tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post2299375590591150093..comments2024-03-24T09:36:51.494-04:00Comments on delagar: Review: Ayn Rand Anthemdelagarhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-73976820651821002472014-11-01T19:39:26.762-04:002014-11-01T19:39:26.762-04:00Oh, God, Alix, that is perfect!
"...said Ron...Oh, God, Alix, that is perfect!<br /><br />"...said Ron, like a poor person..."delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-37910526062036600562014-10-31T18:51:34.362-04:002014-10-31T18:51:34.362-04:00I know I'm real late to the party, but have yo...I know I'm real late to the party, but have you seen this? It's kind of...amazing. <br /><br />http://the-toast.net/2014/05/27/ayn-rands-harry-potter-sorcerers-stone/Alix E. Harrowhttp://theothersideoftherain.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-76546754973630004512014-10-14T12:38:05.919-04:002014-10-14T12:38:05.919-04:00I guess we'll agree to disagree. I think she&#...I guess we'll agree to disagree. I think she's a fantastic storyteller. To me, it's just a matter of taste. If she's not to your taste, right on. Fie upon this quiet life!https://www.blogger.com/profile/12047096700049201873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-84465138793313086362014-10-13T20:38:47.489-04:002014-10-13T20:38:47.489-04:00But it's entirely possible to create well-thou...But it's entirely possible to create well-thought out worlds in novellas. Have a look at Mountains of Mourning by Lois McMaster Bujold.<br /><br />Or When it Changed, by Joanna Russ -- that one's Utopian, but still.<br /><br />Also it's online, so you can access it!<br /><br />http://boblyman.net/englt392/texts/When%20It%20Changed.pdf<br /><br />To be clear, I am not opposing Rand's text on the basis on her opposition to Communism or socialism. I am opposing it because she does a terrible job of writing *about* Communism / Socialism.<br /><br />There's nothing wrong with writing about politics. (All writing is political, etc, etc.) The problem arises when you write propaganda about politics, which is what Rand has done here. And -- to some extent -- in much of the rest of her writing.<br />delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-21236007459396713082014-10-13T19:45:05.817-04:002014-10-13T19:45:05.817-04:00Well, Anthem is not a full novel. It's an 80-p...Well, Anthem is not a full novel. It's an 80-page parable. Parables aren't meant to be well-built worlds. The writing is underdeveloped compared to other dystopic writers you mention, but also, those books are all much longer and some are series-length. I really think we're talking apples and oranges here. Plus, Rand seems to be operating within the stereotypes of what society considers to be valuable and makes a statement about the superficiality of relationships when individuals and their specific unique qualities are undervalued. I do think individuals are important. I also think communities are important -- a lot more than Rand did. But also, her family lost a lot under the communists, and she hoped that coming to America would save her. She was disappointed with what she found. <br /><br />I really like her storytelling, actually. It's stripped down. No BS. Very like Hemingway, actually. But not everyone likes him either. Of course, he's very sexist, but I still like his short stories. His novels, not as much. Farewell to Arms is the only one I liked. Anyway, I don't mean to be a total Rand apologist, but I do think that she's an underrated writer. I don't agree with her philosophy entirely. I think she's too extreme. But I do think that her perspective on communism is interesting and valid. I really changed my mind about communism once I had met people who lived under it (Romanians, Bulgarians, and Ukrainians) and became friends with them. Their stories opened my eyes to the deep corruption inherent in their systems. Some would say that true communism has never been implemented and thus has never been tested. That may be. But the experiments that have happened over the years have ultimately been bad for a vast majority of people. At least, that's what I've heard from those who lived in the systems. Fie upon this quiet life!https://www.blogger.com/profile/12047096700049201873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-16101820923491850922014-10-13T16:56:30.369-04:002014-10-13T16:56:30.369-04:00Ack. Not Herville! Herland!
Herville is an exce...Ack. Not Herville! Herland!<br /><br />Herville is an excellent graphic novel by Barry Deutsch, which I highly recommend. But not a utopian novel!<br /><br />http://www.amazon.com/Hereville-How-Mirka-Got-Sword/dp/1419706195#<br /><br />Herland, by Charlotte Gilman, is either Utopian/dystopian, depending on who you ask.<br />delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-32012604730895141592014-10-13T16:21:27.344-04:002014-10-13T16:21:27.344-04:00The ROOT of all evil, in fact.The ROOT of all evil, in fact.delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-82835824611799328682014-10-13T16:21:03.905-04:002014-10-13T16:21:03.905-04:00Billie: Nothing is wrong with Liberty being blond...Billie: Nothing is wrong with Liberty being blonde. Or tall.<br /><br />The issue is that *everyone* in Anthem who is virtuous and good, *everyone* who is a Randian hero / heroine is tall, and blonde, and slender, and has fine white skin.<br /><br />Whereas all of our villains are squat and dark and ugly; or else horribly disabled. (One has "half a brain" and is subject to fits which repel our hero Equality.)<br /><br />I'll also point out that names like Equality and Liberty and Union are all meant to be just terrible, terrible names to give kids.<br /><br />Because Equality, like the word "we" is a deep, deep evil.<br /> delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-51819087380643201452014-10-13T16:17:31.732-04:002014-10-13T16:17:31.732-04:00Fie: The abysmal writing is part of what I object ...Fie: The abysmal writing is part of what I object to. I guess I'm coming from a whole raft of experience with other dystopian / uptopian books, and seeing what could be done with similar material. Herville, It Can't Happen Here, 1984, Le Guin's Dispossessed, Mieville's Iron Council -- even Hunger Games, to name just a few.<br /><br />The worldbuilding in any of those is -- I was going to say better thought out, but the fact is, Rand didn't do any actual worldbuilding. Rand hasn't made the least effort to think about how her world would work. She's created a straw world, filled it with all the boogeymen she *thinks* socialism and communism would create, and called it her world.<br /><br />That's my biggest problem with the book. It's filled with straw villains and straw politics. Her notions of what socialism / communism / unions are do not reflect anything in the real world. They're propaganda.<br /><br />I am not saying it would not be possible to make a legitimate argument against socialism or communism or even unions in 1937. But Rand has not bothered to do so. <br /><br />The other thing I don't like about it connects to this point -- I don't see Equality or Liberty as actual characters. I don't see any real characterization in the book at all. There are almost no scenes, and very little dialogue. Liberty isn't a person; she's a cipher. (A skinny blonde cipher, the object marked Desire which tells us Equality has succeeded in gaining his Manhood.)<br /><br />I mean, why does Equality love Liberty? Because she's blonde and sparkly. Why does she love him? I don't have a clue. <br /><br />For the record, I'm not *entirely* opposed to my kid reading this. You gotta know what the other side is saying and thinking, after all. <br /> <br /><br /><br />delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-38499864201584322662014-10-13T11:47:23.434-04:002014-10-13T11:47:23.434-04:00I've never read the book so I really don't...I've never read the book so I really don't know much about it, but what's wrong with having blonde hair? Isn't it just a coincidence? Hair color is just hair color, a physical appearance and nothing more. If the hair colors were switched to brunette (or red) would there still be a fuss?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18198604197996919155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-583212951098829872014-10-13T08:46:38.789-04:002014-10-13T08:46:38.789-04:00Ah ha! I found it! http://fieuponthisquietlife.blo...Ah ha! I found it! http://fieuponthisquietlife.blogspot.com/2014/06/ayn-rands-anthem.html<br /><br />The trouble was I misremembered when I read it. It was actually over the summer, not when I went to the conference. Anyway, you commented on this post, so you might remember it, but I thought I'd post it here if others wanted to see it, or if you wanted a refresher. Fie upon this quiet life!https://www.blogger.com/profile/12047096700049201873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-30176531563009237782014-10-13T08:30:36.760-04:002014-10-13T08:30:36.760-04:00I really liked Anthem when I read it (as an audiob...I really liked Anthem when I read it (as an audiobook) last spring. I thought I wrote a review of it on my blog, but I can't find the post right now. Anyway, I know about Rand's theory of objectivism and all that, so I'm not naive about her political project. But I take Anthem as a strong argument against the idea of Communist utopia. I thought her critique was really powerful, and although I was confused at first by using "we" instead of "I," I got used to it. I was listening to the audiobook on the road to a conference, and when the character switched to "I," I nearly ran off the road. That was how powerfully it struck me. Who knew a little pronoun could mean so much? <br /><br />When Equality 7-2521 runs away with Liberty 5-3000, it mirrored the fall of man really closely, too. And it made me think of Paradise Lost, in which Milton depicts the tale as the "fortunate" fall of man. In Milton, Eve falls in love with her reflection, too, parallel to Narcissus. Rand would probably say that we should all be Narcissus -- self-focused to a fault. I don't agree with that at all. However, I can see the value of her work in relationship to its critique of Communism, which I do think is a system that cannot work as intended, unless it's in a tiny commune. Don't get me wrong. I think capitalism sucks, too. Any system run by humans is going to suck because humans are corrupt and often pragmatic to a fault. Even people who are the best among us have to make "tough choices," and they excuse themselves from ruining people's lives because that choice is best for "the many." <br /><br />I'm just chiming in with a different opinion, and don't mean to offend or be a troll. If my kids read this book, I'd look at it as an opportunity for them to learn about the politics of the early 20th century. Even a book you don't like and/or don't agree with is an opportunity to learn. I, personally, thought the book was really interesting and made amazing connections to Milton. I don't agree with every word of it, and I don't feel indoctrinated. But I do see its value. Fie upon this quiet life!https://www.blogger.com/profile/12047096700049201873noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-45102150090009603292014-10-11T13:01:21.874-04:002014-10-11T13:01:21.874-04:00Bardiac: Her teacher (who's a great English te...Bardiac: Her teacher (who's a great English teacher, by the way -- she loves him, and he's engaging and up to now given them excellent reading assignments) is selling it as "the inspiration for The Hunger Games," which I just think NOT.<br /><br />Shannon: Liberty struck me as a strange name, too. But other characters have named like Internationale, so maybe Rand was thinking it was an *ironic* name. You know, those French, with their Liberty, Fraternity, Equality, when REALLY, etc.<br /><br />The Council of Scientists in her book has just invented candles. When our Randian Superhero invents light bulbs, all on his ownsome, with no industrial revolution to back him up, they reject his invention, because no committee has approved the invention, and also it would put candle-makers out of work.<br /><br />So he takes his lightbulb, and his beloved Liberty, and they run off to start their own society (in Galt's Gulch, I assume) where they can build all the light bulbs they want.<br /><br />Luckily, someone from an earlier generation of humans has left them a perfectly preserved house filled with books full of scientific knowledge and clothing and pots and pans and mirrors (all Liberty wants to do, obvs, is stare at her slender blond self in a mirror all day). So they won't have too much trouble building this new world all alone!delagarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18197857250240640822noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-2949560013497177852014-10-11T10:43:55.087-04:002014-10-11T10:43:55.087-04:00What a nightmare to have to read in school!What a nightmare to have to read in school!Bardiachttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11846065504793800266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8340684.post-61032036580233188822014-10-11T01:02:55.418-04:002014-10-11T01:02:55.418-04:00"If they turn all their smart kids into stree..."If they turn all their smart kids into street sweepers, then who, exactly, are their Council of Scientists and Council of Elders?"<br /><br />If the GOP is anything to go by, there isn't going to have a Council of Scientists. The Council of Elders will be made out of the children of previous leaders, such as the incompetent son of a former president, or the incompetent son and grandson of admirals, or the incompetent son of a former governor.<br /><br />I'm also curious how <i> Liberty </i> became a permissible name in this dystopia. Isn't liberty supposed to be the opposite of what the leadership wants?<br /><br />Perhaps Rand thought that liberty is only for the benevolent corporate overlords, and that liberty and equality are bad things for the people who actually do physical labor and make things because it would cause them to interfere with the actions of their superior bosses. Heck, put those ideas in their head, and they might actually want to get paid in money, thus violating the purely voluntary contract they made with their employers in which their wages would be paid entirely in scrip acceptable only at the company store.D Shannonnoreply@blogger.com