week’s issue.
A History of Reading. Alberto Manguel.
I thought I knew all there was to know about reading until I came across this book. Manguel’s ideas gave me plenty to think about. Examples. Socrates: “Only that which the reader already knows can be activated by reading.” Kafka: “One reads in order to ask questions.”
The House of the Seven Gables. Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Romance/Novel. The plot is glacial, almost like a somnolent summer afternoon in New England. Small crises gradually enlarge to a major crisis. The curse of one generation is resolved by the marriage of a young couple who represent the cursed and the curser.
How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking. Dale Carnegie.
Some interesting and practical points on successful public speaking. Interesting opening: Know explicitly in advance. Don’t use humorous story unrelated to your speech. Plan your ending in advance. Close with a brief summary of your points. Appeal for action.
How to Read a Book: The Art of Getting a Liberal Education. Mortimer J. Adler.
Books must be read in three ways: to understand, to question and to criticize the work.
I, Claudius: From the Autobiography of Tiberius Claudius, Born BC X. Murdered and Deified AD LIV. Robert Graves.
Novel. RayS.: My research revealed Claudius to be far from the benign, scholarly narrator of Graves’ I, Claudius. He was as cruel as his predecessors and the emperors who followed him.
Iliad. Homer (800BC).
Events of a few days near the end of the Trojan War, focusing on the withdrawal of Achilles from the contest and the disastrous effect of this act on the Greek campaign. Took place in the 13th century BC. Four centuries later, the material was organized and attributed to Homer.
The Immense Journey. Loren Eiseley.
Series of essays concerned with the meaning of evolution. Eiseley views evolution as a continuing process, changing to become—who knows what? Men and women as they are now will not be the men and women of the far future. We are working out what we are going to be.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Books and Ideas (05)
Books and Ideas (05)
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
From time to Time: A Novel. Jack Finney.
If we could travel back in time, could and should we try to change future events by manipulating circumstances in the past?
Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down Over Germany in world War II. Thomas Childers.
Vivid re-creation of the experience of training for and flying a B-24 in the last days over Germany in WWII. You are there. The story is pieced together from the letters home, documents from the government and interviews with German citizens who were present when the plane crashed.
F Scott Fitzgerald on Writing. Ed. Larry W. Phillips.
Series of short quotes on the act of writing. Example: “The desire for glory has to be matched by the endurance of the monotony needed to acquire it.”
The Future of the Novel: Essays on the Art of Fiction. Henry James.
In his inimitable style [read ‘convoluted sentences'], James writes about the authors of his time, Dickens, George Eliot, Zola, Balzac, Flaubert, deMaupassant, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Trollope, HG Wells, Arnold Bennett and Joseph Conrad. Example of his ideas: “The only purpose of the novel is to reflect life. The good novel should give the reader a sense of experience. Two types of novels are those that have a pattern and a plan and lead to a unity of impression and those that are merely a series of episodes. Character is the essence of the novel. As long as there are people there will be mirrors and novels.”
Future Shock. Alvin Toffler.
People are overwhelmed by change. Acceleration of change. Too much change in too short a time.
The German Dictatorship: The Origins, Structure and effects of National Socialism. Karl Dietrich Bracher.
Gives the complicated reasons for Hitler’s rise and fall. Concludes that “the German dictatorship has failed, but German democracy has not yet been secured.”
Giants in the Earth. O.E. Rolvaag.
Novel. The effects on the American pioneers’ character of the desolate, endless, malevolent landscapes on which they lived and worked. Gives the reader an understanding of the physical and emotional difficulties encountered by the pioneers.
Good Advice on Writing: Writers Past and Present on How to Write Well. William Safire and Leonard Safir.
Includes this advice: Four questions to ask before writing. What specific point do I want to make? Is it worth making? For whom am I writing? How can I best convey my point to my readers?
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity. Roy Porter.
A history of medicine from the clearly defined convictions of the Hippocratic oath to the muddy ethical dilemmas of modern-day medicine.
The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Novel. Gatsby’s attempt to re-live his idealized view of his past experience with Daisy. Symbolizes the illusion of the American dream: work hard, achieve success, make money, win the pretty girl and die a failure.
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
From time to Time: A Novel. Jack Finney.
If we could travel back in time, could and should we try to change future events by manipulating circumstances in the past?
Wings of Morning: The Story of the Last American Bomber Shot Down Over Germany in world War II. Thomas Childers.
Vivid re-creation of the experience of training for and flying a B-24 in the last days over Germany in WWII. You are there. The story is pieced together from the letters home, documents from the government and interviews with German citizens who were present when the plane crashed.
F Scott Fitzgerald on Writing. Ed. Larry W. Phillips.
Series of short quotes on the act of writing. Example: “The desire for glory has to be matched by the endurance of the monotony needed to acquire it.”
The Future of the Novel: Essays on the Art of Fiction. Henry James.
In his inimitable style [read ‘convoluted sentences'], James writes about the authors of his time, Dickens, George Eliot, Zola, Balzac, Flaubert, deMaupassant, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Trollope, HG Wells, Arnold Bennett and Joseph Conrad. Example of his ideas: “The only purpose of the novel is to reflect life. The good novel should give the reader a sense of experience. Two types of novels are those that have a pattern and a plan and lead to a unity of impression and those that are merely a series of episodes. Character is the essence of the novel. As long as there are people there will be mirrors and novels.”
Future Shock. Alvin Toffler.
People are overwhelmed by change. Acceleration of change. Too much change in too short a time.
The German Dictatorship: The Origins, Structure and effects of National Socialism. Karl Dietrich Bracher.
Gives the complicated reasons for Hitler’s rise and fall. Concludes that “the German dictatorship has failed, but German democracy has not yet been secured.”
Giants in the Earth. O.E. Rolvaag.
Novel. The effects on the American pioneers’ character of the desolate, endless, malevolent landscapes on which they lived and worked. Gives the reader an understanding of the physical and emotional difficulties encountered by the pioneers.
Good Advice on Writing: Writers Past and Present on How to Write Well. William Safire and Leonard Safir.
Includes this advice: Four questions to ask before writing. What specific point do I want to make? Is it worth making? For whom am I writing? How can I best convey my point to my readers?
The Greatest Benefit to Mankind: A Medical History of Humanity. Roy Porter.
A history of medicine from the clearly defined convictions of the Hippocratic oath to the muddy ethical dilemmas of modern-day medicine.
The Great Gatsby. F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Novel. Gatsby’s attempt to re-live his idealized view of his past experience with Daisy. Symbolizes the illusion of the American dream: work hard, achieve success, make money, win the pretty girl and die a failure.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Books and Ideas (04)
Books and Ideas (04)
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
Dictionary of Foreign Terms
A compendium of short, pithy, thought-provoking statements from many parts of the world.
Don Quixote of La Mancha. Miguel de Cervantes.
If you read Don Quixote for no other reason, read it for the abundance of proverbs uttered by Sancho Panza and by many others.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. James D. Watson.
An inside view of the chaotic process that is science. And an apology to women scientists.
Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know about What Editors Do. Ed. Gerald Gross.
Editors today do far more than simply correct mistakes in grammar. It takes tact to encourage writers to make corrections. And they have to sell—the writers on changes, the members of the publishing house on accepting the book for publishing and, of course, readers to buy the book.
The Eighth Day. Thornton Wilder.
Novel. God finished His creation on the seventh day. The human race picked up from what God finished on the eighth day. A study of creativity and achievement and a theory that every family has a messiah. Oh, yes, there is a murder mystery, too.
Emma. Jane Austen.
Emma tries to manipulate the lives of others with disastrous effects for those she is manipulating and for herself.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Thornton Wilder.
Novel. In 1714, a bridge over a canyon in Peru breaks, precipitating five travelers into the gorge. A friar wonders why these five people perished. Does God have a plan?
End Zone. Don DeLillo.
The experience of playing college football. In one sense, it is a ritual.
Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud. Herbert Marcuse.
Civilization and society are repressive. Why not let people use their potential?
The Essays of E. B. White.
E.B. White believes that people will want to read what he wants to write. Writes on a variety of topics, including New York City and Maine.
The Flowering of New England. Van Wyck Brooks.
Tells the story of the “New England Renaissance” in the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the time of Emerson, Longfellow, Thoreau, Hawthorne, among others. A time of excitement and achievement in learning.
For the Glory. Ken Denlinger.
The story of a Penn State football recruiting class. Nonfiction. It’s the story of football recruits in a major college football program. Don DeLillo catches the spirit of college football in his novel End Zone. Denlinger's book is fact. They're not too much different.
Fox at the Wood’s Edge. Loren Eiseley. Gale Christianson.
Biography of a scientist, a paleontologist, who wrote essays on nature and the meaning of evolution. Some of his essays are unforgettable. He conveys a melancholy, yet joyous, view of life. The miracles he discovers are found in everyday existence.
I read for ideas. What follows is my attempt to summarize the main ideas of books I have read.
Dictionary of Foreign Terms
A compendium of short, pithy, thought-provoking statements from many parts of the world.
Don Quixote of La Mancha. Miguel de Cervantes.
If you read Don Quixote for no other reason, read it for the abundance of proverbs uttered by Sancho Panza and by many others.
The Double Helix: A Personal Account of the Discovery of the Structure of DNA. James D. Watson.
An inside view of the chaotic process that is science. And an apology to women scientists.
Editors on Editing: What Writers Need to Know about What Editors Do. Ed. Gerald Gross.
Editors today do far more than simply correct mistakes in grammar. It takes tact to encourage writers to make corrections. And they have to sell—the writers on changes, the members of the publishing house on accepting the book for publishing and, of course, readers to buy the book.
The Eighth Day. Thornton Wilder.
Novel. God finished His creation on the seventh day. The human race picked up from what God finished on the eighth day. A study of creativity and achievement and a theory that every family has a messiah. Oh, yes, there is a murder mystery, too.
Emma. Jane Austen.
Emma tries to manipulate the lives of others with disastrous effects for those she is manipulating and for herself.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Thornton Wilder.
Novel. In 1714, a bridge over a canyon in Peru breaks, precipitating five travelers into the gorge. A friar wonders why these five people perished. Does God have a plan?
End Zone. Don DeLillo.
The experience of playing college football. In one sense, it is a ritual.
Eros and Civilization: A Philosophical Inquiry into Freud. Herbert Marcuse.
Civilization and society are repressive. Why not let people use their potential?
The Essays of E. B. White.
E.B. White believes that people will want to read what he wants to write. Writes on a variety of topics, including New York City and Maine.
The Flowering of New England. Van Wyck Brooks.
Tells the story of the “New England Renaissance” in the period between the American Revolution and the Civil War, the time of Emerson, Longfellow, Thoreau, Hawthorne, among others. A time of excitement and achievement in learning.
For the Glory. Ken Denlinger.
The story of a Penn State football recruiting class. Nonfiction. It’s the story of football recruits in a major college football program. Don DeLillo catches the spirit of college football in his novel End Zone. Denlinger's book is fact. They're not too much different.
Fox at the Wood’s Edge. Loren Eiseley. Gale Christianson.
Biography of a scientist, a paleontologist, who wrote essays on nature and the meaning of evolution. Some of his essays are unforgettable. He conveys a melancholy, yet joyous, view of life. The miracles he discovers are found in everyday existence.
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