Tom Jones is a novel. Of that there is no doubt. Depending on how you define “novel,” it may be the first “novel.” Probably not, though. For no particular reason, I define “novel” more broadly, so Robinson Crusoe get the honor. The novel (Tom Jones, not Robinson Crusoe) is divided into 18 books, and the first chapter in each book is an address from the Author to the Reader in which all sorts of asides and digressions and commentary are supplied. So, in discussing Tom Jones, it … [Read more...] about The Problem of Not Being Dickens
Great Books
A Little Dose of Optimism
I don’t often read books which make me feel full of youthful optimism. Obviously, I have a sardonic and mordant streak (Ok, “streak” may be a bit understated), but I am generally quite upbeat and think the future isn’t all that bad. I can’t remember the last time I felt that bubbly, optimistic, really the world isn’t all that bad, attitude. After all, the world really is that bad, but we might as well smile as the ship is sinking. Sure the world is decaying and getting worse all … [Read more...] about A Little Dose of Optimism
The Secret of Wisdom
Charmides by Plato The subject of this dialogue is a Greek word (which I cannot read (it’s all Greek to me)), which, according to Benjamin Jowett, translator of Plato par excellence, can be translated as Temperance, Moderation, Modesty, Discretion or Wisdom. In this dialogue, Socrates has a merry time (doesn’t he always?) asking people to define the term, and then watching as all the attempts at definition end up circular or absurd. Obviously the people to whom Socrates is … [Read more...] about The Secret of Wisdom
Does the World Fit You?
John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces is one of the books I recommend to people the most often. This book is funny, very funny. And thought-provoking.It is interesting, well written, and has some of the most memorable characters you’ll ever meet. The main character, Ignatius J Reilly is a modern day Falstaff. Take Shakespeare’s character, put him amongst the working (or non-working as the case may be) classes of New Orleans in the 1960s and you would have this … [Read more...] about Does the World Fit You?
My Daemon Made Me Do It
She Has Funny Cars. Some books are nearly impossible to review. I started listening to Jefferson Airplane’s Surrealist Pillow to help me write this review. That should tell you what is to come. It should probably also make you stop reading. Your mind’s guaranteed/ It’s all you’ll ever need/ So what do you want from Me? Let’s pretend I just said something deep. If you read a book written by a drug-addled 1960’s wannabe poet (I’m looking at you Jackie Kerouac), you … [Read more...] about My Daemon Made Me Do It
The College Carnival
Whenever a school year winds down, nostalgia creeps in. There is a sameness to the rhythm of college. While the individuals change, the nature of the average student doesn’t change much. Indeed, it hasn’t changed much since at least 1920. That was the year F. Scott Fitzgerald published This Side of Paradise. This novel is one of those inter-war expressions of the hopelessness of the modern age. And after a century of unbelievable change, I was shocked at how much Amory Blaine … [Read more...] about The College Carnival