Cat--re The Dispossessed. I didn't catch the first clearly non-linear transition and had to backtrack a bit. It dawned on me after a nap this evening that the story MUST be non-linear, or if you will, non-sequential, to be effective because of the theory Shevek is working on. It isn't nearly as convoluted as the movie Pulp Fiction, but that is a tour de force in non-linear presentation. (For those who haven't seen it, the movie has some very violent parts, but the violence is in my opinion not gratuitous. The structure and the effects thereof are fascinating.)
I finished The Dispossessed. Pretty good, indefinite, conclusion. The copy I contains a study guide which I worked partway through before I became bored with it; but the writer was evidently trying to explain the times around 1970 to folks who are too young to remember or to have been directly shaped by them. Having been there then, inevitably my own personality was shaped by the times, and the attitudes the writer is trying to explain seem self-evident. The book's place in the progression of utopian novels is interesting, and the writer goes to some lengths to explain the "feminism" of the times, which seems simply like "peopleism" to me. I got a chuckle out of one paragraph, from which I quote:
"Le Guin has sometimes been severely taken to task for choosing a male protagonist. Her initial, rather flip defense was to say that as a science fiction writer she enjoyed trying to enter alien minds, so she was naturally drawn to portraying men."
The writer of the study guide suggests that the title may refer to Dostoyevsky's Demons, first published in English as "The Possessed" because that deals with anarchists as well. Very thin gruel, that. There is no end of people in the Le Guin novel that have been dispossessed of one thing or another, enough so that it might be considered a commentary on normal life and society.
LOL Le Guin's comment. No doubt that's why I enjoy writing male POV as well. It's such a challenge. *wink*
Goodness, Alan, that study guide sounds like it would make me feel old. The zeitgeist of the '70s is part of my molecular makeup, despite the gaps I keep finding in my knowledge of Rock music of the time. I can't imagine having to have it explained. *shudder*
I'm inclined to think men and women speak different languages; it's not, for instance, that women are more empathetic than men, but men and women express that empathy differently. And it's probably hard-wired, like navigation. Men do really tend to navigate by bearing and distance, while women do really tend to navigate by landmarks; but no one uses one method exclusively, and both work. Before I was married I did not understand that people's minds REALLY CAN AND DO WORK DIFFERENTLY. Yes, I recognized the idea intellectually, but hadn't assimilated the knowledge. But that's cool.
Angel had a quiet day. She was able to putter around some and to snooze in the afternoon sun, which she enjoys and which must be good for her, but she hadn't been feeling up to it for a couple days. Also, come to find out she has a sore paw. That accounts for some of her difficulty walking. while a sore paw is definitely a bad thing and I hate to think of her having to cope with that on top of everything else, still it is ordinary. Sally had a sore paw last week. So that at least is not a cause for undue alarm. She is definitely declining though.
Thanks to everyone for the good wishes. Please keep them coming.
Dad was able to restore my iTunes, genius that he is. While the backup he used - the only one in existence and only in existence thanks to his foresight - is nearly two years out of date, it is still enormously better than nothing.
Howard! Zounds!
ReplyDeleteCat--re The Dispossessed. I didn't catch the first clearly non-linear transition and had to backtrack a bit. It dawned on me after a nap this evening that the story MUST be non-linear, or if you will, non-sequential, to be effective because of the theory Shevek is working on. It isn't nearly as convoluted as the movie Pulp Fiction, but that is a tour de force in non-linear presentation. (For those who haven't seen it, the movie has some very violent parts, but the violence is in my opinion not gratuitous. The structure and the effects thereof are fascinating.)
--Alan
I finished The Dispossessed. Pretty good, indefinite, conclusion. The copy I contains a study guide which I worked partway through before I became bored with it; but the writer was evidently trying to explain the times around 1970 to folks who are too young to remember or to have been directly shaped by them. Having been there then, inevitably my own personality was shaped by the times, and the attitudes the writer is trying to explain seem self-evident. The book's place in the progression of utopian novels is interesting, and the writer goes to some lengths to explain the "feminism" of the times, which seems simply like "peopleism" to me. I got a chuckle out of one paragraph, from which I quote:
ReplyDelete"Le Guin has sometimes been severely taken to task for choosing a male protagonist. Her initial, rather flip defense was to say that as a science fiction writer she enjoyed trying to enter alien minds, so she was naturally drawn to portraying men."
The writer of the study guide suggests that the title may refer to Dostoyevsky's Demons, first published in English as "The Possessed" because that deals with anarchists as well. Very thin gruel, that. There is no end of people in the Le Guin novel that have been dispossessed of one thing or another, enough so that it might be considered a commentary on normal life and society.
--Alan
"The copy I contains" should read "The copy I have contains"
Delete--Alan
LOL Le Guin's comment. No doubt that's why I enjoy writing male POV as well. It's such a challenge. *wink*
DeleteGoodness, Alan, that study guide sounds like it would make me feel old. The zeitgeist of the '70s is part of my molecular makeup, despite the gaps I keep finding in my knowledge of Rock music of the time. I can't imagine having to have it explained. *shudder*
I'm inclined to think men and women speak different languages; it's not, for instance, that women are more empathetic than men, but men and women express that empathy differently. And it's probably hard-wired, like navigation. Men do really tend to navigate by bearing and distance, while women do really tend to navigate by landmarks; but no one uses one method exclusively, and both work. Before I was married I did not understand that people's minds REALLY CAN AND DO WORK DIFFERENTLY. Yes, I recognized the idea intellectually, but hadn't assimilated the knowledge. But that's cool.
DeleteTTFN
--Alan
Anyone got a spell to make winter go away?
ReplyDeleteDoesn't take a spell. Just a train ticket to Southern California. Or Florida, for that matter.
DeleteA spell might be easier to come by, lol!
DeleteA spell to create one's own private summer. Now that would be worth studying Magic for.
DeleteAngel had a quiet day. She was able to putter around some and to snooze in the afternoon sun, which she enjoys and which must be good for her, but she hadn't been feeling up to it for a couple days. Also, come to find out she has a sore paw. That accounts for some of her difficulty walking. while a sore paw is definitely a bad thing and I hate to think of her having to cope with that on top of everything else, still it is ordinary. Sally had a sore paw last week. So that at least is not a cause for undue alarm. She is definitely declining though.
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone for the good wishes. Please keep them coming.
Renee, as Alan says, for the kitties to work out that Perkins is not going to eat them is definitely a good step. *grin*
ReplyDeleteDad was able to restore my iTunes, genius that he is. While the backup he used - the only one in existence and only in existence thanks to his foresight - is nearly two years out of date, it is still enormously better than nothing.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had the nerve to tackle that...
Delete--Alan
I have ended every day this week exhausted. I'd really like one day to end differently. I think my best chance coming up is Wednesday. We'll see!
ReplyDeleteBut a lot of good stuff got done. Just need some balance.
Auuuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Delete--Alan
Balance is always a Good Thing.
Delete