tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88317418820778228912024-03-19T05:08:14.048-07:00Simon King's BlogAmateurish writer of novels, stories and essays.Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.comBlogger366125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-64872983562029817832024-02-27T16:14:00.000-08:002024-02-27T16:14:10.692-08:00Einstein<p> Winamop has published my short story about Albert Einstein. This is the description on the website: 'Simon King writes about the daily lives of famous people from history. It's the year 1919 and we find Albert Einstein in the library with his assistant Walther Mayer.'</p><p>Part three from <i>Fifteen Characters: Volume Two</i>.</p><p>www.winamop.com/sk2400.htm</p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-29449019778260753322023-12-05T12:47:00.000-08:002023-12-05T12:47:15.687-08:00Schopenhauer<p> Winamop has published my short story 'Schopenhauer,' which is about German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer. This is the description on the website: 'Simon King. writes stories based on the lives of famous historical figures. This time he visits the life of German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) who appears to be slightly irascible.'</p><p>Part two from <i>Fifteen Characters: Volume Two</i>.</p><p>http://www.winamop.com/sk2300.htm</p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-91417828545270633472023-11-05T04:32:00.003-08:002023-11-05T04:32:58.834-08:00Ahoy Facebook #21<p> https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/05/20/martin-amis-dead-age-73-esophageal-cancer/?fbclid=IwAR2dYpRI-Wcbpj7E_bKky9hBN9KlyeScd9-NceMSItCubZzicC8giMN01y0</p><p>Oh!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRf51pCYhgZOnu3DMsMf4QSjUWawzlKHQCERFMg034bFjs1KpIzBIPX6wgTgMluep1KzZdNGhCgA6SxUvQQdcu69Z71F5PBDideMBPpXezDMJy578jVOYvROtDEcTTHCE2iFjXQrr9o_7EIpvgydXXxZFnWvUd6f0AQBfQBQdV-g2zalglLOSOY6AieI/s1080/img_1_1699186956479.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtRf51pCYhgZOnu3DMsMf4QSjUWawzlKHQCERFMg034bFjs1KpIzBIPX6wgTgMluep1KzZdNGhCgA6SxUvQQdcu69Z71F5PBDideMBPpXezDMJy578jVOYvROtDEcTTHCE2iFjXQrr9o_7EIpvgydXXxZFnWvUd6f0AQBfQBQdV-g2zalglLOSOY6AieI/s320/img_1_1699186956479.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. </p><p><br /></p><p>Two t-shirts: A t-shirt of The Fall and a t-shirt of Captain Beefheart & the Magic Band.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Fall and Captain Beefheart are my two favourite rock groups, so I thought that I'd buy their t-shirts. The Fall-themed t-shirt has the album 'Perverted by Language' printed on it and the Beefheart one has the album 'Safe as Milk' printed on it. 👍</p><p>https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-65898867.amp?fbclid=IwAR1JMJfg4JQ3bh_P5C3_BCoulfQySYNXUtarBtqX8FtCi5hm8snQuEpXWfg</p><p><br /></p><p>Oh!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-zwW3gcJEuy9DgCSpgM0YlpgDgWoLmW1Ae7pOGgIghZ2YXaieHejYMZUosrjnIH_XbB-xkrVErQXAIGhmVxwnYwctabXHaCHjjthyphenhyphenYf_CK5Yg1gmk9nKyI2dvGqBqjh2UN0gO7a8k_AliGUJKwYIvXr0Sl1s4KE4auXi_MTS3JnUGbWKUkR_ClckMcM/s1440/img_2_1699187090767.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-zwW3gcJEuy9DgCSpgM0YlpgDgWoLmW1Ae7pOGgIghZ2YXaieHejYMZUosrjnIH_XbB-xkrVErQXAIGhmVxwnYwctabXHaCHjjthyphenhyphenYf_CK5Yg1gmk9nKyI2dvGqBqjh2UN0gO7a8k_AliGUJKwYIvXr0Sl1s4KE4auXi_MTS3JnUGbWKUkR_ClckMcM/s320/img_2_1699187090767.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09n0wzSE4fu8qyAcgtc2rKVtlKpG43uA1_uQBLbm2VvQqrUDyca9Z4-yhu6QDdhx3pgNn9zD18FXPk8qUK6oR2a-WjNm6ZovSef7IWe6fTSWnVdrCf8kExXc7EAK23jFmy8NgduizGQjiq_EndTKtkbzp2U0nN3cABisL0V50lZo7ww3JrrtVypSwYRw/s1440/img_3_1699187099204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj09n0wzSE4fu8qyAcgtc2rKVtlKpG43uA1_uQBLbm2VvQqrUDyca9Z4-yhu6QDdhx3pgNn9zD18FXPk8qUK6oR2a-WjNm6ZovSef7IWe6fTSWnVdrCf8kExXc7EAK23jFmy8NgduizGQjiq_EndTKtkbzp2U0nN3cABisL0V50lZo7ww3JrrtVypSwYRw/s320/img_3_1699187099204.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 1/2 🙂</p><p><br /></p><p>Three books: Timaeus and Critias by Plato, The Symposium by Plato and Einstein: His Life and Universe.</p><p><br /></p><p>Two CDs: Symphony No. 6: Pathetique and Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Piano Concerto No. 2 by Johannes Brahms.</p><p><br /></p><p>One record: High and Low Down by Lightnin'Slim.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've read some Plato dialogues in the past, but I thought that I could do with reading more.</p><p><br /></p><p>Einstein was an interesting figure because, unlike many other scientists, he was not collaborative. He would spend most of his time on his own thinking about the details about general relativity or whatever. I bought a biography so as to find out more about his colourful life.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've looked into classical music a lot in the past. Tchaikovsky and Brahms are very big names... I've not really heard much of their music before, so I bought these CDs.</p><p><br /></p><p>Lightnin' Slim was one of the performers of rhythm and blues back in the 50s. He's not as remembered as Howlin' Wolf or Muddy Waters, but he's just as good.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOYNW0HD7Yode2I-SIaoy-1RcEGI4qBMaU4bqwOC5CTxeGmdxFganypXSLaMZIRVDMDZVrvOdLgMzw6JHgMgmqPG0_ASAV39UkuHirc7cni08Rwqr2TS9qP-BbfnDFtrSK7Ny-AvJF4qrCjsDHJYbgiE_Z3zcfK6MfMbHmT3fk-X35ChHupyPmqiopcQ/s1440/img_4_1699187205138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpOYNW0HD7Yode2I-SIaoy-1RcEGI4qBMaU4bqwOC5CTxeGmdxFganypXSLaMZIRVDMDZVrvOdLgMzw6JHgMgmqPG0_ASAV39UkuHirc7cni08Rwqr2TS9qP-BbfnDFtrSK7Ny-AvJF4qrCjsDHJYbgiE_Z3zcfK6MfMbHmT3fk-X35ChHupyPmqiopcQ/s320/img_4_1699187205138.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 2/2 🙂</p><p><br /></p><p>Seven DVDs: Brief Encounter by David Lean, Dr. Zhivago by David Lean, Wild Strawberries by Ingmar Bergman, Persona by Ingmar Bergman, Tales of the Four Seasons by Eric Rohmer, Hannah and her Sisters by Woody Allen and Fargo by Coen Brothers.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUGg78ezY0wUQjcyUVL135kH952BNgpxPrSs47gKONeADLjS4k93GHhp8xTcwz2Vv3WWdmhLvQzKtDQ-fPu3n4exT4F_EHyC9PD8_XShMm6g7Ld30vhyphenhyphenms2f4ob7APwcvoPpeiIoIWUaPYfvBak7pwpLJSrfNy5LF1TGQfBcHD0FOFMqzt8jzHC-L2XY/s1080/img_1_1699187287030.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOUGg78ezY0wUQjcyUVL135kH952BNgpxPrSs47gKONeADLjS4k93GHhp8xTcwz2Vv3WWdmhLvQzKtDQ-fPu3n4exT4F_EHyC9PD8_XShMm6g7Ld30vhyphenhyphenms2f4ob7APwcvoPpeiIoIWUaPYfvBak7pwpLJSrfNy5LF1TGQfBcHD0FOFMqzt8jzHC-L2XY/s320/img_1_1699187287030.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Fifteen Characters: Volume Two.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is one of two books that I'm working on at the moment. The other one is a novel - the cover is not ready for that one yet...</p><p><br /></p><p>Ludwig Wittgenstein</p><p>Adolf Hitler</p><p>Arthur Schopenhauer</p><p>Albert Einstein</p><p>Bela Bartok</p><p>Jean Sibelius</p><p>Fyodor Dostoyevsky</p><p>Honore de Balzac</p><p>Blind Willie Johnson </p><p>Phidias</p><p>Peter Cook</p><p>Arius</p><p>Klemens von Metternich</p><p>Gavrilo Princip</p><p>Ted Kaczynski</p><p><br /></p><p>I do not condone genocide or terrorism.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7Ou4g9OeR2ujtljNWbrU5HBUy475hVMO9fIUytMMEhiEFHHJhhU7mBv_as8-5oJaxw0PVrbcQqtlyUeJK_t3Nr5r3gGBx-6UW_kBmYlgSJiEKhAJO2DRBMoJoQCV2tp3uxZ2SHFsS0pHqpLZgMKLTdmGE3nL3dBmu0o5MxzElH7x3fjbfh-CvQT5yIA/s1440/img_2_1699187350009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp7Ou4g9OeR2ujtljNWbrU5HBUy475hVMO9fIUytMMEhiEFHHJhhU7mBv_as8-5oJaxw0PVrbcQqtlyUeJK_t3Nr5r3gGBx-6UW_kBmYlgSJiEKhAJO2DRBMoJoQCV2tp3uxZ2SHFsS0pHqpLZgMKLTdmGE3nL3dBmu0o5MxzElH7x3fjbfh-CvQT5yIA/s320/img_2_1699187350009.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 1/2</p><p><br /></p><p>Two books: The Art of Happiness by Epicurus and John Stuart Mill: Victorian Firebrand by Richard Reeves.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not many of Epicurus' writings survive, as many ancient libraries containing thousands of goodies were burned down. This book gathers what remains of his writings. Epicurus emphasised the pursuit of happiness, unlike the Stoics and Cynics who emphasised virtue and citizenship. In many ways, he was a prototypical liberal. Also, Karl Marx wrote his doctoral dissertation about him (because they were both materialists...)</p><p><br /></p><p>'On Liberty' is one of my favourite books... It's a gripping read, possibly because he wrote it for a general audience, not academia... Mill was a fascinating thinker, so I thought that I should read this biography about him... Plus, there's a lot of 19th century history in this book, which is also good. 👍</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPAj5PWUm6xGdf99JczeCuYTEv97ndB3L9V2uIW0iDQ874AZRA12HhRoyBCGlX-H1uvlQaMJz_u_IUjW9OaL5kTjjcFYaNiGC7R0nnIX5KAVX-QUr7zfpWfhJ-tS7gTMZRNAfOgXcKDk6Ugm85Tc-x1JdDVe04yUNSyVatwgncvFUvCbyG8qiryL09Ws/s1440/img_1_1699187426076.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwPAj5PWUm6xGdf99JczeCuYTEv97ndB3L9V2uIW0iDQ874AZRA12HhRoyBCGlX-H1uvlQaMJz_u_IUjW9OaL5kTjjcFYaNiGC7R0nnIX5KAVX-QUr7zfpWfhJ-tS7gTMZRNAfOgXcKDk6Ugm85Tc-x1JdDVe04yUNSyVatwgncvFUvCbyG8qiryL09Ws/s320/img_1_1699187426076.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 2/2</p><p><br /></p><p>Five CDs: Images/Nocturnes by Claude Debussy/Orchestra Symphonique de Montreal, Chamber Music by Maurice Ravel, Chamber Music by Iannis Xenakis/Arditti String Quartet/Claude Helffer, Spillane by John Zorn and Paris 1919 by John Cale.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQVBShj3tggyPHzuEUJQ60Tnoa0qq_nAtAIDluwX9EFGpynNTQ7aaNH9QNcma6OoFOeQ5dzhQ0NafyQGi9bmIsLQYIBYExliG9H6qneKCszRpi3rm2Artw-LAdU-zWycMPgTjUgcp4myg6iOkS8wzupljQCottL_rfIIJuPY_nAjGC0fEvB0YAmsNlVI/s1080/img_1_1699187498613.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQVBShj3tggyPHzuEUJQ60Tnoa0qq_nAtAIDluwX9EFGpynNTQ7aaNH9QNcma6OoFOeQ5dzhQ0NafyQGi9bmIsLQYIBYExliG9H6qneKCszRpi3rm2Artw-LAdU-zWycMPgTjUgcp4myg6iOkS8wzupljQCottL_rfIIJuPY_nAjGC0fEvB0YAmsNlVI/s320/img_1_1699187498613.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 🙂</p><p><br /></p><p>Six CDs: String Quartets Nos. 10, 11 and 12 by Dmitry Shostakovich/Eder Quartet, Symphony No. 4 by Dmitry Shostakovich/Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Etudes: Books 1 and 2 by Gyorgy Ligeti/Idol Biret, Brown Rice by Don Cherry, Orient by Don Cherry and Live in Sevilla: 2000 by John Zorn/Masada.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXuKaDgBXpx71K8ozgbyajfZPC9g6DowhmHlUhcYxZrZami3vif_uz2rKSUriAlkGFM9TavRUaJFIMYGC_eCHMil17BwqqML3sxvueV2K8ofIhAZd9_npG7H2yE8rQ5Vf2FU_x7cc2TVm_03-0BCfR_Lq4dwMpMDksnAS3lb5ZsxSaIOfxwa_JoxA82c/s1440/img_1_1699187572139.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcXuKaDgBXpx71K8ozgbyajfZPC9g6DowhmHlUhcYxZrZami3vif_uz2rKSUriAlkGFM9TavRUaJFIMYGC_eCHMil17BwqqML3sxvueV2K8ofIhAZd9_npG7H2yE8rQ5Vf2FU_x7cc2TVm_03-0BCfR_Lq4dwMpMDksnAS3lb5ZsxSaIOfxwa_JoxA82c/s320/img_1_1699187572139.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. :)</p><p><br /></p><p>Two books: Why I am a Liberal by William Beveridge and The Constitution of Liberty by Friederich Hayek.</p><p><br /></p><p>William Beveridge published the ‘Beveridge Report’ in 1942, which sold thousands of copies. It was essential in helping to build the welfare state in the UK after WWII. He wanted the state to help address ‘want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness.’ It formed the basis for the expansion of the welfare state and the creation of the national health service. </p><p><br /></p><p>Many people assumed that Beveridge was a socialist, but he identified as a liberal. John Maynard Keynes, a big influence on Labour’s policies on ‘demand management’ and ‘full employment,’ also identified as a liberal. In this book, Beveridge explains why he is a liberal. This is a rare book and I struggled to find a copy. I found a copy for £22. It is from 1945, the date in which it was published, and this copy was a library book.</p><p><br /></p><p>Friedrich Hayek published ‘On the Road to Serfdom’ in 1944 and, like the Beveridge Report, also sold a lot of copies. Hayek was a strident critic of economic planning. He argued that central planners can never have allocate resources efficiently because they do not have knowledge of what consumers want or desire. The price system, which carries information throughout the economy, involves individuals freely making choices. Central planning involves a collective body imposing its values on society whilst the market is made up of individuals, with different values, making choices. Hayek argued that central planning is inefficient, but he also thought that it is also morally reprehensible because it undermines individual human dignity.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, this book, ‘The Constitution of Liberty,’ has a postscript called ‘Why I am not a Conservative.’ Many people assumed that Hayek was a conservative, but he identified as a liberal. He thought that conservativism encroached on innovation, progress and change. </p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway, I thought that it would be interesting to see two liberals give reasons as to why they are liberals. Beveridge is closer to the left of the spectrum (‘social liberalism’) and Hayek is on the right (‘classical liberalism’), but I am sure they agreed on many things.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQybBKubPCEFcRbZ45q8xQOjK1nyrBRDdn3Js6k8t_ikapbnes-TOVKtZPaL8tt9cMSP7ItdjLS6ZzWyH_uVHTOaiKGfzNMw-M0v0dhxH_DNe5hk-Ofx8C9NiVN7QC6ktm1j6X2UA-NrbS4kRp4IlBwxuaJ2qxVvKvxWaOfI4uVl2OOWMWjYoFveXUZ5k/s1440/img_1_1699187643557.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQybBKubPCEFcRbZ45q8xQOjK1nyrBRDdn3Js6k8t_ikapbnes-TOVKtZPaL8tt9cMSP7ItdjLS6ZzWyH_uVHTOaiKGfzNMw-M0v0dhxH_DNe5hk-Ofx8C9NiVN7QC6ktm1j6X2UA-NrbS4kRp4IlBwxuaJ2qxVvKvxWaOfI4uVl2OOWMWjYoFveXUZ5k/s320/img_1_1699187643557.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9EBaMI6Ac0a7ar5oDTdzNhh0Th53OQ2tPqGzCC02IMpKub2Lr8Eik_nIKEVCrB5db5sFDJNJkI_pntFfmA2IpP0ag-nYazlppbo_coEf1CQQKRofSBWaWP0URvxwnGCIawrjVksKIXTJ4uohO3fYYJxYqsmxzJSMXko5ZV7w-djSTypf-ncMjk8hMfg/s1440/img_2_1699187650154.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs9EBaMI6Ac0a7ar5oDTdzNhh0Th53OQ2tPqGzCC02IMpKub2Lr8Eik_nIKEVCrB5db5sFDJNJkI_pntFfmA2IpP0ag-nYazlppbo_coEf1CQQKRofSBWaWP0URvxwnGCIawrjVksKIXTJ4uohO3fYYJxYqsmxzJSMXko5ZV7w-djSTypf-ncMjk8hMfg/s320/img_2_1699187650154.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg906nfs-10WkWJy7lc1mTzZhMEYsUvHp6Vo9NM0qZkGE3v1H3L03Y85N5egKI0eUoR48l_NJNPC3u7F6-oK0cog5lVDTpN3neyDCHU5Nu6T1t-_SuLGc57iG8FxKQW0slfVVxPELiayvRX4eR1Lyk9eJL8rTu1rKo9FIHOBu0BszAQwwo3if4cw9dHyi8/s1440/img_3_1699187655760.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg906nfs-10WkWJy7lc1mTzZhMEYsUvHp6Vo9NM0qZkGE3v1H3L03Y85N5egKI0eUoR48l_NJNPC3u7F6-oK0cog5lVDTpN3neyDCHU5Nu6T1t-_SuLGc57iG8FxKQW0slfVVxPELiayvRX4eR1Lyk9eJL8rTu1rKo9FIHOBu0BszAQwwo3if4cw9dHyi8/s320/img_3_1699187655760.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 🙂</p><p><br /></p><p>Three postcards: A postcard of Fyodor Dostoevsky, a postcard of Franz Kafka and a postcard of William Faulkner.</p><p><br /></p><p>I've bought some postcards of some of my favourite writers. I devoured their books when I was a teenager (best time to read them, really).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3L8i_KUbBf9d3LWxptf_OFdsdFwzvPmwKqenDNDx9gXjjO19mJ8eHBfDxxAN1fbNMu6_Vf7eJc-TrtbOkXhRODpBb7qNWCzUitj-8Sxe8krrO4LnY0pKhgjg1LjCKPB31f_NKDUnvM1BQWY9izDClHuw4M28E5QKtUwikBi6fO_g6miU90iKL2Fyrjw/s1080/img_1_1699187753489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy3L8i_KUbBf9d3LWxptf_OFdsdFwzvPmwKqenDNDx9gXjjO19mJ8eHBfDxxAN1fbNMu6_Vf7eJc-TrtbOkXhRODpBb7qNWCzUitj-8Sxe8krrO4LnY0pKhgjg1LjCKPB31f_NKDUnvM1BQWY9izDClHuw4M28E5QKtUwikBi6fO_g6miU90iKL2Fyrjw/s320/img_1_1699187753489.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions. 🙂</p><p><br /></p><p>Six DVDs: Nosferatu by F. W. Murnau, Faust by F. W. Murnau, Paths of Glory by Stanley Kubrick, Barry Lyndon by Stanley Kubrick, The Piano Teacher by Michael Haneke and The White Ribbon by Michael Haneke.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23ZWEraR8K2O0FJOFuzPOyqtkrSG_6NQpl2mpuY8lrNXek6CmIPKEnBrN0bNSe6fEKIaOcuccap0zqbYmvUiLGK7PSWzP1ssMQgig4ZM_iZ9_KPfIXijaM-u0N4-3o6FiaWalBlT3mDL6oTTMQu54Nkd7WoDtxkPj82Qwcfs7GWZutQekGvb-WVOvoUI/s1440/img_1_1699187824533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg23ZWEraR8K2O0FJOFuzPOyqtkrSG_6NQpl2mpuY8lrNXek6CmIPKEnBrN0bNSe6fEKIaOcuccap0zqbYmvUiLGK7PSWzP1ssMQgig4ZM_iZ9_KPfIXijaM-u0N4-3o6FiaWalBlT3mDL6oTTMQu54Nkd7WoDtxkPj82Qwcfs7GWZutQekGvb-WVOvoUI/s320/img_1_1699187824533.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>A picture of my flat.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHCHnB2SkgNOavfZmxlyg1-nfC6MBxs-QgIXbzs92PdDQ3WRtyNkpbakSAn9rnL8b1VjXRIdZdnUb7SRmGjTlc3EGcth5ceD52hR9e98g_zkLOsi7R8xJ4LFAPwzxJaJ9B-9jtvhyphenhyphenyRMDX-fS2jGvRtZkLTPrSjwgpwVi_oBok3Rv8MhWkX19lx0XGOE/s1080/img_2_1699187873387.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnHCHnB2SkgNOavfZmxlyg1-nfC6MBxs-QgIXbzs92PdDQ3WRtyNkpbakSAn9rnL8b1VjXRIdZdnUb7SRmGjTlc3EGcth5ceD52hR9e98g_zkLOsi7R8xJ4LFAPwzxJaJ9B-9jtvhyphenhyphenyRMDX-fS2jGvRtZkLTPrSjwgpwVi_oBok3Rv8MhWkX19lx0XGOE/s320/img_2_1699187873387.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>New acquisitions.</p><p><br /></p><p>10 bricks</p><p><br /></p><p>3 boards</p><p><br /></p><p>I had a whole pile of unread books lying in the living room. A lot of of them were inaccessible because they were buried at the bottom. I thought that I could arrange them in a better way. I asked my dad if he had bricks and boards, so I've put them to good use. They look way better now.</p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-90076291330546584142023-09-17T13:42:00.004-07:002023-09-17T13:42:55.763-07:00Wittgenstein and Hitler<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0 0 0 40px; padding: 0px;"><p style="text-align: left;">Part one from a forthcoming book called <i>Fifteen Characters: Volume Two</i>. </p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuNUbArlPlh58kNZ3EqzVPd9vYRW4qlo2-4VhbNdHjoX0JOuhnsF8q34TwNF0kSQjR14b1QigN4MudmNR3OBPtxt7DFFcBwnlYuqDS_8bmrA1D4s-yaDDv4B3E_HnWGNuVY-urQgnXw7qTLhGHDwMoYe5pZ9Ysp3tx1sQMb1ejgcjM3JOCd9QhoX1j74/s220/wittgenstein2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="178" data-original-width="220" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDuNUbArlPlh58kNZ3EqzVPd9vYRW4qlo2-4VhbNdHjoX0JOuhnsF8q34TwNF0kSQjR14b1QigN4MudmNR3OBPtxt7DFFcBwnlYuqDS_8bmrA1D4s-yaDDv4B3E_HnWGNuVY-urQgnXw7qTLhGHDwMoYe5pZ9Ysp3tx1sQMb1ejgcjM3JOCd9QhoX1j74/s1600/wittgenstein2.jpg" width="220" /></a></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukp2cTYJKUCUkJwzC7k2tmubnWnCtpwocKCxbdWes4TBQRBitqLReZ_V9CEyttvXj9N9CHOC4ptbRHNBNPoa32Buui1TRlUTD0e-_tA1xIMe3XVaip3TnQmvGBcnminr3BmIP3uSRqLA5TRUQ5hT2eNcWdLgYkJZVRAOqHD868wWckBcFFD7DYaFiLLc/s1453/hitler2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1453" data-original-width="990" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukp2cTYJKUCUkJwzC7k2tmubnWnCtpwocKCxbdWes4TBQRBitqLReZ_V9CEyttvXj9N9CHOC4ptbRHNBNPoa32Buui1TRlUTD0e-_tA1xIMe3XVaip3TnQmvGBcnminr3BmIP3uSRqLA5TRUQ5hT2eNcWdLgYkJZVRAOqHD868wWckBcFFD7DYaFiLLc/s320/hitler2.jpg" width="218" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The Realschule in Linz harboured
some capable students, alongside some rather mediocre ones. Nonetheless, it was
a place in which young adults hoped to advance their respective aspirations.
Alas, when one is aged sixteen, seventeen or eighteen one might not harbour any
aspirations at all but, nonetheless, these young adults were shunted to
Realshule in Linz despite their adolescent apathy.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> The
canteen had been completely deserted for everyone, expect for two students. Seven
long tables occupied the entire room, with seven long chairs placed directly
beneath them. The walls were drab and grey. All the other students had already
eaten except for two. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ludwig Witgenstein had
rather timorously moved his tray to the corner of the room. He ate his beef,
cabbages and other assorted vegetables. He had had better meals than this with
his wealthy family. but he would have to make ado with what the Realshcule offered.
Witgenstein had piercing eyes, a jutting jaw and a long nose. He devoured his
meal, but he was interrupted by the presence of another student who had taken
his seat directly in front of him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He looked up. This
student had black eyes, short black hair and an arrogant countenance. He
stirred his beef with his fork. ‘Are you a Jew?’ he asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wittgenstein was taken
aback by this question. Yes, had endured anti-semitic taunting multiple times
in the past, but it was nonetheless annoying to be reminded of it once more.
‘Yes…’ he replied, as he looked at the table, nervously gripping his fork and
knife. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘And you are wealthy?’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes…’ he cautiously
replied. His father owned a monopoly on Austrian steel. They owned thirteen
mansions in Vienna alone.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Why do the other boys
make fun of you?’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Because…’ Wittgenstein
prevaricated. ‘Because I have been put forward a year… Because I am very
clever… I am interested in philosophy, music, history, politics… Because I am
not like them… Also, because….’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Because you are
Jewish?’ asked the young Hitler.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes… But that is
neither here nor there… That is just one aspect of what who I am… I am
interested in ideas and art… Look, I am reading this book right now… I hope to
write something like this one day…’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wittgenstein took the
book out of his bag. It was a copy of <i>The World as Will and Representation</i>
by Arthur Schopenhauer. ‘I have read it multiple times and I have annotated it
endlessly… I am fascinated by his arguments… How reality is appearance… How the
world is made up of irrational energy… How art is a temporary release from this
world… How painting is a representation of reality as appearance… How the
ascetic rejects the suffering of the world by taking control of his own
volition.’ Wittgenstein started stammering and shaking as he said this.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Are you getting
nervous?’ Hitler asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes,’ Wittgenstein as
he put down his fork and knife and continued to shake.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Well, are you keen on
philosophy?’ Hitler asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes,’ Wittgenstein
replied, as he wiped the sweat off his brow.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Are you keen on
music?’ Hitler asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes…’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Well, I like Wagner…
Perhaps we could go together to see a performance of T<i>ristan and Isolde</i>.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes, that would be
good,’ Wittgenstein said. ‘Are you a year below me?’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘No, you are wrong… We
are both the same age… You have been put forward a year whilst I have been held
back a year… We are the same age.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wittgenstein continued
to feel nervous and shook. ‘Oh…’ he mumbled.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes, I like Wagner,’
Hitler continued. ‘I like art because I think that it is an assertion of the
national German spirit…’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘The German spirit?’
Wittgenstein asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Oh yes… I cannot stand
the Habsburg monarchy… It is a degenerate, debased, crumbling institution… I
would rather that it all came crumbling down… So as to assert a common Germanic
spirit.’ As he said this, his eyes lit up and his arms waved around.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Well… The Habsurg
empire has been in decline for a long time, but… will it rise up again?’
Wittgenstein tentatively said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘No… But I do not care…
It will burn to the ground for all I care… I want Germany to expand… to… to
assert itself… Bismarck did not go far enough. The whole of the Haburg empire
should have been swallowed up a united Germany,’ Hitler asserted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘That is a naïve view…
The Habsurg monarchy had been more powerful than Prussia for a long time,’
Wittgenstein said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘I do not care… I have
developed my views… of… of German nationalism… I have read Fichte… Anyway,
politics is tangential… I want to be a painter…’ Hitler asserted, banging the
table with his fists.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Are you good?’
Wittgenstein shyly asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘You bet, but my father
does not think so… That is why he sent me to this academy… He wants me to be a
bureaucrat, but I want to be a great artist… My father died recently… My grades
have deteriorated… But I do not care… I will be a great artist.’ He said,
looking directly at Wittgenstein. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘So you have been held
back a year?’ Wittgenstein asked.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yes, I failed my maths
exam multiple times… Otherwise, we would be in the same year,’ Hitler asserted.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Fancy that…’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Listen, Ludwig,’
Hitler continued. ‘You are a clever chap, you are Jewish, you come from an
exceedingly talented background… Yet…’ Hitler said, raising his arms and
looking directly at him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Yet?’ Wittgenstein
replied, nervously darting his eyes around the room.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘You will come to see
Wagner with me on Saturday…’ Hitler said.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Well…’ Wittgenstein
once more prevaricated. ‘Well… I have to study formal logic that day… I am
working with my tutor… I also want to brush up on calculus… And finish reading
Kant’s <i>Critique of Practical Reason</i>…’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Well, sod off then you
filthy Jew,’ Hilter exclaimed, as he took his food tray with him.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wittgenstein finished
his meat off. His empty plate stood in front of him. The large canteen was also
completely empty. He sat alone for a further five minutes, ruminating on the
strange exchange which just occurred. He took his empty food tray and left the
canteen.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-66015651290841070812023-05-20T08:02:00.000-07:002023-05-20T08:02:04.430-07:00Ahoy Facebook #20<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceL8fZu_RPc7vhTSyuzlV6aObgxXutZOLIvCc8XhJbfCckj5GtuoioXYp05m9XwQmf5aEbirXk1XzDvsQ83vlFWgiVyDZcutYHfIc4_0Mc4-HgNfO8vVAs84koDg5sWtS1Z-2X1he4i4eyaPobfY5Ikbfv0Q1c13xWou_n5itLQ6jcjf-lrvicRHh/s1427/img_1_1684593757391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgceL8fZu_RPc7vhTSyuzlV6aObgxXutZOLIvCc8XhJbfCckj5GtuoioXYp05m9XwQmf5aEbirXk1XzDvsQ83vlFWgiVyDZcutYHfIc4_0Mc4-HgNfO8vVAs84koDg5sWtS1Z-2X1he4i4eyaPobfY5Ikbfv0Q1c13xWou_n5itLQ6jcjf-lrvicRHh/s320/img_1_1684593757391.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuRHHlDXssxjNJCJogHnt-c6wGDDCNeBsFbKmVvdxAzOvVRq_6K-0Qoh9PouNNcpkL-hZw_GZxY6-2OdNQls-oX5jRp1bD_RBsYx6ERBUjX3y65G7M9Ft0gzsxhZAH99iWjag628UBDYq7F5wpWWpz9MRpysAz46iIXra9hNAyo5BHxRDq54Jrk9G/s1427/img_4_1684593774910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhuRHHlDXssxjNJCJogHnt-c6wGDDCNeBsFbKmVvdxAzOvVRq_6K-0Qoh9PouNNcpkL-hZw_GZxY6-2OdNQls-oX5jRp1bD_RBsYx6ERBUjX3y65G7M9Ft0gzsxhZAH99iWjag628UBDYq7F5wpWWpz9MRpysAz46iIXra9hNAyo5BHxRDq54Jrk9G/s320/img_4_1684593774910.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div>New acquisitions. 👍</div><div><br /></div><div>Five CDs: Organ Works by J. S. Bach, Madrigaux by Carlo Gesualdo/Les Arts Florissants, Live at the Witch Trials by The Fall, Dragnet by The Fall and Sequenzas I-XIV.</div><div><br /></div><div>One record: Telemusik and Mixtur by Karlheinz Stockhausen.</div><div><br /></div><div>One book: Napoleon by Alan Forrest.</div><div><br /></div><div>One DVD: Being There by Hal Ashby.</div><div><br /></div><div>I ordered a disc by Renaissance composer Claudio Monteverdi, but they delivered a disc of organ music by Bach instead. I'll keep this and order the Monteverdi disc some other time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought a disc by Renaissance composer Carlo Gesualdo. He was innovative and way ahead of his time. I do enjoy his music, even though he was a sadist who murdered his wife and child.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought a series of discs by Luciano Berio. These are all pieces for solo instruments and he wrote them over a period of 34 years.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought a record by Stockhausen. I can't claim to fully understand his pieces, but some of his screechy and weird pieces do excite me from time to time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought the first two discs that The Fall made in the late 70s.</div><div><br /></div><div>I am interested in European history, but it's still too fucking hazy. I'm prioritising history books next year, so I bought this book about Napoleon.</div><div><br /></div><div>This film is brilliant, Peter Sellers' swan song. It is about a simpleminded gardener who is hailed as an insightful political philosopher.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqdrmblbY-rDdJFeXv8lHU8QOIvPHCmvcLjiPSJo6yey84Jt1XdJVutbuG8GJqTez6bx3yyX55k6pSRlaAc9atgbfZSxT8YvzCjIixRf5neEk7Wz1Jai3PWWi_1SHiyPG0t1aOTpWmJaKLOuhn5lb25a_axq0JnQnwZouya4MaF6JrNr__qWudECX/s1080/img_5_1684593935029.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinqdrmblbY-rDdJFeXv8lHU8QOIvPHCmvcLjiPSJo6yey84Jt1XdJVutbuG8GJqTez6bx3yyX55k6pSRlaAc9atgbfZSxT8YvzCjIixRf5neEk7Wz1Jai3PWWi_1SHiyPG0t1aOTpWmJaKLOuhn5lb25a_axq0JnQnwZouya4MaF6JrNr__qWudECX/s320/img_5_1684593935029.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 🙂</div><div><br /></div><div>Six CDs: Madrigals: Book Six by Claudio Monteverdi/Delititiae Musical/Marco Longhini, The Absolutely Essential 3 CD Collection by Chet Baker, Cerebral Caustic by The Fall, The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall by The Fall, II by Led Zeppelin and In Rock by Deep Purple.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-At0WkKS0NQ6tXvLGmOShITlqlTG1QnZ4grwn0RZ_ZX2x_MMca5gzJh3SFEwoJIv4ihD2KSPjMErZWO6PHZqyAVx4_U4mwjcmq6Qb4zkibPdTg-bALxirM6nol-oKfNgB9R_V9CnRO4KKsUH3NcKpuTYErrE11-AwNyf5PX6LvSS0pylguwSfcthA/s1440/img_6_1684593992508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-At0WkKS0NQ6tXvLGmOShITlqlTG1QnZ4grwn0RZ_ZX2x_MMca5gzJh3SFEwoJIv4ihD2KSPjMErZWO6PHZqyAVx4_U4mwjcmq6Qb4zkibPdTg-bALxirM6nol-oKfNgB9R_V9CnRO4KKsUH3NcKpuTYErrE11-AwNyf5PX6LvSS0pylguwSfcthA/s320/img_6_1684593992508.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three mugs: A J. S. Bach-themed mug, a Frank Zappa-themed mug and a Miles Davis-themed mug.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a dream the other night in which I owned a J. S. Bach-themed mug. Unlike other dreams I've had, this dream could come true.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, I searched for mugs with Bach designs and I liked this one the most. It has one of his most iconic pictures with him holding a cup of coffee. The other side has one of his notated scores.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I thought that I could do with mugs with other of my favourite musicians. The Frank Zappa one has the album 'Roxy and Elsewhere' printed on and the Miles Davis one has a 'Bitches Brew' design on it.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>🇦🇷♥️🏆</div><div><br /></div><div>ARGENTINA!!! 🇦🇷🇦🇷🇦🇷♥️♥️♥️</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_U9SutulFyW9ORlOmCpWY1yinm4TqZtfuzt4ibqvPdX3W0UZdhuBERc6K1pIWe_XS5JX5Dhm8ihTA3CBTDVrnKmTL6CUC6zZCI35Zi9PeoXO0e5P1n_cTkKY--Evw39oVpAVkWWKow2d5eoUr0T4nyrKMy4oaUnPNt7cMrBbqVmwkbkjzSscoiLdR/s1440/img_7_1684594102947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_U9SutulFyW9ORlOmCpWY1yinm4TqZtfuzt4ibqvPdX3W0UZdhuBERc6K1pIWe_XS5JX5Dhm8ihTA3CBTDVrnKmTL6CUC6zZCI35Zi9PeoXO0e5P1n_cTkKY--Evw39oVpAVkWWKow2d5eoUr0T4nyrKMy4oaUnPNt7cMrBbqVmwkbkjzSscoiLdR/s320/img_7_1684594102947.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisition.</div><div><br /></div><div>A bust of Socrates.</div><div><br /></div><div>I asked if I could get this for Christmas and, lo and behold, I did. He looks really cool next to my busts of Bach and Beethoven.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2022/5993530</div><div><br /></div><div>These are all the books that I read last year. I read some good books. 👍</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzbWEDaZp-HmA_sFZTtO7dTCKTLxZGkB0koa0wQn72elkVSRYRTAb3wfTpKlWc7BEDxYUahsIeYBPSy91FmzSH1LD13NeA2_I_QHIYclLR2z4kWGDtYZyVzq-Mj7Vc8kwdYvNWekvomDhkzDe1vaMUmp5D7fl5AsVbWO5va8R6dX87b-0AQSRYEQ0/s1427/img_8_1684594208924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXzbWEDaZp-HmA_sFZTtO7dTCKTLxZGkB0koa0wQn72elkVSRYRTAb3wfTpKlWc7BEDxYUahsIeYBPSy91FmzSH1LD13NeA2_I_QHIYclLR2z4kWGDtYZyVzq-Mj7Vc8kwdYvNWekvomDhkzDe1vaMUmp5D7fl5AsVbWO5va8R6dX87b-0AQSRYEQ0/s320/img_8_1684594208924.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzBXJ6yYTAUtnOlr_OpwMarthOSxJh86clXG2GIhQo5b5cae9xARF_2atMF1Da-HDx30UqSub3NtpSZwohMw795APD5xwRPSTxZPwKnn6cIkLMQBkJ9hJHdLO7G170-Awc3EAY3fEm70FaBwKWNZ0GJqbgGZoawLg5KgIg1QFTLa7dUYwJyBTNMqN/s1427/img_9_1684594224027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwzBXJ6yYTAUtnOlr_OpwMarthOSxJh86clXG2GIhQo5b5cae9xARF_2atMF1Da-HDx30UqSub3NtpSZwohMw795APD5xwRPSTxZPwKnn6cIkLMQBkJ9hJHdLO7G170-Awc3EAY3fEm70FaBwKWNZ0GJqbgGZoawLg5KgIg1QFTLa7dUYwJyBTNMqN/s320/img_9_1684594224027.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc8rnIa4hpvvLpeNDV30M2ILvKxubyqipuhfu4Xn1-iB8tUnDY1OM597AMlGlfDzj-lskHnqwQvgRILQQwvHANiMacat9iw4-6wP0jYsjJRa4rKbgJj-WDZXJMOcL62eRDzGvwqzZ2uAIP08CG_1lPTytfpFcDzwGjOorQvuFK_j4jsDe1v0XM97J/s1427/img_10_1684594241423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVc8rnIa4hpvvLpeNDV30M2ILvKxubyqipuhfu4Xn1-iB8tUnDY1OM597AMlGlfDzj-lskHnqwQvgRILQQwvHANiMacat9iw4-6wP0jYsjJRa4rKbgJj-WDZXJMOcL62eRDzGvwqzZ2uAIP08CG_1lPTytfpFcDzwGjOorQvuFK_j4jsDe1v0XM97J/s320/img_10_1684594241423.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two posters: A poster of Jorge Luis Borges and a poster of Michael Powell/Emeric Pressburger.</div><div><br /></div><div>A postcard: A Robert Crumb-themed postcard.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought a poster of Jorge Luis Borges, which has his famous quote 'I have always imagined that paradise will be a kind of library.' I placed on the door that leads to the living room. I also bought a poster of 'A Matter of Life and Death,' which is one of my favourite films ever. I placed it on the door that leads to my bedroom.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also bought a postcard of a Robert Crumb cartoon. It depicts a man shaking nervously, with the caption 'People make me nervous!' I can certainly relate to it.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXmKouQQbl1BG5a-9FB5Cezt81E64UNUJUeNaxV8CrSRat9_SJzsCxgQ7wUS2wg3UMapCMSH3bdxE2wxFSH55w4zKNcTVk5y-65YU9v8u1m-h1oXoOyiSlg25a-pSYvSyq6CGjlAHFRUYx73Bdh9xrxvRo4zGEcpHJvMvZqp6Mez2mhsQQlCEenyM/s1080/img_11_1684594381194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiXmKouQQbl1BG5a-9FB5Cezt81E64UNUJUeNaxV8CrSRat9_SJzsCxgQ7wUS2wg3UMapCMSH3bdxE2wxFSH55w4zKNcTVk5y-65YU9v8u1m-h1oXoOyiSlg25a-pSYvSyq6CGjlAHFRUYx73Bdh9xrxvRo4zGEcpHJvMvZqp6Mez2mhsQQlCEenyM/s320/img_11_1684594381194.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 🙂</div><div><br /></div><div>Six books: Cognitive Neuroscience: A Very Short Introduction by Richard Passingham, Is God Happy?: Selected Essays by Lesek Kolakowski, Essays by Michel de Montaigne, An Essay Concerning Human Understanding by John Locke, Two Treatises of Government/A Letter Concerning Toleration by John Locke and Reveries of the Solitary Walker by Jean-Jacques Rousseau.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had zero interest in science until quite recently. Thing is, if you had told me about a lot of this stuff as a teenager or in my early 20s I would have been blown away by it. The interesting thing about a lot of science isn't that it is true (or as close to the truth as we can get), it is how counterintuitive a lot of it is. This book is all about how the brain works.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kolakowski seems like a really interesting thinker. He was an academic in communist Poland and he had been an orthodox Marxist, but he was eventually exiled due to writing stuff that was critical of Marxism/communism. Soviet communism is something that I have developed a visceral, almost irrational hatred for. His 'magnum opus' was 'Main Currents of Marxism' where he argues that Leninist and Stalinist versions of communism are not distortions of Marxism, they are one of many possible interpretations. That book is really long and would take a couple of months to read, so I thought that I'd tackle this more slender collection of essays.</div><div><br /></div><div>I wrote an essay about some of Montaigne's essays for my undergrad degree. I remember quite enjoying them, so I thought that I could do with reading them again at some point.</div><div><br /></div><div>Back in the 18th century, there were a lot of discussions as to whether knowledge was acquired or innately or through experience. The former camp were called 'rationalists' whilst the latter camp were called 'empiricists.' Locke makes the case for empiricism in this book where he argues that the mind is 'tabula rasa' that absorbs experience. We still have discussions about this sort of stuff today and we are still not 100% clear about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The 17th century was notorious for religious conflict, namely 'the thirty years' war' between Protestants and Catholics, which left a large death toll and ravaged the economies of Europe. At the end of the century, John Locke wrote this book in which he argued for tolerance of different religious beliefs. These ideas were radical at the time and influenced English law after the 'Glorious Revolution.'</div><div><br /></div><div>Rosseau, alongside David Hume, was one of philosophy's loners and a hermit. (Even though he came up with all that guff about 'the general will.') In this book, he writes about going for walks on his own.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tudSItnGfP1rbnVgMv0ezlgh4cD7h-FcQtqNl6gjYC9tp2_zYNbsfBlGBB0GUr_Wtr77npAPUD6Qe8Hs_LAvsB1bmIk9af6qFCgxn--KEDz2k1sThW4pFOeFUyJ1w6zbamHzXWxOz6wpcjWJlZRmrYLUk6tycrI0mdkwHIGdVXKhxfQdZmpX7_Lm/s1080/img_12_1684594417744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tudSItnGfP1rbnVgMv0ezlgh4cD7h-FcQtqNl6gjYC9tp2_zYNbsfBlGBB0GUr_Wtr77npAPUD6Qe8Hs_LAvsB1bmIk9af6qFCgxn--KEDz2k1sThW4pFOeFUyJ1w6zbamHzXWxOz6wpcjWJlZRmrYLUk6tycrI0mdkwHIGdVXKhxfQdZmpX7_Lm/s320/img_12_1684594417744.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OND7shhnEsEpVkH2qAa9nzN-jBVg5vPFbjm3Rmd2mhHDUpQ7hW9rLKiXxnSKdGmp_C06DNaNXuMLtGKOf4rt9tWiyr1RCRSriQF-DrgHVYWHJB2oVOpGGjS7XM9pwUJiNQC9b1fSJQy58ui3-cenRkFOyp38BAEmvmabbnRJjd32IP9BNttuNuMd/s1080/img_13_1684594454299.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2OND7shhnEsEpVkH2qAa9nzN-jBVg5vPFbjm3Rmd2mhHDUpQ7hW9rLKiXxnSKdGmp_C06DNaNXuMLtGKOf4rt9tWiyr1RCRSriQF-DrgHVYWHJB2oVOpGGjS7XM9pwUJiNQC9b1fSJQy58ui3-cenRkFOyp38BAEmvmabbnRJjd32IP9BNttuNuMd/s320/img_13_1684594454299.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions.</div><div><br /></div><div>Six records: Stairway to the Stars by Paul Fenoulhet, Rhapsody in Rhythm by Ray Starita and his Ambassadors band, Edith Piaf by Edith Piaf, The Incomparably Big Band Sound of Tommy Dorsey, Gregorian Chant by The Choir of the Carmelite Priory London and Introducing Christopher Parkening - Segovia Transcriptions of Bach and Spanish/Latin American Guitar Music.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JIQthOcqLqvqpnYT3636mPAvnroTpVRDuLcfznIJ1bFIR-uIyKGiAczAcCASUxk2RZMkr8lSzDFlpX1ZhyTWTekMGyP31tG85ypYSYMiBGXZE5waTWjsygH-VKdTsEniB1Zb4oKT0jXzsWyzzmib-HLo19w_fMHqji93M0TYHKTmkJIJPq9eRais/s1440/img_14_1684594508851.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0JIQthOcqLqvqpnYT3636mPAvnroTpVRDuLcfznIJ1bFIR-uIyKGiAczAcCASUxk2RZMkr8lSzDFlpX1ZhyTWTekMGyP31tG85ypYSYMiBGXZE5waTWjsygH-VKdTsEniB1Zb4oKT0jXzsWyzzmib-HLo19w_fMHqji93M0TYHKTmkJIJPq9eRais/s320/img_14_1684594508851.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 🙂</div><div><br /></div><div>Six books: The Dreyfus Affair: The Story of the Most Infamous Miscarriage in French History by Piers Paul Read, History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon, Here I Stand: A Life of Martin Luther by Ronald H. Bainton, Charles Darwin: The Power of Place by Janet Browne and The Crooked Timber of Humanity: Chapters in the History of Ideas by Isaiah Berlin.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought a book about the Dreyfus affair, who was accused of treason and sentenced to life imprisonment, but this was a ruse, as they resented him for being Jewish. This was a notorious anti-Semitic case right at the start of the 20th century and it prefigured some nasty developments later on.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thucydides had been ostracised from Athens for making criticisms of the certain public figures, namely for spending a lot of public money on major buildings. Whilst he was exiled, a war raged for ten years between Athens and Sparta. He observed this from afar and wrote this book, 'History of the Peloponnesian War.' We still read it thousands of years later and it is the most detailed account we have of the war.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is another classic history book about antiquity and it was written in 1788. It is over a thousand pages and the print is really small! Of course, it chronicles the decline and fall of the Roman empire...</div><div><br /></div><div>Martin Luther revolutionised the world, as he brought about the Protestant reformation... I bought a book to learn more about him.</div><div><br /></div><div>Charles Darwin was another figure who revolutionised the world, with his theory of natural selection and evolution. This is volume two of a biography and covers the period when 'On the Origin of </div><div>Species' was published and Darwin was thrust into the spotlight.</div><div><br /></div><div>Issiah Berlin was a liberal philosopher whose worldview seemed to be absolutely correct and similar to my own. This is a history of ideas and he writes about fascism, Romanticism, nationalism, the Enligthenment, utopianism and other topics.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWycYwKtwBrDUlY5m0ueVu2uqM-ncfcZl1eXZO8bfVIFMcBQJuVonqWxgPmS09AzOJii_MMhmcjsy4ernNzhG2gH6kZEa15tv0cvdtfI3qFAkFapb7gdAHcmj5ubRvd6tc0XCPzIGcr01IURdF3L8ycBLcfCenkYSmgYcWOs-0qJ1we_9bEbw-mbI/s1070/img_15_1684594577429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1070" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzWycYwKtwBrDUlY5m0ueVu2uqM-ncfcZl1eXZO8bfVIFMcBQJuVonqWxgPmS09AzOJii_MMhmcjsy4ernNzhG2gH6kZEa15tv0cvdtfI3qFAkFapb7gdAHcmj5ubRvd6tc0XCPzIGcr01IURdF3L8ycBLcfCenkYSmgYcWOs-0qJ1we_9bEbw-mbI/s320/img_15_1684594577429.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vdlLwrRZ6XJwX6kP8Yxq60Mbv6HMpHumwof27I5b6MaUTqsj8eriOqcEXu09WlckzjnE4T0qOKMASLXZOiAwB81NRs-uWq12iUwKXuMHTRNS7kUs_w3ntKfEgQsnNygjzHxSfJMoqR8_i4pN9yjg_iZ9euCK0KuQ7V4KkafdSmtPlgxlHfux-_4K/s1070/img_16_1684594596872.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="803" data-original-width="1070" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9vdlLwrRZ6XJwX6kP8Yxq60Mbv6HMpHumwof27I5b6MaUTqsj8eriOqcEXu09WlckzjnE4T0qOKMASLXZOiAwB81NRs-uWq12iUwKXuMHTRNS7kUs_w3ntKfEgQsnNygjzHxSfJMoqR8_i4pN9yjg_iZ9euCK0KuQ7V4KkafdSmtPlgxlHfux-_4K/s320/img_16_1684594596872.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 👍</div><div><br /></div><div>Two posters: A print of The Death of Socrates by Jacques-Louis David and The Academy by Raphael.</div><div><br /></div><div>I saw some empty spaces on my walls, so I thought that I could cover them with posters. They are both really iconic paintings. The one by Raphael has most of the most famous Greek philosophers, with Plato and Aristotle in the middle. The one by David (which is a larger print) depicts Socrates when they seized him and gave him hemlock.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKh-w690vfMHf2s6yvJ-Q8aT-75NGIOfYMKHhvZ5XI7UZb1MQV6dXQ4f9ymMPZuW5I4vtQKX1Pe2pyCd_T6MRxRVnKSGfJvW9ROtl6FeUU2w6wMtOvgJlnQkMgqXWlRehMB-_ua9DHr5ahAYClSp2HM9hgqqqEud73eln8kSPaKftYdmPisMg5Ghld/s1440/img_17_1684594673852.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKh-w690vfMHf2s6yvJ-Q8aT-75NGIOfYMKHhvZ5XI7UZb1MQV6dXQ4f9ymMPZuW5I4vtQKX1Pe2pyCd_T6MRxRVnKSGfJvW9ROtl6FeUU2w6wMtOvgJlnQkMgqXWlRehMB-_ua9DHr5ahAYClSp2HM9hgqqqEud73eln8kSPaKftYdmPisMg5Ghld/s320/img_17_1684594673852.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisition. 🙂</div><div><br /></div><div>One book: La historia oculta de la década socialists by Ascanio Cavalla and Rocío Montes. </div><div><br /></div><div>I am currently in Chile, so I thought that I'd buy something related to Chile. This book is all about the centre-left governments during the noughties. Two 'socialist' presidents were in power for the first time since Allende (or 'social democratic'... I dunno, these are really hazy terms which are really difficult to define). They were part of the 'Concertación,' a coalition of centre/centre-left parties which were in power for twenty years after the fall of Pinochet. They were really successful in reducing poverty.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ioDOb9Oj1h4TtPBScJ4RJPSEMJGNbvqat25xEjjt8Bloq1Ta3YCZjq6fZMZSHXE5czwbQ1Sq1dGe2wYm51gmnsQDldBxeXc47tdlbhWufJVK19bDBCKXXbEOu1g0Hi2v5DsRcQpAXx9Ri1gIYopHHFQ4zzQCrJJnBBQCRgU0CyHHKtCKdxWUuaYL/s1427/img_1_1684594737570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_ioDOb9Oj1h4TtPBScJ4RJPSEMJGNbvqat25xEjjt8Bloq1Ta3YCZjq6fZMZSHXE5czwbQ1Sq1dGe2wYm51gmnsQDldBxeXc47tdlbhWufJVK19bDBCKXXbEOu1g0Hi2v5DsRcQpAXx9Ri1gIYopHHFQ4zzQCrJJnBBQCRgU0CyHHKtCKdxWUuaYL/s320/img_1_1684594737570.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizID0hOLzFQyIcGJkECqGI_6m9c5JXSeJrnv5ME2mC0zCea0UTbec2x9I05-V4LEu2JcgslRfS-fLTAJ6I70PAj7idqp90_ZCr3GkzMUY7ptOYpxzAgxw7Ke_UGvjdKl0U2kTYg2hzugHZoBLdbSjT5QDOZZCUvNDlKjVyj48qIyDyHAqzVejM8IDr/s1427/img_2_1684594756180.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizID0hOLzFQyIcGJkECqGI_6m9c5JXSeJrnv5ME2mC0zCea0UTbec2x9I05-V4LEu2JcgslRfS-fLTAJ6I70PAj7idqp90_ZCr3GkzMUY7ptOYpxzAgxw7Ke_UGvjdKl0U2kTYg2hzugHZoBLdbSjT5QDOZZCUvNDlKjVyj48qIyDyHAqzVejM8IDr/s320/img_2_1684594756180.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgax9cs0nKQm_h7gfbv-r0YyvuklHNpXZcNVOHz80MSsg0Nd5vBakaO1BBopZ-JOYV6gs8sewW2xuJ1VPsKIHpvAEd3bQRKariS-ZnZkZFHxTVM_LhPbJ2sHFckiOg4qzJa5pgeC07sbFcjaJCdwbTTKSaT6HCb_GdHmbpm7Q9HwL2HW8uL267ZR085/s1427/img_3_1684594772594.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1427" data-original-width="1070" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgax9cs0nKQm_h7gfbv-r0YyvuklHNpXZcNVOHz80MSsg0Nd5vBakaO1BBopZ-JOYV6gs8sewW2xuJ1VPsKIHpvAEd3bQRKariS-ZnZkZFHxTVM_LhPbJ2sHFckiOg4qzJa5pgeC07sbFcjaJCdwbTTKSaT6HCb_GdHmbpm7Q9HwL2HW8uL267ZR085/s320/img_3_1684594772594.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 1/2</div><div><br /></div><div>Two figurines: A figurine of Condorito and a figurine of Pablo Neruda.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two CDs: 1959-1969 by Victor Jara and Grandes Exitos by Violeta Parra.</div><div><br /></div><div>Three books: Conversación en la catedral by Mario Vargas Llosa, Escape a los Andes: la historia Mauricio Hochschild, "El Schindler de Bolivia" and Páginas colonials by Rafael Gumucio.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought a figurine of a classic Chilean cartoon character called Condorito. I also bought a figurine of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought two CDs of anthologies by Chilean folk singers Victor Jara and Violeta Parra.</div><div><br /></div><div>I bought this classic novel by brilliant Peruvian novelist Mario Vargas Llosa and it is meant to be his best book.</div><div><br /></div><div>I received this book as a gift from my uncle. It is about 'the Bolivian Schindler.' It is about a Bolivian Jew who took in Jewish refugees who fled the Holocaust and settled in South America.</div><div><br /></div><div>Gumucio is a contrarian writer/journalist from Chile. In this book, he travels around several places in Europe and writes about them.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPh-7eSdTt1YaTtv-pRyd8weHZTizE6OU12RDaKniwhbnnyCujc-FoSOVhr8xpb3cr1Qk2WHckaGmVL-VGbZiy9AN9dvzqSh1ZG224mDTmibS_PdNgrQ6wIKAmhOhiSLA2z3ClSx6YF7_Hh7hdWCDW50vF-aLPuhKWjOtLiiuZkXkfL6czCU0yrQ_/s1080/img_1_1684594881423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPh-7eSdTt1YaTtv-pRyd8weHZTizE6OU12RDaKniwhbnnyCujc-FoSOVhr8xpb3cr1Qk2WHckaGmVL-VGbZiy9AN9dvzqSh1ZG224mDTmibS_PdNgrQ6wIKAmhOhiSLA2z3ClSx6YF7_Hh7hdWCDW50vF-aLPuhKWjOtLiiuZkXkfL6czCU0yrQ_/s320/img_1_1684594881423.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions 2/2.</div><div><br /></div><div>Six CDs: Absolutely Free by Frank Zappa, Overnite Sensation by Frank Zappa, Bongo Fury by Frank Zappa, Zappa in New York, Studio Tan and Sleep Dirt by Frank Zappa.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02olaZKfC2bgaMFfp_u6QDSihfCSXlvOWXzuxvbCLUiqS6gS2K1x3sBPL6EjE575mWgiqZ1FSZpeT2YSEWhajpWdEO-_9xz9mSo7rKA2unEEQby_1KwjhxokDIKuOKPj0i29riM8ODSp2uuj9NGM8mZq6kHoEoNMUAo3uxwj80apBvX3vQnU5uvSO/s1080/img_1_1684594958715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi02olaZKfC2bgaMFfp_u6QDSihfCSXlvOWXzuxvbCLUiqS6gS2K1x3sBPL6EjE575mWgiqZ1FSZpeT2YSEWhajpWdEO-_9xz9mSo7rKA2unEEQby_1KwjhxokDIKuOKPj0i29riM8ODSp2uuj9NGM8mZq6kHoEoNMUAo3uxwj80apBvX3vQnU5uvSO/s320/img_1_1684594958715.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 🙂</div><div><br /></div><div>Six CDs: Round about Midnight by Miles Davis, Ascenseur pour l'echafaud by Miles Davis, A Tribute to Jack Johnson by Miles Davis, Big Fun by Miles Davis, Get up with It by Miles Davis and Pangaea by Miles Davis.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_X5e8cYk4IGzHv3jGe2KXoLSGoxFa6oCvxFixYKWb5LW_SPzzkEJCP5mNV80QNTlA0UhwFd7Z9UKkaTKNI66o6bE3FpnOV1k4Tobk42NDpIMydaGArFUY0QwxxTKCcPTozLYO-ZvLNLxyDg6WBrur8sRMO8LvGvKz2lBdAg2si0hKZoneQbekg1N2/s1440/img_2_1684595025761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_X5e8cYk4IGzHv3jGe2KXoLSGoxFa6oCvxFixYKWb5LW_SPzzkEJCP5mNV80QNTlA0UhwFd7Z9UKkaTKNI66o6bE3FpnOV1k4Tobk42NDpIMydaGArFUY0QwxxTKCcPTozLYO-ZvLNLxyDg6WBrur8sRMO8LvGvKz2lBdAg2si0hKZoneQbekg1N2/s320/img_2_1684595025761.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 👍</div><div><br /></div><div>Two records: Poetic Champions Compose by Van Morrison and Joe's Garage: Act 1 by Frank Zappa.</div><div><br /></div><div>Van Morrison is a brilliant songwriter/singer and this album has some great songs. This is probably one of my least favourite Zappa albums (Zappa fans love it, but the smutty songs meander too much and test my patience), but it was for sale only for £5, so I thought that I'd buy it.</div></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHJXsu3cft08vmUE89viq-emZhl1nZB06L8xpEhzfwBRWpT0aRK1iIg6s-uQQDYNw2su7MpnHWSBDdtiZVY2qeL4dIQgWO6kOdnQr3YdlP8Um_gR9NXyFXVy_CNsMuOHRew-H2_poN8627VE0Byi8u4csytjdivVl3IzIwNKZjbvMWpjCUFB0OrHy/s1080/img_4_1684595073651.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHJXsu3cft08vmUE89viq-emZhl1nZB06L8xpEhzfwBRWpT0aRK1iIg6s-uQQDYNw2su7MpnHWSBDdtiZVY2qeL4dIQgWO6kOdnQr3YdlP8Um_gR9NXyFXVy_CNsMuOHRew-H2_poN8627VE0Byi8u4csytjdivVl3IzIwNKZjbvMWpjCUFB0OrHy/s320/img_4_1684595073651.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><div>New acquisitions. 🙂</div><div><br /></div><div>Six CDs: Petrouchka and Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky/Pierre Boulez/New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Eight Lines and City Life by Steve Reich/Ensemble Modern, Different Trains and Electric Counterpoint by Steve Reich/Kronos Quartet/Pat Metheny, Four Classic Albums by Charles Mingus, The Doors by The Doors and Paranoid by Black Sabbath.</div></div>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-5565320881032234182022-11-19T14:24:00.003-08:002022-11-19T14:24:25.817-08:00Collected Essays: Volume Two<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8fNJdcSiZXA/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/8fNJdcSiZXA" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-18397036318591502872022-11-01T09:09:00.001-07:002022-11-01T09:09:13.670-07:00Ahoy Facebook #19<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKvJLTTkpxf4SWsZbXl__gzVpu8AkzETiOnhclTVB-v-7W3SQ_7WQ-73khnFW4UOIS8dXaAb4_JhlfmigpOOKKQqCo8Z9xP91DEGFPRoxPeCoStcR7wbpaSf43N2DoKYqEbcLhvQQs8k8tF966QLzaNbeOPqvI2k2u6CrWQCkdcHYDEwJ5CSq6smD/s2048/280102989_4839920209468662_8273586663837846831_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiKvJLTTkpxf4SWsZbXl__gzVpu8AkzETiOnhclTVB-v-7W3SQ_7WQ-73khnFW4UOIS8dXaAb4_JhlfmigpOOKKQqCo8Z9xP91DEGFPRoxPeCoStcR7wbpaSf43N2DoKYqEbcLhvQQs8k8tF966QLzaNbeOPqvI2k2u6CrWQCkdcHYDEwJ5CSq6smD/s320/280102989_4839920209468662_8273586663837846831_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions. </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Six CDs: The Real Louis Armstrong, Four Classic Albums by Gerry Mulligan, The Real Bob Dylan by Bob Dylan, Four Classic Albums by Dizzy Gillespie, The Harry Partch Collection: Volume One by Harry Partch and Songs for Drella by Lou Reed and John Cale.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOF_W2mQTQfJJkuVyN6bjh4iJ6Wx5mSQGmhpd4VNRBCNV5Cor12b0Hsvp17qyQ7ooY-GiDohGxBjCHk8PrH78rcLFPIEftnoxZSJ_3LTsvksVS6DU9wqkrn_gzP4ojpYpD8wc60zPG-VwzheJg-hlWi2GB4-iz9wS36aaEHIT0-sMTodFSXOHl_92/s2048/285449435_4920930418034307_5222690779291692447_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJOF_W2mQTQfJJkuVyN6bjh4iJ6Wx5mSQGmhpd4VNRBCNV5Cor12b0Hsvp17qyQ7ooY-GiDohGxBjCHk8PrH78rcLFPIEftnoxZSJ_3LTsvksVS6DU9wqkrn_gzP4ojpYpD8wc60zPG-VwzheJg-hlWi2GB4-iz9wS36aaEHIT0-sMTodFSXOHl_92/s320/285449435_4920930418034307_5222690779291692447_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions. </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🙂" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/1f642.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Three records: Money Jungle by Duke Ellington/Charles Mingus/Max Roach, Miles Smiles by Miles Davis and Tago Mago by Can.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">One book: Liberalism and its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The first record features three of the greatest jazz players playing together.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I don't think I remember hearing this record by Miles Davis before, so I thought that I'd buy it.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This is an album by a German </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🇩🇪" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t16/1/16/1f1e9_1f1ea.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> prog rock group from the 1970s. This album gets very weird and very wild, which is a pleasure for me as I love weird music.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">After the collapse of communism, Francis Fukuyama pronounced 'the end of history.' He didn't claim that there would be no more historical events, he claimed that liberal democracy had won the battle of ideas. He published this book this year and he comments on recent events. Authoritarian regimes in Eastern Europe are actively hostile to liberal democracy and there is also Brexit, Trump, Venezuela, etc. He also writes about identity politics, which he considers illiberal.</span><p></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiISR8MqdM6a4ElP9Bzhkh_u8hjrweeGx_J27sqn6pkDVGNS1E-ybbnN34ONSjhzuW-jlP6iyQbDuzIlIOyfsrjMZ9bme0ZG5qMOQ-UB9xh2xzWg-LZvJwst7sI6QeADS4k8b5HXpCOvpe4qCXYEiQKPTBSKzKgzA1iElGC0DUbF9-MO1qfIYQWur/s2048/293444994_5029772940483387_4546175039300444979_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpiISR8MqdM6a4ElP9Bzhkh_u8hjrweeGx_J27sqn6pkDVGNS1E-ybbnN34ONSjhzuW-jlP6iyQbDuzIlIOyfsrjMZ9bme0ZG5qMOQ-UB9xh2xzWg-LZvJwst7sI6QeADS4k8b5HXpCOvpe4qCXYEiQKPTBSKzKgzA1iElGC0DUbF9-MO1qfIYQWur/s320/293444994_5029772940483387_4546175039300444979_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisition.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">One record: The Grand Wazoo by Frank Zappa.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I've been wanting to own this for a while... I was looking for it online and couldn't really find it... It's probably my favourite Zappa album, I just love the melodies, arrangements and solos on this... I found it at a record shop in Chesterfield, so I just had to buy it... </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKfDAj5cwkwgRZBWMIztJPZOjrZGLdIYcVl4hybNKPH54cCC7ToX89Y4HgdWqhNL9zZtMujKG__v9f4L83pwLG_xdeQDRgGatVVCj09RSAXk0cCt_hSOrUPOGpSOOcYRFKuToM03WgRtAP5Ixi5_Fa_ofOyYbfOGYPoj8UMwuu5Au2BBBWNioD9mF/s2048/295971349_5073106672816680_8015929003848879334_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieKfDAj5cwkwgRZBWMIztJPZOjrZGLdIYcVl4hybNKPH54cCC7ToX89Y4HgdWqhNL9zZtMujKG__v9f4L83pwLG_xdeQDRgGatVVCj09RSAXk0cCt_hSOrUPOGpSOOcYRFKuToM03WgRtAP5Ixi5_Fa_ofOyYbfOGYPoj8UMwuu5Au2BBBWNioD9mF/s320/295971349_5073106672816680_8015929003848879334_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Four books: Maus by Art Spiegelman, Palestine by Joe Sacco, The Fixer: A Story from Sarajevo and My Troubles with Women.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">These are all comic books. I think that it's a great medium, I first got into reading by looking at comics as a kid (superheroes, Asterix, various Chilean comics).</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Maus is about Spiegelman's parents, who were both prisoners in the concentration camps. He draws the Jews as mice and Nazis as cats.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Joe Sacco went to Palestine and Bosnia during the 90s... He made comics out of these experiences.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Robert Crumb is not at all political, he draws about his own personal experiences. This one chronicles his experiences with women. His panels are very detail and cross-hatched.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboxv1RoU7RQ7J7c6GuEnXI54BH21RUMrPBODPV0LBY5RyWLtfL35k8PEU_rbhekbB2jJrGnE2bDXV5qh2qpIi5CYWo19PERiRYTs7oNWL47mFP7U_RbLlZeuXRAVHiDNsymP0KmUNoWtG4ES0wcR0VhAJPiC-dI01HydxW2ZhXsABK_HHOjHH5CaQ/s2048/297643151_5086413881485959_4893588959536258030_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboxv1RoU7RQ7J7c6GuEnXI54BH21RUMrPBODPV0LBY5RyWLtfL35k8PEU_rbhekbB2jJrGnE2bDXV5qh2qpIi5CYWo19PERiRYTs7oNWL47mFP7U_RbLlZeuXRAVHiDNsymP0KmUNoWtG4ES0wcR0VhAJPiC-dI01HydxW2ZhXsABK_HHOjHH5CaQ/s320/297643151_5086413881485959_4893588959536258030_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">One coaster: A Frank Zappa-themed coaster.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">One book: The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers: Collection One by Gilbert Shelton.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I needed a drink coaster, so I thought I'd buy a Frank Zappa-themed one... This one has the album cover 'Weasels Ripped my Flesh,' which is one of his greatest and strangest album covers.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This is a collection of comics from the hippie era... It was part of the 'underground comics' movement. They're funny and subversive. </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZwbnJHhBqEvTt_gs76INxbEi9JoSRNfGJA0PMd3CXeYr9vBkdVZZWwHnotA-KEjy_qDDMqe47jlljSjwYxlIprZB4ejlJnOzS3SbT4YYh-1oT3isaPawWfHlejWGVZi3n8ByJZ1-gKt0t3IL3CFtURjgzNFyWeB_9Tc2phFmBiq1srFyOnbQLItp/s2048/296149924_5091880110939336_1387327290409943633_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAZwbnJHhBqEvTt_gs76INxbEi9JoSRNfGJA0PMd3CXeYr9vBkdVZZWwHnotA-KEjy_qDDMqe47jlljSjwYxlIprZB4ejlJnOzS3SbT4YYh-1oT3isaPawWfHlejWGVZi3n8ByJZ1-gKt0t3IL3CFtURjgzNFyWeB_9Tc2phFmBiq1srFyOnbQLItp/s320/296149924_5091880110939336_1387327290409943633_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions. </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Five books: Music in the Castle of Heaven: A Portrait of Johann Sebastian Bach by John Eliot Gardiner, The Music and Life of Beethoven by Lewis Lockwood, John Maynard Keynes: Fighting for Britain 1937-1946 by Robert Skidelsky, Hitler and Stalin: Parallel Lives by Alan Bullock and Havel: A Life by Michael Zantovsky.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I bought a lot of biographies.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The first two look at Bach and Beethoven, both their lives and music.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Skidelsky wrote a three volume biography of Keynes. This last volume covers the period when his ideas were becoming influential.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This biography looks at Hitler and Stalin. It is a chronological biography of both men, even though they never met.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This is a biography of Havel, a playwright and dissident in the Soviet Union. He became president of Checkoslovakia and later the Czech Republic following the rise of democracy.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPmWBVYrH2jJOnezXmflkpfujaaBxhhIc8m0dSvINzIMxhZ8Iqki3-KTUFMbd2WMO78kbbNAkLmBL8DRA3YMzzSgH5HTB43ena5U6PuHEw5hYwR6XhCxvJylqKtIiDRejUQeiMrQlTbSqchWCZbf_dNzwzQPJGYvdMxV6QKFRwzBmB7yfxNwFrg5Q/s2048/299960905_5121780104616003_7199339107894247744_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIPmWBVYrH2jJOnezXmflkpfujaaBxhhIc8m0dSvINzIMxhZ8Iqki3-KTUFMbd2WMO78kbbNAkLmBL8DRA3YMzzSgH5HTB43ena5U6PuHEw5hYwR6XhCxvJylqKtIiDRejUQeiMrQlTbSqchWCZbf_dNzwzQPJGYvdMxV6QKFRwzBmB7yfxNwFrg5Q/s320/299960905_5121780104616003_7199339107894247744_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions. </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Two books: Metternich: The First European by Desmond Steward and Two Hundred Years of Muddling Through: The Surprising Story of Britain's Economy from Boom to Bust and Back Again by Duncan Weldon.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I bought a book a book about Metternich. He was chancellor of the Austro-Hungarian empire between 1814 and 1848. He signed a lot of treaties and ensured that there wasn't a major continental war in Europe.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">This is an economic history of the UK </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🇬🇧" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t96/1/16/1f1ec_1f1e7.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"> over the last 200 years.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSn4-eJhyWAzu3lypDA23BtxCPlwVx_YCE4L4XKZBuw1h3DwBW24Ooxqc75B8wkklL835_MapwrEO4It-v0OcpCKB1dF3Aq2z6j1ZSEpa6MsPlQvxir29lQPJv0S5h0QdG2HOvRBqqHISl7PDGd_cd9UW5CP6qRbNtzAki7WtAq33Ok4e9DxVer6A/s2048/305999989_5185265801600766_2441787436380208223_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSn4-eJhyWAzu3lypDA23BtxCPlwVx_YCE4L4XKZBuw1h3DwBW24Ooxqc75B8wkklL835_MapwrEO4It-v0OcpCKB1dF3Aq2z6j1ZSEpa6MsPlQvxir29lQPJv0S5h0QdG2HOvRBqqHISl7PDGd_cd9UW5CP6qRbNtzAki7WtAq33Ok4e9DxVer6A/s320/305999989_5185265801600766_2441787436380208223_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions. </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🙂" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/1f642.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Six CDs: Shiftwork by The Fall, Extricate by The Fall, Tilt by Scott Walker, Celestial by Isis, Four Classic Albums by Thelonious Monk and Winter Fragments by Tristan Murail.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB8EK5JtLLa1GfOxpu7eM_IDVyuTgJraLlWWXv65llg0ndwBdk3AvdSSIV0qkHbZgKZOLlz5QJxAJE3xCGt24MzvKyugrZwWvR7sSeJkic4d6PvqKATq2V9jiH9XqC9P6RqgxITE3uzQ/s2048/306454324_5188384287955584_1777215128073244740_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzB8EK5JtLLa1GfOxpu7eM_IDVyuTgJraLlWWXv65llg0ndwBdk3AvdSSIV0qkHbZgKZOLlz5QJxAJE3xCGt24MzvKyugrZwWvR7sSeJkic4d6PvqKATq2V9jiH9XqC9P6RqgxITE3uzQ/s320/306454324_5188384287955584_1777215128073244740_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">The copies of my latest book have arrived! </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🙂" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/1f642.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXuYVahHKT10bqcpvcx6Ih49ZpSKFezE1b4HKAvYdnkEuLJX3BqYvch9z7OHBWcjqBFj7BdJf3hzTDlSTYY0zDEJHbAcJptotsJeTGvV-lK_Q_8V1U7n9-2mkqExrSpIsC-xzymXYU5nuO1yD2lEVa8lmg1lhmrBxsNMrR8RUdCKqZcOZiFJuYnbc/s2048/306344808_5190246174436062_235650504301245309_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIXuYVahHKT10bqcpvcx6Ih49ZpSKFezE1b4HKAvYdnkEuLJX3BqYvch9z7OHBWcjqBFj7BdJf3hzTDlSTYY0zDEJHbAcJptotsJeTGvV-lK_Q_8V1U7n9-2mkqExrSpIsC-xzymXYU5nuO1yD2lEVa8lmg1lhmrBxsNMrR8RUdCKqZcOZiFJuYnbc/s320/306344808_5190246174436062_235650504301245309_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisition: A John Stuart Mill t-shirt.</span></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I went out the other night and saw a grand total of THREE people wearing Che Guevara t-shirts.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Why would one wear a Che Guevara t-shirt? To stand out from the crowd? To signal how rebellious you are?</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">But why would one wear a Che Guevara t-shirt in this case? He was a rabid communist who supported Maoist China. He wanted to nuke the USA.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Anyway, small quotes aren’t always a good indicator of someone’s thought. Even though Che Guevara was not a systematic theorist or thinker, it is still reductive to pull out random quotes. Still, they do give us some inkling into his thought. These are some of Che Guevara’s pronouncements:</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">‘In the future individualism ought to be the efficient utilization of the whole individual for the absolute benefit of a collectivity.’</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">'The desire to sacrifice an entire lifetime to the noblest of ideals serves no purpose if one works alone.'</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">'The guerrilla fighter, who is general of himself, need not die in every battle. He is ready to give his life, but the positive quality of this guerrilla warfare is precisely that each one of the guerrilla fighters is ready to die, not to defend an ideal, but rather to convert it into reality.'</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">'Terrorism should be considered a valuable tactic when it is used to put to death some noted leader of the oppressing forces well known for his cruelty, his efficiency in repression, or other quality that makes his elimination useful.'</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">'The fault of many of our artists and intellectuals lies in their original sin: they are not true revolutionaries. We can try to graft the elm tree so that it will bear pears, but at the same time we must plant pear trees. New generations will come that will be free of original sin.'</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Now, let’s consider some quotes from John Stuart Mill. It IS definitely reductive to provide bite-sized quotes from Mill, as he WAS a systematic thinker and theorist. Anyway, here we go. All of these quotes come from his splendid book ‘On Liberty’ (chapters two and three):</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">‘The opinion which it is attempted to suppress by authority may possibly be true. Those who desire to suppress it, of course deny its truth; but they are not infallible. They have no authority to decide the question for all mankind, and exclude every other person from the means of judging. To refuse a hearing to an opinion, because they are sure that it is false, is to assume that their certainty is the same thing as absolute certainty. All silencing of discussion is an assumption of infallibility. Its condemnation may be allowed to rest on this common argument, not the worse for being common.’</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">‘Originality is the one thing which unoriginal minds cannot feel the use of.’</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">‘In this age, the mere example of non-conformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee to custom, is itself a service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that tyranny, that people should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded when and where strength of character has abounded; and the amount of eccentricity in a society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigor, and moral courage which it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric, marks the chief danger of the time.’</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">‘Customs are made for customary circumstances, and customary characters: and his circumstances or his character may be uncustomary. Thirdly, though the customs be both good as customs, and suitable to him, yet to conform to custom, merely as custom, does not educate or develop in him any of the qualities which are the distinctive endowment of a human being. The human faculties of perception, judgment, discriminative feeling, mental activity, and even moral preference, are exercised only in making a choice. He who does anything because it is the custom, makes no choice. He gains no practice either in discerning or in desiring what is best. The mental and moral, like the muscular powers, are improved only by being used. The faculties are called into no exercise by doing a thing merely because others do it, no more than by believing a thing only because others believe it.’</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">‘Human nature is not a machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living thing.’</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Ok, so if you want to signal how you are such an edgy non-conformist, would you rather wear a Che Guevara t-shirt or a John Stuart Mill t-shirt? The one who wants you to be a cog in this dreary miserable collective or the one wants you to grow and develop? The one who wants you to die for the communist ideal or the one who wants you to distrust dogma, distrust customs and use your critical faculties? I am not buying – and wearing – a John Stuart Mill t-shirt to signal that I am an edgy-nonconformist, I am buying and wearing a John Stuart Mill t-shirt to counter all those people who wear Che Guevara t-shirts.</span><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsOmSZsAKrlAskLnYmUc6StNzYIWgbIx-ekrfmwn_gw9kEHqzRsFyHN6E3Ts6ADiLtXYJlfSl8t8QS8Gp4prbjySrgqctJaIH-xyKcpNyxS2gxt_7oBeJpumBI_FB8KZrFkpEt_knY9Q/s2048/308100453_5220507004743312_3935530620641628262_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKsOmSZsAKrlAskLnYmUc6StNzYIWgbIx-ekrfmwn_gw9kEHqzRsFyHN6E3Ts6ADiLtXYJlfSl8t8QS8Gp4prbjySrgqctJaIH-xyKcpNyxS2gxt_7oBeJpumBI_FB8KZrFkpEt_knY9Q/s320/308100453_5220507004743312_3935530620641628262_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">New acquisitions.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">Ten CDs: 1927-1933: The Early Years by Blind Willie McTell, Runnin' Wild by Sidney Bechet, 1939-1951 by Benny Goodman, Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus by Charles Mingus, Kinks by The Kinks, Apostrophe by Frank Zappa, Orchestral Favourites by Frank Zappa, Greatest Hits by Queen, Greatist Hits by Smashing Pumpkins and Rain Dogs by Tom Waits.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I earn a pittance, prices are soaring and my rent is high, so I probably shouldn't be splashing money on discs, but... hey ho. (Even if they're second-hand... And on offer.) </span><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTplAw4bkC9MCWgVauHlNUmxYNoX115C-pCieEshgXewSK0jeRo79_2u8OkBHXCy_iju3xvrYe4yeU4jLQOIAwGxCz_nW7YPozVSKCLCF8I0MSB1OQm_kWg8CrlzA66hpHFRS0Dqz1gb6_gmXbV7SCkiIbNaEuXsU7XwDuDOkI2ePNQd5QlA2evzJl/s2048/313425937_5324498464344165_7084985468999247321_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTplAw4bkC9MCWgVauHlNUmxYNoX115C-pCieEshgXewSK0jeRo79_2u8OkBHXCy_iju3xvrYe4yeU4jLQOIAwGxCz_nW7YPozVSKCLCF8I0MSB1OQm_kWg8CrlzA66hpHFRS0Dqz1gb6_gmXbV7SCkiIbNaEuXsU7XwDuDOkI2ePNQd5QlA2evzJl/s320/313425937_5324498464344165_7084985468999247321_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I went to a talk with Melvyn Bragg this evening. I've never read any of his books (thus far), but I've really enjoyed his broadcasts on The South Bank Show and In Our Time for a very long time.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I really enjoyed the conversation, which is all about his memoir. He said that he has had health problems recently and that this would be his last book. It's all about his childhood and adolescence in Cumbria in the late 40s up to the late 50s. He came from a 'working class,' background, he always loved reading and later read history at Oxford. He also had a mental breakdown in his teenage years and talked about his love for the countryside.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px;">I've met two writers before (Paul Auster and Iain Sinclair) who I found to be a bit cold and aloof, but Bragg was very warm. The first thing he asked was 'Do you write?' and I told him that I did. I told him that I had suggestions for programs on In Our Time and that they should really do one on Bach. He said that there are many topics that they haven't covered, that Bach surprisingly was one of them and that he' d try to remember that. He then said 'Good luck with the writing.' Well, coming from Melvyn Bragg that means a lot.</span><br /><span class="x3nfvp2 x1j61x8r x1fcty0u xdj266r xhhsvwb xat24cr xgzva0m xxymvpz xlup9mm x1kky2od" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-59354095036820608212022-08-05T07:09:00.004-07:002022-08-05T07:09:37.892-07:00COLLECTED ESSAYS: VOLUME TWO<p> I have finished a new book entitled <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>. Copies available for anyone remotely interested. Email simonking19965@gmail.com if you are interested. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o-XeRufMrCJuxzkrkocF0YBu7dM6h0zWJwhCe5JLVhWNgTlKob6mt8W4O-6G6bpdCkeqm3-tCEYIMcVdU-g2jsUyO57sHEYTYX2dLQxRwy2mTUz67r-NrwVYvQ8jqzNovcRy_NY-Qj6aYzjaWmC20c8r9WQJCldvSXyFuboDQ3JPpYGmsr5CgJ5Q/s805/collected%20essays%20volume%20two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="480" height="455" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6o-XeRufMrCJuxzkrkocF0YBu7dM6h0zWJwhCe5JLVhWNgTlKob6mt8W4O-6G6bpdCkeqm3-tCEYIMcVdU-g2jsUyO57sHEYTYX2dLQxRwy2mTUz67r-NrwVYvQ8jqzNovcRy_NY-Qj6aYzjaWmC20c8r9WQJCldvSXyFuboDQ3JPpYGmsr5CgJ5Q/w272-h455/collected%20essays%20volume%20two.jpg" width="272" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Collected Essays: Volume Two </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">is King’s sixth book and, as the
title makes blatantly clear, his second collection of essays. Whilst King is
not an expert in anything, he certainly is enthusiastic about an array of
different subjects. King takes you on a scattershot adventure that traverses
millennia and an incongruous mix of subjects. Do you want to read a book which
contains insights into European art films, political philosophy, pre-Socratic
philosophy, modernist literature, post-war European history, avant-garde music,
the history of ideas, the history of dreams, economic history, New Hollywood
cinema and Latin American literature? Well, King might just have the right book
for you.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><a name="_Hlk109932204"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Liberty, Equality and Fraternity:
The Ideals of the French Revolution in Krzysztof Kieslowski’s Three Colours
Trilogy<o:p></o:p></span></a></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Perpetual
Flux and Unchanging Singularity: The Ideas of Heraclitus and Parmenides in <i>The
Sound and the Fury</i> by William Faulkner and <i>Waiting for Godot</i> by
Samuel Beckett<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Social
Change in the Heimat Trilogy<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Eccentric
Musicians<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nascent
Liberalism in Antiquity and the Medieval Ages<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A
Very Brief History of Dream Interpretation<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">7.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Economic
Decline in the Cinema of the 1970s<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 81.75pt; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt;"><span style="mso-bookmark: _Hlk109932204;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">8.<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Imaginary
Worlds in Latin American Fiction</span></span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-27543851532330041642022-08-05T06:00:00.003-07:002022-08-05T06:00:56.014-07:00Imaginary Worlds in Latin American Fiction<p> This is part eight from a forthcoming book called <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>.</p><p><b>**********************</b></p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">I quote the texts in the original
Spanish. This will be harder for non-Spanish speakers (the vast majority of my
meagre audience) – apologies.<o:p></o:p></span></i></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Imaginary worlds are appealing for
a number of reasons. The yearning for alternate worlds goes as far back to
antiquity, with the Babylonian Tales of Gilgamesh and in the Greek world with
Homer. The real world is often not satisfying and we recourse to imaginary
worlds to find respite. Imaginary worlds can disrupt physical laws, be a
vehicle for self-realisation and fantasies and they can create a parallel world
that creates a microcosm, mirrors our own and comments on the political arena. Latin
America has a rich history of literature and it finally rose to international
prominence in the 1960s. Latin American fiction has been notorious for its use
of fantasy and surrealism and the way in which this is merged with realism. As
well as this aspect, it has also been notorious for its political commitment.
This essay will look at five authors – the Argentinean writer Jorge Luis
Borges, the Argentinean writer Julio Cortázar, the Uruguayan writer Juan Carlos
Onetti, the Mexican writer Juan Rulfo and the Chilean writer José Donoso. It
will examine the ways in which these authors create imaginary world, their
qualities, how they disrupt physical and temporal laws, how they are vehicles
for self-realisation and how they comment on politics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Latin
America became a major continent in the literary world in the 1960. In the
1960s and 1970s, Latin American writers were in the international spotlight for
the first time (Saizar 2000). It was a commercial event, although it did
coincide with the writings of ‘great novels.’ Authors like Gabriel Garcia
Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, Julio Cortázar and Carlos Fuentes sold millions of
books and made a deep impression. These books merged fantasy and reality and
they were socially conscious. Many critics threw the label ‘magical realism’
around, though it is hard to define. Initially, Jorge Luis Borges wrote many
fantastical short stories, though he claimed that even realist literature is
fantastic, as it is still artifice (Brestia year, p. 5). Movements which were
prevalent in Europe, such as modernism, arrived later in Latin America. Aspects
such as stream of consciousness emerged later because those modernist books
were translated later. Additionally, fantastical and surrealist elements became
almost synonymous with ‘Latin American fiction.’ The most famous example of
this would be <i>One Hundred Years of Solitude</i> (1968) by Gabriel Garcia
Marquez. These novels often comment on political situations and many of the
writers were politically committed. Many supported the Cuban revolution,
although many, such as Mario Vargas Llosa, later retracted their support. (He
later run for the presidency of Peru on a centre-right ticket.) Magical realism
is notoriously hard to define, although some of characteristics include the
‘transgression’ of physical laws and superhuman sensory experiences (Bennette
1999, p. 21). The 1960s and the 1970s were a golden period and these novels
were promptly translated into other languages (Saizar, p.11). Exceptional
writers worked independently from each other and in different countries (p.
31). The magical realism of Marquez was an act of ‘individual agency,’ although
magical realism was interpreted as a portrait of ‘Latin American
exceptionalism’ (p. 46). It was an act of individual imagination, but it has
since been interpreted as representative of the region (p. 46). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-n2bmEy-ZTEJtIUPbcR3OZNtx_X9R8AVc8JEnrrEnQMb1tWl9iNwSYPiokw-FxO9snA7HJARdKwghMTpX_rX_AGeZ4rzk03pq0GBFzxKs5RKSvaG9b749eZiY2kCp9PgJQMIsVsSiT0gfMuR01OTudUvCjZ2Skc7wFZ2KnvoNFjorcTwxZxcVevr/s400/ficciones%20borges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="300" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF-n2bmEy-ZTEJtIUPbcR3OZNtx_X9R8AVc8JEnrrEnQMb1tWl9iNwSYPiokw-FxO9snA7HJARdKwghMTpX_rX_AGeZ4rzk03pq0GBFzxKs5RKSvaG9b749eZiY2kCp9PgJQMIsVsSiT0gfMuR01OTudUvCjZ2Skc7wFZ2KnvoNFjorcTwxZxcVevr/s320/ficciones%20borges.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now turn to analyses of three short stories by Jorge Luis Borges.
The short story ‘Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertuis’ is set in an ‘idealist’ planet –
that is, a planet made up of thought rather than energy and matter. In this planet,
language, religion and letters and metaphysics are all idealist (Borges 1944, p.
22). Indeed, a major divide in philosophy for many years was between idealism
and empiricism, as the latter argues that sense-perception is dependent on
experience. The former is epitomised by George Berkeley who took as it as far
as it could go. Berkeley argued that all of reality is the product of the mind
and anything that is not encountered by the mind is created by God. Other
philosophers did not go this far, such as Immanuel Kant, who mixed idealism and
empiricism. The latter strain is epitomised by David Hume who argued that all
perception and knowledge is dependent on experience. According to Borges’
story, everything that Berkeley writes about is true in Tlon. It is a series of
‘independent heterogenous acts’ (p. 23). It is temporal, not spatial (p. 23).
Perception is wholly mental and nothing happens spatially; everything happens
in a temporal way: ‘Los hombres de ese planeta conciben el universe como una
series de procesos mentales, que no desenvuelven en el espacio sino de modo
sucesivo en el tiempo’ (p. 24). Thought often associates related ideas: ‘La
percepción de una humareda en el horizonte, después del campo incendiado y
después del cigarillo a medio apagar’ (p. 25). Indeed, materialism is
‘scandalous’ in Tlon (p. 27). However, one school of thought in Tlon rejects
the concept of time and they argue that the present is undefined, the future
has no reality and the past has no reality (p. 26). In this story, Borges
constructs an imaginary world which is based on western metaphysics. The
writings of George Berkeley and even sometimes Kant, Hegel and Schopenhauer
sometimes seem counterintuitive, but the whole fabric of this planet is made up
of thought, perception and ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at the short story ‘Las ruinas circulares’ (‘The Circular
Ruins’) by Jorge Luis Borges. The short story is about an old sage who goes to
a circular temple, sleeps, dreams and creates another human in another temple. It
later transpires that he has been dreamed up in another temple by someone else,
so this is why the ruins are ‘circular.’ The village that he arrives at is
described thusly: ‘Donde el idioma no está contaminado de griego y donde es
infrequente la lepra’ (1944, p. 36). The language is ‘uncontaminated’ by Greek,
so it is clearly otherworldly, as most European languages are derived from
Greek. Borges also writes: ‘Nadie lo vio desambarcar’ (p. 56). This is
reminiscent of the old philosophical adage – if no-one saw it, how could it
happen? The temple is described thusly: ‘El recinto circular […] tuvo alguna
vez el color del fuego y ahora el de ceniza’ (p. 56). It was once active, but
it is now perishing and the sage is going to reanimate it and bring it back to
life. Indeed, Borges writes: ‘Devoraron los incendios antiguos,’ (p. 56) which
clearly shows that the temple was once fully active a long time ago. The sage
goes to sleep: ‘Durmio […] sino por determinación de la voluntad’ (p. 56).
Sleeping is usually a passive process, but in this case it is a highly active
one which requires ‘will’ and ‘determination.’ There have been other temples
and other gods which have been burned and killed: ‘Río abajo, las ruinas de
otro templo propicio, también de dioses incendiados y muertos’ (p. 56). He
wants to dream a man with ‘meticulous integrity’ (p. 56). It is clearly a
supernatural project which transcends normal physical laws, as he calls it a
‘magical’ project: ‘Proyecto mágico’ (p. 57). The task of dreaming and sleeping
is usually passive, but in this case it is creative. Indeed, it is even called
‘dialectic’: ‘Al principio fueron caóticos, después fueron de naturaleza
dialectica’ (p. 57). Dialecticism involves a proposition, another
counter-proposition and a synthesis of both arguments. Again, it emphasises
that the dream is a proactive, strenuous and intellectual activity. It is a
dialectical engagement with ghosts and spirits. Eventually, students start to
study his work: ‘Alumnos estudian su doctrina’ (p. 60). His dreams are
incoherent and difficult to decipher. He starts to dream his heart: ‘Sono con
un corazón que latía’ (p. 60). He ends up creating a human body. He perceives
him: ‘Lo percibía, lo vivía’ (p. 61). He creates his heart and lungs and the
rest of his body (p. 61). His son is born in an identical circular temple.
However, he realises that he is just a projection: ‘Descubriera de algún modo
su condición de mero simulacro’ (p. 64). He realises that, conversely, he has
also been dreamed by another sage in another temple: ‘No ser un hombre, ser la
proyección del sueno de otro hombre. […] También era una apariencia, que otro
estaba sonandolo’ (p. 64). The whole story is about dreaming and about creating
another human, but it transpires that he is been dreamt by another magician.
This is why the story is about ‘circular’ ruins. The process is called
‘dialectical,’ but although he is on his own dreaming, he is interacting with ghostly
figments. Dreaming is an active, creative, determined and willed process in
this case, although he does describe it as ‘incoherent.’ This imaginary world
is oneiric, but there are also allusions to magic and sorcery. It is surrealistic
and fantastic and there are no traces of the real world whatsoever, which is
unlike the ‘magical realism’ of Marquez. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98qSBepDPhwrBpENmc0h6nO4ne3Sy2Ra65fh5CYUi2qczFYFlTWO-6QzYlXZjt6Y-PsSk_DjhxoBp2rK-vfmGFzigXqpfsW--wS9pyU41VN9CuNr0zG3sxdpmP4zhRpWqBm-Kor5h6gq29ocWqWnxmA2R1ymv3DouIIOQaoYjYpQifBUpha0uD1IV/s278/aleph%20borges.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh98qSBepDPhwrBpENmc0h6nO4ne3Sy2Ra65fh5CYUi2qczFYFlTWO-6QzYlXZjt6Y-PsSk_DjhxoBp2rK-vfmGFzigXqpfsW--wS9pyU41VN9CuNr0zG3sxdpmP4zhRpWqBm-Kor5h6gq29ocWqWnxmA2R1ymv3DouIIOQaoYjYpQifBUpha0uD1IV/s1600/aleph%20borges.jpg" width="181" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>‘The
Aleph’ is one of Borges’ most famous stories and this essay will now look at
it. The protagonist’s wife has been dead for many years and he visits her
brother every year so that they can discuss poetry. This character has an
‘aleph’ in the basement of his house. This device contains all points in space
in the universe, seen from all angles: ‘Uno de los puntos del espacio que
contienen todos los puntos’ (p. 187) […] Todos los lugares del orbe, visto
desde todos los angulos’ (p. 188). Naturally, the character thinks that this is
crazy. Retrospectively, he says that language cannot describe the experience:
‘Cómo transmitir a los otros el infinito Aleph, que mi temerosa memoria apenas
abarca?’ (p. 188). The Aleph is a tiny sphere (p. 188) in which everything is
an infinite number of things. The Aleph is constant breadth, expansion,
multiplicity and infinity. The character describes all the things that he sees
in a very long sentence that goes on for a couple of pages: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Vi la noche y el día contemporaneo
(p. 193) […] Vi a los sobrevivientes de una batalla. […] Vi a todas las
hormigas que hay en la tierra […] Vi convexos equatoriales y cada uno de sus
granos de arena […] Vi la circulación de mi oscura carne […]’ (p. 193).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The sphere contains all points in
time and space and Borges describes the experience over a long paragraph. Unlike
the other two stories that this essay looked at, it starts off realistically,
but it veers off into fantasy. ‘The Aleph’ is a reference to the Arabic
alphabet, in which the first letter contains all of the other letters. It is an
imaginary world and it is almost a microcosm within the story. In the beginning
of the story, Borges has a Shakespeare quote from <i>Hamlet</i>: ‘Oh God, I
could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself a king of infinite space.’ The
whole story is about infinite space bound in a small object. The story is also
short – it is not a novel – and it describes something vast and infinite.
Indeed, Borges never wrote a novel and considered a lot of novels superfluous. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09m29WIT1BJgDf_1cet1srATrg715jzExvYUFsxKMZU2mX7iRPDozX40aCOxWWG0XYHQ0V-oc_UQgdfcDNGEBah8XwdMHAePylAKn3rLl5OPLnqxnglGAYWOj5_9SMfnHCGQUcvlaTVFr1JigqRheIYjrN_ZJPRzc3-MkFhnPn1395makvFhMSAbO/s2560/bestiario%20cortazar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1541" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09m29WIT1BJgDf_1cet1srATrg715jzExvYUFsxKMZU2mX7iRPDozX40aCOxWWG0XYHQ0V-oc_UQgdfcDNGEBah8XwdMHAePylAKn3rLl5OPLnqxnglGAYWOj5_9SMfnHCGQUcvlaTVFr1JigqRheIYjrN_ZJPRzc3-MkFhnPn1395makvFhMSAbO/s320/bestiario%20cortazar.jpg" width="193" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Julio
Cortázar also wrote short stories and they are also classics within the genre.
Cortázar wrote highly surrealistic and absurd stories which defy interpretation.
This essay will now look at three of his stories and it will start with ‘Carta
a una senorita en París.’ The story is about a character who vomits rabbits. He
writes: ‘Me duele ingresar en un orden cerrado, construido’ (1951, p. 19). He
cannot enter a closed and constructed order, but the whole story thrives on
disorder and the unexpected. The story is written as a letter to the owner of
the flat and she is in Paris. He is actually writing the letter because of the
bunny rabbits, ‘los conejitos.’ He writes: ‘Todo es higienico, transcurre en un
brevisimo instante. Saco todos los dedos de la boca, y en ellos traigo sujecto
por las orejas a un conejito blanco’ (p. 19). This is a quick and hygienic
process in which jerks out a white rabbit. Eventually, he decides to kill the
bunnies, but he does not do it. He writes: ‘De día duermen. Hay diez. De día
duermen’ (p. 22). They come out at night and wreck the entire flat: ‘El
destrozo insalvable de su casa’ (p. 27). They break the curtains, the chairs, paintings
on the wall, leave the carpet full of hair and they keep shrieking (p. 27).
This story is highly oneiric, as the bunnies come out at night and they are
possibly a metaphor for the unconscious being let loose. The story is
completely surreal, bizarre, jarring, surprising, absurdist and quite humorous
as well. It is similar to surrealism in other art forms, such as Luis Bunuel in
film and Salvador Dalí in painting.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizP7FtXyionhrq5Rxi-HDzgkUDBp1AuSOdp6QK08zeHyzELM066zzTYGr3l52ezpTYo68RQ9yZb8oRIBXK5H_0tY_vjSKsc-Y_yfGqYk-_YycvqkKybSIJaimrWBY0NPjrTvM5nJarPAWNC0Gmgp5vX0O3oNYft2InmjDyyIgho4823t4vuH1VImag/s225/final%20del%20juego%20cortazar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizP7FtXyionhrq5Rxi-HDzgkUDBp1AuSOdp6QK08zeHyzELM066zzTYGr3l52ezpTYo68RQ9yZb8oRIBXK5H_0tY_vjSKsc-Y_yfGqYk-_YycvqkKybSIJaimrWBY0NPjrTvM5nJarPAWNC0Gmgp5vX0O3oNYft2InmjDyyIgho4823t4vuH1VImag/s1600/final%20del%20juego%20cortazar.jpg" width="225" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
story will now look at Cortázar’s short story ‘Continuidad de los parques.’ The
story is about a businessman who reads a novel during the weekend. The short
story ends with the characters in the novel becoming real and the protagonist
ends up in his living room. Indeed, he wants to read the novel, but he has
abandoned it because he is so busy at work: ‘Había empezado a leer la novela
unos días antes, pero la abandono por negocios urgentes’ (p. 13). He wants to
read the novel in his leisure time, he is very wealthy and he has a butler. In
this context, reading the novel is an act of escapism from a busy schedule. He
reads the book in the tranquillity of his study: ‘Volvío al libro en la
tranquilidad del estudio’ (p. 13). He is immersed in the novel: ‘La ilusión
novelesca lo gano en seguida’ (p. 13). The story describes a woman with a lover
and she leaves him and walks towards the house. She carries a knife. Cortázar
describes the house, which is quiet and empty. The dogs do not bark and the
butler is not in. She goes into the room and discovers a man reading a novel.
He describes the room: ‘La puerta del salón, y entonces el punal en la mano, la
luz de los ventanales’ (p. 13). She finds the character reading his novel: ‘La
cabeza del hombre en el sillón leyendo una novela’ (p. 13). The man reads the
book and imagines the story until the woman arrives at his house where he is
reading. The story is self-referential meta-fiction, as it refers to itself.
The man reads a book and the story comes to life in the world that he is living
in. It is an act of escapism from his busy schedule, but the work of fiction
becomes real. It is set in the real world, but the story recreates the
subjectivity of reading and the emotional reactions that it provokes. The act
of reading is a subjective mental experience, but in this case it becomes
palpably real. The implication is that he is going to get murdered, as she is
carrying a dagger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at Cortázar’s short story ‘Axolotl.’ The protagonist looks
at an aquarium full of fish in a zoo and ends up becoming a fish. He writes:
‘Quadaba horas mirándolos. […] Ahora soy un axolotl’ (p. 151). He writes that
he has a connection with the fish: ‘Estábamos vinculados’ (p. 151). There is
something unfathomable which links the fish with the protagonist of the story:
‘Que algo infinitamente perdido y distante seguia sin embargo uniendonos’
(p.152). They have golden eyes and they look at the man who stares into the
aquarium, as he scrutinises their body and face. He writes: ‘Abolir el tiempo y
el espacio con una inmovilidad indiferente’ (p. 153). They abolish time and
space with their ‘indifferent mobility.’ Once more, the story is highly
subjective and the character loses his sense of time and space. He writes that
their eyes are similar to human eyes: ‘Diversos peses me mostraban la simple
estupidez de sus hermosos ojos semejante a los nuestros’ (p. 153). They show
him </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">another
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">way of looking at
things: ‘Me decian de la presencia de una vida diferente, de otra manera de
mirar’ (p. 154). The character is entranced in his heightened subjectivity, as
he thinks about a different way of living whilst he glues his head to the
glass. Indeed, the guard of the zoo is disconcerted by his strange behaviour
(p. 154). He eventually becomes one of the fish: ‘Antes de ser axolotl’ (p.
154). There is a sense of anthropomorphism here, but it is inverted. In
anthropomorphism, the animals acquire human characteristics, but in this case
the human acquires animal characteristics. However, he does write that they
evince human characteristics: ‘Si piensan como los hombres, sera porque los
axolotl piensan como hombres’ (p. 157). Cortázar spoke about ‘fisulas’ in
interviews, which are surreal and fantastical moments which transcend the
mundane and which surprise us. The character looks at an aquarium and becomes
transfixed by the fish and becomes one of them. Again, the story is very
subjective and it is all about his interior experience.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GbNOlsJteRkxL_a8noONqvMAM4SxpYWHcKFJBPT3fwHgbnS6g-vaLI3H4HBkiRJjwebUka6jXhAVaD0FljgSu_IumHbmPa23QhCc_WlbBqr1xzDg29PAsJiF9y3CT45ziE5XpBrusRRiTudoln7Qi2IGtQmbAJqthht7KdvAazDRLyoSNAO0i4NP/s500/la%20vida%20breve%20onetti.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GbNOlsJteRkxL_a8noONqvMAM4SxpYWHcKFJBPT3fwHgbnS6g-vaLI3H4HBkiRJjwebUka6jXhAVaD0FljgSu_IumHbmPa23QhCc_WlbBqr1xzDg29PAsJiF9y3CT45ziE5XpBrusRRiTudoln7Qi2IGtQmbAJqthht7KdvAazDRLyoSNAO0i4NP/s320/la%20vida%20breve%20onetti.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Juan
Carlos Onetti was one of the precursors of ‘the boom’ and his stories mingled
fantasy and reality. His novel <i>La Vida Breve</i> (1950) (<i>A Brief Life</i>)
is about a man who keeps a scenario in his draw at work. He ends up living
inside it, in a place called ‘Santa María.’ The last chapter of the novel takes
place in that imaginary world. In this world, there is nothing surreal or
supernatural. Cortázar’s stories have surreal elements in them, but they often
– as in ‘Axolotl’ and ‘Continuidad de los parques’ – describe subjective
experiences in the real world. Onetti’s ‘Santa María’ takes place in a
mythical/parallel reality, but there is nothing supernatural about it. Indeed,
the writing is almost naturalistic: ‘El negocio está ahora abierto y el sol
ilumina las narices, los bigotes, las telas sedosas del escaparate’ (p. 404).
He refers to a character that he is infatuated with as ‘Ustéd’ and English character
as ‘Inglés.’ It is an imaginary world that reinforces his own preferences,
predilections and he does not have to bestow other people with names. It is
mostly comprised of subjective descriptions of what happens: ‘Usted examina los
vestidos. […] tan rapidamente que mis ojos confunden los colores’ (p. 405). Although
Santa María is a fictional parallel world, there are still references to real
cities. Santa María is posited between Buenos Aires and Montevidoe and is in
some ways a composite of both. Additionally, this imaginary world is still
imbued with political slogans: ‘Un largo paredon donde han pintado leyendas
politicas con altas letras blancas’ (p. 423). Additionally, this chapter is
subjective, it is from the first person and it has a lot of interior monologues
which ruminate about other characters. Everything seems to be an amorphous blur
and it is not clearly defined: ‘Confudimos calles, risas, músicas, faroles’ (p.
424). He does not reply to the greetings of strangers called Albano since, like
the streets, most of the people inhabiting Santa María are not concretely
defined and most people are called Albano. He describes a scene thusly: ‘En una
plazoleta de barrio, sin estatuatas ni verja, con un enorme pino central’ (p.
427). The park does not have statues and just one giant tree. Once more, the
imaginary world is not as concretely defined as the real world. He walks with a
woman aimlessly: ‘Alcanzamos la esquina y remontamos la desierta calle
arbolada, sin huir de nadie, sin buscar ningún encuentro, arrastrando un poco
los pies, más por felicidad que por cansancio’ (p, 428). He finds meaning with
a woman and he creates an imaginary world about finding serenity and happiness.
This imaginary world is not as surrealistic as Cortázar, but although it is set
in a parallel world it has more realistic elements. Although it has more
realistic elements, few characters are given names and the surroundings are
sketchy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SvrWcYZqhQyyoEiG8Tgbvf3LmNC3ezUBfJduwUCZOKqX4VzKCsNuIeFAtbJK0ZTDju4zsBBInkPkRjcr3YW6O-v4tUiXbmIUXmBQIPmD2mLeYjgwXBEIpegtfJSweKGl2-td8H-6jQTVpkqkIVqvC_DdYhaNd_OqXIMEK22-G4jTR0k3TUb4JjQX/s640/pedro%20paramo%20juan%20rulfo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="416" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3SvrWcYZqhQyyoEiG8Tgbvf3LmNC3ezUBfJduwUCZOKqX4VzKCsNuIeFAtbJK0ZTDju4zsBBInkPkRjcr3YW6O-v4tUiXbmIUXmBQIPmD2mLeYjgwXBEIpegtfJSweKGl2-td8H-6jQTVpkqkIVqvC_DdYhaNd_OqXIMEK22-G4jTR0k3TUb4JjQX/s320/pedro%20paramo%20juan%20rulfo.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Like
Onetti, Juan Rulfo was a precursor to the Boom and he was also a big influence
on these writers. In the novel <i>Pedro Páramo </i>(1955), the character Juan
Preciado goes to a town called Comala. His mother, on her death bed, tells him
to go there because his father Pedro Páramo lives there. As soon as he gets
there, he finds that Comala is a ghost town and that all of its inhabitants are
dead. The novel jumps about in time and chronicles Comala and the autocratic
reign of Pedro Páramo. When he gets there, he is told that no-one lives there:
‘Aquí no vive nadie’ (p. 13). He is told that Pedro Páramo has been dead for
years: ‘Pedro Páramo murio hace varios anos’ (p. 13). It is an imaginary world
and, additionally, the novel is not linear and jumps about in time. The novel
takes place in a ghost town in which all the characters are dead. As such, a
universal clock is lost. It creates an imaginary world in which the political
world is mirrored. Pedro Páramo represents a Latin American ‘caudillo,’ an
autocratic tyrant who imposes his will on the population. Rulfo also recreates
the rural poverty that had been endemic in Latin America. He describes events
in different moments in time. Water is a recurring motif: ‘En el hidrante las
gotas caen una tras otra’ (p. 29). In one scene, a character wakes up and Rulfo
describes how he wakes up: ‘Adormecido, plastado por el peso del sueno’ (p.
29). This has an oneiric quality to it. Rulfo does not describe the physical
characteristics of his characters; they are all vague and ghost-like: ‘Vio cara
de una mujer oscura recotrada contra el marco de la puerta, oscurecida todavía
por la noche, sollozando’ (p. 30). She says: ‘Tú padre ha muerto’ (p. 30). He
says: ‘Y a ti quien te mató, madre’ (p. 30). It is a dream-like environment, as
the character wakes up from dreaming. The son has to remind her that she, too,
is dead. Everyone is dead and death is omnipresent. There is a sense that
families are perishing and there is a lot of talk about parents, mothers and
dying. There is a sense of history, families and lineages coming to an end, but
it is all in a perpetual stand-still as they are all perpetual ghosts. In
another scene, revolutionaries want to kill Pedro Páramo and aim to take
possession of his land. Tartamudo, a humble peasant with a stutter talks to the
autocratic strongman. Pedro Páramo asserts himself: ‘Y qué esperas? Por qué not
te mueves? Anda y diles a esos que estoy para que se les ofrezca. Que vengan a
tratar conmigo’ (p. 101). He is clearly an authoritarian leader who will deal
with anyone and he is willing to deal with subversive revolutionaries. He is
also willing to use harsh methods in dealing with them. He asserts his
authority over Comala, a fictional town that clearly resembles many Latin
American places. At one point in the novel, Pedro Páramo says: ‘We are the law’
(p. 105). There is no law constraining him and there are no checks and
balances. Rulfo creates a world in which there is no universal clock because
all the characters are dead. Themes of death, decay, ghostliness, familes and
lineages are present. Rulfo also recreates the political environment, with its
rampant poverty and its authoritarian leaders asserting themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjtiBEM7UZePGeJcWDoj63_JO10Twnl82oQecnhSsYn_OjALq2U3K1HCPls0Gjm6GgP1sUuH8li197Iv1BDjMAK3E7m7T1uwPnXgP4oh-878aGbLs7qVZlNileZDiQwtOqb3ORVdrC8YiZMmxJh9PdeIPQIxnn-VqE92qLvJffdCJ85acUwW3auJZ/s2560/obsceno%20pajaro%20de%20la%20noche%20donoso.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2560" data-original-width="1628" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjtiBEM7UZePGeJcWDoj63_JO10Twnl82oQecnhSsYn_OjALq2U3K1HCPls0Gjm6GgP1sUuH8li197Iv1BDjMAK3E7m7T1uwPnXgP4oh-878aGbLs7qVZlNileZDiQwtOqb3ORVdrC8YiZMmxJh9PdeIPQIxnn-VqE92qLvJffdCJ85acUwW3auJZ/s320/obsceno%20pajaro%20de%20la%20noche%20donoso.jpg" width="204" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at <i>El obsceno pájaro de la noche</i> (1970) (<i>The
Obscene Bird of Night</i>) by José Donoso, possibly one of the strangest novels
ever written anywhere, let alone this time and period. The novel is about a
schizophrenic character called ‘Mudito’ (‘Mutey’) who is assistant at a care
home, a law student, assistant to an aristocrat, an aspiring writer and he
oversees a castle of monsters. The novel flits through all of these
perspectives. Together with the maid Peta Ponce, they conceive the mutant child
‘Boy’ in an act of witchcraft. His father, the aristocrat Azcoíta, is repelled
by him and transfers him to a castle of mutants so that he grows up in a normal
world. Additionally, Mudito likes to get into sacks and a co-worker at a care
home, Inés, who is always pregnant, carries him around like a baby. The whole
novel is bizarre, oneiric and surreal. There is one striking scene when the
monsters operate on Mudito so as to turn him into a monster. All of the
monsters drag him away: ‘Sus deformidades como si no tuvieran verguenza de
ellas’ (p. 271). In this parallel world, the monsters are normal and Mudito is
the exception, so they are not ashamed of their deformities. They never leave
the castle, but Mudito can: ‘No sale nunca de la Rinconada […] no pueden salir,
como yo tengo permiso para salir’ (p. 271). Mudito flits in and out of this
castle of monsters. The paragraphs are very long and, as they are stream of
consciousness, they capture Mudito’s warped thinking and he is clearly
psychotic. In this warped world, being a normal human is in itself strange.
These monsters find him disgusting: ‘Demasiado asqueroso […] asquerados de mi
persona’ (p. 272). They want to complete a blood transfusion on him and put
monstruous blood into Mudito. Mudito says: ‘Me estan monstroficando’ (p. 272).
This translates as ‘they monstrofying me’ and Donoso employs a neologism here.
The blood comes from different monsters and they have different qualities:
‘Como si tuvieran sabores distintos que reconozco’ (p. 273). He loses his form:
‘He perdido mi forma’ (p. 273). They completely change who he is: ‘Me deforma
hasta que ya no soy yo’ (p. 273). He is no longer Humberto Penaloza and loses
his identity: ‘Me están quitando la identitad’ (p. 275). Indeed, a major theme
in the novel is how the self is annulled and how individuals have to assume different
social roles in different situations. Mudito has so many different social roles
that he is schizophrenic. In this particular instance, monsters take away his
identity by turning him into one of them. Mudito writes that he has never
really had a stable identity: ‘Además ya no soy quien fui si es que algúna vez
fui alguien’ (p. 275). They have completely annulled his identity, but Mudito
assumes so many social roles in so many different situations that he wonders
whether he ever really had one in the first place. This is clearly a psychotic
hallucination and the castle of monsters is clearly a figment of his
imagination. This imaginary world is created in the novel by the aristocrat
Azcoíta because he wants his mutant son to grow up in a world in which he is
not a freak. This imaginary world is completely surrealistic, bizarre and
comedic, but it is also an interior monologue and a stream of consciousness. It
is also the record of a psychotic and disorganised mind. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Borges
disrupts physical laws in ‘The Aleph,’ but his stories are also set in parallel
realities with their own physical laws. ‘Tlon’ is a mythological planet based
on metaphysical idealist philosophy. ‘Tlon’ and ‘Ruins’ are parallel worlds,
but they are self-enclosed and do not comment on the political world. Cortázar
disrupts physical laws, such as in the story about vomiting rabbits, but they
describe subjective experiences. They are often a vehicle for self-realisation,
as in ‘Axolotl’ in which the character becomes a fish. Cortázar is often oblique
and the three stories that this essay looked at do not have political
commentary. Onetti breaks physical laws, as Santa María is the product is the
product of the protagonist’s mind, though the territory does not break physical
laws. It is definitely a vehicle for self-realisation, as the character keeps a
screenplay in his draw and ends up living it. He populates it with women that
he finds attractive. It is a parallel world, but it has echoes of Buenos Aires
and Montevideo. In Juan Rulfo, the novel disrupts temporal laws, as all the
characters are dead and the novel jumps about in time. The novel is a parallel
world and it comments on the political realm. The eponymous character embodies
the autocratic ‘caudillo’ and there are depictions of revolutionaries. The
novel by José Donoso disrupts physical laws, as a girl is always pregnant,
there is a castle of mutants and Mudito is turned into a mutant. In many ways,
there are aspects of self-realisation as these are all Mudito’s hallucinations.
He has to be a lawyer, even though he wants to be a writer. He has to serve the
aristocrat Azcoíta and he gets shot trying to save him. In many ways, these
fantasies are a form of psychotic self-realisation since he is deeply
repressed. The novel does have political commentary, since the maid Peta Ponce
is part of an underclass and controls the upper crust. Azcoíta is a wealthy
aristocrat and he is dependent on many people such as Mudito to serve him, so
this comments on Chile’s class-divided society. The protagonist always assumes
different personalities depending on the social context and he is schizophrenic
as a result. These are all the ways that these Latin American writers create
imaginary worlds. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Works Cited<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 79.5pt; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bennett,
Caroline Jane. (1999) <i>The Politics and the Poetics of Latin American Magical
Realism</i>. PhD thesis for University of London.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Borges,
Jorge Luis. (1949) <i>El aleph</i>. Madrid: Alianza editorial. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Borges,
Jorge Luis. (1944) <i>Ficciones</i>. Madrid: Alianza editorial.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 72.0pt; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Brescia, Pablo. (2008) A. J. ‘A Superior
Magic: Literary Politics and the Rise of the Fantastic in Latin American
Fiction.’ In <i>Scholar <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Commons</i>. 4.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cortázar, Julio. (1956). <i>Final
del juego</i>. Madrid: Alfaguara.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cortázar,
Julio. (1951) <i>Bestiario</i>. Madrid: Punto de lectura.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Donoso,
José. (1970) <i>El obsceno pájaro de la noche</i>. Santiago: Alfaguara.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Onetti,
Juan Carlos. (1950) <i>La vida breve</i>. Barcelona: Edhasa.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Rulfo,
Juan. (1955) <i>Pedro Páramo</i>. Barcelona: Editorial Planeta.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 72.0pt; tab-stops: 79.5pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sáizar, Consuelo. (2021) ‘Constructing
Hegemony: The Latin American Boom and the Book Industries of Spain and Mexico:
1963-1967.’ PhD thesis for the University of Cambridge.<o:p></o:p></span></p><b></b><p></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-24333119652826335422022-05-04T11:09:00.002-07:002022-05-05T08:33:10.887-07:00Economic Decline in the Cinema of the 1970s<p> This is part seven from a forthcoming book called <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>.</p><p><b>*********************</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Economic Decline in the Cinema of
the 1970s<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The western world enjoyed a period
of unusually high growth and low unemployment during the Second World War. It
has been called ‘the golden age of capitalism.’ However, by the 1970s the
economy started to stagnate, unemployment went up and so did inflation. The
preceding era, known as ‘Keynesianism,’ had led to ‘stagflation.’ Economists
who had been previously been marginalised seized the moment and proposed a
different agenda. Meanwhile, cinema was experiencing something of a golden
period. ‘New Hollywood’ had produced a spate of subversive and
anti-authoritarian films which reached large audiences. Indeed, during the
1970s Hollywood produced auteurs like Martin Scorsese, Brian de Palma, Michael
Cimino, Terrence Malick, Woody Allen, Sam Peckinpah, Hal Ashby and Francis Ford Coppola. A
sense of economic dysfunction often appears in these films. This essay will
look at four films from the 1970s and examine economic decline. In <i>Being
There</i> (1979), a gardener with learning difficulties is perceived as being
an insightful political philosopher. His talk about the seasons is perceived as
being a comment on economic cycles. <i>Life of Brian</i> (1979) satirises the
trade unions which had paralysed the British economy. <i>Taxi Driver</i> (1976)
vividly recreates the decadence of New York. Finally, <i>Blue Collar</i> (1978)
recreates corrupt American trade unions.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will start
by outlining the parlous state of the economy in the 1970s. The economy prior
to the 1970s has been called ‘the golden age of capitalism,’ as unemployment
was at an all time low, growth was very high and living standards had never
been better, but this came at the cost of mild inflation. Indeed, between 1945
and 1973 the incomes of Americans grew exponentially (p. 420). In the 1950s and
60s, economic growth averaged 4.5%. However, in the 1970s unemployment grew,
growth stalled and inflation reached double digits. This was largely due to the
oil embargo, which already exacerbated rising inflation. During this period,
growth averaged 2.8% and it was believed that Americans lived in an age of
scarcity. Inflation, which had averaged 3% in the 50s and 60s, now raged
between 10 and 15%. Productivity also stalled (p. 421) and inflation reached
13% in 1979 (p. 630). Indeed, in 1972 Richard Nixon had instituted wage and
price controls (p. 454), a year before the Oil Crisis accentuated the existing
problem. The gurus of the New Right, such as Milton Friedman, proposed a type
of ‘shock therapy’ and leaders Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher promised to
‘roll back the frontiers of the state.’ Ronald Reagan had been a liberal – in
the American sense – in the 1940s. Back then, he blamed inflation on
corporations pursuing higher profits rather than higher wages. As a
conservative in the 1970s, he blamed inflation on big government. He channelled
Milton Friedman when he said the following: ‘Inflation occurs when the growth
of the nation’s money supply outstrips the growth in the nation’s productivity’
(Perlstein 2020, p. 408). He went on to say the following: ‘The federal reserve
controls the money supply and is therefore the primary source of inflation… In
truth, inflation is simply another tax imposed by Washington in the name of
easy money’ (p. 408). This theory, ‘the quantity theory of money,’ had lost
credibility after WWII, but it made a renaissance in the 1970s. However, the
incumbent Jimmy Carter did not appear to disagree: ‘If we are to overcome a
threat to accelerating inflation, the government will simply not be able to do
much as it can’ (p. 408). Inflation had increased under Carter up to 8.9%, but
he opposed any further reductions in income tax. He wanted to limit wages and
he created a ‘Council of Wage and Price Stability,’ which established voluntary
price guidelines for businesses to follow (p. 387). The monetarists, however,
were resolutely opposed to these kinds of controls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
monetarists wanted to reverse the Keynesian settlement and it was this their
political program that Thatcher and Reagan implemented. This essay will now
establish what they wanted to do. Instead of setting prices, organisations like
the FTC proposed anti-trust laws ban trade organisations from keeping eye
glasses out of ads, making merchants and consumers freer to allow the
marketplace to do its work. Eyeglasses were more expensive in states with these
controls (p. 464). Indeed, liberalising, deregulating and privatising were a
core part of the agenda. Additionally, cutting taxes was a core part of the New
Right. Arthur Laffer argued that a 0% tax rate would yield no revenue, but a
100% tax rate would also yield no revenue. If all gains are confiscated, there
is no incentive to work or invest. Taxes have to be low enough to maximise
economic activity and high enough to maximise revenue. The USA was in its worst
recession since the 1930s because taxes were far too high to do either. The
national economy was being choked by high taxes (p. 283). These ideas were
starting to become more influential during this period of stagflation and it
was a shift away from Keynesianism, which argued in favour of redistribution
and in spending money into the economy to boost demand and keep unemployment
low. In the late 60s, Milton Friedman prophesied that Keynesianism would come
to an end, as he argued that it would lead to both stagnation, inflation and
high unemployment. Friedman argued in 1967 that if inflation kept going up,
which was caused by full employment, then this would conversely lead to
unemployment. Friedman wanted to hold back on the supply of money and let the
free market do its work. Monetarism provided an ideological justification for
conservatives to ‘roll back the frontiers of the state.’ If companies
prospered, it was because they deserved to prosper. The winners in a
competitive market were not prospering due to high regulation and this
distorted the competitiveness of the market (p. 281). Milton Friedman and Paul
Volker proposed a ‘shock therapy,’ as they wanted to contract the money supply.
Jimmy Carter did not want to do this, as he thought that it would lead to a
recession (p. 633). In the UK and the USA, this brought inflation down, but it
destroyed manufacturing, created large unemployment and a lot of money went to
investors rather than workers (p. 634). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXk1mraORxIzl7Q1LQrM7r2BUJLpZZ4aSJlthglQ4LaOS1TsdQZlRbSLbNj7XWtaHNKJhdquUOWzgvhF69hx2TU9TBr-oK5Nh99Bb_psEN3XzF2jayR1RblXJqoqXp_5ew5PlwB6F_B5neLD0cFbQ63splGUL3U78t9fOlD7lbjIUBy9o3ugZmlli/s940/miltonfriedman.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="940" height="159" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMXk1mraORxIzl7Q1LQrM7r2BUJLpZZ4aSJlthglQ4LaOS1TsdQZlRbSLbNj7XWtaHNKJhdquUOWzgvhF69hx2TU9TBr-oK5Nh99Bb_psEN3XzF2jayR1RblXJqoqXp_5ew5PlwB6F_B5neLD0cFbQ63splGUL3U78t9fOlD7lbjIUBy9o3ugZmlli/s320/miltonfriedman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span> </span>This
essay will examine how Keynesianism came to an end. Up to the 1970s,
Keynesianism was the main economic orthodoxy. Indeed, Richard Nixon said ‘I am
now a Keynesian’ (Stein 2019). The ‘golden age of capitalism’ had been in the
1950s and 1960s, since by historical standards unemployment had been
exceptionally low, growth in real incomes exceptionally fast and economies were
exceptionally stable. This was all achieved at the cost of modest inflation.
This was all attributed to Keynesian policies (Skidelsky 2010, p. 125). In the
late 1960s, however, inflation and unemployment went up and growth started to
slow down, which was before the oil shock of 1973. Having been extolled for its
success, Keynesianism was now blamed for failure. Inflation became worse in the
late 1960s, which created higher unemployment and this defeated the purpose of
achieving full employment. Monetarism gained respectability during this period
(p. 133). The worldwide explosion in costs due to shortages, accompanied by the
rise in raw material and energy prices, culminated in the fourfold increase in
oil prices in 1973, which reduced full employment (p. 133). An ‘incomes policy’
was introduced – a restraint on pay increases – which did not work. More money
was pumped into the public sector to deal with these problems, which only made
matters worse. After the second oil price rise in 1979, governments tightened
fiscal and monetary policy (p. 179). Keynesians at this period were obsessed
with incomes policy, which allowed a lot of leeway for monetarists to defend
contractual freedom (p. 137). In other words, Keynesians wanted to intervene in
all aspects of the economy by setting prices and wages, which made it easy for
monetarists to defend the core principle of the free market, of voluntary
transactions between consenting adults. Prior to the 1970s, low unemployment
was the acceptable price for mild inflation (p. 137), but this was no longer
the case. Keynesians wanted to centralise more power in the government, and
this was worse in the 1970s, but this ignored the amount of power a government
can have in a free society. As such, lovers of liberty and efficiency left the
Keynesian camp in droves (p. 170).</p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
essay will now analyse <i>Being There</i> (1979) by Hal Ashby and take into
consideration the state of the American economy at the time of its release.
This film was the swan song of Peter Sellers, as it was his last performance
before his death. Peter Sellers plays a character called ‘Chance,’ a gardener
with learning difficulties. He is evicted from his house after the owner dies.
Following this, he runs into an extremely wealthy businessman who lets him stay
at his house. Chance simplemindedly says that he is a gardener and would like
to work for them, but he is instead perceived as a intellectual. In one scene,
Chance tells the businessman that ‘my house was shut down.’ Rand says: ‘You
mean your business was shut down?’ Chance says: ‘Shut down and closed by the attorneys.’
Rand says: ‘That’s exactly what I mean’ and launches off into a diatribe. In another
scene in the film, he says: ‘Businessmen have been harassed by inflation,
increased taxation, all sorts of indecencies.’ He certainly evinces the
Reaganite ethos; that is, that government is causing all of the country’s
problems. The government has taken Chauncey’s business away from him. Taxes are
too high and there is too much government intrusion. Excessive government
involvement shuts down the businesses of earnest entrepreneurs like Chauncey. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>One
of the most striking scenes in the film is when Chance talks to the president
of the United States. The president visits Rand and asks for advice on how to
tackle the country’s economic problems. The scene starts with a mid-shot of
Rand with Chance. The décor is elaborate, as there are expensive paintings on
the wall and a stove. There is a butler hovering in the background. There are
elaborate gold-rimmed candles. The mise-en-scene clearly establishes that he is
one of the wealthiest businessmen in the country. Rand says: ‘An old habit
comes with power. Keep them waiting.’ He gets up from his wheelchair and the
camera pans across as the president walks across the hall accompanied by his
assistants. This is followed by a long shot of a spacious room with a large
painting and there are about fifteen men in black suits. Rand says: ‘I thought
about public office, but I found that I could contribute more as a private
citizen. Of course, wealth provided me with considerable influence.’ He says
this just before the president asks him for advice. This is followed by a
mid-shot of Rand walking with Chance and they are accompanied by three other
people who wear suits and bow ties. This is clearly an important room in the
house, as it is a spacious library with many books in the background. The
president is on the second floor of the library and he is framed by a low-angle
mid-shot. The president descends the stairs whilst the camera work alternates
between mid-shots of Rand, Chance and the president. Rand says: ‘I’ve missed
you, my friend.’ The president clearly has a close relationship with Rand.
There is a mid-shot of Chance looking gormless and he emulates Rand by
embracing the president as he did. Indeed, Chance repeats the behaviour of
others, especially when it is something that he has seen on television. There
is a mid-shot of Rand sitting down on a red chair as he says: ‘I want you to
meet my very dear friend, Mr. Chauncey Gardiner.’ This is followed by a
mid-shot of the president flummoxed by Chance’s strange behaviour. Chance
banally says: ‘On television, Mr. president, you look much smaller.’ He keeps
embracing the president who is still perplexed. This is followed by mid-shots
framed from several angles. The president says: ‘Ben, did you read my speech.’
Rand says: ‘You shouldn’t resort to temporary measures. I sympathise with you
and I understand how difficult it is to be straightforward, but I tell you now,
Bobby…’ The editing alternates to a scene elsewhere in the house and we no
longer hear what Rand’s recommendations on the economic crisis. It seems like
Rand is railing against the Keynesian orthodoxies. He already mentions earlier
on in the film how the economy is being choked by high taxes and excessive
intervention. He tells him not to be straightforward and at the time to be
straightforward was to be Keynesian. The president says: ‘Mr. Gardiner, do you
agree with Ben or do you think that we can stimulate growth through temporary
incentives.’ Indeed, using the government to stimulate growth is Keynesian. All three characters are framed in the same mid-shot as a clock
ticks in the background. There is later a mid-shot from Ben’s perspectives.
Chance says: ‘As long as the roots are not severed, all is well. And all will
be well in the garden.’ The president asks: ‘In the garden?’ There is 90 degree
mid-shot of Chance as he says: ‘In the garden, growth has its seasons. First
comes spring and summer, but then we have fall and winter.’ This is followed by
a mid-shot of an out-of-focus Chance and a perplexed president. The president
says: ‘And then spring and summer again.’ Chance says: ‘Yes.’ The president:
‘And then fall and winter.’ This is followed by a mid-shot of Rand with a grin
on his face as he says: ‘I think that what our very insightful young friend is
saying is that we should welcome the inevitable seasons of nature, but we’re
upset about the seasons of our economy.’ Chance says: ‘Yes, there will be growth
in the spring.’ The president says: ‘Well, Mr. Gardiner, I must admit that is
one if the most refreshing and optimistic statements that I’ve heard in a long
time.’ The camera work throughout the scene alternates between the three
characters. The camera work also showcases the spacious library, which
emphasises the seriousness and scholarly nature of the situation. Meanwhile, Chance’s
banal and innocent statements are interpreted as gnomic insights. The economy
at the time of the release of the film, as this essay has established, was in
turmoil. There was double digit inflation, high unemployment and stagnation.
This had followed the Keynesian ‘golden period of capitalism’ of high growth
and low unemployment. Chance’s childlike remarks are interpreted as insights
into economic cycles. There are booms and busts as well as periods of growth
and recessions. Everyone at the time was highly pessimistic – indeed, Jimmy
Carter lost in 1980 to Ronald Reagan partly because he was so pessimistic.
Chance says that ‘there will be growth in the spring’ and the president
compliments him on this ‘refreshing’ statement.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFucojsr21u0Wjr38k6Urax7Qo0T_9qMaFanci2kazwyiOXPyaUEhpHPuNdefT722jxViNtJP8AEw7_fI-xMKdRoF63STnGHvqbouNfZCAsAY6VOw_DpP4cQTFXw9HBtZ-Spxesqr3N96si87zkbJVP4tnj3z1bF3uMgdTTWIARJfPDCjSoTjvvac/s2048/being%20there.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1385" data-original-width="2048" height="216" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfFucojsr21u0Wjr38k6Urax7Qo0T_9qMaFanci2kazwyiOXPyaUEhpHPuNdefT722jxViNtJP8AEw7_fI-xMKdRoF63STnGHvqbouNfZCAsAY6VOw_DpP4cQTFXw9HBtZ-Spxesqr3N96si87zkbJVP4tnj3z1bF3uMgdTTWIARJfPDCjSoTjvvac/s320/being%20there.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at the state of the British economy in the 1970s, which was
in a worse condition that the USA and the rest of Europe. Indeed, Britain
became the first developed country to take a loan from the IMF. This was done
so as to stabilise the value of the British pound. The UK Labour Party attained
power by promising to solve the miner’s dispute, who had gone on strike. They
went back into work on the agreement that their wages would be raised, but once
this was done this only accelerated double digit inflation. Inflation went up
to 27% in 1975. Once Callaghan took over in 1976, he took a large loan from the
IMF. After the dissolution of Bretton Woods, the IMF became ‘a global
firefighter’ which imposed stringent spending cuts. These spending cuts were
opposed by much of the Labour cabinet, but they brought inflation down to
single digits by 1978. However, they partly did this by severe wage restraint
on all public sector workers. As such, they all went on strike and this led to
the ‘winter of discontent.’ Rubbish went uncollected, hospitals did not let patients
in and the dead were left unburied (Coyle 2017). Indeed, trade unions played a
larger part in the economy and culture. 13 million workers were part of a trade
union in the 1970s and 1980s. ‘Collective bargaining’ aimed to negotiate better
wages and working conditions between employers and employees without state
interference. However, the worthy achievements of full employment and the
welfare state diminished the reliance of the Labour Party on the trade unions.
In the 1950s and the early 60s, the trade unions were more conservative and
crushed militants. Indeed, industrial relations were better than in other parts
of Europe. However, trade unions moved to the left and the Stalinist Arthur
Scargill became influential. They were more concerned with trade unions than
the national interest and it did not bother them to bring a Labour government
down. Militancy increased in the late 1960s and since the devaluation of the
pound in 1967 led to higher inflation, this led to a ‘statutory prices and
incomes policy.’ The UK increased exports, but it now had to pay more for its
imports and this led to higher inflation. As such, the government had to freeze
prices and wages, which led to resistance from the unions. Cabinet minister
Barbara Castle devised ‘In Place of Strife,’ which aimed to curtail the power
of trade unions, but this was quashed by James Callaghan, who was then home
secretary (Cambert 2021).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Leftist
and trade union sectarianism is featured in Monty Python’s <i>Life of Brian</i>
(1979). The film is set in Roman antiquity and satirises religion and politics.
Left-wing sectarianism is cleverly satirised with two rival political groups
called ‘Jewdian People’s Front’ and the ‘People’s Front of Jewdia.’ Brian wants
to join their group, but they tell him to ‘piss off!’ Brian says: ‘I hate
Romans as much as anybody!’ They say: ‘Are you sure?’ He says: ‘Dead sure.’
John Cleese says: ‘Listen, if you want to join the P. F. J, you have to really
hate the Romans.’ Brian says: ‘How much.’ He says: ‘A lot.’ Cleese says:
‘You’re in. The only people we hate more than the Romans are the Jewdian
People’s Front.’ This is all about ideological purity and sectarian squabbling.
The differences in their ideology are minute, but this does not prevent them
from creating sects and fighting each other. Their raison d’ etre is to be
against the Romans and fighting against injustice, but the other left-wing
group is worse and they spend more energy fighting other leftists than deposing
the Romans. The film was released in 1979, the year of ‘the winter of
discontent.’ The Labour government had been brought down by the trade unions,
which were led by leftists like Arthur Scargills. Dogmatists like Tony Benn
subsequently blamed the government for being insufficiently ‘socialist,’ which
again echoes the ideological purity of the ‘Jewdian People’s Front.’ Figures
like Benn, and organisations like Militant, spent more time fighting Labour Party
politicians than the Conservatives. Indeed, the J. P. F say that they hate the
P. F. O. J. more than the Romans. The behaviour of trade unionists is clearly
satirised here by the Pythons and the film is as much a political satire as a
religious one. The trade unions brought the British economy to its knees due to
this type of sectarianism.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now analyse another scene in <i>Life of Brian</i>. The scene starts
with a low-angle close-up of Michael Palin in a small room, which is darkly
lit. We later see a mid-shot of the Jewdian People’s Front in the room and they
all wear black robes. There is faint sunlight in the background. There is a
large group of people packed into the mid-shot. There is a sense that this a
clandestine meeting. Someone says: ‘What exactly are the demands?’ Cleese says:
‘We have two days to dismantle the entire apparatus of the Roman imperialist
state. If she doesn’t agree immediately, we execute her.’ We later see a
mid-shot, from the opposite angle, of people shrouded in black robes, jeering.
We later see a 180 degree mid-shot of three leaders of J. P. F. and they say
‘What have they ever given us in return?’ We see a mid-shot from the opposite
angle of the crowd. They say: ‘The aqueduct?’ Cleese says: ‘Oh yes, they did give
us that.’ They say: ‘And sanitation.’ Eric Idle says: ‘Oh yes, sanitation.
Remember what the city used to be like.’ Cleese says: ‘I grant you, the
aqueduct and the sanitation are two things the Romans have done for us.’ The
crowd proceed to list the roads, irrigation, medicine, education, wine, public
baths and safe streets. Cleese then says: ‘Apart from all those things, what
have the Romans done for us!’ The camera work alternates between mid-shots of
the three leaders and the crowd and a mid-shot of everyone in the room. The
room is cramped and the camera work creates the sense that it is forbidden and
secret. There is also an attempt to recreate antiquity with the clothing and
the dilapidated building. This scene once more recreates the sectarianism of
the trade unions and the left in the late 1970s. They find fault with
everything in society and the quality of life has never been better, but they
still cannot help but find fault with it. The economy at the time of the film’s
release had been paralysed by these kinds of sectarians. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mU2F2upYeJ9CDykoGYRVqw-gBatldhngHW_MkmehToliHjl-kXG85XZp-gYFRl2R8nElUcfUQFRA2GxXjWsF2wSrF0YBl6WxLMw7qSug5ZHIsMdB_SP0pRxqEgS7B151CratipKTOgGtkEo41INIkWcsJwHQAuiK9Hgua9z2KS_BRDzYe-KnIJ5w/s768/life%20of%20brian.webp" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="768" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0mU2F2upYeJ9CDykoGYRVqw-gBatldhngHW_MkmehToliHjl-kXG85XZp-gYFRl2R8nElUcfUQFRA2GxXjWsF2wSrF0YBl6WxLMw7qSug5ZHIsMdB_SP0pRxqEgS7B151CratipKTOgGtkEo41INIkWcsJwHQAuiK9Hgua9z2KS_BRDzYe-KnIJ5w/s320/life%20of%20brian.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at the parlous condition of New York in the 1970s. Indeed,
‘stagflation’ affected New York more than other cities. It had to lay off city
workers and cut municipal services such as sanitation and school programs. The
high unemployment rate increased throughout the decade. Middle class families,
more than 820,000 of them, fled to the suburbs. Many people turned to violence
due to cuts in social services. Crime rates increased, theft became more common
and power unexpectedly failed on the July 13<sup>th</sup> 1977, which led to
looting all over the city (American Experience). Indeed, people arriving in the
airport in 1975 were greeted with pamphlets warning them with the following
message: ‘Until things change, stay away from New York City if you possibly
can.’ There was a fiscal crisis in the mid-1970s and the disintegration of the
largest city on earth seemed perfectly possible. Gerald Ford wanted to replace
it as the leading financial centre. However, many of the warnings in the
pamphlet were exaggerated but, still, murders doubled from previous decades.
They went up from 681 in 1965 to 1,690 in 1975. Car thefts and assaults more
than doubled, rapes and burglaries more than tripled and robberies went up
ten-fold. Subway trains were filthy and covered in graffiti. Trains were late
and they were always crowded. Roads were in a bad condition. Public restrooms
were non-existent and they were dangerous and dirty. Men could be seen pissing
in the gutter. Office buildings were allowed to rot away and many of them
showed scratchy prints of pornographic films. Indeed, there were many porn
theatres in respectable neighbourhoods. This comes through in the film <i>Taxi
Driver</i>, as the protagonist frequents porn theatres. Vandalism was rampant.
Major pieces of infrastructure were allowed to rust until they were in danger
of collapsing. By early 1975, New York owed five billion to six billion in
short term debt. The city also had over a million welfare recipients, as the
city had lost a million manufacturing jobs since 1945 and 500,000 since 1969.
Indeed, president Gerald Ford visited the city and said that its mismanagement
was ‘unique’ among municipalities in the United States. He blamed it on ‘high
wages and pensions… its tuition free university system, its city-run hospital
system and welfare administration.’ He would ‘veto any bill that has its
purpose a bailout of New York City to prevent a default.’ This provoked a
headline, which was called ‘Ford to city – drop dead.’ Shortly after, the city had
to lay off 51,768 city workers. Public hospitals had to deal with thousands of
heroin junkies and subway workers had to get deteriorating trains back on the
rails. Americans generally supported aid for New York as long as the city
balanced its budget and tax payers outside New York did not pay for it. Ford
urged congress to pass a bill making $2.3 billion a year available for three
years to New York in direct loans. It quickly passed and it was signed by the
president. There were a lot of spending cuts, but additionally workers had to
deal with a cost-of-living crisis that was afflicting the rest of the world
(Baker 2015). New York, in many, ways symbolised the decadence and economic
decline of the free world. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
decadence of New York is palpably apparent in <i>Taxi Driver</i> (1976) by
Martin Scorsese. Early on in the film, the character Travis Bickle, famously
played by Robert De Niro, says: ‘Thank God for the rain that has helped to wash
away all the garbage and trash.’ Elsewhere, he says: ‘All the animals come out
at night. Whores, pussies, skunk junkies, queens, fairies, dopers… Sick, venal…
Some day a rain will come and wash all the scum off the streets.’ This is
accompanied by shots prostitutes and drug addicts. The film also depicts porn
theatres and child prostitution. Indeed, the film accentuates the worst
stereotypes that circulated about the city. In one scene, he encounters a
presidential candidate. The scene starts with a mid-shot of Travis Bickles, famously
played by Robert De Niro, driving the taxi. The presidential candidate, called
Pallandine, sits at the back of his cab. His associate says: ‘This is making me
nervous. Maybe we should have taken a limo.’ Pallandine says: ‘I don’t mind
taking a cab.’ Bickle is framed by a mid-shot from the right side of his car,
which is followed by a mid-shot of Bickle driving and Pallandine at the back of
the cab. He turns around, surreptitiously grins and says: ‘I am one of your
biggest supporters. I tell everyone who comes into this taxi to vote for you.’
This is followed by a mid-shot of Pallandine and his associate. Pallandine
says: ‘Why thank you.’ This is followed by a close-up of Travis Bickle’s name
and photograph at the back of the taxi. Pallandine, noticing this, says: ‘Thank
you, Travis.’ We see a mid-shot of Travis, once more from the right side of the
taxi. He says: ‘You are going to win, sir. Everyone who comes in is going to
vote for you. I was going to put one of your stickers in my taxi, but the company
said it was against the policy.’ Pallandine says: ‘I have learned more about
America from riding a taxi than from all the limos in the country.’ Pallandine
asks Bickle: ‘What is the one thing about this country that bugs you the most?’
Bickle says: ‘Well, I don’t follow political issues that closely, sir.’
Pallandine says: ‘There must be something.’ Bickle: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘Well, whatever it is, you need to
clean up this city. This city is like an open sewer. It’s full of filth and
sometimes I can hardly take it. Whoever becomes the president should just
really clean it up. Sometimes I go out and I get headaches it is so bad. […]
The president should just clean up this mess… Should just flush it down the
fucking toilet.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Pallandine replies thusly: ‘Well, I
uh… I think I know what you mean, Travis, but it’s not going to be easy. We’re
going to have to make some really radical changes.’ The camera work throughout
the scene alternates between the same angles; it alternates between three
mid-shots around different sides of the taxi. Bickle’s diatribe is inarticulate
and nonsensical, but it reflects the sense of frustration at what New York has
become. The film was released in 1976 and it is set in New York. His diatribe
reflects the crime, the grime and the grottiness of New York. The film was
released a year after Gerald Ford visited the city and acknowledged how
decrepit it was. Pallandine, similarly, recognises that something ‘radical’ is
needed to change it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBwP1a-G-BtdIED0sKEnmBxXkmbPCHw0--htCrpFy5WhXFyHmCCmASadRHkShKqAhK32abZ2U2RTDVx6U4jF8ctp3wpmX7sUbzl_9dMkooSre4WzW0bvZSJ--gqMosDvzQ3fSM-OlrVq3737brYOGnKOe2jYhwAjRKJCM5AzOsK10msYySdciQhAe/s1280/taxi%20driver%20pallandine.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNBwP1a-G-BtdIED0sKEnmBxXkmbPCHw0--htCrpFy5WhXFyHmCCmASadRHkShKqAhK32abZ2U2RTDVx6U4jF8ctp3wpmX7sUbzl_9dMkooSre4WzW0bvZSJ--gqMosDvzQ3fSM-OlrVq3737brYOGnKOe2jYhwAjRKJCM5AzOsK10msYySdciQhAe/s320/taxi%20driver%20pallandine.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at corrupt trade unions in the United States. Some unions
cooperated with organised crime. Corrupt union officials enriched themselves at
the expense of other unionists and exploited business people (Jacobs 2006). The
transport union, led by Hoffa, plagued it with corruption. Indeed, Hoffa was
killed by his own mob. Hoffa’s death coincided with the decline of America’s
union membership (Cornwell 2010). Many other organised crime groups infiltrated
trade unions, which gained influence, and even control, of trade unions. This
created a climate of fear and intimidation among employers and trade union
members and led to threats and acts of violence (Department of Justice). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Paul
Schrader was the screenwriter for <i>Taxi Driver</i> and he made his
directorial debut two years later with <i>Blue Collar</i> (1978). The film
deals with three operatives in a car manufacturing factory. They are struggling
with a cost-of-living crisis and their trade union is crooked. Early on in the
film, they attend a committee. The scene starts with a mid-shot of a spacious
room filled with people. The union rep says: ‘I’ve got to wait for something
big, not a bunch of little things.’ There is a picture of J. F. Kennedy and
Martin Luther King in the background. There is also a flag of the United States
and a labour confrontation from 1937. The character played by Richard Pryor
feels aggrieved because the rep does not listen to his complaint. He says: ‘I
also want to run for union rep and take your fucking job. […] I give the man
some real representation.’ They all clap and jeer as he says this. The camera
work alternates between mid-shots of Pryor and the union rep, from opposite
angles. The rep looks indifferent, as he smugly smokes a cigar. Pryor says:
‘And when I get your job, I am going to get a private jet… And play golf with Nixon
and president Ford and them motherfuckers.’ However, the union rep continues to
parry all of his concerns. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTZjt_czJXUjSZumcGWji6AerWMs3CI8OGXH0oqt5iVwVo6ikBNWC_BG87f6oEF4yE2mNEPx5UPYpwfdWXR0Haa49HRnlQ1_79E4tQ6O1w0hkYeXLJ1zeliY19x0ZAI9rQAAunOzq-SvNQorAgo45glBoWxnXaD8PQ5xjnJRjiBLVSWd3Boj0PehP/s284/blue%20collar.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="177" data-original-width="284" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTZjt_czJXUjSZumcGWji6AerWMs3CI8OGXH0oqt5iVwVo6ikBNWC_BG87f6oEF4yE2mNEPx5UPYpwfdWXR0Haa49HRnlQ1_79E4tQ6O1w0hkYeXLJ1zeliY19x0ZAI9rQAAunOzq-SvNQorAgo45glBoWxnXaD8PQ5xjnJRjiBLVSWd3Boj0PehP/s1600/blue%20collar.jpg" width="284" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Later
on in the film, Pryor finally does get the rep job, but he is swiftly
disappointed. He is powerless to change anything and, to his horror, finds that
the union is even more criminal than he ever imagined. He ingratiates himself
with the union and tries to change it from within, but he finds that he cannot
do this. Indeed, they kill his close friend Smokey. Pryor is told this in a
striking scene. The union leader acknowledges that he killed Smokey on a bridge
overlooking a motorway. We see a mid-shot of Pryor as he says: ‘You
motherfuckers lied to me. You said Smokey and Kerry would be ok.’ We see a
mid-shot of the leader, who looks blasé. The camera work alternates between
mid-shots of Pryor and the union leader as the traffic whirrs in the
background. The leader attributes this to an accident: ‘We’ve been having
meetings all morning. We’ve found Smokey’s death as the result of negligence
and improper staff precautions.’ Pryor says: ‘Fuck that, man! You had him
murdered!’ The leader says: ‘Be careful who you call murderer. […] And how do
you think things get changed around here? Not pie-in-the-sky martyrs. […] You
thought being a union rep was going to be easy. Now you know it’s tough and
it’s rough.’ The character played by Pryor becomes a union rep to change it,
but once he gets the job is powerless to effect any change. Schrader is
critiquing the corrupt nature of American trade unions in the 1970s. He is also
representing the precarious position many blue-collar workers were in the
1970s, as it is the cost-of-living that drives them towards the crooked trade
unions in the first place. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Keynesian settlement was already running into problems by the late 1960s, but
the Oil Crisis exacerbated it. Keynesianism had been the prevailing economic
orthodoxy, but many figures sought to distance themselves from it. The 1970s
were a period of ‘stagflation’ – that is, high unemployment, high inflation and
low growth. Economists like Milton Friedman and Paul Volker proposed a type of
‘shock therapy’. They wanted to contract the money supply so as to bring
inflation down, which would create a recession. Keynesianism had previously
redistributed wealth and intervened in the economy to keep unemployment low,
but these economists wanted a freer market. At this point, many Keynesians
overestimated the role of the sate in a free society, as they tried to tackle
inflation by setting prices and wages. This sense of economic chaos is apparent
in <i>Being There</i>, as the simpleminded protagonist talks about the seasons and
this is interpreted as an insightful comment on economic cycles. He talks about
‘growth in spring’ and this is interpreted as a comment on the economy. Indeed,
there was a wide sense of pessimism at the time. <i>Life of Brian</i> recreates
the sense of sectarianism of the British left and trade unions. The trade
unions at the time had paralysed the British economy due to their strikes.
Leftists like Tony Benn, meanwhile, lamented the lack of ideological purity in
the government. This comes through in the film as the Jewdian People’s Front
hate the People’s Front of Jewdia more than the Romans. Meanwhile, New York was
in a state of stagnation in the 1970s and fared worse than any other American
city. It had a large deficit and had very high crime rates. At the time,
president Gerald Ford visited the city and lamented its condition. This comes
through in <i>Taxi Driver</i>, as it depicts child prostitution and the
protagonist Travis Bickle talks about the ‘filth’ in the streets. American
trade unions at the time were notorious for their links to organised crime,
which comes through in <i>Blue Collar</i> by Paul Schrader. The lead character
joins the trade union to change it, but they kill his best friend. These are
the ways in which these films recreate economic decline in the 1970s.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Works Cited <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Baker,
Kevin. (2015) ‘Welcome to Fear City – the Inside Story of New York’s Civil War,
40 Years On.’ In <i>The Guardian</i>. Available from: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/18/welcome-to-fear-city-the-inside-story-of-new-yorks-civil-war-40-years-on">https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/may/18/welcome-to-fear-city-the-inside-story-of-new-yorks-civil-war-40-years-on</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cornwell, Rupert.
(2010) ‘The Teamsters, a Trade Union Like no Other.’ In <i>The Guardian</i>.
Available from: <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-teamsters-a-trade-union-like-no-other-1924647.html">https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/the-teamsters-a-trade-union-like-no-other-1924647.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Coyle, Diane. (2017) ‘When
Britain went Bust.’ In <i>Financial Times</i>. Available from: <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/3b583050-d277-11e6-b06b-680c49b4b4c0">https://www.ft.com/content/3b583050-d277-11e6-b06b-680c49b4b4c0</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lambert, Stephen.
(2017) ‘Trade Unions from the Beginning to 1979.’ In <i>North East by Lines</i>.
Available from: <a href="https://northeastbylines.co.uk/trade-unions-from-the-beginning-to-1979/">https://northeastbylines.co.uk/trade-unions-from-the-beginning-to-1979/</a>
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Net. E. H. (2006) ‘Mobsters,
Unions and the Feds: The Mafia and the American Labour Movement.’ In <i>EH.net</i>.
Available from: <a href="https://eh.net/book_reviews/mobsters-unions-and-feds-the-mafia-and-the-american-labor-movement/">https://eh.net/book_reviews/mobsters-unions-and-feds-the-mafia-and-the-american-labor-movement/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Perlstein, Rick. (2020)
<i>Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980</i>. New York: Simon &
Schuster. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Skidelsky,
Robert. (2010) <i>Keynes: A Very Short Introduction</i>. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wesbury, Brian, Stein,
Robert. (2019) ‘We’re All Keynesians Now.’ In <i>Advisor Perspectives</i>.
Available from: <a href="https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2019/09/16/were-all-keynesians-now">https://www.advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/2019/09/16/were-all-keynesians-now</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unknown Author. ‘NYC in Chaos.’ In <i>American
Experience</i>. Available from: <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/blackout-gallery/">https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/blackout-gallery/</a><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Filmography<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Being There</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">. (1979) Directed by Hal Ashby.
United Artists. 130 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Blue Collar</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">. (1978) Directed by Paul Schrader.
Universal Pictures. 114 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Life of Brian</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">. (1979) Directed by Terry Jones. Cinema
International Corporation. 94 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Taxi Driver</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">. (1976) Directed by Martin Scorcese.
Columbia Pictures. 114 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-3335900942198470612022-05-01T08:49:00.001-07:002022-05-01T08:49:22.920-07:00Ahoy Facebook #18 <p> <span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meandering Pontification 4</span></p><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I went into a church today… I enjoy being in churches, cathedrals and religious buildings… I really like the peace and quiet, but I also like them for the same reason that conservatives do – they conserve things… The church in Dronfield is the same way it was ten years ago… It has the same podium and the same WWI memorial…</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I read REFLECTIONS ON THE REVOLUTION IN FRANCE by Edmund Burke and hardly remember anything about it… It is the holy book for conservatives the same way that ON LIBERTY by John Stuart Mill is for liberals (I remember a lot more about that…), EQUALITY by R. H. Tawney for social democrats/democratic socialists and DAS KAPITAL by Karl Marx for revolutionary socialists/communists… </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Anyway, a quote by Burke always sticks in my head – ‘society is a contract between the unborn, the living and the dead.’ I don’t believe in God/the supernatural, but churches/cathedrals have that quality to them – they retain a link between previous, current and future generations…</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Anyway, I can get why you might be repulsed by extreme political radicalism, but not by extreme aesthetic radicalism. A classicist in art might be repulsed by Jackson Pollock splattering paint all over a canvas, a jazz purist might be repulsed by Albert Ayler making weird noises on a saxophone and a classical music snob might be incensed by Karlheinz Stockhausen bashing a grand piano… I can get why you might like or dislike these things, but there is no real social harm involved here…</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I can see the danger in extreme political radicalism… The collectivisation of agriculture led to famines that killed twelve million people, Pol Pot killed a third of his population, fascism led to the holocaust… There is a good case for caution and moderation in politics… You might disagree with moderate ideologies like liberalism, social democracy or conservatism, but they never produced famines or genocides…</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Also, those three ideologies can coexist… A pluralistic society allows for values to co-exist and these values might clash with each other… A social democrat might try to make a society fairer by investing more in universal health/education, a conservative might want to protect family values and a liberal would want to defend free speech… But all of these values can co-exist in a liberal democracy… Fascism/communism are both antagonistic to value pluralism/liberal democracy, which is why they can both fuck off…</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">End of meandering pontifications. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1o0gPeSi_ANfSqxJfhh9Nac8wyoq5wERy2six12aQ9qhuO5lnUvvabXBEE2_YRdkmmezb92qDEiNBAY_S3ZV1WkKTATlSffvOeTD4cVhZLhbP5pnkqBqtAF28AXcOUuDoyK5e6H1gkIbF8ynCsrtj73asd3HGpfYErPXEvbMW1eqkUBHMfpJld_Rl/s2048/267716315_4391807540946600_8903705844735165433_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1o0gPeSi_ANfSqxJfhh9Nac8wyoq5wERy2six12aQ9qhuO5lnUvvabXBEE2_YRdkmmezb92qDEiNBAY_S3ZV1WkKTATlSffvOeTD4cVhZLhbP5pnkqBqtAF28AXcOUuDoyK5e6H1gkIbF8ynCsrtj73asd3HGpfYErPXEvbMW1eqkUBHMfpJld_Rl/s320/267716315_4391807540946600_8903705844735165433_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErZ2DNRGDl0owxyUdB_bTJnqbr22YLELi10jfcdjEqoyLkuuQ2WNO3S9tJwjykSG7malzYeZsxkSlGfMhfCkIHZBjtR4GIv0WZHUHqkxj5LZRle12K5tUQk1mdFP-oQLiQToMqQ9XC6ud0jHWqCGCclFXpYAa6A-Ps98DUXw_aLrq_4_zPX9s45h7/s2048/267393273_4391808634279824_1458260284664558004_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjErZ2DNRGDl0owxyUdB_bTJnqbr22YLELi10jfcdjEqoyLkuuQ2WNO3S9tJwjykSG7malzYeZsxkSlGfMhfCkIHZBjtR4GIv0WZHUHqkxj5LZRle12K5tUQk1mdFP-oQLiQToMqQ9XC6ud0jHWqCGCclFXpYAa6A-Ps98DUXw_aLrq_4_zPX9s45h7/s320/267393273_4391808634279824_1458260284664558004_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four records: Woody Herman's Greatest Hits by Woody Herman, Chapter Three: Viva Emiliano Zapata by Gato Barbieri, Life & Times by Billy Cobham and I Live Jazz by Harry James and his Orchestra.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One book: The Little Friend by Donna Tartt.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">One DVD: The Descendants by Alexander Payne.</div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdHJDuT4aofHzoZHLWm1zZEnsIIkIaXZEKjStf2T8mDaNAF5C4V1NAX9sJfzqe4rTu78ZpPQsugrJo0oPFH1DCV7XTWRsQ5_ld9WFtRUMxEfoi5BCiJ1KM9lDRgGkR7t5HIWa7zvmuTQ6VySgB05yWKl1L_2L6iS9QiJwDwUIWROMRusrve6IV8TA/s2048/270758639_4461597130634307_9018894504924623597_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxdHJDuT4aofHzoZHLWm1zZEnsIIkIaXZEKjStf2T8mDaNAF5C4V1NAX9sJfzqe4rTu78ZpPQsugrJo0oPFH1DCV7XTWRsQ5_ld9WFtRUMxEfoi5BCiJ1KM9lDRgGkR7t5HIWa7zvmuTQ6VySgB05yWKl1L_2L6iS9QiJwDwUIWROMRusrve6IV8TA/s320/270758639_4461597130634307_9018894504924623597_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span> </div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Five books: Eat the Rich: A Treatise on Economics by P. J. O'rourke, The Logic of Scientific Discoveries by Karl Popper, The Cultural Revolution: A People's History 1962-1976 by Frank Dikotter, Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World and The War that Ended Peace by Margaret Macmillan.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">P. J. O'rourke was a journalist for years and always encountered a lot of economics. He didn't know much about it, so he wrote a book to learn more about it.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I am interested in Popper's contributions to philosophy of science, although I've been told that these theories are antiquated and disproven. I probably won't understand much of this, but there's no harm in giving a this a whirl. (I've waded through philosophical tomes without understanding most of it, but you always get something out of it.)</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought a book about China's 'great leap forward.' I want to get clued up on all those egregious experiments in communism/pure socialism (even if those trendy Novara Media kids think that it's a cool word to use).</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I bought a book about the lead up to the First World War and the aftermath - again, it' s something that I want to get clued up on.</div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">These are all the books that I read last year.</div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2021/5993530?fbclid=IwAR0cyGfRQvcp9xdhBIT089figtJdZzuYbg0rEODH7wlzOskMQaRCkd_dTRo</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5w49lKquWMd6Oeh25WT1juB8IjDvmJk0p5MiA0CYsmxMvi0QcOmLJhGM9yqltNqsYMat7oBlnl8sdnT1f6XR5J5RWp9F9fKBU2TFNuY1tRSCVzUyuvRZR47X3sBTi1XrcB0fwUaICFMbGDGez8u2cMiFj6hl-yeE3OgxYQrELRHdQtaEUTNFj__n/s2048/271322365_4476268815833805_8441050123750401098_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-5w49lKquWMd6Oeh25WT1juB8IjDvmJk0p5MiA0CYsmxMvi0QcOmLJhGM9yqltNqsYMat7oBlnl8sdnT1f6XR5J5RWp9F9fKBU2TFNuY1tRSCVzUyuvRZR47X3sBTi1XrcB0fwUaICFMbGDGez8u2cMiFj6hl-yeE3OgxYQrELRHdQtaEUTNFj__n/s320/271322365_4476268815833805_8441050123750401098_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></span><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Five CDs: The White Album by The Beatles, Abbey Road by The Beatles, Hot Rocks: 1964-71 by The Rolling Stones, Black Market by Weather Report and The Koln Concert by Keith Jarrett.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNqVBEv7LL4tHBxp8yiXUOy8JBBDgA3a1BE8y3fIWXhFdTw3chMA_UA27HSLMmkW2wMZndJuEw3gbgUQ9yJE95MK6iHi55JavsXLJevSh-ivqa-rEEw2-qh9x9mOmkvpAK_1HIIaFpIyWARibI79VoLo8sofEcWqLFwJZjHnn1Q27WYZV4r3TJljx/s2048/271561745_4483224211804932_1111550019994189184_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQNqVBEv7LL4tHBxp8yiXUOy8JBBDgA3a1BE8y3fIWXhFdTw3chMA_UA27HSLMmkW2wMZndJuEw3gbgUQ9yJE95MK6iHi55JavsXLJevSh-ivqa-rEEw2-qh9x9mOmkvpAK_1HIIaFpIyWARibI79VoLo8sofEcWqLFwJZjHnn1Q27WYZV4r3TJljx/s320/271561745_4483224211804932_1111550019994189184_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGEpV4e7FLROkv4v1BLTOifImJehlM5vq4K0iHnWC7M39r7I44VbyABDOMp5i5gKmHlP3vwXCSRtCRlXwTEBgZT7-Hi6W5_o4OAjl4MHUxAVMSmf5X5WdOWjnfW4zb-JGLeq5oOgtuc7NbWGhmlyumq7VAnnUb_vWijIEtKQlLmRziJsULTWtwZD2/s2048/271528673_4483224791804874_2408519436372502347_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGEpV4e7FLROkv4v1BLTOifImJehlM5vq4K0iHnWC7M39r7I44VbyABDOMp5i5gKmHlP3vwXCSRtCRlXwTEBgZT7-Hi6W5_o4OAjl4MHUxAVMSmf5X5WdOWjnfW4zb-JGLeq5oOgtuc7NbWGhmlyumq7VAnnUb_vWijIEtKQlLmRziJsULTWtwZD2/s320/271528673_4483224791804874_2408519436372502347_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Ten DVDs: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligary by Robert Wiene, Ordet by Carl Theodor Dreyer, Day of Wrath by Carl Theodor Dreyer, M by Fritz Lang, Pickpocket by Robert Bresson, Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio de Sica, Rope by Alfred Hitchcock, Rear Window by Alfred Hitchcock, Bring me the Head of Alfredo Garcia by Sam Peckinpah and The Seventh Seal by Ingmar Bergman.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've enjoyed these films for a while, so it's good to own them. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsGxfu-XF4Kg-vITseQhjBslypJDj8actdK_AnisGh6_ZvPvCALGp-oRgyCN7OH9b0z6ZFtuVnSRMqXjuP4u63wNgmB6udredSYCsu2LalQrqgfr3GQwLp6BiRRDeFdPj0wVynsL1O6nBSwKkldPba8Byvb1NhhI6sY8Btd1bOHcOUsezbVxl7x9H/s1560/273170298_4587101658083853_3176680097813159849_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1560" data-original-width="1170" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTsGxfu-XF4Kg-vITseQhjBslypJDj8actdK_AnisGh6_ZvPvCALGp-oRgyCN7OH9b0z6ZFtuVnSRMqXjuP4u63wNgmB6udredSYCsu2LalQrqgfr3GQwLp6BiRRDeFdPj0wVynsL1O6nBSwKkldPba8Byvb1NhhI6sY8Btd1bOHcOUsezbVxl7x9H/s320/273170298_4587101658083853_3176680097813159849_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four books: Wittgenstein: A Very Short Introduction by A. C. Grayling, Epicureanism: A Very Short Introduction by Catherine Wilson, Zona: A Book about a Film about a Journey to a Room by Geoff Dyer and Cuentos reunidos by José Donoso.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've heard people talk about Wittgenstein in the past and I've not take a smidgen of it in. Hopefully I'll get a better idea of what he was all about when I read this book.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've always struggled to construct a coherent philosophical and political worldview because, ultimately, I am a mass of contradictions. However, as I get older I realise that I do not NEED to have a coherent, well-constructed philosophical system and I do not NEED to be a politico who has an opinion about everything.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">For instance, I am a bit of a hedonist, but I also think that I should act morally/justly... However, ultimately, I am much more of an indulgent wanker and a hedonist than a moralist... Which is why I bought a book about Epicureanism, a school which is all about maximising pleasure (though there's a lot more to it than that... and it's a bit of a myth that they were hedonists anyway).</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Geoff Dyer writes non-fiction about a plethora of disparate subjects... and he also writes fiction... In other words, he's the kind of writer that I'd like to be, except that the is actually rather good at it and I'm amateurish crap.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, 'Stalker' by Tarkovsky is one of his favourite films... so he wrote a book about it... Tarksovsky is also one of my favourite filmmakers, so... I bought this book.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I really like José Donoso... For my undergrad dissertation, I compared his book 'The Obscene Bird of Night' with a book by J. G. Ballard. My dad went on a trip to Chile, so he picked up this book of short stories by him for me.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TpGcnNI0xboBsOeDWI3yzGTWYtnFHoiiUGNFawMtMswwbP6je6kQX5v1-GQQppmX1SbNsYL8CerXFnIAZh_u2duez2BMhS1kb5KODOKkeCtZGUwckk2vkl_ZhI4n5gJpSJ30MYnegspeNTCW8dxZxm4z26HVx7weBJhzGcVIt9_JNhPJhJ-3GHU_/s2048/275333093_4676381515822533_4413657768633664267_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9TpGcnNI0xboBsOeDWI3yzGTWYtnFHoiiUGNFawMtMswwbP6je6kQX5v1-GQQppmX1SbNsYL8CerXFnIAZh_u2duez2BMhS1kb5KODOKkeCtZGUwckk2vkl_ZhI4n5gJpSJ30MYnegspeNTCW8dxZxm4z26HVx7weBJhzGcVIt9_JNhPJhJ-3GHU_/s320/275333093_4676381515822533_4413657768633664267_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Three CDs: Nevermind by Nirvana, In Utero by Nirvana and Mutter by Rammstein.</div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlXo24hnC3q1TYnJILH_D8fUVE03bVJ0-0lMaTQdcrnvM_Dz-oPWO1yZn2A7XvTbMUUsHZiF6xdXNQqeXbONXHnbeeSl6UwcNVVpt99ZlpqICtX__BFKxEUrb_1REPEKZVt7MhsF-D-YJM95Y7ZvA7pDay_cXGw_q-8NkVBjUKbzO_M2scTAQWpO6/s1107/275997125_4711734872287197_2640829886402186223_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1107" data-original-width="743" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLlXo24hnC3q1TYnJILH_D8fUVE03bVJ0-0lMaTQdcrnvM_Dz-oPWO1yZn2A7XvTbMUUsHZiF6xdXNQqeXbONXHnbeeSl6UwcNVVpt99ZlpqICtX__BFKxEUrb_1REPEKZVt7MhsF-D-YJM95Y7ZvA7pDay_cXGw_q-8NkVBjUKbzO_M2scTAQWpO6/s320/275997125_4711734872287197_2640829886402186223_n.jpg" width="215" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">According to policy wonks/experts (i.e. people who understand politics/current affairs at much greater detail than bozos like you and me), there is a greater chance of nuclear war now than at any time during the cold war.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Which reminds me of this cartoon by Robert Crumb… A cartoonist thinks that it’d be swell if Bertrand Russell could see his cartoons… But a H bomb brings that lofty dream to an end.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">We all have personal goals and aspirations… Many Ukrainians have had to jettison their own personal goals just to survive… For instance, I want to finish writing a book of essays… And, on top of that, I want to write two novels and another book of essays… And think of all those doctors carrying out ground-breaking research, of all those physicists carrying out ground-breaking research into the behaviour of the proton, of all those concert pianists learning Rachmaninov, of all those people combating poverty in Africa, of all those football players who might become the next Messi, of all those filmmakers who might make the next Citizen Kane… All of these personal goals would come to an end thanks to the impetuousness of an unhinged dictator.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkVgp4nBGx6XKJa1qwlxwiEUvTFUBySfDZegE258RNG6w1epX7wZLx8qN4HksZ70MIVvmYYzhFnlsSx_BE9IEQWL9DeUXhefj4QCaK87dzaqss8gRRyAXvrOtwPyRwDA8DC4Maqx8pSyw28UG_vgz8piE2eWmO_RkVSXpR7Q0YywVABgC_CXVytby/s2048/277765283_4757189671075050_9027359871134157073_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkVgp4nBGx6XKJa1qwlxwiEUvTFUBySfDZegE258RNG6w1epX7wZLx8qN4HksZ70MIVvmYYzhFnlsSx_BE9IEQWL9DeUXhefj4QCaK87dzaqss8gRRyAXvrOtwPyRwDA8DC4Maqx8pSyw28UG_vgz8piE2eWmO_RkVSXpR7Q0YywVABgC_CXVytby/s320/277765283_4757189671075050_9027359871134157073_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions.</div></div><div class="cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql o9v6fnle ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four DVDs: The Great Beauty by Paolo Sorrentino, Toni Erdmann by Maren Ade, Blue Collar by Paul Schrader and Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-6649627412292955652022-02-12T08:00:00.003-08:002022-02-12T08:00:34.789-08:00A Very Brief History of Dream Interpretation<p> This is part six from a forthcoming book called <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>.</p><p><b>************************</b></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">A Very
Brief History of Dream Interpretation<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Dreams are not such a central part
of our culture anymore, but they were a lot more central to previous cultures
and to aboriginal cultures. Although they are not as central, dreams do not
fail to baffle us with their bizarre, non-linear and jarring imagery. This
essay will offer a very brief history of dream interpretation by looking at
ancient Greece, medieval Europe, Sigmund Freud and contemporary neuroscience.
It is a predominantly Eurocentric history and does not look at aboriginal
cultures or the orient. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will start
by looking at ancient Greece. The Greeks made a distinction between significant
and insignificant dreams, the former being caused by hopes, fears and
digestion. On the other hand, significant dreams were symbolic interpretations
and visitations by gods, ghosts and friends. Indeed, people often thought that
dreams were divine interventions. The Greeks were often visited by Asclepius, a
divinity with healing powers. People talked to mystical gurus who interpreted
dreams and gave medical advice, diagnoses and cures. Religious devotees would
have a significant dream and then practice incubation or ritual sleep in a
sanctuary. Certain objects might encourage the communication, such as ritual
bathing, animal sacrifice or sleeping on animal skin. The Greek religious
culture allowed people to believe in the apparent truth of these dreams (Kamil
2014).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
main book that dealt with dream interpretation was <i>The Interpretation of
Dreams</i> by Artemidorus, otherwise known as <i>Oneirocrtitica</i>, and it is
the only book on dream interpretation that has survived antiquity. Dreams from
antiquity contain numerous references to horrible punishments such as
crucifixion, castration, having sex with Artemis and turning into a river god.
Indeed, the book by Artemidorus contains numerous references to these things.
Artemidorus’ book also contains references to having sex with mothers, which
influenced Sigmund Freud centuries later (Hall 2020). Artemidorus was a
resident of Ephesus and set out to write a theoretical guide to dreams, which
were important in antiquity, as people thought that they prophesised the
future. Artemidorous classified dreams as ‘enhypnia’ and ‘oneiroi,’ the former
being non-predictive dreams which recycle what has happened during the day and
the latter being predictive dreams which require interpretation. Dealing with
predictive dreams required skill, experience and a well-developed set of
interpretive tools. Artemidorus made wide historical research, extensive travel
and classified and arranged his material. However, he emphasised the importance
of direct experience rather than text-book learning. Dreams that occurred after
incubation in a temple were classed as God-sent. Otherwise, if they occurred
elsewhere, they were products of the mind and did not come from the external
source. Artemidorus used numerology, puns, wordplay and analogies, but he
thought that it was important to recollect dreams as much as possible. He
thought that it was important for the dream-interpreter to have as much
information about the dreamer’s background, status, present circumstances and
his medical and psychological condition. Dreams can have different
significances and different outcomes depending on whether the dreamer is a man
or a woman, slave or free, rich or poor or healthy or sick. Artemidorus
discusses about 1,400 dreams in his book (Hammond 2020).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Artemidorus
was an example of ancient dream theory, but this essay will now look at representations
of dreams in ancient fiction. One of the most striking representations of
dreams in antiquity occurs in <i>The Odyssey</i> by Homer. It would be classed
as a ‘significant’ dream, as it is predictive of the future. Penelope waits for
Odysseus to turn up and she is attended by fifty suitors. She dreams that an
eagle kills fifty geese. Later on, Odysseus kills the fifty suitors, so the
dream turns out to be prophetic and a wish-fulfilment. The bird tells the
following to Penelope in the dream: ‘This is not a dream but a happy reality
which you shall see fulfilled. Then geese were your suitors and I was the
eagle. I am your husband, home again and ready to inflict a gruesome fate on
every man among them’ (Homer 1991, p. 304). Odysseus later says: ‘Odysseus
himself […] will make it come true […] there is not one will escape his
destined death’ (p. 305). It is a prophetic dream and it is representative and
metaphorical. However, the eagle spells out what will happen in a very direct
way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilR8halHr94XfBT2PL1XOkgOx2rNwvVVF7_HUvMBEnQkfO8r5N-EOnANnQB3BQgBT18yq0rKcBiUIbcXm3jRK_Rujo5SDwgk8TW4C4oqSy-8ZMPwKqE5oAsCXv9sO9gvK6KVwojiAneXwxMTInEKBUTtxIG9Lni8HWtf4G1tWGq4A8acS6cLufSp8t=s1000" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="750" data-original-width="1000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEilR8halHr94XfBT2PL1XOkgOx2rNwvVVF7_HUvMBEnQkfO8r5N-EOnANnQB3BQgBT18yq0rKcBiUIbcXm3jRK_Rujo5SDwgk8TW4C4oqSy-8ZMPwKqE5oAsCXv9sO9gvK6KVwojiAneXwxMTInEKBUTtxIG9Lni8HWtf4G1tWGq4A8acS6cLufSp8t=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now briefly look at what some of the ancient philosophers said about
dreams. A philosopher who occasionally mentioned dreams was Heraclitus. He
likened our normal waking life to sleep and urged ‘to wake up to a higher
understanding’ (Waterfield, p. 33). It is only a select elite that manage to
apprehend the underlying nature of things, which he calls ‘the logos.’ Although
Heraclitus might seem to be disparaging of dreams in that sentence, there are
some fragments where he says that dreams have great insight. These are some of
his fragments: ‘Even a soul submerged in sleep is hard at work and helps make
something of the world’ (Heraclitus 2003, p. 57). He also says: ‘The waking
have one world in common. Sleepers, meanwhile, turn aside, each into a darkness
of his own’ (p. 63). Waking life is something that we all share, but the dream
world is something that only makes sense to a particular individual.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
brief history will now look at the medieval ages. Similarly, the medieval era
also has its own classic dream interpretation book, which was <i>Somniale
Daniels</i>. This was a dream manual that circulated during the medieval period
and the Renaissance and it was the most popular manual during this period. It
was structured through dream symbols and their concise explanations (Cappozzo
2020, p. 1). It consisted of a list of symbols arranged in alphabetical order
and interpreted as portending something good or evil for the dreamer (p. 1).
Key terms in the text corresponded to the subject of a dream (p. 1). It
transcended all classes in society, as everyone consulted the manual. Indeed,
Latin and vernacular versions existed (p. 3), but the vernacular version was
more secular and the Latin version was more ecclesiastical (p. 12). These were
some of the prophesies that the manual made: ‘To see a storm means profit’ (p.
28), ‘To see snakes means damaging the enemy’ (p. 28), ‘To see snakes means
damaging the enemy (p. 28), ‘To see blood means envy’ (p. 27), ‘To laugh in a
dream means sadness’ (p. 27), ‘To hear an organ playing means being aware of a
friend’ (p. 26), ‘To own a garden means happiness’ (p. 24). The medieval ages,
like antiquity, saw dreams as messages that portended the future. Also, like
the ancients, dreams were a lot more central to their culture than they are in
ours.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The medieval ages were dominated by
Christianity. As such, this essay will now explore religious interpretations of
dreams during this period. Indeed, dreams were seen as divine interventions
(Kunzel 2002, p. 215). Dreams were seen as an active communication between the
dreamer and another world. This is what Gregory the Great said about dreams:
‘The voice of God is indeed heard in dreams, when with a tranquil mind there is
quiet from the action of this world and in this silence of mind divine precepts
are perceived’ (Wellesley 2018). However, a small group of clergymen, mainly
monks, had a monopoly on recording dreams in writing (Kunzel, p. 216). For
medieval religious writers, dreams exhibit traces of Judeo-Christian traditions
(216). In addition to this, the medieval clergy believed that supernatural
powers could intervene through dreams (p. 216). They did this because according
to the clergy God would send angels to people through dreams, but the devil
also sent demons (p. 216). There was little notion that dreams came from people
themselves, but the ancients did entertain this notion (p. 216). However, like
the ancients, the medieval period did think that dreams contained predictions
(p. 216). Additionally, the medieval clergy stressed that dreams had to be
interpreted through Christian doctrine (Keskiaho 2015). For instance, Pope
Hadrian I interpreted Charlamagne’s dream, who was king of the Franks. However,
since his dream did not correspond to biblical imagery, it was interpreted as
being illusionary. Gregory the Great thought that dreams had to be interpreted
through spiritual judgement. Although dreams were not an integral part of
theology, it was used heavily in the imagery of the period (Keskiaho 2015). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin0L0DjZRbY4kAW4XAWdMDdim1XTHVPD8xPG34p_kdAwt5xwMpExw10g4wAvzOXOaw-Si5z7K1zqkU9u8DFQ5sUbt1tDiD5ueGJR-vUpwv30e-Q-A_-gLUvWX2yBDN3H9VJPwoHEt4GKhPDnXB2ANeRVy3-LMlWWhGA4hFyBcVq0yJUMzzMwESGf-a=s228" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="221" data-original-width="228" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin0L0DjZRbY4kAW4XAWdMDdim1XTHVPD8xPG34p_kdAwt5xwMpExw10g4wAvzOXOaw-Si5z7K1zqkU9u8DFQ5sUbt1tDiD5ueGJR-vUpwv30e-Q-A_-gLUvWX2yBDN3H9VJPwoHEt4GKhPDnXB2ANeRVy3-LMlWWhGA4hFyBcVq0yJUMzzMwESGf-a" width="228" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will explore how dreams were classified by the medieval clergy. According
to Macobius, there are five types of dreams – the enigmatic dream, the
prophetic dream, the oracular dream, the nightmare and the apparition. The
enigmatic dream is difficult to interpret, the oracular dream is when the
priest or pious person clearly reveals what will transpire and what action to
take or to avoid. The prophetic dream shows event that will come true. Finally,
nightmares are unimportant apparitions that arise due to stress (Wellesley
2018). Additionally, dreams were also classed as a temporary state between
earthly life and judgement in heaven: ‘[A] temporary state of the disembodied
soul as it awaits resurrection of the body at the last judgement’. Writers in
the Old Testament spoke about death being a kind of sleep (Collins 2019).
Dreams were classified into these five categories, but they were also classed
as a transitory state between earthly and divine worlds. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dreams
were largely seen as divine interventions in antiquity and the medieval period,
although this was especially the case in the medieval period. However, Sigmund
Freud constructed an atheistic belief system with psychoanalysis in the late 19<sup>th</sup>
and early 20<sup>th</sup> centuries. Dreams were a crucial part of his system
and he devoted an entire book to the subject with <i>The Interpretation of
Dreams</i> (1900). For Freud, dreaming is the unconscious at work, as it
transforms the latent content into the manifest content. The dream circumvents
repression and censorship and reveals what we really think and wish. Dreams
also involve ‘condensation’; that is, they take a number of elements and
combine them into one whole. They also involve ‘displacement,’ as they
represent seemingly insignificant things. Dreams might be about something, but
the dream shows that it is about something else. Emotions are associated with
one idea and it detached from that idea and attached to another one. Dreams
also perform a ‘secondary revision,’ which are more logical (Freud Museum
London year).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at segments from <i>The Interpretation of Dreams</i>. Freud
says in the book that, although dreams might seem incomprehensible, they lend
themselves to interpretation (1999, p. 79). For Freud, dreams do possess
meaning and that ‘a scientific method of dream interpretation is possible’ (p.
80). He interpreted thousands of dreams in an allegedly scientific manner (p.
80). Freud, echoing antiquity, thinks that dreams represent wish fulfilments
(p. 98). Everything said and spoken in dreams are reproductions of words and
allusions to events retained in the dream thoughts (p. 238). Crucially, for
Freud, he thinks that dreams come from the unconscious (p. 361), but that these
unconscious thoughts are repressed and manifest themselves in our dreams (p.
404). For Freud, the unconscious is ‘the question of psychology’ (p. 404), as
it is ‘the basis for the life of the psyche (p. 405). We are conscious during
our waking life, but the unconscious comes into being whilst we are asleep (p.
405). Dreams are the way they are because they are ‘unconscious thinking.’
However, the unconscious is also active during the day, but it is mediated by
the conscious mind (p. 405). Dreams seem to enact unconscious fantasies and
probably arise due to repressed sexual impulses (p. 405). Freud says the
following about this: ‘[Dreams are an] expression for impulses which are
hampered by resistance by day, but are able to draw reinforcement from deep
sources of excitation by night’ (p. 406). Dreams reproduce the ‘dream wish’ and
help us to ‘rediscover’ the unconscious (p. 406). These theories claim that
dreams occur due to psychological activity and, unlike earlier periods, Freud
attributes none of this to supernatural intervention. Whilst all this is very
interesting, it is not backed up by empirical investigation. Karl Popper claimed
that Freud’s theories were pseudo-science (Okasha 2002, p. 12), as he made
claims that could not be falsified, and his ideas are no longer influential in
psychology (Yeung 2021). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhClzp0zncHpmGtm91NjIix9eqDywvNx0wPzRy_Bxz63jvOWhMHUkeQT7EcfeZZ-fLM_BoLcjKfSyzP2dyywj1OqeIvfbafS30MBbRplp1qulsunRtxwvvl5uoVLiGLndFB_jCK9ldlA7jLrIeCd4FUvhFc6gURgs3GCzUS2VbeXgGsExFFd-O85L7f=s886" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="886" data-original-width="591" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhClzp0zncHpmGtm91NjIix9eqDywvNx0wPzRy_Bxz63jvOWhMHUkeQT7EcfeZZ-fLM_BoLcjKfSyzP2dyywj1OqeIvfbafS30MBbRplp1qulsunRtxwvvl5uoVLiGLndFB_jCK9ldlA7jLrIeCd4FUvhFc6gURgs3GCzUS2VbeXgGsExFFd-O85L7f=s320" width="213" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indeed, there is no proof of Freud’s claims in
neuroscience. According to neuroscience, dreams occur due to brain plasticity
and REM sleep. Brain plasticity occurs when neurons interconnect and find new
partners. They constantly change and neurons pass on different information to
each other. Like plastic, the brain assumes new shapes and changes. The brain
includes eighty-six billion neurons and 0.2 quadrillion connections, which
rewire every moment of our lives. Neuroscience used to think that different
parts of the brain were predetermined to perform certain functions. However,
recent discoveries now show that the brain is assigned a task, which is passed
on to the back of the brain, the visual cortex. The visual cortex is active at
night, when neurons in the visual cortex overpower the senses. During sleep, we
experience REM sleep for ninety minutes, which stands for Rapid Eye Movement,
and this is when dreams usually occur. Some dreams can occur during non-REM
sleep, but these dreams are usually abstract and are less vivid. REM sleep is
triggered by a set of neurons that pump activity into the visual cortex. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Circuitry in the brain paralyses the muscles
in the body during REM sleep, so that the brain can stimulate visual experience
without moving the body. Neuroscientists think that dreams occur so as to
prevent the other senses from taking over the visual cortex when it is unused
(Eagleton and Vaughn 2020).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This essay will
now examine how REM and brain plasticity cause dreams. Dreaming is caused when
a small group of cells are switched on and they execrate a chemical called
‘acetylcholine.’ This chemical activates the higher parts of the brain and they
generate meaningless images. These meaningless images are made from ‘noisy’
signals that are sent up from the brain. This is later counteracted by another
group of cells which execrate two chemicals called noradrenaline and serotine,
which switch off the cholinergic activation. The frontal lobe of the brain,
which is above the eyes, contain a large fibre-pathway which transmit a
chemical called ‘dopamine.’ This is passed on from the middle part of the brain
to the higher parts. Damage to this pathway makes dreaming impossible, but it
leaves the REM cycle unaffected. Chemical stimulation of the dopamine pathway
leads to a massive increase in the frequency and vividness of dreams without
having an effect on the frequency and intensity of REM sleep (Solms 1999).
Dreams that occur during REM sleep are often bizarre and have something to do
with personal concerns. The dreams are often similar to psychotic experiences,
since they involve false beliefs and distorted sensory perceptions. Indeed,
dream reports are often similar to reports of people experiencing psychosis
(Munt 2017). All these discoveries debunked Freud’s speculations. Although
Freud saw dreams as profoundly meaningful, they are now seen as meaningless. For
Freud, dreams could explain all of our underlying problems and motivations. Now
they are largely seen as meaningless images that arise due to psychological
processes. Indeed, they are seen as no different from the beliefs of
psychotics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Dreams
were a central part of Greek culture. They distinguished between significant
and insignificant dreams and they claimed that the former were prophetic.
People often consulted gurus who interpreted significant dreams. Artemidorus wrote
an entire book that interpreted dreams and it was very popular during
antiquity. Dreams feature in ancient fiction, notably in <i>The Odyssey</i> by
Homer. The story features a prophetic wish-fulfilment, which was a common
feature of ancient dream interpretation. Heraclitus was an ancient Greek
philosopher who included dreams in his writings. For him, people were
constantly asleep and that a few enlightened individuals could access reason,
‘the logos.’ He also mentioned in one of his fragments that individuals enter
their own private world whilst we all share the same world in our waking life.
The most important book of dream interpretation in the medieval period was <i>Somniale
Daniels</i>, which was a manual that contained symbols. Although dreams were
not a central part of medieval theology, they were a central part of Medieval
culture. Dreams were seen as divine interventions, as people thought that either
God or the devil sent messengers that appeared in our dreams. Freud constructed
an atheistic doctrine with psychoanalysis and dreams were a crucial part of it.
For Freud, dreams reveal the unconscious mind that permeates all our thoughts
and actions. Freud thought that dreams could be scientifically analysed and
understood. Although he was an atheist, Freud echoed the ancients and the
medieval period, as he did think that dreams were wish fulfilments. Freud was a
major 20<sup>th</sup> century figure, but none of his speculations have been
confirmed by empirical investigations in neuroscience. According the
neuroscience, dreams are caused by brain plasticity and Rapid Eye Movement.
Neurons overpower the visual cortex and this activity causes dreams.
Transmission of the chemical ‘dopamine’ is also crucial to dreaming. Reports of
dreams are highly similar to the behaviour of psychotics, as they are deluded,
their senses are disorganised and they experience hallucinations. Although
dreams were very meaningful to antiquity, the medieval period and to Freud,
they are now seen as meaningless images which are caused by cerebral activity.
Even so, they still never fail to bemuse us with their bizarre images. Although
they are not as prevalent in our culture, they do often appear in cinema and
literature and the arts continue to use them as a source of inspiration.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Words Cited</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Cappozzo, Valerio. (2020) ‘The Transmission of the <i>Somniale
Daniels</i>, from Latin to Vernacular Italian.’ In <i>Translat Library</i>.
Vol. 2: No. 1. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Collins,
Christopher. (2019) ‘Poetics of the Medieval Dream.’ In <i>Creative Commons</i>.
Available from: </span><a href="https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:23871/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://hcommons.org/deposits/item/hc:23871/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Eagleman,
David and Vaughn, Don. (2020) ‘Why do we Dream? A New Theory on How it Protects
Our Brains.’ In <i>Time</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://time.com/5925206/why-do-we-dream/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://time.com/5925206/why-do-we-dream/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Freud, Sigmund. (1999) <i>The
Interpretation of Dreams</i>. Originally published in 1900. Translated by Joyce
Crick. Oxford: Oxford University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hall, Edith. (2020) ‘Sex on the Brain.’ In <i>Times
Literary Supplement</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/artemidorus-interpretation-of-dreams-review/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.the-tls.co.uk/articles/artemidorus-interpretation-of-dreams-review/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hammond, Martin. (2020) ‘Artemidorus on Dreams.’ <i>In
Classics for All</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://classicsforall.org.uk/reading-room/ad-familiares/artemidorus-dreams"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://classicsforall.org.uk/reading-room/ad-familiares/artemidorus-dreams</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Heraclitus. (2003) <i>Fragments</i>. Translated by Brooks
Haxton. London: Penguin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Homer.
(1991) <i>The Odyssey</i>. Translated by E. V. Rieu. London: Penguin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Kamil, Miriam. (2014) ‘Dreams and Prophecy in Ancient
Greece.’ In <i>Ancient Origins</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/dreams-and-prophecy-ancient-greece-002107"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends-europe/dreams-and-prophecy-ancient-greece-002107</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Keskiaho,
Jess. (2015) ‘Images and the Images of Dreams in the Early Middle Ages.’ In
Cambridge Blog. Available from: </span><a href="http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2015/07/images-and-the-images-of-dreams-in-the-early-middle-ages/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">http://www.cambridgeblog.org/2015/07/images-and-the-images-of-dreams-in-the-early-middle-ages/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Kunzel,
Rudi. (2002) ‘Medieval Dreams: A Sample of Historical and Psychoanalytical
Criticism.’ In <i>Psychoanlyticsche Perspectieven</i>. 20:2, p. 215-233. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Mutz,
Julian. (2017) ‘Exploring the Neural Correlates of Dream Phenomenology and
Altered States of Consciousness During Sleep.’ In <i>Neuroscience of
Consciousness</i>. Volume 2017, Issue 1.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Okasha,
Samir. (2002) Philosophy of Science: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Solms,
Mark. (1999) ‘The Interpretation of Dreams and the Neurosciences.’ In <i>Freud’s
Traumdeutung</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Unknown
author. (2018) ‘The Dream Work.’ In <i>Freud Museum London</i>. Available from:
</span><a href="https://www.freud.org.uk/education/resources/the-interpretation-of-dreams/the-dreamwork/#:~:text=The%20dream%2Dwork%20is%20the,wishes%20to%20get%20past%20censorship"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.freud.org.uk/education/resources/the-interpretation-of-dreams/the-dreamwork/#:~:text=The%20dream%2Dwork%20is%20the,wishes%20to%20get%20past%20censorship</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Water,
Robin. (2000) <i>The First Philosophers: The Presocratics and the Sophists</i>.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 8.0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wellesley, Mary. (2018) ‘Dream
Visions.’ In British Library. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/dream-visions"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.bl.uk/medieval-literature/articles/dream-visions</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-top: 12.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yeung, Andy Wai Kan.
(2021) ‘Is the Influence of Freud Declining in Psychology and Psychiatry? A
Bibliometric Analysis.’ In <i>Frontiers in Psychology</i>. Vol. 18.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-34444659870956605492022-01-06T05:41:00.009-08:002022-01-06T05:52:09.494-08:00Nascent Liberalism in Antiquity and the Medieval Ages<p>This is part five from a forthcoming book called <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>.</p><p>*****************************</p><p> <b style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nascent Liberalism in Antiquity and the Medieval Ages</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Liberalism emerged in the 18<sup>th</sup>
century during the Enlightenment. Its first exponent was John Locke whose ideas
gained traction in Great Britain after the Glorious Revolution. Although these
ideas have been highly influential since then, earlier societies placed a lot
more emphasis on community than the individual. Earlier societies espoused
these views, but one of the main principles of liberalism was
anti-authoritarianism and that tyrannical majorities should not enforce their
dogmas on others. The purpose of this essay is to look at ancient Greece and
Rome and the medieval ages. It will establish the what these societies believed
in and, following this, will introduce thinkers from these eras. Although these
thinkers might not be outright liberals, they do evince traces of ‘nascent
liberalism.’ It will look at Cicero, Pericles, Diogenes and Marcus Aurelius for
the section on antiquity and it will look at St. Augustine and Thomas Aquinas
for the section on the medieval ages. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Like all ideologies,
‘liberalism’ is a diffuse term. Friedrich Hayek and Ludwig von Mises called
themselves liberals, but so did William Beveridge and John Maynard Keynes. Some
liberals support a welfare state whilst others call themselves
‘anarcho-capitalists’ and want no state involvement in the economy whatsoever.
However, there are principles which all liberals espouse and this essay will
start by identifying these principles. According to John Gray, liberalism is
individualistic, egalitarian, melioristic and universal (1998). It is
individualistic because it sees the individual as the prime unit of society and
not as part of a collective. It is egalitarian because it believes in the equal
worth of each individual, everyone should be treated equally and not be
discriminated against. It is melioristic because it believes in progress and
that things develop and change. It is universal because it believes that these
principles are universal to everyone, regardless of their nationality or tribe.
Additionally, liberals are neutral about the good life as long as no-one is
harmed and do not prescribe a worldview to others. A liberal would go out of
his way to defend a lifestyle that he disapproves of. Liberalism defends
tolerance, human rights, civil liberties, democracy, a market economy, property
rights, equality before the law, a free press and personal freedom. All in all,
Hayek, Mises, Beveridge and Keynes, whilst they might be opposites in other
ways, would all agree with these principles. However, classical liberals want
to restrict the role of the state as much as possible. Meanwhile, ‘modern’ or
‘social’ liberalism grants a role for a role for the welfare state and believes
that protecting individual liberty means promoting social justice. The poor,
the disabled, the mentally ill and other disenfranchised groups do not have the
opportunities to enjoy freedom. The market does not assist them adequately, so
the state should step in to assist them. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As
the introduction recognised, earlier societies placed more emphasis on the
community than the individual. However, Rene Descartes signalled a change with
his book <i>Meditations on First Philosophy</i>, which was published in 1641. It
includes the famous phrase ‘I think therefore I am’: ‘The proposition that “I
am, I exist” is necessarily true whenever it is, stated by me or my own mind’
(1998, p. 24). Descartes continuously uses the first person singular ‘I’
throughout his treatise. He tries to be sceptical about everything about him
and even doubts the existence of the world around him. He is only certain that
his own mind exists and that God exists. This is because humans acquire
everything through the senses, which are highly unreliable (p. 19). This kind
of pure metaphysical speculation is radically sceptical of the material world
and Descartes doubts if it exists. It is almost solipsistic, let alone
idealistic, as it seems to be sceptical of the existence of other minds that
are not his own. This kind of introspection is radically different from the
rigid communitarianism of earlier centuries.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
Descartes’ <i>Meditations</i> was hardly an attempt to construct a liberal
philosophy. Liberalism emerged in the late 17<sup>th</sup> century with John
Locke. Prior to the advent of liberalism, Europe had been engulfed in religious
wars. The Thirty Years war was a conflict between Protestants and Catholics and
it included Bohemia, Sweden, Denmark, Protestant German princes and Catholic
France against the Habsurg Empire. (France joined the Protestants because they
were worried about a Habsurg hegemony in Europe.) (Bonney 2011, p. 7). The war
ravaged the economies of Europe and left a large death toll. Liberalism emerged
at the end of this century and it celebrated tolerance of different religious
creeds and beliefs. It emerged during the Glorious Revolution, when English
peers were opposed to the Catholic policies of King James II. They wrote to
Prince William of Orange to intervene (Vallance 2006, p. 2). Once he settled,
he created a document called ‘Declaration of Rights,’ which established
parliamentary government (p. 3) and affirmed the illegality of the independent
exercise of royal power (p. 176). The High Commission could not levy money
without parliamentary consent and could not order the army without the consent
of parliament (p. 176). It asserted the right of petitioning, the need for the
free election of MPs, privileged freedom of speech and debate in parliament and
the need for frequent parliaments (p. 176-77). Additionally, the government
created the Toleration Act in the 1690s, which tolerated a plurality of
religious beliefs and moved closer to the radical ideas of John Locke (p. 316).
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>John
Locke laid the foundations for liberalism. Indeed, the European Enlightenment
effectively starts with John Locke (Dunne 1984, p. 21). Locke wrote that
religious freedom meant being religious in one’s own way – not, as the atheist
James Toland would have it, to be completely indifferent to religion (Dunne, p.
17). The individual was free to worship God as he individually saw fit (p. 20).
For Locke, each individual is responsible for his own actions and should not
submit to an authoritarian sovereign. He thought that rulers should be
restrained as much as possible (p. 20). Another early exponent of early Enlightenment
values was Benedict de Spinoza who stated the following: ‘Each individual has
the sovereign right to do all that he can’ (1951, p. 200). Spinoza emphasised
the use of reason rather than emotion. He prescribed equality before the rule
of law, but he also wanted to protect minorities and to stop the state from
becoming tyrannical (p. 207). Crucially, he prioritised the needs of the
individual over the needs of the community and this once more signals a shift
away from the communitarian past: ‘Wrong is conceivable only in an organised
community, nor can it ever accrue to subjects from any act of the sovereign who
has the right to do what he likes’ (p. 208). For centuries, communities had
oppressed the individual and forced him to submit to customs and traditions.
Spinoza is saying here that the individual does not have to submit to the
customs of the majority. He is entitled to lead his life as he individually
sees fit and can use his reason to pursue his life projects. This is one of the
reasons why the Enlightenment was so revolutionary, as it rejected the values
which had been prevalent for centuries. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having
examined the origins of liberalism, this essay will examine ‘nascent’
liberalism in ancient antiquity and the medieval ages. It will start by
outlining what societies were like in these times and, following this, will
introduce thinkers who exhibit signs of ‘nascent liberalism.’ It will start by
outlining the structure of society in Ancient Greece. Society in Ancient Greece
was governed by strict norms. Society was not conceived as an association of
individuals, it was conceived as an association of families (Siedentop 2014, p.
7). The father was a God in preparation, the wife was subordinated to the
husband and the authority of the father meant that he could kill his wife or
children if he wanted to (Siedentop, p. 15). He exercised his authority ‘on the
basis of beliefs shared by the family’ (Siedentop, p. 15). All the members of
the family were descended from a common ancestor and bound together by blood
(Bury 1920, p. 53). The family owned a plot of land where their ancestors were
buried and the family worshiped their ancestors on a continual basis. This was
done so as to prevent the ancestors from ‘being cast into oblivion’ (Siedentop,
p. 15). Each family buried the dead in their own domain and one of the highest
duties was to protect the tombs of the fathers (Bury, p. 54). Property belonged
to the family, not to any particular individual (Siedentop, p. 16). The Greeks
and the Romans, unlike us, made no distinction between private and public
spheres, they made a distinction between public and domestic spheres. The
domestic sphere was the sphere of the family, not of individuals endowed with
rights. It was also very unequal in terms of roles, as women and slaves had no
rights (Siedentop, p. 18). Several families would group themselves together
into a society called ‘phatra,’ a brotherhood. Indeed, Homer said that he who
has no brothers has no hearth (Bury, p. 54). Prior to the advent of the city,
and a more sophisticated political and legal structure, the families were led
by a king. He was the chief priest and war-lord of the tribe (Bury, p. 54). The
king pronounced judgements, dealt with justice and led the hosts to war (p.
55). He was a protecting deity and he was revered as a God (p. 58). This
confederation of families gradually became a city, however ancient citizenship
left no space for individual choice (Siedentop, p. 21). Strict rules permeated
dress, deportment, marriage, sport, education and conversation. If an
individual deviated from them, he would be deported (Siedentop, p. 22). The
welfare of the city was considered more important than the rights of the
individual. Patriotism was the highest virtue for the Greeks and someone who retreated
from patriotism and the ideal of the city was an ‘idiot’ (Siedentop, p. 25).
Indeed, Aristotle went as far as saying that the life of the citizen was the
only life worth living (Siedentop, p. 25). Each city had its own God, but
Greeks from different cities did not mingle with each other. There was no
notion of individual rights and there was no liberty of thought or action.
Participation in the assembly and the magistrate was obligatory and enforced
for citizens (Siedentop, p. 28). People were born into casts and this
inequality was considered natural (Siedentop, p. 51). The citizens were a small
minority, but women, slaves and plebs were barred from participating in the
political process. Indeed, these strict social roles were stifling and any slight
deviation from them was punished. One of the most famous examples of this was
Socrates, who was chastised for ‘corrupting the youth of Athens.’ <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Having
established what society was like in Ancient Greece, this essay will look at
four figures from Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome and will attempt to detect
traces of ‘nascent liberalism.’ It will start by looking at Cicero whose ideas
on property closely resemble classical liberalism. In Ancient Greece and Rome,
property belonged to the family so that they could worship their ancestors
(Siedentop, p. 16). Plato says the following in <i>Laws</i>: ‘Thou who art only
a pilgrim here below does it belong to thee to decide such affairs? Thou art
the master neither of thy property nor of thyself, thou and thy estate, all
these things belong to thy family; that is to say, to thy ancestors and to thy
posterity (Siedentop, p. 17). Interfering with property meant interfering with
the family and domestic religion (p. 17). However, Cicero argued in favour of
property rights and argued that property should belong to individuals. Justice
for Cicero meant respecting property and taking property away from someone is
the gravest violation. He also opposed state-mandated redistribution, since he
argued that if you had the right to something, you should not take it away from
them (Nussbaum 2019, p. 55). The taking of private property, for Cicero, was a
grave injustice, as it violated ‘the law of fellowship’ (Nussbaum, p. 25).
Alternatively, the Stoics at the time argued that property should be commonly
owned (p. 56). In other words, they were prototypical socialists. Cicero argued
that taking property rights away from someone means using someone as a tool for
someone’s convenience (p. 27). This is very similar to Immanuel Kant’s views on
ethics, as he argued that individuals are ends in themselves and should be able
to determine their own actions. Individuals are ends in themselves and should
not be used as means by others to satisfy a pattern. Indeed, Cicero was a big
influence on Kant (Nussbaum, p. 28). The first liberal thinker, John Locke,
stressed the importance of property rights and it was one of the most important
liberal tenets. Classical liberalism opposes the redistribution of wealth, but
later ‘modern’ liberals do support a modest redistribution of wealth. Cicero’s
arguments also mirror the ideas of 20<sup>th</sup> century libertarian Robert
Nozick. Nozick opposed the redistribution of wealth, as he argued that it uses
individuals as means to specific ends. Nozick even sees personal taxation as an
infringement on liberty. Despite this similarity to later liberal thinkers,
Cicero held communitarian views. He championed the public life and he argued
that true potential can only be realised in the community: ‘The primary reason
for its coming together is not so much weakness as a sort of innate desire on
the part of human beings to form communities. For our species is not made up of
solitary individuals or lonely wanderers’ (year, p. 19). The emphasis is very
much on the public sphere and on community, something that the Enlightenment
and thinkers like Spinoza later questioned. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQwozoDIAPES0IsdJThYcUa3NrW2AyEwScZI0LGm3hoQqLZYAS6dd0Ph9YMU7lUUC0TIRStduH48_wkcRvMkc8W-BPLYdfvQs2L812buWHWKNdbB1_hIKcOEC988iQV6AadjayNV8ECeB_a5p30ngiJrIBmSO5ZBojxLE2xNOmhe5F9zxKl422hHxf=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjQwozoDIAPES0IsdJThYcUa3NrW2AyEwScZI0LGm3hoQqLZYAS6dd0Ph9YMU7lUUC0TIRStduH48_wkcRvMkc8W-BPLYdfvQs2L812buWHWKNdbB1_hIKcOEC988iQV6AadjayNV8ECeB_a5p30ngiJrIBmSO5ZBojxLE2xNOmhe5F9zxKl422hHxf=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at Pericles, Greece’s democratic leader. Initially,
liberalism was sceptical of democracy, as thinkers like John Stuart Mill
thought that it might lead to the ‘tyranny of the majority’ and to ‘mob rule.’
Pericles also spoke about ‘the people,’ which might also seem illiberal as it
speaks about an abstract entity that does not exist. Indeed, the founders of
the United States were sceptical of Pericles as they thought that democracy
meant ‘mob rule.’ However, liberalism and democracy have since been fused
together and they are seen as complementary. Still, the alternative to
democracy at the time was aristocracy, oligarchy, Plato’s ‘philosopher kings’
and despotism, which were more illiberal and concentrated power into small
groups. Most Athenians lacked Pericles’ education, as they had a poor standard
of living. Many members of the small elite that Pericles belonged to opposed
democracy, as it meant sharing power with a mass of citizens who were less
affluent. It also meant that they had to contribute financial resources so as
to provide benefits for the masses (Martin 2016, p. 7). Pericles wanted to
strengthen political and financial measures so as to support the majority of
his citizens (p. 7). Pericles’ opponents blamed him for the decisions that male
citizens made in the democratic assembly and for spending money on expensive
public buildings (p. 7). After the Peloponnesian War, when Pericles himself was
killed, there was a short period of dictatorship, which Socrates supported. Following
the restoration of democracy, Socrates was trialled and killed. Indeed, Pericles
and his democratic ideals were anathema to Socrates and Plato who were in
favour of ‘philosopher kings.’ Their view of society, however, was more
authoritarian. Plato wanted to destroy the family and subject all Athenians to
a strict education system. Meanwhile, Pericles wanted to distribute power more
widely, which makes him less authoritarian and, hence, more liberal. Pericles
was completely committed to freedom (p. 143), the primary liberal value. He was
also committed to equality, as he increased democracy. He tried to reduce the
political and judicial powers of the Areopagus Council. The members were chosen
randomly and juries were made up of hundreds of thousands of people who were
chosen by lottery (p. 143). The Areopagus was made up of mandatory annual
examinations of financial accounts of officials who held government posts.
Former officials would not be determining the guilt or innocence of their
colleagues in public office. This reform diminished corruption and made
Athenian more egalitarian (p. 143). Of course, transparency and public
accountability are liberal ideals, as liberals do not want public officials to
abuse power. Laws were made by juries and they were chosen at random.
Accountability was in control of the majority, not the social elite. It is
disputable whether this was truly liberal, as fifth century Athens was ruled by
the will of the majority and liberalism aims to protect minorities against the
majority. Indeed, J.B. Bury argues that Pericles ‘ruled as a tyrant’ and that
‘subjects must obey his nod’ (p. 382). However, Pericles was primarily
interested in extending freedom to everyone and he was committed to the liberal
values of freedom, equality and universalism.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwQqDPlmLNjcxWXMKhkjfpa_uNpCtqzuQPi8ZCRktTDLqM-Cp2Yr02Ba-IRB-8PqdJUT6SLb0-j6Sm30J0fU1_i1FmGAJ7De4iUVDAOPIiKPdoyggDP4WHAjaDndxmnG4VaylTprt-HYq77c8Dy21dUjjQeN9naEhfgJ7GT4RVaegCsfI4mDOoJBUl=s320" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="247" data-original-width="320" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiwQqDPlmLNjcxWXMKhkjfpa_uNpCtqzuQPi8ZCRktTDLqM-Cp2Yr02Ba-IRB-8PqdJUT6SLb0-j6Sm30J0fU1_i1FmGAJ7De4iUVDAOPIiKPdoyggDP4WHAjaDndxmnG4VaylTprt-HYq77c8Dy21dUjjQeN9naEhfgJ7GT4RVaegCsfI4mDOoJBUl" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at Diogenes, whose strange behaviour disconcerted the
Greeks. The Polis in Ancient Greece has strict social rules, but Diogenes
deviated from that. He did not write tracts, instead he was a
philosopher-as-performance-artist. Unlike Socrates, who engaged in dialogue but
did not write, Diogenes enacted eccentric theatrics which drew attention to
himself. A lot of his act was about authenticity in an age when deviation from
norms would brand you an ‘idiot.’ For Diogenes, to become a true individual and
a proper human being, one had to reject conventional society and its values.
Otherwise, one would simply be a member of a crowd (Hard 2002, p. ix). Whilst
this is something that a moody teenager might espouse these days, it was a radical
statement in Ancient Greece. In an age of strict social rules, he masturbated
in public, wandered around the streets with a lantern in broad daylight asking
‘for an honest man,’ slept in a wooden jar, he was always surrounded by dogs
and he went up to one of Plato’s lectures and threw a plucked chicken at him. This
was all part of his philosophy, which aimed to disrupt the stultifying
staidness of Athenian culture. He did everything in public in a society with
strict public norms. He often walked against the flow of the crowd, as he said
that people should be ashamed for their wrong direction in life (p. ix). The
mass of people, for Diogenes, are anonymous. Members of a crowd are slave and
scum (p. ix). He rejected conventionality because he wanted individuals to discover
their true nature (p. ix). In a highly permissive age, this might seem like a
cliché, but in a society in which only the public realm existed, when there was
no private realm, with strict rules on dress, behaviour and comportment, this
was radical behaviour.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpC2nDP55y7wZl8-1PkYgmsbP_KX4hgqyb3aQyqzhPpBPGmoXuEG9KaOA2s1B01hmI0S6nXZLY96l0BnN_YVdS14wafNMWogo0CeS4kOqjqq6vRN8lKBGwmk_jPGZvFPLh6gEcsRZnQBXvzG8NcipebrJf0X6nAxbTqE60O-ZxHw07J26SBkKpL4pr=s1200" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="627" data-original-width="1200" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgpC2nDP55y7wZl8-1PkYgmsbP_KX4hgqyb3aQyqzhPpBPGmoXuEG9KaOA2s1B01hmI0S6nXZLY96l0BnN_YVdS14wafNMWogo0CeS4kOqjqq6vRN8lKBGwmk_jPGZvFPLh6gEcsRZnQBXvzG8NcipebrJf0X6nAxbTqE60O-ZxHw07J26SBkKpL4pr=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally,
this essay will briefly consider Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor. Like Cicero,
Aurelius was a Roman stateman and he was deeply involved in its politics. For
the most part, like Cicero, Aurelius mainly speaks about community and the
common good. He says the following in <i>Meditations</i>: ‘We are born for
community’ (2016, p. 41). Indeed, he also says: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Just as you yourself are a
complementary part of a social system, so too your every action should
complement a life of social principle. If an action of yours, then, does not
have direct or indirect relation to the social end, it pulls your life apart
and destroys its unity. It is a kind of sedition, like an individual in a
democracy unilaterally resigning from common harmony (p. 88).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">It is considered ‘sedition’ to do
things that have no social end and every action should ‘complement a social
principle.’ What would have he have made of Diogenes’ behaviour? However,
Aurelius expresses a more liberal philosophy with the following statement: ‘The
idea of a polity administered with regard to equal rights, and equal freedom of
speech, and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the
freedom of the governed’ (p. 5). Indeed, this leans closer to the kind of
philosophy espoused by Spinoza and Locke who thought that the primary aim of
governments is to protect the freedom of its citizens. He also wants to protect
freedom of speech and he says that all citizens are endowed with equal rights.
It is a lot less communitarian and authoritarian than his other statements and
it evinces a prototypical liberalism. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggKIUFzI9I3QrRrD8_aPYHU_-zzAAl7dChQH9tn3sqgdCRIzdWC1rR9braqQwPxyT2uWym_E-_yotl6Ppcwxe5PQG2tbT6DrCpZ87mCzZmkVr_1B3J6XufSmmd09Et9uGPRji8ATOyYSxiAnMI2DVEkxjYnaTWfLuMgltHb2Bmqi9qnAGhjDKrov0g=s600" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="419" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggKIUFzI9I3QrRrD8_aPYHU_-zzAAl7dChQH9tn3sqgdCRIzdWC1rR9braqQwPxyT2uWym_E-_yotl6Ppcwxe5PQG2tbT6DrCpZ87mCzZmkVr_1B3J6XufSmmd09Et9uGPRji8ATOyYSxiAnMI2DVEkxjYnaTWfLuMgltHb2Bmqi9qnAGhjDKrov0g=s320" width="223" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at the medieval period. In the early medieval period, all
members of society were part of a clan. They were monogamous and adultery was
rare (Thompson and Johnson 1937, p. 69). All members of the clan were liable
for an offence committed by just one of its members, including murder (p. 73). Woods,
pasture and the waste land were owned by the community, but farm land was owned
by individuals (p. 74). Agriculture was a co-operative enterprise (p. 74).
Kings were chosen on account of their ancestry and their valour (p. 74).
Society in the medieval ages was made up of rigid social classes and each had
its own function (p. 74). The first estate was the clergy, the second estate
was the nobility and the third was labour. Feudalism was the system which
regulated relationships among members of the third estate (p. 309). Freedom of
the individual was confined only to aristocracy and there was little
individualism in feudal times (p. 311). Like ancient times, community rather
the individual was the primary value. Property was commonly owned, but society
was strictly stratified and several sections of society lacked rights.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indeed,
this system was known as ‘feudalism’ and the section in society with fewest
rights were called ‘serfs.’ Serfdom was revoked in the 15<sup>th</sup> century,
which was a big change (Wickham 2006, p. 15), but prior to this serfs could
scarcely be differentiated from slaves (p. 329). A serf could not own property
(p. 329) and was often sold like a slave, often for less than the price of a
horse (p. 329). A serf could appear in court against another serf, but not
against a freeman or a lord (p. 329). Serfs always stayed on the same land,
even if it was sold, but they were at least protected from unemployment (p.
330). Societies in the medieval ages were more tribal, there was little freedom
of the individual and society was stratified. There were no universal human
rights, a common value of the liberal Enlightenment, and large sections of
society did not have the same rights as others. In ancient times, only citizens
had rights and could participate in public affairs, but even there was still no
much lee-way for independent thought. They still had to respect customs and
gods. At least some of the aristocracy had more freedom in medieval times.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>However,
several of the ‘fathers’ in the medieval ages spoke a lot more about free will
and autonomy than the ancients did. Indeed, Larry Siedentop argues in <i>Inventing
the Individual: The Origins of Modern Liberalism</i> (2014) that Christianity
was an individualistic religion. St. Paul conceived of a religion in which the
individual finds salvation through Christ. St. Augustine (354-430) developed
St. Paul’s philosophy further. He spoke about ‘the will’ and pride of the
intellect meant that the human being can determine his own choices (Siedentop
2014, p. 102). St. Augustine, unlike the ancients, did not believe that some
people in society were inherently better than others. He believed that all
souls were equal (p. 102), which conforms to the egalitarian principle of
liberalism, as liberalism argues that all individuals are of equal worth.
Souls, according to Augustine, are not inherently superior to one another (p.
102), which rejects the natural inequality of Ancient Greece and Rome. Ancient
philosophy emphasised reason – the logos – but Augustine emphasised grace,
intellect and feeling, which involves choice (p. 102). Reason has to make sense
of a world outside our control and this is made through choice (p. 104).
Inwardness of the individual is not a sphere of silence, it is a sphere of
dialogue, of conversation with God (p. 105). Augustine puts a lot more emphasis
on the inner life of the individual and his individual agency. Whilst there are
brief flashes of this in antiquity, the arguments of The Fathers are much
closer to the Enlightenment. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDnAYASfZqZOlIsr4YNWDUO34TwnS_jMSEaL1NO2tvzHVIAnQn_gtAjLDgn9Zq1m3718s6tubcnPOQzobuR6szv47DdJSM1I3eTj6v_6psOeYvWuB_1_U7BONxYDDwSwiYnEWRlbVwm3T6c47_kl9_U0MGJKheaswSuWWMCSds9go2CEruKg5Y4tTY=s850" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="567" data-original-width="850" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiDnAYASfZqZOlIsr4YNWDUO34TwnS_jMSEaL1NO2tvzHVIAnQn_gtAjLDgn9Zq1m3718s6tubcnPOQzobuR6szv47DdJSM1I3eTj6v_6psOeYvWuB_1_U7BONxYDDwSwiYnEWRlbVwm3T6c47_kl9_U0MGJKheaswSuWWMCSds9go2CEruKg5Y4tTY=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at Thomas Aquinas, who lived during 1225-74, almost a
century after Augustine. Once more, Augustine emphasises autonomy: ‘Willing is
an internal choice’ (2016, p. 172). However, Aquinas emphasises that, although
we have free will, that it is guided by God: ‘God moves us to choose by sort of
internal stimulus, infallibly but without comprising our freedom’ (p. 172). The
individual is free to choose and this freedom is granted by God. Later liberals
such as John Stuart Mill were atheists, although John Locke was not. For Mill,
the individual is an autonomous agent. Aquinas also sees the individual as a
rational agent, but this freedom is only possible because it is granted by God.
For Aquinas, the will is motivated by a goal and the individual usually acts
because he is driven towards something: ‘The mover compels what it moves to move’
(p. 174). The individual wills everything himself, he is not driven by
something external: ‘I think because I want to, I use all my other abilities
and dispositions because I want to’ (p. 177). The will is moved by
deliberation, as the individual deliberates about what is best for him and
takes facts into consideration (p. 178). This is similar to liberal
rationality, as liberals urge others to make informed choices about subjects
using facts and logic. Aquinas still clings to God, as he thinks that willing
and free choice are stimulated by God. Later Enlightenment thinkers like
Spinoza rejected this, as he tried to see the natural world as something fee from
divine intervention. However, like the humanists from the Enlightenment,
Aquinas sees humans as uniquely different from other animals, as they are
equipped with reason (p. 359). Whilst there are some differences between
Aquinas and thinkers of the Enlightenment, he places special stress on
autonomy, rational choice and the individual much more than the thinkers from
Antiquity, who view humans as a social animal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgISaBs-tP0UOR7By8dWwRVkSHE4pWahhahNdN2QKmIrsRdNDuGBaqgx9zb6MGALBMZ8v5TXS34R8sAzUyfrcidNk0leHw0Adn7Pb3PJUc_3CoSwIxAYC0C_yitOH78k7gV7Gs0ssGsb-OTtwo49NI_OFNltQSEbjpSQIdHOGReofGw7egseUhdHLFP=s400" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="300" data-original-width="400" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgISaBs-tP0UOR7By8dWwRVkSHE4pWahhahNdN2QKmIrsRdNDuGBaqgx9zb6MGALBMZ8v5TXS34R8sAzUyfrcidNk0leHw0Adn7Pb3PJUc_3CoSwIxAYC0C_yitOH78k7gV7Gs0ssGsb-OTtwo49NI_OFNltQSEbjpSQIdHOGReofGw7egseUhdHLFP=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Liberalism
places greater emphasis on the individual than the social collective. It is
also egalitarian and believes in progress, tolerance and universalism. Rene Descartes
showed nascent signs of this when he stated ‘I think therefore I am.’ In the
seventeenth century, there had been religious wars between protestants and
Catholics. In the end of this century, John Locke argued that governments
should promote tolerance of different religious beliefs. However, ancient
Greece and the medieval era did not have a liberal ethos. There were strict
social norms in ancient Greece, as families lived together and worshipped their
ancestors. The patriarch of the family wielded authority and could kill his
wife or his children if he wanted to. Following the advent of the city, there
were strict roles for citizens and anyone who was not a patriot would be
ostracised. These societies also actively promoted inequality, as the aristocracy
would rule, but slaves, plebs and women were not citizens. However, Cicero
expressed classical liberal ideas on property, as he argued that it should
belong to individuals and that states should not take it away from him. In
antiquity, property usually belonged to the family. Pericles was a statesman
who expanded democracy, freedom and equality. He also tried to make government
more transparent, more accountable and less corrupt. Diogenes was an extremely
eccentric figure who tried to challenge the strict social norms which were
prevalent in Athens. He thought that the masses blindly followed arbitrary
norms and he tried to disrupt this with his strange behaviour. Finally, Marcus
Aurelius, like Cicero, was a communitarian, but he expressed a liberal opinion
when he argued that a society should primarily protect equal rights, freedom of
speech and the freedom of its citizens. This also essay also looked at the
medieval era, when people lived in oppressive tribes. Medieval societies were
also feudal, as serfs lived on a plot of land and were not entitled the same
rights as other citizens. However, St. Augustine, early on in the medieval
period, argued that all souls are equal. This egalitarian ethos influenced
Gregory VI legal reforms, which attempted to make all individuals equal before
the law and paved the road to the end of serfdom. Augustine also emphasised
individual inwardness and choice. Finally, Thomas Aquinas emphasised that the
individual is free to make rational choices, but that this freedom is enabled
by God. This is different from Enlightenment thinkers, as they tried to see the
natural world as something free from divine intervention. Earlier societies
were not liberal, but the thinkers and statemen that this essay look at do show
nascent signs of liberalism.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></b><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Works Cited</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aurelius, Marcus. (2006)
Translated by Martin Hammond. <i>Meditations</i>. London: Penguin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Aquinas, Thomas. (2008)
Translated by Timothy McDermott. <i>Selected Philosophical Writings</i>. Oxford:
Oxford University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bonney, Richard. (2002)
<i>The Thirty Years’ War: 1618-1648</i>. Oxford: Osprey Publishing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bury, J. B. (1920) <i>A
History of Greece to the Date of Alexander the Great</i>. London: Bloomsbury
Publishing. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Cicero. (2008)
Translated by Niall Rudd. <i>The Republic and the Laws</i>. Oxford: Oxford
University Press. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Descartes, Rene. (1998)
Translated by Desmond M. Clarke. Originally published in 1641. <i>Meditations
and Other Metaphysical Writings</i>. London: Penguin.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Diogenes the Cynic.
(2012) Introduction by Robin Hard. <i>Sayings and Anecdotes with Other Popular
Moralists</i>. Oxford: Oxford University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Dunn, John (1984) <i>Locke:
A Very Short Introduction</i>. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Gray, John. (1986) <i>Liberalism</i>.
Maidenhead: Open University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Martin, Thomas R.
(2016) <i>Pericles: A Biography in Context</i>. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nussbaum. (2021) <i>The
Cosmopolitan Tradition: A Noble but Flawed Ideal</i>. Harvard: Harvard
University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Spinoza, Benedict.
(2007) Originally published in 1670. Translated by Jonathan Israel. <i>Theological-Political-Treatise</i>.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Siedentop, Larry.
(2004). <i>Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Western Liberalism</i>.
London: Penguin Books. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Thompson, James
Westfall. Johnson, Edgar Nathaniel. (1937) <i>An Introduction to Medieval
Europe: 300-1,500</i>. New York Norton & Co.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wickham, Chris. (2016) <i>Medieval
Europe</i>. Yale: Yale University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Vallance, Edward. (2006)
<i>The Glorious Revolution: 1688 – Britain’s Fight for Liberty</i>. London:
Abacus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-1302421221424503112021-11-21T13:17:00.001-08:002021-11-21T13:17:34.096-08:00My flat<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/9jO0cMvOHUA" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-20238461499346028362021-11-16T12:49:00.002-08:002021-11-16T12:49:51.749-08:00Ahoy Facebook #17<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHd9lkxb0IvViDUK6y_02430o_5V6RRT1nLA6QaaRCLKRlBs0PkMeUBnsP20blmKM9vUIXRqq3J72L2-lbyelN3Ct7ZB9iBOWRq69p7Xw59RHSOIGbBnBuHsSVvXd1WcOu82PHVKwZUU/s2048/IMG_20210906_214130.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkHd9lkxb0IvViDUK6y_02430o_5V6RRT1nLA6QaaRCLKRlBs0PkMeUBnsP20blmKM9vUIXRqq3J72L2-lbyelN3Ct7ZB9iBOWRq69p7Xw59RHSOIGbBnBuHsSVvXd1WcOu82PHVKwZUU/s320/IMG_20210906_214130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilr9UIkjuHXFFDoQZ0xlVh_-cbtSctDwTdSueBvIWHisPw4tby1uR_5V6-Tj2sJSGG8ty7c0Ao8Zfb-r_4H0_p_rGre7ZCr9wiIuAfzPrAEDIN6Tu3fYPz6_LXDdpwvFaTWVXZ38c06w/s2048/IMG_20210906_214109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjilr9UIkjuHXFFDoQZ0xlVh_-cbtSctDwTdSueBvIWHisPw4tby1uR_5V6-Tj2sJSGG8ty7c0Ao8Zfb-r_4H0_p_rGre7ZCr9wiIuAfzPrAEDIN6Tu3fYPz6_LXDdpwvFaTWVXZ38c06w/s320/IMG_20210906_214109.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Seven books: The Republic and the Laws by Cicero, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Selected Philosophical Writings by Thomas Aquinas, Medieval Europe by Chris Wickham, Pericles: A Biography in Context, How to be a Conservative by Roger Scruton and Edward Heath: A Biography by John Campbell.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I want to write an essay about 'nascent liberalism in ancient antiquity and the medieval ages.' Liberalism is associated with the start of the enlightenment, and earlier societies placed a lot more emphasis on the community than the individual, but I wanted to find examples of liberalism in these times. I bought books by Cicero, Marcus Aurelius and Thomas Aquinas so as to detect traces of 'nascent liberalism.' I also bought a book about Pericles, an early democrat. I also bought a book about medieval Europe so to include a bit an essay about Medieval culture/society.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought this intriguing book by Roger Scruton. Scruton examines liberalism, socialism, conservatism, capitalism, environmentalism and internationalism. This book looks interesting because it seems to unbiased and even-handed, as it examines the strengths and weaknesses of each ideology.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought this biography about Edward Heath. I find him interesting as a person, as he was a very shy and awkward man, but he became prime minister. He was also the first prime minister to probably be a virgin, although this was after the start of the age of permissiveness. I also find his period as prime minister very interesting, as he took the UK into Europe and he struggled with industrial unrest, rising unemployment and the end of consensus.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IM7A-i88cjXIcM4OWRkZ7B5bJhMpB8dKYy0UIq6CPPqBUX1TTlTfAOu6-t5obK2_GhsSxIC3uRTJZ2P6UVZREFmoh9yNrRoJuPaXeGzXl0s8Y4uUb95Y5Kg6UFfcaPTMksIdVhd5WW4/s2048/IMG_20210907_222927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8IM7A-i88cjXIcM4OWRkZ7B5bJhMpB8dKYy0UIq6CPPqBUX1TTlTfAOu6-t5obK2_GhsSxIC3uRTJZ2P6UVZREFmoh9yNrRoJuPaXeGzXl0s8Y4uUb95Y5Kg6UFfcaPTMksIdVhd5WW4/s320/IMG_20210907_222927.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmwrawqoy7gCkCWSSiwuVCOlMawUiGDmz6fewCV5p4f_kHaLaK9SELnYUPGbcxv2IvzXM4HAHKnI2R62Z5_VQHNK5ISm5aU1i7Lq5QMrstt6R2b8vEju6lGxhBpq8sYxG0cgYpHP2gOo/s2048/IMG_20210907_222819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmwrawqoy7gCkCWSSiwuVCOlMawUiGDmz6fewCV5p4f_kHaLaK9SELnYUPGbcxv2IvzXM4HAHKnI2R62Z5_VQHNK5ISm5aU1i7Lq5QMrstt6R2b8vEju6lGxhBpq8sYxG0cgYpHP2gOo/s320/IMG_20210907_222819.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Eleven CDs: Third by Soft Machine, Soundtrack of Le Mepris by George Delerue, The Essence of Woody Herman by Woody Herman, The Complete Early Recordings of Skip James by Skip James, Greatest Hits by Abba, An Elpee and two Epees by Ivor Cutler, Jazz in a Silhouette by Sun Ra, The Magic City by Sun Ra, My Favourite Things by John Coltrane, Les Espaces Acoustiques by Gerard Grisey and The Inner Mounting Flame by The Mahavishnu Orchestra. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Jazz fusion, film soundtracks, swing, blues, pop, novelty music, modern jazz, modern classical music.... I like having an eclectic musical taste. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><br /></span></div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="color: #1c1e21; font-size: 12px; white-space: normal;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_1af" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm moving into my own - rented - apartment soon. </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=D36kOzop6oo&fbclid=IwAR2sehc4-3QfwF7Ulexdtkh89pbThsmTuc08NSsyNckzgVP6oDFSIwLuQrA">The Fall - My New House - YouTube</a></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivn9STgBlCwxffxNWzPcluxQzJiERjhrDFtMqCH_hb7sqnZEpSTDvh1JJr1_ppNm54EbQ6eb4a4SGceXqPVcdVD_Y9XCIboB-IE4M8v-RYgs7naIFGZLiY59wTfP31i8GcONqlwwzbwfg/s2048/IMG_20210917_215128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivn9STgBlCwxffxNWzPcluxQzJiERjhrDFtMqCH_hb7sqnZEpSTDvh1JJr1_ppNm54EbQ6eb4a4SGceXqPVcdVD_Y9XCIboB-IE4M8v-RYgs7naIFGZLiY59wTfP31i8GcONqlwwzbwfg/s320/IMG_20210917_215128.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTSFug1et3adterxRvBMq0ZZTEdPF1PKftwa8DPRNCQYxpliji5ktK3QBb3BKpfSTaSWdbo_5sJ-Hp8uIGvPKg3cuTqhj1joQcsSbiqT5ebnppZ5tCxfyM-x3pxZNyixZijcd7lhp4_Q/s2048/IMG_20210917_215215.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyTSFug1et3adterxRvBMq0ZZTEdPF1PKftwa8DPRNCQYxpliji5ktK3QBb3BKpfSTaSWdbo_5sJ-Hp8uIGvPKg3cuTqhj1joQcsSbiqT5ebnppZ5tCxfyM-x3pxZNyixZijcd7lhp4_Q/s320/IMG_20210917_215215.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Ten DVDs: The Wild Bunch by Sam Peckinpah, Cross of Iron by Sam Peckinpah, Straw Dogs by Sam Peckinpah, Pat Garett and Billy the Kid by Sam Peckinpah, Blind Chance by Krzysztof Kieslowski, The Bridge on the River Kwai by David Lean, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp/A Matter of Life and Death by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, The Devils by Ken Russell, The Third Man by Carol Reed and The Silence of the Sea by Jean-Pierre Melville. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Sam Peckinpah is an astonishing filmmaker and the images in his films linger in my mind. His films are about violence, honour and revenge. These are four of his films.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This film by Kieslowski was made in communist Poland. It imagines three different scenarios each time the protagonist either misses or catches a train. In one scenario, he becomes a communist activist, in another one he is an anti-communist activist and in another one he is not involved in politics. Kieslowski is one of my favourite filmmakers. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This film by David Lean is an epic about British held soldiers held captive as prisoners of war by the Japanese during WWII. They are subjected to gruelling labour and forced to build a bridge. For my money, it has one of the best endings in the history of cinema.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought this classic film by Powell/Pressburger, which offended Churchill so much that he tried to have it banned. It also comes with A Matter of Life and Death and I already own another copy of that.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This film by Ken Russell is surrealistic and has some awesome images. It is about some nuns who claimed to have been possessed by the devil.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This film by Carol Reed is set in Austria after WWII and it has a memorable cameo appearance from Orson Welles.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This film, 'The Silence of the Sea,' is about a Nazi officer who tries to convince this French couple that Germans are good people and that Germany is a good culture. It has a surrealist slant to it.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg_i84PRC0hAB6u7kTWBGCgHRqONcp9-QHKmokigppRndw8iWmyCwS-qoiOhdXBdUf0XfRK0GflACe5j8jlmdBRvRTsavIV0pUe57hx4GSaeOTNJavaGefphfXjgZ2mQA5eZmFF7Rqfk/s2048/IMG_20210928_203941.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg_i84PRC0hAB6u7kTWBGCgHRqONcp9-QHKmokigppRndw8iWmyCwS-qoiOhdXBdUf0XfRK0GflACe5j8jlmdBRvRTsavIV0pUe57hx4GSaeOTNJavaGefphfXjgZ2mQA5eZmFF7Rqfk/s320/IMG_20210928_203941.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisition.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A punching bag.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've been struggling with anger/negative thoughts the past few years. I can start shouting and I can get quite nasty. This isn't who I am, however, as I am sure that I am a decent/nice person. Someone at work suggested that I buy a punching bag, which seemed like a good idea. So, the next time I get irrational/angry thoughts for some unfathomable reason, I'm going to punch the living shit out of this punching bag.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAv3f3eIEsb_EMgRFrY7S6nwux8oVz3MdnzRyzwgYqIMs9glKHBur2efhGK8fi3SjVmwDWTHnHL006tiXuK3IZmB2snghesx4cvh4lgaaRlLO-3VI310ySWZWti4g904Pn9-UqwP7TDYQ/s2048/IMG_20211002_230540.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAv3f3eIEsb_EMgRFrY7S6nwux8oVz3MdnzRyzwgYqIMs9glKHBur2efhGK8fi3SjVmwDWTHnHL006tiXuK3IZmB2snghesx4cvh4lgaaRlLO-3VI310ySWZWti4g904Pn9-UqwP7TDYQ/s320/IMG_20211002_230540.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Three CDs: Stoner Witch by Melvins, Houdini by Melvins and The Bootlicker by Melvins.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One book: Ritual in the Dark by Colin Wilson.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Melvins are a group that I've enjoyed for a while. They're kind of grungey but quirkier. They were a big influence on Nirvana.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Colin Wilson wrote this novel alongside his non-fiction book The Outsider, which catapulted him to fame age twenty-four. It is a crime thriller about a serial killer.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Meandering Pontification 1/2 *</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I am interested in a lot of things… Literature, music, film, philosophy, history, politics… And I’m starting to get interested in science, too. The thing is, though, is that I am not an expert in anything… I admire people who can focus and hyper-specialise… I can’t do that. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I find philosophy very interesting. My interest in it is completely amateurish, though. As I said earlier, I am not an expert in anything – I am an amateurish dilettante. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> However, I find a lot of philosophy very infuriating. The philosophers that I find most interesting at the moment are John Rawls, Martha Nussbaum and Karl Popper. They write in crystal clear English/German (they don’t use wanky phrases like ‘the negation of the negation’) and I can comprehend what they are going on about. I find a lot of what Kant and Hegel said very interesting, but the primary texts are a fucking nightmare to read. I’d probably have to wade through dozens of secondary sources before they start to make sense. When I read primary sources, I don’t digest all of it, which probably goes to show what an amateur I am.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> I get that there is a need for precision in all this and that you need to use terms, but a lot of the ‘continental’ stuff seems to be deliberately obscured. (I can be extremely imprecise, obscure and vague myself, which is something that I need to work and improve on.) All of the ‘postmodernist’ stuff seems to be a like a waste of time for me. I lost motivation with my MA… I did a module in Comparative Literature and I had to do a presentation on Roland Barthes. I could not find the primary source in the library – all the books had been taken. I cobbled together a presentation from secondary sources that I found in the library… The lecturer said that it was great (or maybe she said that it was shite, she spoke really obscurely) … When it came to writing the 5,000 word essay for that module, I started it three days before it was due and received 58% for it… (Something similar happened with my MA dissertation.) There might be a lot of substance behind all the obscurity, but all the postmodernist philosophy seems to be a whole load of pseudery to me… This might not be true, but I’m glad that I don’t have to deal with it anymore.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Maybe I should have done a degree in philosophy, history, politics or maybe even economics. My BA was really soft… I was reading through one of my essays that received 85% and it made me wonder how such a fluffy little essay could receive such a high mark… (I also threw in loads of Foucault/Deleuze into my undergrad dissertation without really understanding it and received 75% for it… I’d never use that stuff in one of my essays now!!!) It seemed to confirm that grade inflation IS a thing and that my degree was really soft.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">* I try to avoid writing about this kind of thing on Facebook because these topics are divisive by their very nature and will piss off a large section of your friends… This is the kind of thing that will make people delete you, but… fuck it.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Meandering Pontification 2/2 *</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">The world is not fair and just (and it never will be)… so there is every good reason to make it more fair and just. There are good reasons for being a leftist – to make the world a fairer, more just, equal etc. place.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> However, I would not want to get involved in left-wing politics… Every time I’d express an original thought that deviates from the party line or ideological orthodoxy, people would shout at me for being a ‘bourgeois individualist.’ I joined the Labour Party, but I let my membership expire for precisely this reason. Anyway, I would not want to spend my free time attending political meetings… I’d rather spend my free time reading books, writing books, watching films and listening to music instead. (Each to their own, though…) Denis Healey said that the Labour Party membership are not representative of Labour Party voters… Labour Party members are more ideological, more left-wing and more inclined to spend their free time attending political meetings. Labour Party voters are less ideological and more moderate, but they are less inclined to spend their free time attending political meetings. Denis Healey was correct.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> The more extreme currents of leftist thought are just palpably silly – people like Paul Mason, Aaron Bastani, Grace Blakeley and Ash Sarkar… I can get why you might be an anti-capitalist or some sort of utopian anarchist in your early 20s, but I don’t understand how you can keep adhering to that stuff in your late 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s etc. (Again, each to their own!) I used to find that stuff appealing in my early 20s, but I grew out of it. Bastani’s idea of ‘fully automated luxury communism’ sounds like some sort of Monty Python sketch. Paul Mason goes on about ‘globalised neo-liberalism’ as if we should know what that means. This is his definition of neo-liberalism: ‘By neoliberalism I mean the global capitalist system shaped by a core of neoliberal practices and institutions, themselves guided by a widespread and spontaneously reproduced ideology, and ruled by an elite which acts in a neoliberal way, whatever conflicting and moderating ideas it holds in its head.’ Ok then!</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Anyway, there is a good case for social justice, but never when it crushes individual freedom. (People can get a bit silly with social justice and go over the top with it – all those ‘Social Justice Warriors’ etc., but there’s always a good case for it.) It reminds me of the film ‘Dr. Zhivago’ by David Lean… A Russian poet is involved in the Russian revolution because he wants to do something about the injustices in Tsarist Russia… Come the revolution, one of the Soviet commissars addresses him… He says that he admired his poetry very much, but that in the new communist society there is no need for that ‘bourgeois’ nonsense. That’s the problem with leftist politics at its worst – its authoritarianism, its dogmatism and its contempt towards individualism, pluralism, tolerance, diversity, autonomy and personal goals. (In other words, leftist politics is bad when it is illiberal… And a lot of leftists are actively hostile to liberal values…)</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> As I said earlier, there are good reasons for making the world a fairer and more just place and there are good reasons for being a leftist, but so much of left-wing politics is such a load of crap.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">* I try to avoid writing about this kind of thing on Facebook because these topics are divisive by their very nature and will piss off a large section of your friends… This is the kind of thing that will make people delete you, but… fuck it.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Meandering Pontification 3</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In literature, music and film I tend to like stuff that is more ‘out there’ and experimental. I do like things that everyone else knows about… I do like Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare, I do like groups like Abba, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, I do like composers like Bach and Beethoven and I do like films like The Godfather and series like Breaking Bad… But there’s something about the stuff that is experimental, pushes boundaries etc. etc. (insert endless cliches here) that appeals to me… It’s hard to explain, as taste is often so emotional and arbitrary. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> A composer like Harry Partch certainly belongs to the latter category. An archetypal outsider, he did everything on his own terms. He actively enjoyed being a hobo, he railed against European modes of tuning, he incorporated music from Antiquity and the orient into his music and since he could not have his ‘microtonal’ music performed on conventional instruments, he built his own.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> Anyway, I’m trying to buy stuff that I really like on CD/record and to stop streaming stuff. I bought Partch’s ‘Delusion of the Fury’ on vinyl and I tried buying his album ‘Eleven Intrusions’ on CD… It’s been out of print for years, so I ordered a second-hand copy several months ago… And they never delivered it.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> So, last night I dreamed that I was at this book/record shop… And I dreamed that I found new editions of Delusion of the Fury (well, I already have that), Eleven Intrusions and The Bewitched on vinyl… And I was overjoyed… And the people who worked there had no idea who Harry Partch was… So, very few people in the world dream about finding new editions of Harry Partch, but… who knows, there might be?</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvyWzYS9hEwBdy-YUVO-AOrGHCGX4mN2apsd1Tft0aTAnW48p_4whfgnd2v6YZzj3eq_FRovKoaDgSpBRgU_4vC58AXxKr0lTq1KbUC28APW5owbIYbqX41_nXkzlfa8U_WvGthqzoWs/s2048/IMG_20211108_212058.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLvyWzYS9hEwBdy-YUVO-AOrGHCGX4mN2apsd1Tft0aTAnW48p_4whfgnd2v6YZzj3eq_FRovKoaDgSpBRgU_4vC58AXxKr0lTq1KbUC28APW5owbIYbqX41_nXkzlfa8U_WvGthqzoWs/s320/IMG_20211108_212058.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Two records: Raw Delta Blues by Son House and Easy Rider by Leadbelly</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One DVD: Ghost World by Terry Zwigoff.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I really like delta blues from the 1920s... This is also the decade in which jazz first emerged. These musicians really had it rough... Economic hardship, racial injustice... And they made great music out of it.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I really like this film by Terry Zwigoff, mainly because I relate to the character played by Steve Buscemi... Ultimately, a lot of novels/films are about human relationships, not the organisation of society/the nature of reality etc. etc.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFNMf4BoUAF9MtU95N5Eg8vNO2NA4myi8WiXLMI_l_jovyFfIu5KrR7zfc3XCOzOucJ0D-RL5BW3vVOvLn3qUVMrpcCohYFZHBU1Y1K5PbdKfsp8rOF2GAXeTmKFZqsWaUl3OOhgIM0U/s2048/IMG_20211116_175338+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQFNMf4BoUAF9MtU95N5Eg8vNO2NA4myi8WiXLMI_l_jovyFfIu5KrR7zfc3XCOzOucJ0D-RL5BW3vVOvLn3qUVMrpcCohYFZHBU1Y1K5PbdKfsp8rOF2GAXeTmKFZqsWaUl3OOhgIM0U/s320/IMG_20211116_175338+%25281%2529.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpe1293Du_XXiRs42QaH-gR0mbsONWEmXpYExgMSoD9uX-HTMmgz9jlo98mQpO5eu4L7RDmvGKmOz7jzHO6BiShkGFcTAM4LET3T8-QInkuq5VnvjUZjfnXoQ5unzpaPgshkbp4yRDgM/s2048/IMG_20211116_175359.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDpe1293Du_XXiRs42QaH-gR0mbsONWEmXpYExgMSoD9uX-HTMmgz9jlo98mQpO5eu4L7RDmvGKmOz7jzHO6BiShkGFcTAM4LET3T8-QInkuq5VnvjUZjfnXoQ5unzpaPgshkbp4yRDgM/s320/IMG_20211116_175359.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four CDs: The Artistry of Christopher Parkening by Christopher Parkening, A Bach Celebration by Christopher Parkening, Strathclyde Concertos Nos. 3 and 4 by Peter Maxwell Davies/Scottish Chamber Orchestra and String Quartets 6 and 15 by Franz Schubert/Kodaly Quartet.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Two books: Solaris by Stanislaw Lem and An Introduction to Medieval Europe: 500-1500 by James Westfall Thompson and Edgar Nathaniel Johnson.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I really like the sound of classical guitar and I really like Bach. Christopher Parkening was one of the most accomplished classical guitarists of all time and he played a lot of Bach, so I bought two discs by him.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've bought a lot of records by Schubert at charity shops. My second favourite piece by him (after his 'death and the maiden' quartet) is String Quartet No. 15. I thought that I owned a vinyl copy of it, but I don't, so I purchased a copy of it online.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I've always known of the name 'Peter Maxwell Davies' and I always knew that he was the most famous British composer of modern classical music. However, I don't think I'd heard a piece by him before, which is why I bought this disc by him (and I'm hearing it right now).</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I wrote a philosophical science fiction novel which was heavily influenced by Tarkovsky's film 'Solaris.' That film was based on a novel, which I've bought so that I can finally read it.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I'm about to start an essay which uses source on medieval history. I saw this at a charity shop and I thought that another book on the topic would be helpful. This is a 1.000 page book and I might read it from cover to cover one day, too.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-16799246804474954572021-11-16T12:07:00.004-08:002021-11-16T12:07:39.318-08:00Ahoy Facebook #16<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mIFGt0s4umCkq3-i5R-r26KOHGLFTGjisF6HQMuGC1cTq3bZ3pNNIePRWwXY9UV2amFHAj6mpDYGMNFuSOCFrBkAx1Xf2pyLyjNWxxH8Q_NGw8HN4t1yrFBRtuIIy5swPC88JZxM-GQ/s1552/194323107_3816997971760896_3309007639693110328_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1552" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-mIFGt0s4umCkq3-i5R-r26KOHGLFTGjisF6HQMuGC1cTq3bZ3pNNIePRWwXY9UV2amFHAj6mpDYGMNFuSOCFrBkAx1Xf2pyLyjNWxxH8Q_NGw8HN4t1yrFBRtuIIy5swPC88JZxM-GQ/s320/194323107_3816997971760896_3309007639693110328_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQ6z8lftWcV_nQEFGT1SusHKgKDuHbptTwxjArDjIDnXHLfWXnnTTugQihF1DHhrox6SkiN4jv7NyJA5U3iAcFrMC7ETOyux3WVBnLgTRe22GWfwGwnJ0D02onBUtjim978Z8SywqWqw/s1552/194939991_3816997825094244_2239714128157027141_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1552" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijQ6z8lftWcV_nQEFGT1SusHKgKDuHbptTwxjArDjIDnXHLfWXnnTTugQihF1DHhrox6SkiN4jv7NyJA5U3iAcFrMC7ETOyux3WVBnLgTRe22GWfwGwnJ0D02onBUtjim978Z8SywqWqw/s320/194939991_3816997825094244_2239714128157027141_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYMw3GwRh-gNORwNZp5qJXJcwR3pz_Ob36jlCzCNDeVpInMwUimwval-6s_8hloZlF0d8aH2-yFMnke2FqXlw7P5g6SQ9W7K_BvGZk2Knc64i6k0Ge5lG0VYIuIX1frbKshIGUM6-ws4/s1560/195541080_3816997578427602_4450015155742668593_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="1560" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYMw3GwRh-gNORwNZp5qJXJcwR3pz_Ob36jlCzCNDeVpInMwUimwval-6s_8hloZlF0d8aH2-yFMnke2FqXlw7P5g6SQ9W7K_BvGZk2Knc64i6k0Ge5lG0VYIuIX1frbKshIGUM6-ws4/s320/195541080_3816997578427602_4450015155742668593_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="🙂" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t4c/1/16/1f642.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four CDs: Strictly Personal by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Lick my Decals Off Baby by Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, ESP by Miles Davis and Nefertiti by Miles Davis.. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I had been hearing pirated versions of these Beefheart CDs for a very long time. I revisited Strictly Personal recently, which sounded a lot better than I remember, so I thought that I'd finally buy a physical copy. Back in the day, 'Lick my Decals off Baby,' was always out of print and used to cost about £80. I looked it up online and saw that it was for sale for only £9. I was thrilled, as it's easily one of his best albums</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought two Miles Davis albums, which were made by the 'quintet' that he assembled in the early 60s. Needless to say, I love his music.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Three books: Theologico-Political Treatise by Benedict de Spinoza, Confessions of a Philosopher by Bryan Magee and Arrows of Desire: The Films of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This book by Spinoza is one of the first works from 'the enlightenment.' In this book, Spinoza argues in favour of the separation between church and state, in favour of free speech and he argues that the role of the state and of democracy is to protect the freedom of its citizens. It was very controversial when it came out. I've been wanting to read this book for a while, so I was pleased to find it in a second-hand book shop.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought an autobiography by Bryan Magee, a philosopher who had a program about philosophy on TV and are now available on You Tube. Magee would usually interview a philosopher about his own work or the writings of a famous dead philosopher. He would usually explain highly arcane ideas in a lucid way. In this book, he writes about his own life - he was also an MP at one point - and his interest in philosophy. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought a book about Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who have easily become some of my favourite filmmakers. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Two DVDs: La Grand Illusion by Jean Renoir and Rosemary's Baby by Roman Polanski.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">La Grand Illusion is a brilliant film. It is set in WWI and depicts French prisoners of war held captive by Germans. Goebbels was repelled by the way in which Renoir depicted Germans. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">I watched Rosemary's Baby recently and I enjoyed it so much that I thought that I'd buy a copy of it. It is Polanski's first Hollywood film, after making films in Poland and France. The ending was so predictable as soon as I started watching it, but it was exhilarating to watch.4</div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e7bQdyPmVu5MEoVaXArfr0SV8cn99NmqwC_kRTAOALQHQS68R3k732MJ6LnAs6MQ3dU4D2co8WWMbuqsngMBFgHjKC6pame1eAvBGZBINj9iE9sC0uqhUSPedibIj1_AQMKMhM_EjPA/s960/198522899_10225052110555436_2758204912589900864_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="802" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2e7bQdyPmVu5MEoVaXArfr0SV8cn99NmqwC_kRTAOALQHQS68R3k732MJ6LnAs6MQ3dU4D2co8WWMbuqsngMBFgHjKC6pame1eAvBGZBINj9iE9sC0uqhUSPedibIj1_AQMKMhM_EjPA/s320/198522899_10225052110555436_2758204912589900864_n.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto"><div class="" dir="auto"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_o0" style="padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql lr9zc1uh a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v b1v8xokw oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="display: block; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space: pre-wrap;">Funny.</div><div dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: var(--primary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoB8ik_x0_G8jYA3SOT9iGFdfRa8N0A_NL2RmYMZ0I5eYkz4hygXjmlMlyRMHb2nv_RQeVSiQiZnwnBTa2O12cQIbf1PgK1FKr83Rwd0_2BK6Zxy58EZD9kwqcP4-9wYFudmNFIpAfmZk/s2048/IMG_20210624_220950.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoB8ik_x0_G8jYA3SOT9iGFdfRa8N0A_NL2RmYMZ0I5eYkz4hygXjmlMlyRMHb2nv_RQeVSiQiZnwnBTa2O12cQIbf1PgK1FKr83Rwd0_2BK6Zxy58EZD9kwqcP4-9wYFudmNFIpAfmZk/s320/IMG_20210624_220950.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">New acquisitions. 👍
I used to listen this album by The Fall during my second year at university, when I lived right next to the seaside at Herne Bay. (I also listened to a lot of Bach back then - good times.) It is not one of their most lauded albums - it is just another Fall album - but I've always really enjoyed it. I found it at a record shop in Chesterfield, so I decided to buy it with a £20 gift that my grandmother sent to me for my birthday.
I received this book about Touissant Louverture as a birthday present from my sister. I've taken an interest in the Haitian revolution, which started with a slave revolt in 1791 and culminated with the first independent black state a few years later. It had been a sugar plantation held by the French and it was the only successful slave insurrection in history. This book is all about the leader of the colony, Touissant Louverture, a former slave.</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoCSnJ-pHwa4Db0EFnJ_gF2HN1k1JHYSXXvHPGkP0oGJ4iWp98gAfI9dvNuq4CjFwOALZlyilzzTm-W2Cms6ayZnuMJHpLZvPoKF7h8kvRH3ai4bpRI6lwGt6BHZyI_RgxkyC0QLC2cU/s2048/IMG_20210710_143631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWoCSnJ-pHwa4Db0EFnJ_gF2HN1k1JHYSXXvHPGkP0oGJ4iWp98gAfI9dvNuq4CjFwOALZlyilzzTm-W2Cms6ayZnuMJHpLZvPoKF7h8kvRH3ai4bpRI6lwGt6BHZyI_RgxkyC0QLC2cU/s320/IMG_20210710_143631.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXJomBeZtWGTOjzkgxyc3MwejB31T2pqgzAs8pGpYKJmY4eDMERkcxowJGymbiFtgvJFNgxfmLXf2_KHGJFB619BNaCgCA7OgvVFjuq3wdAnCAue6IzyE4JNc-GSCJi2Q2B1CnH6HPto/s2048/IMG_20210710_143659.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOXJomBeZtWGTOjzkgxyc3MwejB31T2pqgzAs8pGpYKJmY4eDMERkcxowJGymbiFtgvJFNgxfmLXf2_KHGJFB619BNaCgCA7OgvVFjuq3wdAnCAue6IzyE4JNc-GSCJi2Q2B1CnH6HPto/s320/IMG_20210710_143659.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four CDs: Revolver by The Beatles, Rubber Soul by The Beatles, Glenn Gould Plays Bach: The Goldberg Variations by J. S. Bach/Glenn Gould and Cantatas BWV 21 & 42 by J. S. Bach.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought two albums by The Beatles, which of course feature their classic songs. I've always been aware of these albums, but I've never heard them from start to finish, so I thought that I'd buy them. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I also bought two albums by Bach, who is easily my favourite classical composer. He wrote so much music and so much of it so good. One of these albums is a famous performance of the Goldberg variations by Glenn Gould, who was a virtuosic pianist and a bit of an eccentric. I've never heard any of his cantatas, so I thought that I'd buy an album of them to rectify this.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Three books: The Consolations of Philosophy by Boethius, Inventing the Individual: The Origins of Wester Liberalism by Larry Siedentop and Reaganland: America's Right Turn 1976-1980.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"> This book by Boethius was written in the sixth century AD (year 523). He had been sentenced imprisonment and was possibly facing execution. He thought that this was unjust, but whilst awaiting execution, he wrote this book called 'Consolations of Philosophy.' Boethius examines how evil can exist in a world created by God and other philosophical issues. This book was very important in the medieval ages.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Usually, liberal ideas - such as seeing ourselves as individuals, freedom, equality - are usually associated with the start of the Enlightenment. In this book, Siedentop argues that these ideas originate with the start of Christianity.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">'Reaganland' argues that the new economic era of tax cuts, deregulation, low tariffs, etc. was already in motion with the start of the Jimmy Carter administration of 1976-1980. Carter himself was already introducing some of these policies and many of the ideologues of the New Right, such as Milton Friedman, were already highly influential during this period.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;">I'm such a slow reader that it's going to be ages before I make a start reading these books. Even though I'm a slow reader, I don't take in everything I read either. I should probably improve my reading skills.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="white-space: normal;">Oh dear, my cat has died.</span><span style="font-size: 24px; white-space: normal;"> </span></div><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 rgmg9uty b73ngqbp" style="display: inline-flex; font-size: 24px; height: 24px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; width: 24px;"><img alt="☹️" height="24" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t56/1/24/2639.png" style="border: 0px;" width="24" /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 rgmg9uty b73ngqbp" style="display: inline-flex; font-size: 24px; height: 24px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; white-space: normal; width: 24px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL21bfVXRBkmgbC28zzE92htljM041Gb-eS7Qy5cecBkZH_tw3V6XtZzL0T9ml_-ffHw-Gq_WWFGlSdzprGXk8GntpvgS14UEUv_o8DsyJPY_uHn51Tu2t_g7InbN6vbLth4Utuibzu58/s2048/IMG_20210727_203257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL21bfVXRBkmgbC28zzE92htljM041Gb-eS7Qy5cecBkZH_tw3V6XtZzL0T9ml_-ffHw-Gq_WWFGlSdzprGXk8GntpvgS14UEUv_o8DsyJPY_uHn51Tu2t_g7InbN6vbLth4Utuibzu58/s320/IMG_20210727_203257.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqhBym5BjOu9Jcc0Cudc08yCX88HcscqMGK9FmJt0fq-EdIOVgrLJ8JoDTqdzoMdjX-zTWKamk_dRz7BcYqUeZY7uRWpgLtxR9cK5erCa8pldt0sUOif8hoXQ9mvbOI1Zi8K6MUxy_3s/s2048/IMG_20210727_203319.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAqhBym5BjOu9Jcc0Cudc08yCX88HcscqMGK9FmJt0fq-EdIOVgrLJ8JoDTqdzoMdjX-zTWKamk_dRz7BcYqUeZY7uRWpgLtxR9cK5erCa8pldt0sUOif8hoXQ9mvbOI1Zi8K6MUxy_3s/s320/IMG_20210727_203319.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions 1/2. I'm making a concerted effort to solely listen to CDs/records and to never stream anything ever again.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Five CDs: Quartet for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen/Amici Ensemble, Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich, Piano and String Quartet by Morton Feldman/Vicky Ray/Eclipse Quartet, String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5 by Elliott Carter/Pacifica Quartet and String Quartets Nos. 2, 3 and 4.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One record: Delusion of the Fury by Harry Partch.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This piece by Messiaen is a classic. He had it performed in a prisoner-of-war camp under Nazi occupation. I've always found Steve Reich to be a lot more interesting than many of the other minimalists that he is associated with (Phillip Glass, John Adams, etc.) and 'Music for 18 Musicians' is one of his most famous pieces. Morton Feldman is also quite minimalistic and I find his music to be very hypnotic and beautiful. Elliott Carter is the opposite of minimalistic and his string quartets are particularly complex and fascinating. Finally, Harry Partch built his own instruments and his music is incredibly original and powerful. 'Delusion of the Fury' is probably his best pieces, so I just had to buy it - and it was only available on vinyl.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxI3sqK6QvzftDRzdAtLQPjRNGJ-ueTyU2oO9WXs1eqvpe71vPoPETLyZs0uay2XYm4YF1ZIM_O2Fhj6LurUYbQxMwcqm-JvWp783x2lrAPkZdXrBo56FycJUBcjJrPOEnF5OoVd_W-8/s2048/IMG_20210730_204417_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSxI3sqK6QvzftDRzdAtLQPjRNGJ-ueTyU2oO9WXs1eqvpe71vPoPETLyZs0uay2XYm4YF1ZIM_O2Fhj6LurUYbQxMwcqm-JvWp783x2lrAPkZdXrBo56FycJUBcjJrPOEnF5OoVd_W-8/s320/IMG_20210730_204417_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEjhhGAu3dJ7Xv7AsZaDLcjFOIeyKxCCuCi8GiKVV8HOgOviMS47hXSzTj3ccFrLepp0kuhfNTaEdcrAjzHeF-lLIEPz2hqIvJm2_HozZni7oEBl7zNBGB-Kus5s4kPPKG6COROFvI64/s2048/IMG_20210730_204441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxEjhhGAu3dJ7Xv7AsZaDLcjFOIeyKxCCuCi8GiKVV8HOgOviMS47hXSzTj3ccFrLepp0kuhfNTaEdcrAjzHeF-lLIEPz2hqIvJm2_HozZni7oEBl7zNBGB-Kus5s4kPPKG6COROFvI64/s320/IMG_20210730_204441.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpagIuyXxl6meI3585GrizP0D7QMcDsJbnB8fF8fbmXGGKBu2gC_rv7hfv0EvN9ohS3a5byFcAcTJ2TrPNYSqVQTaAV6iJPZWvDtyVCCEolgPernwiFP7vg_1566CkfiCUaVP63b63qRM/s2048/IMG_20210730_204632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpagIuyXxl6meI3585GrizP0D7QMcDsJbnB8fF8fbmXGGKBu2gC_rv7hfv0EvN9ohS3a5byFcAcTJ2TrPNYSqVQTaAV6iJPZWvDtyVCCEolgPernwiFP7vg_1566CkfiCUaVP63b63qRM/s320/IMG_20210730_204632.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions 2/2. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Nine CDs: Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers of Prevention by Frank Zappa, Jazz from Hell by Frank Zappa, The Yellow Shark by Frank Zappa, Code: Selfish by The Fall, Levitate by The Fall, The Unutterable by The Fall, The Real New Fall LP by The Fall, Cuckooland by Robert Wyatt and Comicopera by Robert Wyatt.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One record: The Infotainment Scan by The Fall.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">These three albums by Frank Zappa are from the late 80s/early 90s, when he made a lot of music for computers and orchestras. His vocal music around this time became too desiccated and pontifical for my liking, but I still like his instrumental music from this period. The track about his debate in congress is particularly good. A lot of these Fall albums are from the 90s, when they started experimenting with electronic music. I've been streaming/downloading these albums for a while, so it's good to own them. Robert Wyatt is an artist I've loved for a while and these albums by him are great.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-pYAcuZk7_nk6ylo4oLm5mIIJWTDyTFWDof65Q-o9SzL3usOnrI69f_EXjvci9tdCh2gQJ6raL_mjjjZis6WZKnNlIqKFveeP77AG7nU8HALHoAEPVswqtKgYnrI6Mqi7fp7HnBF-ak/s2048/IMG_20210813_205304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-pYAcuZk7_nk6ylo4oLm5mIIJWTDyTFWDof65Q-o9SzL3usOnrI69f_EXjvci9tdCh2gQJ6raL_mjjjZis6WZKnNlIqKFveeP77AG7nU8HALHoAEPVswqtKgYnrI6Mqi7fp7HnBF-ak/s320/IMG_20210813_205304.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One CD: Schleep by Robert Wyatt</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One book: Harry Partch: A Biography by Bob Gilmore</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I ordered this marvellous album by Robert Wyatt. I also ordered a biography about Harry Partch, a wonderfully inventive composer of experimental music. I am currently writing an essay about eccentric musicians and I wanted to consult a book about him, so I forked out £40 for this. <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/tfc/1/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-86723196648622920962021-09-02T10:18:00.000-07:002021-09-02T10:18:05.543-07:00Eccentric Musicians<p>This is part four from a forthcoming book called <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>.</p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b> *******************************************</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will examine six
eccentric musicians, examine their characteristics and ascertain what makes
them unique. The Merriem-Webster dictionary defines eccentricity thusly:
‘Deviating from conventional or accepted usage or conduct, especially in odd or
whimsical ways’ (2021). The word is used in physics, since something deviates
from a circular path it is called ‘eccentric.’ In astronomy, astro-psychists
talk about ‘eccentric orbits.’ This essay will examine Captain Beefheart, Frank
Zappa, Mark E. Smith, Sun Ra, Harry Partch and Morton Feldman. They cover a
vast swath of musical genres, ranging from rock, blues, jazz, punk to
classical. In every single case, they were eccentric people who wrote eccentric
music. They were often pioneers in their respective genres, but they always
imbued their styles with their own eccentricities. They stand out from other
musicians in these genre because, in the case of rock and jazz, they do not
follow fashions and, in the case of classical, they do not follow schools or doctrines.
In most cases, they are not part of the musical community and work in the
fringes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Many of the musicians
that this essay will look at strive to be authentic and authenticity is
something that has been discussed in philosophy since antiquity. One of the
most striking examples of this is <i>On Liberty</i> (1859) by John Stuart Mill.
The basic premise of the book is that individuals should be free to pursue
their own life projects and their values as long as they do not harm others.
However, some critics have contended that it is difficult to determine which
actions are harmful and which are not. Other critics have criticised Mill for
commending actions that only benefit the agent and no-one else (Gray 1983, p.
49). Mill centred the individual as the most important unit of society, which
accounts for this famous quote: ‘Over himself, over his own body and mind, the
individual is sovereign.’ The first chapter of the book focuses on free speech,
but the second chapter is entitled ‘Of Individuality, as One of the Elements of
Well-being.’ Mill writes: ‘Individual spontaneity is hardly recognised by the
common mode of thinking as having any intrinsic worth. […] The majority […]
cannot comprehend why those ways should be good enough for everybody’ (1859, p.
65). Mill quotes Wilhelm von Humboldt: ‘Freedom and variety of situations and
vigour and manifold diversity which combines themselves in originality’ (p.
66). Individuals should work things out for themselves and interpret
experiences in their own way (p. 66). Customs and traditions have been taught
to them, but ‘the individual human being must use his faculties of perception,
judgement, discriminative feeling, mental activity, and even moral preference’
(p. 67). Those who follow customs are not making a choice and they are not
using their mental and moral faculties (p. 67) The human being is not a
machine, he is ‘a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides,
according to the inward forces which make it a living thing.’ He also says: ‘A
person whose desires and impulses are his own […] is said to have a character
(p. 69). Indeed, Mill goes on to say that eccentricity is a virtue and that the
fact that there is not enough eccentricity is society is worrying:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘It is in these circumstances, most
especially, that exceptional individuals, instead of being deterred, should be
encouraged in acting differently from the mass. […] In this age, the mere
example of nonconformity, the mere refusal to bend the knee is itself a
service. Precisely because the tyranny of opinion is such as to make
eccentricity a reproach, it is desirable, in order to break through that
tyranny, that people should be eccentric. Eccentricity has always abounded when
and where strength of character has abounded and the amount of eccentricity in
society has generally been proportional to the amount of genius, mental vigour,
and moral courage which it contained. That so few now dare to be eccentric,
marks the chief danger of the time’ (p. 76).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">All the musicians that this essay
will cover evince these attributes. They develop their own vision, they work
things out for themselves and they do not follow customs. On the contrary, they
often deliberately flout musical rules. They do not follow the majority; they
work things out for themselves.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Other
philosophers who have addressed the issue of authenticity include Arthur
Schopenhauer, Soreen Kierkegaard and Colin Wilson. In Schopenhauer’s
philosophy, there is an irrational energy that runs through all subjects and
objects, which he calls ‘the will.’ All subjects and objects strive to attain
something, but they cannot attain it, which leads to suffering. Therefore, the
whole of nature is suffering. This ‘will’ is a single monolithic thing, but
individuals perceive the world through a subjective prism, which he calls
‘appearance.’ All individuals are different, which gives rise to plurality.
Schopenhauer calls this the ‘principium individuationis’: ‘The principium
individuationis and in the remaining forms of the principles of sufficient
reason. In the form of the limited knowledge, he sees not the inner nature of
things, which is one, but its phenomena as separated, detached, innumerable,
very different, and indeed opposed’ (Schopenhauer 1818, p. 352). The whole of
nature is a single monolithic thing, but the phenomena – the subjective
perceptions – are very different. Indeed, Schopenhauer stresses how individuals
are ‘different’ and ‘very opposed.’ Eccentric musicians fit this mould with
their individual characteristics.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indeed,
Kierkegaard often valued the individual and, like Mill, warned against ‘the
tyranny of the majority.’ Kierkegaard wrote in the 19<sup>th</sup> century and
he is considered to be the first existentialist philosopher. He writes: ‘Most
people become quite afraid when each is expected to be a separate individual.
Thus the matter turns and revolves upon itself. […] The central point about
being human is that the unit “1” is the highest; “1000” counts for less’ (Brown
2013). He also writes: ‘Truth always rests with the minority, and the minority
is always stronger than the majority, because the minority is generally formed
by those who really have an opinion while the strength of the majority is
illusory, formed by the gang who have no opinion.’ (Brown 2013) The individual
works things out for himself with his reason whilst the crowd and majority
follow the logic of ‘mob rule’ who bully and coerce others. It does not even
think. The eccentric musicians that this essay will cover follow their own path
and do not follow the majority. Finally, Colin Wilson also extolled the worth
of ‘the outsider’ in his book <i>The Outsider </i>(1956).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He often felt estranged from society: ‘It
struck me that I was in the position of so many of my favourite characters in
fiction: Dostoyevksy’s Raskolnikov, Rilke’s Malte Lauride’s Brigge, the young
writer in Hamsun’s <i>Hunger</i>. Alone in my room, feeling totally cut off
from society’ (1956). Wilson lumps many disparate thinkers, writers and artists
together and the thing that they have in common is that they are all outsiders.
Dominic Sandbrook writes: ‘Wilson’s argument was basically a mishmash of
Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus and dozens of other writers and philosophers thrown
together with frenzied enthusiasm’ (2005, p. 165-166). Still, once more, it
reifies the sense of alienation that many of these eccentric musicians express
in their music.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
first eccentric musician that this essay will examine will be Don Van Vliet,
otherwise known as Captain Beefheart. His music has a devoted cult following
and it is renowned for being abstruse and bizarre. Like many of the other
artists that this essay will examine, Beefheart cultivated an eccentric and
charismatic persona. Indeed, he mythologised and self-aggrandised himself. He
even claimed to remember his own birth: ‘I was born with my eyes open. I didn’t
WANT to be born. I can remember that deep down in my head that I fought against
my mother bringing me into this world’ (Barnes 2000, p. 1). He also exaggerated
his own achievements, as he claimed that he was offered an art scholarship in his
teens, which is most likely not true (p. 2). He repeatedly claimed that he
never attended school, which accounts for his famous quote that ‘if you want to
be a different fish, you have to jump out of the school.’ However, there is
plenty of evidence that this is not true, as photos have emerged of him wearing
a graduation gown and Frank Zappa spoke about attending school with him in
interviews (p. 7). Beefheart claimed in an interview with David Letterman that
he ‘outsmarted the truant officer.’ He was cryptic and bizarre in interviews
and seldom spoke in a normal manner. Indeed, this is how Mike Barnes describes
his interviews: ‘Baffling and elliptical wordplays and verbal conundrums’ (p.
3). Although he could be charismatic, he bullied his musicians and could be an
unyielding tyrant. For his album <i>Trout Mask Replica </i>(1969), he kept his
band locked up in a house for a year and rarely fed them. Beefheart gave them
loose scraps of music by banging the piano, which he could not play, or by
whistling to them. They did most of the work when it came to arranging this
disparate material, but they were not given any arrangement credits for this.
John French played drums for Beefheart in many of his bands and was often
responsible for arranging Beefheart’s lapidary material. He wrote a lengthy
memoir chronicling his traumatising experiences: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘There were days when I was
completely puzzled by Don’s behaviour. He seemed to want to get this album done
in a hurry, but then he would start questioning one of the band members about
something. […] Marker mentioned that the idea seemed to be, in his view, that
Don wanted to keep everything slightly off-kilter – just enough to keep
everyone tense and uncomfortable’ (French 2010, p. 417).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMEmhSX0DKXotSzhjqCTvJPiOMhymdu3g7YCgOcNGug8fVWjT19zXCH7L8OrSxTSI1fAFdb6TtjTHoVBnB5MkS_okUJkhH1Jm_sZ2CzKTM8M4Sdjj28NBnPtZ7ygV8x-msvKzrRdWK7o/s399/captain+beefheart.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="399" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdMEmhSX0DKXotSzhjqCTvJPiOMhymdu3g7YCgOcNGug8fVWjT19zXCH7L8OrSxTSI1fAFdb6TtjTHoVBnB5MkS_okUJkhH1Jm_sZ2CzKTM8M4Sdjj28NBnPtZ7ygV8x-msvKzrRdWK7o/s320/captain+beefheart.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">He would often give the band
lengthy lectures, which made French convinced that he was dealing with a
‘terrible’ person (p. 418). The band worked fourteen or sixteen hours a day and
were never paid for it (p. 418). Their daily meal was a measly little bowl of
soya beans (p. 418). French rarely had time to bathe and his clothes were rags
(p. 418). Beefheart was always the centre of attention, he would interrogate
the musicians and this would last for days (p. 418). French would spend most of
his time teaching the parts to the other musicians (p. 418), although he was
not given any credit for his drumming let alone for arranging the material.
Beefheart psychologically tormented his musicians and could even be violent. He
never paid them for their arduous work, nor did he even credit them for their
considerable musical input. He had a charismatic personality and he was prone
to wild self-aggrandisement. Indeed, a common trait of many of these eccentric
musicians is that, although they have charismatic personalities, they are
ruthless in dealing with others. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
terms of influences, Beefheart was primarily influenced by blues. Even his name
clearly pays tribute to blues and jazz greats such as Howlin’ Wolf, Blind Willie
Johnson, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and Jelly Roll Morton. His voice is obviously
indebted to Howlin’ Wolf. Indeed, Beefheart and Frank Zappa would listen to
rhythm and blues records when they were teenagers (Barnes, p. 18). He was also
influenced by free jazz and he was friends with Ornette Coleman, who gave him a
‘shenai’ instrument (Barnes, p. 47). He played wind instruments – soprano sax
and bass clarinet – in an untrained manner. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The music itself is
clearly influenced by blues music. He always uses slide guitar, but the lines
are played in an angular manner. The drumming is irregular and polyrhythmic and
it interacts with all the instruments. The bass plays chords and is another voice
in its own right; it does not simply support the music. The music is
polymetric, as all the instruments play in different time signatures. <i>Trout
Mask Replica</i> and <i>Lick My Decals Off, Baby</i> (1970) are his most
intricate albums, but the production is not very good and the individual parts
are not always clear. Later albums, especially <i>Doc at the Radar Station </i>(1980),
have better production values and the parts can be heard more clearly.
Meanwhile, the lyrics are funny, absurdist and surreal, but they do not always
make sense. They often allude to 1950s culture, such as confectionary like
‘cherry phosphate’ and chocolate bars like ‘abba zabba.’ His lyrics often have
a lot of contractions, which clearly pays tribute to the language used by the
blues greats. His lyrics often reference nature, as he speaks about ‘the bears
takin’ me in’ and ‘gonna join the mermaids.’ In one song, he sings: ‘Clean up
the air and treat the animals fair.’ The songs could easily be heard
instrumentally, but the lyrics can be heard on their own terms, too. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">But what makes
Beefheart’s music eccentric and unique? There is no doubt that Beefheart strove
to be a ‘different fish’ and he sings in his song ‘Frownland’ that ‘I want my
own land.’ John Stuart Mill would clearly approve of Beefheart’s
eccentricities. Kevin Courrier: ‘Van Vliet’s version of freedom is a mastery of
a man who cannot make anyone else’s’ (p. 127, 2007) The music is clearly imbued
with his personality, as the lyrics are strange and allusive. The music is hard
to get around with initially, as it sounds jarring at first. Even hardcore fans
struggle with it initially. The guitars sound harsh, the time signatures are
odd and it all sounds like a chaotic jumble. It does not sound like other music
– this is perhaps its greatest quality – and the more you hear it the more you
like it. Indeed, it is never monotonous. Kevin Courrier writes: ‘The music
seldom repeats itself’ (p. 102). Beefheart railed against the 4/4 rhythm,
although he sometimes employed it in his music, and ‘the catatonia state.’ This
is probably why Beefheart will outlast many of his contemporaries and this is
probably the greatest quality of the best art – it transcends time. We still
listen to J. S. Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven and Franz Schubert – however different
they are from Beefheart – because we keep hearing new things in them. No matter
how much we associate him with 1960s counterculture, he is not an anachronistic
relic from that era. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Of course, Frank Zappa
was Captain Beefheart’s counterpart, mentor, friend and nemesis. Zappa was an
extraordinarily creative, original and talented musician and he was one of the
most musically literate musicians in rock. He wrote experimental rock, comedy
rock, jazz and orchestral classical music. He released sixty-three albums and
died aged fifty-two. He forged his distinctive style after assimilating many
different styles as a listener. He had a peripatetic childhood and moved around
a lot as a teenager. He moved to the Mojave desert, where he met Captain
Beefheart. He discovered a copy of an Edgard Varese album aged fourteen, which
blew him away and he decided that he wanted to be a composer. Zappa found a
magazine advertising a record shop that would sell anything. Indeed, it would
even sell an album by Edgard Varese, which sounded terrible, and Zappa thought
‘that’s for me’ (Zappa 1989, p. 31). For his 15<sup>th</sup> birthday, his
mother gave him money and used it to make a long-distance phone call. He called
Edgard Varese, but he was not in (p. 33). He soon heard albums by Igor
Stravinsky and Anton von Webern and he loved them. He also loved rhythm and
blues albums and he acquired a prodigious collection of these albums. Indeed,
it did not make any difference if the music he liked was of popular or
classical provenance: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘I didn’t know anything
about twelve-tone music then, but I liked the way it sounded. Since I didn’t
have any kind of formal training, it didn’t make any difference to me if I was
listening to Lightnin’ Slim or a vocal group called The Jewels […] or Webern,
or Varese, or Stravinsky. To me, it was all good music’ (p. 34) <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsmy5wCmtmMjPrF6VMHi82K-0MxwVHuBRw2WDRncZuX26bUALF0grNnq3-8o9JiclqhrDGkPYwDyaNbTLSGCRp853j3SsV6Ydip8zfNSe08oe0DJQU1gLjpghceXOa0V4BTKkGhz-hs8/s2048/frank+zappa.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1546" data-original-width="2048" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGsmy5wCmtmMjPrF6VMHi82K-0MxwVHuBRw2WDRncZuX26bUALF0grNnq3-8o9JiclqhrDGkPYwDyaNbTLSGCRp853j3SsV6Ydip8zfNSe08oe0DJQU1gLjpghceXOa0V4BTKkGhz-hs8/s320/frank+zappa.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Although jazz featured a lot in his
music, he was not a huge fan, although there were a handful of jazz artists
that he admired. He taught himself how to write chamber and orchestral music by
looking at scores. This is an incredible achievement, as most composers learn
their craft by attending a conservatory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">In terms of
personality, Zappa could be contradictory. Although he was part of the
counterculture, and espoused much of its anti-authoritarianism, he worked
assiduously hard on his music – usually at night – and he was very disciplined.
Indeed, by the time of his death he had made sixty-three albums. He was
promiscuous, despite being married with four children. He said the following to
Pauline Butcher: ‘After music, my great interest in life is lust. […] If I
didn’t spend my life composing and playing music, I’d be into lust at every
opportunity. […] Why can’t people fuck anywhere? In trains? In the lift? In the
street?’ (p. 133). Initially he had a bohemian lifestyle, as several people
would walk into his house in the Log Cabin. Pauline Butcher: ‘Apart from pop
stars, there grew up around Frank’s tolerant and non-judgemental presence a
group of weirdos and hangers-on, all poor in purse, all searching for a
different life, the drop-outs of society’ (2011, p. 71) Due to his hirsute
appearance, and his wayward music, many people assumed that he did drugs, but
he never used them. (If you listen to his intricate pieces, it is hard to
imagine how anyone under the influence of drugs <i>could</i> write it.) He was
very opinionated on political issues and spoke from an anti-authoritarian
standpoint. He advocated low taxes, small government and restricting the power
of trade unions. He appeared at congress testifying against a pressure group
called the PRMC, who wanted to put labels on albums with sexually licentious
material. Additionally, a lot of the anti-communist counterculture in the
Soviet Union considered him to be a hero and they listened to his albums, which
the Soviets banned. He made the following statement about communism: ‘A system
that doesn’t allow ownership, that doesn’t allow you to say “Mine!” when you
grow up has – to put it mildly – a fatal design flaw’ (1989, p. 330). The Soviet
dissident, playwright and politician Vlaclav Havel admired his music and
invited him to Checoslovakia once he became its president. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Zappa released
sixty-three albums in his lifetime, which featured primarily avant-garde rock,
comedy rock, jazz, orchestral music and computer music. He came to prominence
with the band The Mothers of Invention and their first three albums featured a
lot of social satire. They featured invectives against the hippie
counterculture, their more ‘square’ parents and corrupt politicians. Around
1967, the group expanded into a nine-member ensemble featuring saxophones and
keyboards. It became an astonishing Dadaist outfit which played Zappa’s own
compositions, but they would also veer towards wild free jazz improvisations inspired
by Albert Ayler, they would quote Edgard Varese and they would also perform
comedic doo-wop songs. The album <i>Uncle Meat</i> (1969) features much of his
best music. Unfortunately, Zappa folded this group when it was at the peak of
its powers. The group felt betrayed, as they were not earning much whilst he
had bought an expensive house in Hollywood with a pool and he had Buick parked
outside (Miles 2004, p. 186). Nine musicians were on a salary and it was
becoming increasingly expensive to tour with them. Also, they were soloing more
often and large chunks did not feature his compositions (Miles, p. 185), which
upset the megalomaniacal Zappa. Following this, he made a jazz fusion album
called <i>Hot Rats</i> (1969) with state-of-the-art studio equipment. Miles
Davis at the time had started fusing jazz and rock with albums like <i>Bitches
Brew</i> (1969) and <i>In a Silent Way</i> (1968). Bands like The Mahavishnu
Orchestra and Weather Report would explore the same territory. Unexpectedly, he
formed another incarnation of The Mothers with the two lead singers of The
Turtles. He indulged himself with songs about sexual depravity and groupies.
Whilst the early Mothers were comedic and Dadaist, this group took the sexual
content to the umpteenth degree. This would be a consistent feature of his
music for the rest of his career. However, this period came to an end when a
fan pushed him off a ten-foot stage. The band thought that he had died, but he
fortunately survived, his voice dropped a few octaves and his left foot became
larger than his right one. He was told that he might never play music ever
again (p. 233). Whilst convalescing, he created two astonishing jazz fusion
albums called <i>Waka/Jawaka</i> (1972) and <i>The Grand Wazoo</i> (1972). The
albums featured a large big band jazz orchestra reminiscent of Sun Ra and Duke
Ellington and showcased Zappa’s compositional and arrangement skills. For the
rest of the 70s, his bands performed intricate instrumentals as well as comedy
songs with lewd content. His bands featured incredibly accomplished musicians,
such as George Duke, Ruth Underwood, Bruce Fowler, Terry Bozzio, Steve Vai,
etc. Zappa was also a gifted guitarist and many of his concerts featured his
extensive solos. Indeed, Miles Davis’ groups often featured musicians who went
on to have the most iconic careers in jazz and the same is true for Zappa’s
group. Miles: ‘Frank saw himself as running a school for musicians, providing a
supportive environment to bring out the best in each player and stretching them
by writing material specifically tailored to their abilities’ (p. 30). He also
had some of his greatest commercial successes in this period, with albums such
as <i>Overnite Sensation</i> (1973), <i>Apostrophe</i> (1974), <i>Zoot Allures</i>
(1976), <i>Sheik Yerbouti</i> (1979) and <i>Joe’s Garage</i> (1979). After
performing endless live versions of silly songs like ‘Dinah Mo Hum,’ and a hit
single like ‘Valley Girl,’ Zappa saved up enough money to have his orchestral
pieces performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. They performed his
fiendishly complex pieces inspired by his love for composers like Igor
Stravinsky, Edgard Varese, Elliott Carter, Webern, etc. He was not pleased with
the performances, however. He stated the following about the experience: ‘They
made so many mistakes and played so badly on that piece that it required forty
edits (within seven minutes of music) to try to cover them’ (1989, p. 156).
Soon after, none other than Pierre Boulez conducted some of his orchestral
pieces, but Zappa was still not pleased with the results. He was finally
satisfied when the Ensemble Modern performed some of his pieces before his
death in 1993. Increasingly frustrated by ‘the human element’ – in both rock
groups and classical ensembles – Zappa purchased a ‘Synclavier,’ a synthesiser
which was state-of-the-art at the time. It now sounds very dated and, indeed,
one would be more likely to encounter it in a museum. Zappa explained what he
liked about it: ‘With the Synclavier, any group of imaginary instruments can be
invited to play the most difficult passages and the little guys inside the
machine play them with one-millisecond accuracy every time’ (p. 173). He used
it to create an excellent album entitled <i>Jazz from Hell</i> (1986). However,
the Synclavier helped create what is most likely his masterpiece – <i>Civilisation
Phase III</i> (1994). Pieces like ‘Amerika’ and ‘N-lite’ are incredibly
detailed and took about ten years to create. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What makes Zappa’s
music unique? His hero Igor Stravinsky wrote in many different styles –
neo-classical, serialist, Russian – but it was always imbued with his own
distinctive style. Likewise, Zappa wrote in many different styles, but it always
sounds inimitably like Zappa. His style on the guitar, his jazz pieces, his
orchestral pieces, his rock songs, his satire, etc. all sound Zappaesque. He
was single-minded and worked relentlessly to achieve what he did. He was
completely self-taught and even learned how to write avant-garde classical
pieces on his own. He maintained this independence of thought throughout his
career by voicing his dislike for mainstream education, state censorship and
authoritarian communist regimes. He did everything on his terms, as he fell out
with Warner Brothers and established his own record label. He had unusual
predilections and indulged himself by writing unusual lyrics about gas masks,
hoovers, poodles, etc. Although he was part of the counterculture, he disliked its
high-mindedness and he was not shy to lampoon it. Much of what he did was in
line with Mill’s ideas about the cultivation of individuality and not
succumbing to the ‘tyranny of the majority.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The next artist that this essay will look at will be Mark
E. Smith, front man and lead singer of The Fall. This essay will start by
looking at the origins of the group. Mark E. Smith was the only permanent
member of the group, which lasted from 1976 until 2018. The Fall formed in 1976
after he attended a Sex Pistols concert and Mark E. Smith decided that he could
do better. Indeed, Stewart Lee writes: ‘The Sex Pistols may have inspired Smith
to form a group, but there any comparison between the two ended’ (2006, p. 40).
The Fall were more influenced by the kind of music that John Peel played, who
was himself a champion of their music: ‘Smith and his cohorts were nourished by
the 70s counterculture drip-fed of Krautrock, Iggy Pop, Captain Beefheart and
weird prog and it could be argued that The Fall became Peel favourites because
they reflected a decade of digesting the DJ’s more extreme music choices’ (Lee,
p. 40). Punk music emerged in a period of political and economic crisis. The UK
was undergoing stagflation – that is, both high inflation and unemployment. The
UK had just taken a hefty loan from the IMF. The UK took a 3.9 billion loan,
which was the largest loan the IMF had handed out at the time. They did this so
as to stabilise the value of the pound, which was accompanied by spending cuts.
Extremely high inflation and industrial unrest had priced Britain out of world
markets and this had also led to high unemployment (Tejuan 2017). Mark E. Smith
lyrics around this time reference unemployment, such as ‘Tempo House’: ‘Make
your claim.’ They also reference industrial unrest in ‘Stop Mithering’: ‘They
always strike for more pay.’ Indeed, punk music was a reaction against this
sense of social malaise. Mark E. Smith says:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘To me, punk was a safety net for a
lot of people, a refuge of sorts from the reality that was 70s Britain. On one
side, it was something that kids could fall into and out of when it all got complicated
and harsh; and for the older generation, instead of concentrating their minds
on the undeniable mess of the state, it provided them with an almost manageable
problem’ (Smith p. 103, 2007).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Punk music was a good release to vent their
frustrations against a decaying society of industrial unrest, rising
unemployment and rising prices. The older generation could scapegoat the punks,
even though they were losing control over the political and economic situation.
Punk was also a reaction against the excesses of prog rock, which had become
increasingly convoluted. Mark E. Smith named the band after a novel by Albert
Camus, although they were initially named ‘The Outsiders’ after another novel
by the French author (Smith 2007, p. 41). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gac4xSK6IQsxOlCYcyu2jYeqbqu65EVbKFapHdglQlhrCzysxks0LVGTXflGzvr7YoTC2A_nJbDd2Qnf0lEE-FxqPQAqKN4-w3XQBi86Y_-JYkQyIKQBAHmZ1vnTg8fatx181jwJdSU/s1200/mark+e+smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gac4xSK6IQsxOlCYcyu2jYeqbqu65EVbKFapHdglQlhrCzysxks0LVGTXflGzvr7YoTC2A_nJbDd2Qnf0lEE-FxqPQAqKN4-w3XQBi86Y_-JYkQyIKQBAHmZ1vnTg8fatx181jwJdSU/s320/mark+e+smith.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">In terms of their actual
music, Smith read widely and he was influenced by Norman Mailer, H. P.
Lovecraft, Colin Wilson, Edgar Allan Poe and other authors. He often cites many
of these authors in his lyrics. He states that this was the intention for his
group: ‘Combining primitive music with intelligent lyrics’ (p. 26). Indeed, the
music is often about creating an hypnotic mood and expressing a sense of
rebarbative emotion rather than creating something sophisticated. Smith says
the following about rock music: ‘Rock and roll isn’t even music really. It’s
mistreating of instruments to get feelings over’ (Baneri 2011). Additionally,
Smith came from a working-class background and he is symptomatic of a kind of
working-class autodidacticism, exemplified by disparate people like Melvyn
Bragg, Colin Wilson and Alex Ferguson. Smith: ‘Looking back, I never liked
college anyway, I educated myself better’ (2007, p. 21). Indeed, many of his
lyrics reference working-class culture, such as ‘Prole Art Threat’ and ‘Fit and
Working Again.’ Punk provided an outlet for people such as Smith, since prior
to punk he would not have felt confident enough to make music. His lyrics have
a surrealist slant and are quite angry and misanthropic. Like Beefheart, they
are cryptic and do not always make sense. The music is self-consciously
repetitive. The music does have some similarities with Beefheart and Can, since
the guitars have little distortion and flit off onto separate directions.
However, those artists are often more intricate whilst The Fall play three or
four chords throughout the same song. They made their best albums throughout
the 1980s, such as <i>Hex Enduction Hour </i>(1982), <i>Slates </i>(1981), <i>Perverted
by Language </i>(1983), <i>This Nation’s Saving Grace </i>(1985) and <i>Bend
Sinister </i>(1986). Brix E. Smith infused more of a pop sensibility when she
joined the group in 1983 and they experimented with electronic music in the
1990s. They produced roughly an album a year from 1977 until 2017. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What makes The Fall
unique? They certainly have a distinctive sound – repetitive guitars, a unique
bass groove and Mark E. Smith’s distinctive delivery. Mark E. Smith’s lyrics
mix mundane observations with surrealist overtones. He was literate, but he was
also highly idiosyncratic and he could be rambling and incoherent. The music is
visceral and rough-hewn, but it does have a pop sensibility. Mark E. Smith had
a notorious attitude, since he was contemptuous of most aspects of society. In
many ways, he was the UK’s very own Captain Beefheart, since he led his own
band in a tyrannical manner, he could be an irascible bully and many band
members came and went. He was untrained musically, but he still managed to
imprint his vision onto his music. He could be very obtuse and abrasive, but
his music does have a pop sensibility, too. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will look at
Sun Ra, a notoriously eccentric and borderline psychotic musician. This essay
will start by looking at his personality. There used to be scanty evidence of
this, as Sun Ra tried to construct his stage persona and hid all information
about his real self. Notably, Sun Ra claimed that he came from Saturn and this
was not a joke. However, he was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1940, a racially
segregated city with the highest KKK membership in the country (<a name="_Hlk79946641">Szwed </a>1997, p. 3). However, Birmingham was still
tolerant of individuality and eccentricity (p. 3). Still, he claimed that he
was not from Earth and he ‘destroyed his past’ by destroying file certificates
(p. 2). His older sister Mary stated the following: ‘He was born at my mother’s
aunt’s house over there by the train station… I know cause I got on my knees
and peeped through the keyhole. He’s not from no Mars’ (p. 7). He was a very
able musician, but developed a reputation for ‘weirdness’ when he lectured
other musicians on morality, astronomy, physics, space travel and that science
and music would become one (p. 58). He also took an interest in Egypt and the
Egyptian sun God, Ra (p. 64). He formed his group the Arkestra in the early
1950s. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZO0POB8i-d3saCZ339rSa90OESnM_I-rMM5gK4EadnhFlhOGAlRLg-3QSzb9bj56AqcfAHRjRG6UGmzo5D3DgWseNvvhSYvyeAXqlwkQC8oZ5eRZbDqcEtFhFM_Pnw3uyprGuRiHmJk/s798/sun+ra.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="525" data-original-width="798" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipZO0POB8i-d3saCZ339rSa90OESnM_I-rMM5gK4EadnhFlhOGAlRLg-3QSzb9bj56AqcfAHRjRG6UGmzo5D3DgWseNvvhSYvyeAXqlwkQC8oZ5eRZbDqcEtFhFM_Pnw3uyprGuRiHmJk/s320/sun+ra.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Like the other musicians
that this essay has looked at, Sun Ra could be a ruthless tyrant. He shunned
drugs and would not employ musicians who took them and drugs and drink were
forbidden in the house that they lived in (p. 116). Some of his musicians snuck
out to do this, but those who broke his rules would be punished (p. 117). It
felt like house arrest, but they were always rehearsing, which has parallels
with the rehearsals for <i>Trout Mask Replica</i>. He forbade musicians from
speaking to the press without his permission (p. 118). Band members were
dominated and even bullied, but they stayed because they thought that they were
doing something unique (p. 118). This is once more similar to Beefheart, as
several of his musicians wanted to leave but chose to stay due to the vitality
of the music. The band did not make much money and he did not tolerate
discussions about money (p. 118). Some band members complained about not
receiving credits for composition. They would rehearse all day by getting up at
4 AM, rehearse til 12, then back again at 4 (p. 119), which once more mirrors
the gruelling rehearsals that led to <i>Trout Mask</i>. The music was hard to
play, which is why they rehearsed so much (p. 121). One musician estimated that
they rehearsed 180 hours for every concert that they played in public (p. 119).
Additionally, he even had a musician guard the door all night (Wilmer 1997, p.
44). Once more, like Beefheart, he fed his musicians a sparse diet (p. 44). He
wanted the band to follow his example and break with family and friends. He
disliked it when band members acquired girlfriends and sexual relationships
could only be pursued under his permission (Wilmer, p. 43), since he felt that
it was too distracting from the music. When John Gilmore’s girlfriend died, he
talked him out of attending her funeral. When one of his saxophonists died, he
prevented his group from attending his funeral (Szwed, p. 196). They had to ask
for permission to go on a date and visit family members (Van Wilmer, p. 44). He
would punish members if they did not follow his rules by cutting their solos
from albums and by leaving them out from publicity photos (Szwed, p. 196).
Additionally, many of his musicians complained that they worked too long
without breaks and that they worked too cheap (p. 197). There were not many
gigs and there were high transportation costs involved in shipping musicians
and equipment (Van Wilmer, p. 44). He had to hold back on spending, which meant
that his musicians resented not being paid much (p. 44). Many of his musicians
did rebel, even his most faithful acolytes (Van Wilmer p. 43). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will now
look at Sun Ra’s actual music. He was extraordinarily prolific, as different
albums came out all the time, often with no title and the same title would be
given to two different pieces (Szwed, p. 125). His titles often referenced
antiquity, Egypt and Africa (p. 125). In the early 1950s, he produced a highly
individualised interpretation of Thelonious Monk and Duke Ellington and in the
late 50s he became more interested in percussion (Priestley 2004, p. 768). He
started using electric keyboards as early as the late 1950s (p. 769) and, once
again, he was ahead of the times when he employed two bassists before Ornette
Coleman (p. 769). He became more interested in free jazz and collective
improvisation in the mid-60s. John Gilmore and Marshall Allan explored noisy
and extreme timbres that tenor saxophones could produce, which influenced
latter-day Coltrane (p. 190). He started veering towards free jazz and,
although his pieces were often organised and composed, the band could veer
towards pure noise and free improvisation. He veered towards free jazz with the
album <i>The Magic City</i>, a collective improvisation akin to <i>Ascension </i>(1966)
by John Coltrane and <i>Free Jazz</i> (1961)<i> </i>by Ornette Coleman. Indeed,
Ornette Coleman might have instigated free jazz, but he still did not go the
full-hog. He was more interested in melody than harmony, as he did not
improvise on chordal patterns, but his melodies became more irregular than
anything heard on bebob. His music was still very rhythmic and his solos were
still very bluesy. He was revolutionary, but the free jazz practitioners who
came after him would take all of this further (p. 233) as later free jazz
musicians disregarded rhythm altogether (p. 233). Although Sun Ra tried to
distance himself from the movement, his music still very much fell within that
category and he could produce the most extreme examples of it. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What makes Sun Ra’s
music unique? He took swing and big band jazz and infused it with Egyptian
melodies and harmonies. He later veered towards free jazz and group
improvisations and he took the template laid out by Ornette Coleman and made it
even more abrasive. This led to artists pursuing this path, such as Albert
Ayler, Peter Brotzmann and Evan Parker. He experimented with electronic
keyboards before they became a core part of jazz. He infused his music with a
mystic philosophy as well as kitsch visuals and costumes. Like the other
artists that this essay has considered, he was tyrannical and cantankerous, but
his music was playful and many of his musicians found his vision compelling.
His music was joyful, often bizarre, often beautiful and exciting.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will now
examine Harry Partch, who was called ‘a crackpot inventor’ by Norman Lebrecht
(1992, p. 253). His music was indeed incredibly radical and innovative, but
Partch’s personality was – once more – notoriously eccentric. His parents were
Christian missionaries in China (Gilmore 1998, p. 14), which led to a strong
distaste for Christianity. He was socially isolated as a child, which led to
him thinking of himself as an ‘outsider.’ He said: ‘Once upon a time there was
a little boy and he went outside’ (p. 20). He took an interest in Chinese
culture (p. 28) and this interest in Oriental culture permeated his music
throughout his entire career. However, his father became an atheist whilst his
mother retained her Christianity (p. 28). Just as he developed a distaste for
Christianity, he discovered that he was homosexual when he was a teenager (p.
30), which compounded his alienation from society. He went to university, but
dropped out after six months after he became dissatisfied with formal music.
Later on, he became a hobo during the Great Depression, a lifestyle he greatly
enjoyed. At the time, he went to Europe to promote his ideas and his career was
on an upward trajectory, but he came back to a ‘jobless America’ (p. 133). He
went on ‘hobo travels’ and took a notebook so as to document his experiences
(p. 13). There were short periods when he had jobs, but this was not a
continuous thing (p. 113). He had to endure hunger, loss of sleep, filth and a
constant sense of danger (p. 113). Vagrancy seemed to be a constant feature of
the Great Depression, something that the New Deal wanted to stamp out (p. 115).
He also had homosexual sex with hobos, which meant that he contracted syphilis
(p. 125). The hobo lifestyle was attractive to him, even though ‘there were
hardships and dangers’ (p. 126) and he maintained this lifestyle even when he
moved to Phoenix and found a job (p. 125). He valued the stoicism that hobos
evinced in the face of these hardships (p. 126) as well as their eccentric
personalities.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoexarJV6vswS1R04aL4oFuWhyDe_MPxF2r7XBWe77CdQwgHBlj1TXgNKADvIVONdyenS95ZZaqkRD0DokECydnUNxsi89nOL1WWmdXJ8gW-ebjEPk1RvSRenu2MgIBiAlHc8iUCNzf8/s259/harry+partch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPoexarJV6vswS1R04aL4oFuWhyDe_MPxF2r7XBWe77CdQwgHBlj1TXgNKADvIVONdyenS95ZZaqkRD0DokECydnUNxsi89nOL1WWmdXJ8gW-ebjEPk1RvSRenu2MgIBiAlHc8iUCNzf8/s0/harry+partch.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Partch’s music was an incredibly radical
statement. All of his music was written for instruments that he designed and
built and he considered himself a carpenter as much as a composer (p. 7). It
was tuned to a microtonal/just intonation scale, not the equal temperament of
the piano (p. 2). It could never be satisfactorily played on western
instruments (p. 2). His instruments demanded ‘new geometric forms of their own’
and required large physical spaces. It required ‘choreographic’ movements from
the player to move across the entire instrument and the performance was highly
corporeal (p. 3). The instruments required large storage spaces and a lot of
rehearsal time (p. 3). He accepted that he needed to release recordings, but
his music was primarily a ‘seen and heard’ performance. It was choreographic
and multi-faceted and it was bound up with drama, text and dance. However,
Partch did not create new instruments because he wanted to create new timbres,
he did it because he wanted to realise the intervals in the microtonal scale,
as most experimental composers created new instruments so as to create new and
unusual sounds. He was also interested in recreating the patterns of speech,
something that the Ancient Greeks did in their music (p. 7). The watershed
moment for Partch, and the moment in which he formulated his musical vision,
was when he discovered the book <i>On the Sensations of Tone</i> (1863) by
Hermann Helmholtz, a study of music theory and a scientific study of sound.
Partch said: ‘Whether there was any logical reason for twelve tones in an
octave. […] I was always dissatisfied with the explanation of musical phenomena
given in school by musical teacher. […] Helmholtz was the key I had been
searching’ (p. 48). Helmholtz was a scientist and he was interested in
re-establishing the connection between music theory and the natural sciences,
something that harked back all the way back to antiquity and Pythagoras (p.
49). In western music, each octave runs from A to G, the seven pitches are
equally spaced and there are sharps or flats affixed to the letter names so as
to indicate pitches that fall within the gaps of the letters. However, there
are no more tones within those gaps (p. 49). Keyboards were tuned to a small number
of fixed tones, but Partch thought that this method – equal temperament –
should be jettisoned and replaced by ‘just intonation,’ a tuning system which
had been used by the Greeks and the Renaissance (p. 50). Partch wanted to write
music for smaller and smaller tones, otherwise known as ‘microtones.’ He would
abandon western notions of pitch and embrace ‘the language of ratios’ (p. 50).
He moved to San Francisco and immersed himself in Chinese culture who had
instruments which were ‘non-tempered’ (p. 53). He tried to compose pieces for
conventional instruments in just intonation, but he quickly run into
difficulties. At the time, modern music, such as Igor Stravinsky and Arnold
Schoenberg, was still bound up with the concert tradition, which Partch wanted
to distance himself from (p. 55). Partch started to build his own instruments,
he engaged with Chinese culture by transcribing poems by Li Po and he also
transcribed speech patterns into music (p. 76). His most ambitious and
large-scale pieces were <i>The Bewitched</i> (1955) and <i>Delusion of the Fury
</i>(1966) and he acquired a larger following in the anything-goes atmosphere
of the 1960s. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">What make Harry
Partch’s music unique? One could make the case that Partch, in a competitive
field, was one of the most unique composers in modern classical music. He
thought that the whole language of western classical music – twelve tones per
octave – was a fraudulent mistake. He was bored by the rigidity of the concert
hall, something which even the most experimental composers of the 20<sup>th</sup>
century clung on to. He disrupted its staidness by adding choreography, pagan
themes, he looked outwards by exploring Eastern cultures and back in time into
antiquity. He used ‘just intonation’ and devised his own microtonal scales. He even
built his own instruments so as to play his music and his instruments were
themselves beautiful to look at. He did everything on his own terms and this
could be exceedingly cumbersome, as it required large storage space for his
instruments, which could not be easily reproduced and musicians had to be
trained on them. He even lived as a hobo and he enjoyed being self-sufficient,
not having to rely on an employer and finding food for himself. He produced a strikingly
original body of work and always stuck to his values and principles.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The final eccentric
musician that this essay will look at will be Morton Feldman. Morton Feldman
was of Jewish provenance and grew up in New York, where the most important
artists of the day dwelt (Lebrecht, p. 117). He was the son of a manufacturer
of children’s coats (Ross 2006). He worked in the family business until he was
forty-four-years-old (Ross 2006) and he also worked part-time at his uncle’s
dry cleaner’s (Ross 2007, p. 527). He wrote music in his spare time, but he
later became professor of music at State University of New York, Buffalo
(2006), where he loved to challenge his students’ assumptions. He did not like
the idea of music being part of academia, so some people thought it was
hypocritical when he took up this post (2007, p. 523) He worked in relative
obscurity for most of his life, but to everyone’s surprise he became one of the
most renowned composers of the 20<sup>th</sup> century once he died. Unlike
Partch, he was more embedded into the artistic community. He was friends with
painters, including Willem de Kooning and Mark Rothko (p. 117). He also became
friends with John Cage, a Californian who was gay whilst Feldman was straight,
Russian, Jewish and from New York. They met one night after hearing a piece by
Anton von Webern at Carniege Hall. Sergei Rachmaninov was on the bill next, but
they walked out early. Feldman asked ‘why was that beautiful?’ and they forged
a close friendship. However, their music was different, as Cage was a reckless
experimentalist whilst Feldman was more restrained. Feldman said the following
about Cage: ‘I owe him everything and I owe him nothing’ (Ross 2006). In
bohemian circles, he was a commanding presence, as he was six feet tall and
weighed three hundred pounds, so he was very noticeable (Ross 2006). He was
friends with Edgard Varese and his teacher was Steven Wolpe, a Marxist who
thought that Feldman’s music was too esoteric. In an amusing anecdote, Wolpe
asked Feldman to look out of the window and think about the first man who
walked across the street. Just as he said this, none other than Jackson Pollock
walked past (Ross 2006). Feldman often made his presence felt at the New York
school of poets, dancers and painters and often lavished his attention on the
women of the room (Ross 2006). He amused and confronted other composers. John
Adams recalls staying at a motel in California, went down for breakfast and
found various musicians of the 20<sup>th</sup> century there, including Steve
Reich, Iannis Xenakis and Milton Babbitt. Feldman talked through the entire
meal and Adams called him ‘a lovable solipsist’ (Ross 2006). Although he was a
verbose man, Feldman wrote notoriously quiet music and once told a group of
musicians: ‘It’s too fuckin’ loud and it’s too fuckin’ fast’ (Ross 2006). <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZqlvOMFZm4khjRMn4-uWE-yWPqQj0T86P7jqRNqZXUK5XgbzBASpRHEMIDH8wMuyheHEMmONKFCAcfO3liFoAx1P2GXCUZJgwkO0U0FurjULpvdfoP7Vm_Jrvtf1gMeAjrRorkBCzNM/s1280/morton+feldman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZqlvOMFZm4khjRMn4-uWE-yWPqQj0T86P7jqRNqZXUK5XgbzBASpRHEMIDH8wMuyheHEMmONKFCAcfO3liFoAx1P2GXCUZJgwkO0U0FurjULpvdfoP7Vm_Jrvtf1gMeAjrRorkBCzNM/s320/morton+feldman.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Indeed, Feldman’s music
was notoriously quiet and minimalistic. His music was more about creating an
emotional experience for the listener than in creating a quasi-mathematical
system. Indeed, <i>The Rough Guide to Classical Guide to Music</i> says the
following: ‘The American avant-garde is different from the European avant-garde
– it is more about the sensual quality of the sounds than the organisation of
the sounds (2001, p. 192). Indeed, Morton Feldman fits the American mould, as
he was more interested in timbre than structure. He liked being American, as
this meant that he could extricate himself from the European tradition and it
provided him with unfettered freedom (Universal Edition). He emphasised
repetition and, indeed, <i>The Rough Guide</i> writes the following: ‘[It is] a
conscious attempt at formalising a disorientation of memory’ (p. 192). Another
aspect that Feldman was interested in was time and his pieces could go on for
hours and hours. He said the following: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘My whole generation was hung up on
the twenty to twenty-five minute piece. It was our clock. We all got to know it
and how to an it. As soon as you leave the twenty to twenty-five minute piece
behind in a one-movement work, different problems arise. Up to one hour you
think about form, but after an hour and a half it’s scale. Form is easy; just
the division of things into parts. But scale is another matter’ (Service,
2012).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Indeed, Feldman’s pieces last for a
very long time, but they are not especially ambitious. On the contrary, not
much happens at all and the dynamics are very soft. They do not stretch the
bounds of what instruments are capable of, but they take place over a
protracted length of time and induce a sense of mystical disorientation.
Indeed, the most extreme example of this is <i>String Quartet No. 2 </i>(1983),
which is almost six hours long. However, unlike, say, Philip Glass, the music
is seldom predictable and you hardly ever know what is going to happen next. Initially,
Feldman used alternative styles of composing. He used a ‘grid notation,’ a grid
of boxes which represented high, middle and low ranges and the musician could
choose which ranges to play (Ross 2006). Later on, some works appeared which
specified the pitches, but they allowed the performer to decide when and how
long they should be played. In other words, it was indeterministic (Ross 2006).
This became a more common practice in the avant-garde, but Feldman returned to
traditional notation and produced his most iconic pieces with <i>Rothko Chapel</i>
(1971), <i>Piano and String Quartet</i> (1985) and <i>The Viola in My Life</i>
(1970). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>What
makes Morton Feldman unique? Modern classical music in the late 1960 and early
1970s was very dogmatic. Most composers followed strict formulas and rules,
such as ‘total serialism.’ Indeed, most music departments had been taken over
by this and the idea of doing something different was scoffed at, but Feldman
rejected this. Karlheinz Stockhausen wrote grand, almost megalomaniacal pieces.
In the case of <i>Gruppen </i>(1957), he wrote a piece for three orchestras.
Feldman wrote quiet pieces, with softer dynamics and for increasingly smaller
ensembles. Additionally, he did not write music which followed some kind of
system. Instead, he was more interested in the sensual quality of these sounds.
Like Harry Partch, he is an eccentric figure within the classical canon. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>John
Stuart Mill wrote that the cultivation of individuality is important.
Individuals who follow their own path and think for themselves use their own
judgemental capacities. On the other hand, those who follow customs do not do
this. Mill even wrote that the lack of eccentricity was the ‘chief danger of
the times.’ Similarly, Schopenhauer wrote that, unlike monolithic nature, every
individual is different. Kierkegaard wrote in favour of the individual and the
minority, as opposed to the majority and ‘mob rule.’ Colin Wilson also wrote a
book which praised ‘the outsider’ in philosophy and the arts. All the musicians
that this essay looked at follow these examples, as they cultivate their own
vision and do not follow fashions. They create their own distinctive style and
do not follow ‘mob rule.’ Captain Beefheart created a unique body of work which
used angular guitars, polyrhythmic drumming and surreal lyrics. He was
influenced by blues and jazz, but he clearly departed from those genres as
well. His music sounds abrasive at first, but repeated hearings are very
rewarding. The music is seldom repetitive and keeps yielding rewards. Beefheart
himself was a strange person who rarely spoke much sense in interviews and he
self-mythologised and aggrandised himself. He was a tyrant who bullied his
musicians and rarely credited them for song writing and arrangement
contributions. Frank Zappa was Beefheart’s childhood friend and he also forged
his own unique path. Unlike Beefheart, Zappa was musically literate and he was
a highly accomplished composer of classical, jazz and rock pieces. He created a
body of work that synthesised multiple styles of music. He wrote many pieces
with sexually gratuitous material and he was often satirical of many aspects of
American society. He was anti-authoritarian, he was stridently anti-communist
and he was popular among dissident groups in the Soviet Union. He was part of
the counterculture and lived a bohemian lifestyle, but he was very disciplined
and produced sixty-three albums in his lifetime. He wrote complex music, he
rehearsed incessantly and, contrary to popular myth, shunned drugs. Mark E.
Smith formed The Fall after attending a Sex Pistols concert. Mark E. Smith was
not trained musically and never learned anything about music theory in the forty
years that he was involved in music. However, punk provided an outlet for his
ideas. Punk emerged in a climate of political and economic crisis and many of
Smith’s lyrics evince a cynical critique of society. Like Beefheart, his lyrics
are cryptic, bizarre, surreal and imaginative. Sun Ra was another strange
person, as he claimed that he came from Saturn, not planet Earth. He started
his own swing band, but he was always highly individualistic and started to
disrupt it with unusual harmonies and time signatures. He started to veer
towards free jazz and collective improvisation and he produced some of the most
extreme examples of the genre. Like many of the other musicians that this essay
looked at, he was a tyrant who ruled the group with an iron fist. Harry Partch grew
tired with the concert tradition and the western tuning system, something that
even the most radical composers of the 20<sup>th</sup> century persisted with.
He grew interested in the ‘microtones’ and built his own instruments so as to
play them. His music was a visual spectacle as much as musical. His instruments
were beautiful to look at and required choreographic movements. He called these
performances ‘a pagan ritual’ and were a clear affront to the staidness of the
concert hall. Partch was highly eccentric and actively enjoyed living as a
hobo. Finally, Morton Feldman wrote music that did not follow a system. He did
not follow a school or a doctrine, instead he created his own unique voice. His
music was minimalistic, quiet and slow, but it does not sound like the
minimalism of Philip Glass, Steve Reich or John Adams, as it is seldom
predictable. He frequented bohemian circles and he was renowned for being
eccentric. These are the characteristics of these eccentric musicians and their
actions and creations would have been extolled by John Stuart Mill.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Works Cited</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Banerji, Atreyi. (2021)
‘The Uncompromising Figure of Mark E. Smith – A True Punk.’ In <i>Far Out</i>.
Available from: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-life-of-mark-e-smith/<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Barnes, Mike. (2000) <i>Captain
Beefheart</i>. London: Omnibus Press. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Brown, Ellen. (2013) Master
Kierkegaard: The Complete Journals: Summer 1847, Fal/Winter/Spring 1847-1848,
and Summer 1848. Oregon: Cascade Books.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Butcher, Pauline.
(2011) <i>Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa</i>. London: Plexus Publishing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Priestley, Brian. Ed.
Carr, Ian. (2004) <i>The Rough Guide to Jazz</i>. London: Rough Guides.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Courrier, Kevin. (2007)
<i>Trout Mask Replica</i>. London: Bloomsbury.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">French, John. (2010) <i>Beefheart:
Through the Eyes of Magic</i>. London: Omnibus Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Gray, John. (1983). <i>Mill
on Liberty: A Defence</i>. London: Routledge. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Gilmore, Bob. (1998) <i>Harry
Partch: A Biography</i>. Yale: Yale University Press. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lebrecht, Norman.
(1997) <i>The Companion to 20<sup>th</sup> Century Music</i>. New York: Simon
& Schuster.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lee, Stewart. (2006) ‘The
Primer: The Fall’ In <i>The Wire</i>. Issue 266. London: Namara Group.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Miles, Barry. (2005) <i>Frank
Zappa</i>. New York: Grove Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Mill, John Stuart.
(2006) <i>On Liberty</i>. Originally published in 1859. London: Penguin Books<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Pettinger, Tejvan. (2017) ‘UK – IMF
Crisis of 1976.’ In <i>Economics Help</i>. Available from: https://www.economicshelp.org/blog/132993/economics/uk-imf-crisis-of-1976/<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ross, Alex. (2006)
‘American Sublime.’ In <i>New Yorker</i>. Available from: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2006/06/19/american-sublime<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ross, Alex. (2007) <i>The
Rest is Noise: Listening to the 20<sup>th</sup> Century</i>. London: Harper
Collins.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Sandbrook, Dominic. (2006)
<i>Never had it so Good: A History of Britain from Suez to the Beatles</i>.
London: Hachette. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Schopenhauer, Arthur.
(2000) <i>The World as Will and Representation: Volume One</i>. Translated by
E. F. Payne. Originally published in 1819. New York: Dover. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Service, Tom. (2012) ‘A
Guide to Morton Feldman’s Music.’ In <i>The Guardian</i>. Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/music/tomserviceblog/2012/nov/12/morton-feldman-contemporary-music-guide<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Smith, Mark E. (2007) <i>Renegade:
The Lives and Tales of Mark E. Smith</i>. London: Penguin. Staines, John.
(2005) <i>The Rough Guide to Classical Music</i>. London: Rough Guides.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Szwed, John. (1997). <i>Space
is the Place: The Lives and Times of Sun Ra</i>. Boston: Da Capo Press. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Unknown author. ‘Morton
Feldman’ In <i>Universal Edition</i>. Available from: https://www.universaledition.com/morton-feldman-220<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Unknown author. (2021)
‘Eccentricity.’ In <i>Merriem webster</i>. Available from: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eccentricity<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Wilmer, Val. (1997) ‘In
the House of Ra.’ In <i>The Wire</i>. Issue 163. London: Namara Group.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wilson, Colin. (2001) <i>The Outsider</i>. Originally
published in 1956. London: Orion.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Zappa, Frank. (1989) <i>The Real Frank Zappa
Book</i>. London: Picador.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-26873769653955089592021-05-30T14:44:00.003-07:002021-05-30T14:45:04.042-07:00Fifteen Characters: Loners and Altruists - video<iframe style="background-image:url(https://i.ytimg.com/vi/vgIG6QqHFN0/hqdefault.jpg)" width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/vgIG6QqHFN0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-30897432926194374532021-05-24T13:38:00.001-07:002021-05-24T13:38:06.462-07:00Ahoy Facebook #15<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbgnCzwUopUlIFhuuVbTEYrEthXvovVEVLqj644sNoY1zHVZ25scnPlvbpLKioha5uQTNCnW2tXEAeRpkqFk-GR5JeZfv6jLs7iqWkaf7CKPKxXZvmOF6_nUQ5Nqu3mbtBO00mMfs-7w/s1080/hayek+popper.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbgnCzwUopUlIFhuuVbTEYrEthXvovVEVLqj644sNoY1zHVZ25scnPlvbpLKioha5uQTNCnW2tXEAeRpkqFk-GR5JeZfv6jLs7iqWkaf7CKPKxXZvmOF6_nUQ5Nqu3mbtBO00mMfs-7w/s320/hayek+popper.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">New acquisitions. </span><span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; display: inline-flex; font-size: 15px; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; white-space: pre-wrap; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t55/1.5/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZHr7iGQUDKrjvNIrz3I2NDoaOQBK6veDwnzR1nPSorX2pOXs9QMBxlNLFzCgLBLanJImMRehO9GIk66gMcPm2p5tExKRDgKvK47WyLj7NiNYTdPHk47PwI9trepO4RkP6_IBSDNdDV8/s805/collected+essays+volume+two.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="805" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8ZHr7iGQUDKrjvNIrz3I2NDoaOQBK6veDwnzR1nPSorX2pOXs9QMBxlNLFzCgLBLanJImMRehO9GIk66gMcPm2p5tExKRDgKvK47WyLj7NiNYTdPHk47PwI9trepO4RkP6_IBSDNdDV8/s320/collected+essays+volume+two.jpg" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's my amateurish design for my next amateurish book.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/54810392?fbclid=IwAR2tklcPMbc-vvpnWsxdEUco8Ik_xS9O4BV_PXZ337IG9KobkE8uwHohnnI</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not a nice person by any means, but he was supremely talented. RIP.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds8liJ6qVeEEs1mmRepkXXOVwF3aQDsmM6Seb1HZ1zPfhIxzhKpaDYO223ctmcMTMFETOvnkO6cwZNeSgM04NZcQO90d8wK1UZnj5JlmaYmk1QH6vguYDcpOGmIkE9OMi55XUXzQEqdM/s1124/desk.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1124" data-original-width="843" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhds8liJ6qVeEEs1mmRepkXXOVwF3aQDsmM6Seb1HZ1zPfhIxzhKpaDYO223ctmcMTMFETOvnkO6cwZNeSgM04NZcQO90d8wK1UZnj5JlmaYmk1QH6vguYDcpOGmIkE9OMi55XUXzQEqdM/s320/desk.jpg" /></a></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div>Hey, take a look at the state of my messy desk!</span><div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.goodreads.com/user/year_in_books/2020/5993530?fbclid=IwAR0Vc5cemmbllcmJWwvgpYNZjHfgKgwFs2yuX707i2hfUW-_CmPCi-vnytY</span><br /></span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hardly got any reading done this past year unfortunately, but this is what I read.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Some ideas are so egregious that you look at them and you think to yourself – ‘how on earth can people believe in stuff like this?’ Two of them come to mind – ‘cultural appropriation’ and ‘planned economies.’</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Many of the best writers, composers and filmmakers draw from other cultures. The whole culture would be so drab and colourless if it didn’t. How is it insensitive to write from the perspective of a Chinese man or an African woman? It is politically correct madness, but the worst thing about is its narrow-mindedness and how limiting it is. Composers like Harry Partch integrated ancient Persian scales, ancient Greek scales and Chinese melodies into their work and enriches the classical canon. Filmmakers like Werner Herzog are always interested in aboriginal cultures that have perished. If anything, a lot of English literature is really parochial – i.e. it is often about balls and aristocratic people with plummy voices mingling. Surely it is much more exciting to venture out further afield and look at other cultures?</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Planned economies comes with a caveat. A lot of these ideas were around in the 1930s and they were a reaction against the laissez-faire that had brought about mass unemployment and the Great Depression. Indeed, people spoke about ‘planning for freedom’ and as a way to save capitalism from collapsing.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">But when people talk about ‘planning the economy’ now, they just say that stuff because they’re boring doctrinaire socialists. (i.e. bores like Ken Loach). For one thing, it is authoritarian – you are telling businesses what to do. It assumes that society is a single organism with a single purpose, when society is comprised of millions of people with different values. Also, planned economies have produced famines and millions of deaths. Think of it – a central planning board would have to produce and ration all of the products in the economy. In a market economy, you get multiple companies producing stuff all the time, which means that we have shelves flowing with products at low prices, which means less poverty and more prosperity. I quite like having fifteen different types of ice cream to purchase and I prefer having that than having to cue in front of a shop with a ration card.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="background-color: white; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">If anything, people believe in stupid shit like this because they want to be part of something. People believe in stupid ideas like cultural appropriation because they want to be ‘woke’ and they want to be part of some silly movement. People believe in planned economies because they want to be boring doctrinaire socialists who attend dreary meetings and they want to go to some god-awful demonstration and wave a dreary placard.</div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In liberal democracies, values often conflict. People say that values like liberty and equality conflict and that individualism and solidarity conflict. There's a famous quote from Issiah Berlin about it.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">As regards the latter, I'd definitely opt for individualism. It's tiresome and boring how often you see those op-eds saying that 'individualism is bad bla bla bla.'</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">There's a good quote from Oscar Wilde that captures why it's a good thing: 'Individualism is a disturbing and disintegrating force. There lies its immense value. For what it seeks is to disturb monotony of type, slavery of custom, tyranny of habit, and the reduction of man to the level of a machine. It seeks to show new perspectives and other choices. It is a way to help expand and liberate the consciousness; our experiences, understandings, imaginings, options and thereby our lives.'</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Michael Sandel writes about 'the unencumbered self' - i.e. a self that is unencumbered by ties to others and is asocial. He thinks that this is a bad thing. Well, in my view, if you do not have any ties to others and you are not hurting others, what is the problem? If anything, a highly asocial person who does not have strong connections to others, but he spends all his free time, say, reading about particle physics, reading Borges and reading about history would, in my view, a lead much fuller and enlightened life than a highly social person who doesn't do any of those things. The social person might have strong ties to his local community, but he might not try to ever improve himself. But then, it'd be better to be neutral about it and say that, as long as you are not harming anyone and you are responsible, work, pay taxes, then both the intellectually curious unencumbered self and the incurious social person are both entitled to lead their lives as they individually see fit.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"> If anything, political cant is extremely depressing and boring. I deleted my twitter account because I grew increasingly tired with tedious tweets such as 'solidarity with Jeremy Corbyn,' 'solidarity with the working class,' 'comrades,' 'nationalise,' etc. etc. These ideologues are depressing because they always repeat ideological mantras. They are actively hostile to free thought, which they regard as 'individualistic.' They repeat the same stale slogans and mantras. If anything, they'd be a lot better off by becoming a lot more individualistic so as to disrupt their monotony of type and their tyranny of habit. I actually find the prospect of an unencumbered self highly exciting - to set the individual free so that he can think whatever he wants.</div><div dir="auto" style="color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #050505; font-family: inherit; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mtxWcSGvSx3gBY7cLrc6NF9oaA861FCNGVqSio1856U6f-XNsTNHOIp7lz8J2OQLnkXZtGpwe4lVOX0JwwUJ4048Iah95-u6hZQObwYggxzZxJb8SKl08GpxFHEtHpyT7muwRIjAISQ/s1080/complete+works.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="1080" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6mtxWcSGvSx3gBY7cLrc6NF9oaA861FCNGVqSio1856U6f-XNsTNHOIp7lz8J2OQLnkXZtGpwe4lVOX0JwwUJ4048Iah95-u6hZQObwYggxzZxJb8SKl08GpxFHEtHpyT7muwRIjAISQ/s320/complete+works.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">My complete works. 🙂</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=bXw_phbUI2g&fbclid=IwAR2xzmV6PquHPcHyVfMY0uMJ2cu6RKVWRTKQIsWX9TFn9N02VTZI91La6qA</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;">This is sooooooooo good.</span></span></div><div dir="auto"><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 15px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="auto"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">In particle physics, fermions are particles which have ‘half-integer amount of spin’ whilst bosons are particles with an ‘integer amount of spin’ (bear with me here, I hardly understand this stuff, but I’m going somewhere with this). Electrons and neutrinos fall into the former category and so do the subatomic particles which make up particles proper, quarks. Meanwhile, photons fall into the latter category. </div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Anyway, fermions tend to float about rather independently. Fermions, apparently, can’t ‘occupy the same quantum state.’ However, bosons can indeed ‘occupy the same quantum state.’ They cluster together.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">This leads me onto a grand generalisation – society itself is made up of ‘fermions’ and ‘bosons’. Fermions are entities that float about rather independently whilst ‘bosons’ tend to form groups and are more social. You might say that this is a generalisation, but we already have similar vast categories, such as ‘working class’ and ‘middle class.’</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">(And then you get those tiresome opinion pieces saying that ‘atomised individualism is bad. We need to value the common life.’ Tell me, what’s the point of writing an opinion piece if there are a thousand other opinion pieces saying the exact same thing? And when the point of these opinion pieces is so fucking boring? Also, many atoms behave collectivistically anyway, but the communitarians who write these boring op-eds are not inclined to read introductions to particle physics. They are more inclined to attend dreary community centres and dreary committees.)</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I am a fermion, which are a minority. Fermions are more independent and solitary whilst bosons are more group-oriented. However, it is not intrinsically better to be a fermion or a boson. Indeed, being a fermion or a boson is simply an intrinsic part of your personality. Being a fermion or a boson does not make us any better than each other – it is just who we are.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">However, fermions tend to break new ground more often. This is because they are more independent-minded and tend to think in an unorthodox, rather than a doctrinaire, manner. For instance, Galileo was a fermion, as he was challenging the orthodoxy that the bosons had been following for centuries – that is, he claimed that the earth revolved around the sun, not the other way around. Bosons, by their very nature, tend to value convention, tradition and orthodoxy, so this is why they opposed Galileo. Similarly, Socrates was another fermion, as he tried to clarify concepts and tried to show the other Athenians realise how little they knew. This made the bosons claim that he was ‘corrupting the youth of Athens,' so they made him drink hemlock. Indeed, at their very worst, bosons can be predisposed to the ‘tyranny of the majority.’ Thankfully, we live in much more tolerant and pluralistic times.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">As I said earlier, being a fermion or a boson does not make you an intrinsically better human being. Indeed, bosons are often compassionate and selfless. However, fermions do tend to be more agile, original and lateral-minded.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2np8s_IXhvnqeAsyN1lp4p8lv74fmJ-LV4OTclZeSAGkFMZ2FN-SzRv8DJXwyp1ZBNoAzvlH8KxSHwrUptMNHM_R_Q-ZbhhqyI_oVN-y-1Ery_3a2s0-kplDydbsmfyr7k45gdfio-M/s960/new+cds+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn2np8s_IXhvnqeAsyN1lp4p8lv74fmJ-LV4OTclZeSAGkFMZ2FN-SzRv8DJXwyp1ZBNoAzvlH8KxSHwrUptMNHM_R_Q-ZbhhqyI_oVN-y-1Ery_3a2s0-kplDydbsmfyr7k45gdfio-M/s320/new+cds+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmgpTqTRaXR8FiavWzM57QZcMgdS0KmAwrbT4GWDpBILafmoR5s0d1ZkJDNENTp9pgR1JvyuEW1nvd06XovHjQgb9xfp8RaKBT_vs8IDFL7y_OsLrLzBOg54UDeBxBUl3qYUs-wObevk/s957/new+cds+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="957" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKmgpTqTRaXR8FiavWzM57QZcMgdS0KmAwrbT4GWDpBILafmoR5s0d1ZkJDNENTp9pgR1JvyuEW1nvd06XovHjQgb9xfp8RaKBT_vs8IDFL7y_OsLrLzBOg54UDeBxBUl3qYUs-wObevk/s320/new+cds+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">New acquisitions. I fetishise commodities and adore my personal property - I am a bourgeois consumer. (I just ostentatiously threw about 50% of all the Marx that I already knew at you.) <span class="pq6dq46d tbxw36s4 knj5qynh kvgmc6g5 ditlmg2l oygrvhab nvdbi5me sf5mxxl7 gl3lb2sf hhz5lgdu" style="display: inline-flex; font-family: inherit; height: 16px; margin: 0px 1px; vertical-align: middle; width: 16px;"><img alt="👍" height="16" referrerpolicy="origin-when-cross-origin" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/images/emoji.php/v9/t55/1.5/16/1f44d.png" style="border: 0px;" width="16" /></span></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Four of these discs are side-projects by members of Mr. Bungle. Fantomas is a band by Mike Patton, which is heavily influenced by Naked City by John Zorn. I've been listening to these albums for ages, but I like owning stuff that I enjoy (because I am a bourgeois consumer), so I decided to buy them. It's their self-titled album and their album 'Suspended Animation.' It's experimental heavy metal; it is comprised of snappy, manic, semi-psychotic songs.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">One of these discs is by Trevor Dunn, Mr. Bungle's bassist. It mixes avant-garde jazz with heavy metal, something that I would have been inclined to do if I were a musician (unfortunately, although I appreciate music, I am a bit crap in that department).</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Secret Chiefs 3 is a band by Trey Spruance, Mr. Bungle's guitarist. He is very musically literate, as he knows about ancient Persian scales and he can play many different instruments. This album, 'Book of Horizons,' is particularly good.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I bought a disc by Derek Bailey, a Sheffield-born free improvisor and avant-garde guitarist. I could never really get into his music back in the day, but I've seen some of his videos and I appreciate it a lot more now. I can appreciate the technique and it is clear to me that he is not just running his hands across the fretboard. This disc, 'Pieces for Guitar,' is a bit different from most of his other albums, though.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">I love a series of German films called 'Heimat' and I am currently writing a very long essay about it. The second series focuses a lot more on music and, indeed, several actors in the film are classically trained musicians. The music in these three discs is astonishing and a lot of it is composed by a Greek composer called Nikos Mamangakis. A lot of the film focuses of modern classical music, so a lot of the music has that vibe to it.</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Incidentally, although Greece is not especially renowned for producing classical composers, I bought two more discs by another Greek composer called Iannis Xenakis. I've been checking a lot of his percussive works and, indeed, one of these discs is comprised of his pieces for percussion. On the other hand, the other disc is made up of works for orchestra and chamber pieces. They're both great.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Self-obsessed/narcissistic Facebook post #40000865 (I try to avoid this kind of thing like the plague, but I can't help myself sometimes... But then, narcissism is, ironically, healthier than political/divisive posts):</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Audio material that I've been consuming today (alongside a juicy bottle of wine):</div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Lumpy Gravy - Frank Zappa (Vinyl) </div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Dreams - Otomo Yoshihide (CD)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Harpsichord Music - J. S. Bach (Record)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Symphony No. 9 - Ludwig van Beethoven (CD)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Philosophy and Politics - A Discussion about political liberalism between Bryan Magee and Ronald Dworkin (You Tube video)</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-24926843772903825172021-05-09T10:24:00.001-07:002021-05-09T10:24:53.632-07:00Social Change in the Heimat Trilogy<p> This is part three of a forthcoming book called <i>Collected Essays: Volume Two</i>.</p><p><b>****************************</b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Edgar Reitz’s series of <i>Heimat</i>
films are very ambitious and cover a vast swath of history. ‘Heimat’ means ‘homeland’
in Germany and it is a very loaded term there. There have many ‘heimat’ films
made in Germany, but they were usually patriotic and nationalistic. Hence,
Reitz’s Heimat films were an attempt to create a more liberal and universal
series. The first series covers the period after the first world war, the
hyperinflation of the Weimar Republic, the rise in unemployment, the
Nazification of German society, the denazification of German society and
post-war affluence. However, several critics criticised Reitz for being
ahistorical and for focusing on the personal relationships of people who live
in a remote German village. Additionally, Reitz was criticised for leaving out Jewish
perspectives and for focusing on the perspectives of Nazis. However, by and
large, the series was a commercial and critical success. Meanwhile, its
successor dealt with the avant-garde in music and cinema and had limited
commercial success. It was longer than its predecessor, but it only covered a
period of ten years. Whilst the first series examined social change in a small
town, the second series explored the precarious ‘second home’ that we find as
adults. The character Hermann leaves his home town and settles in Munich so as
to study music; he is drawn to the avant-garde in the arts which, indeed, was
often about change. The series also looks at tumultuous changes in society at
the time, as it includes the ‘new left,’ the death of Kennedy and the rise of
the hippies. The final series, <i>Heimat 3</i>, focuses on the period between
1990-2000, which has been called ‘the end of history.’ It goes back to Schabbach,
the village that the first series is centred on. It depicts a globalised,
multicultural, cosmopolitan and diverse world. Additionally, Reitz made a
prequel set in 1844, which prefigured the revolutions of 1848, but this essay
will not deal with that film. Although the series was initially made for
television, the cinematography and the acting are excellent. The series also
artfully switches between black-and-white and colour cinematography. The
purpose of this essay is to examine social change in Germany between 1919 and
2000 and how Reitz depicts social change in his series.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzHLv1m0o2QQJrU35cF0eRTjrM-c8wo1rdBqK0l-BzSYEhVRamrPoPvStNT7s6ISmtEua6s4ZZZILAy4OHTjcxTfVVnLDUo6Wz7TECUBNhR8oDjVda34RYaUUxQo-eXmVlWd5oVrd3CY/s368/Heimat_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="368" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTzHLv1m0o2QQJrU35cF0eRTjrM-c8wo1rdBqK0l-BzSYEhVRamrPoPvStNT7s6ISmtEua6s4ZZZILAy4OHTjcxTfVVnLDUo6Wz7TECUBNhR8oDjVda34RYaUUxQo-eXmVlWd5oVrd3CY/s320/Heimat_poster.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heimat </span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">(1984) lasts from 1919 until 1982
and takes place in a fictional German village called Schabbach. It lasts for
fifteen hours and takes place over eleven episodes. Edgar Reitz initially came
up with the idea because he saw an American series about the Holocaust, did not
like it and decided to reclaim German history from Hollywood (Englen 2011).
Although it was initially a TV series, Edgar Reitz insisted that it was a film
in its own right and, indeed, the cinematography and acting are of high
calibre. Indeed, <i>The New York Times</i> noted that it does not look like a
television series (1986). The film is centred on the character Maria and she
ages throughout the series. The main emphasis is on the relationship between
the characters, but important historical events are depicted. Englen writes:
‘[Maria is a] symbol […] of living a life surrounded by the presence of
inherited traditions’ (2011). The series begins with the end of the First World
War, but it does not delve very much into the hyperinflation of the Weimar era
or the mass unemployment of the early 1930s. It depicts the rise of Nazism and
the Second World War as well as the affluence that arose as a result Germany’s
post-war ‘economic miracle.’<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will examine
both the ‘Nazification’ as well as the ‘Denazification’ of Germany and it will gauge
how Reitz explores this in his films. As regards ‘Nazification,’ it will look
at their economic policy. The main catalyst for the rise of Nazism was the mass
unemployment of the early 1930s, which was even higher than the rest of Europe.
Indeed, six million people were unemployed and this accounted for a third of
the labour force (Grunberger 1971, p. 240). The Nazis triggered five general
elections within the space of a year and, although they won the fifth general
election in 1932, the economy was starting to improve and their share of the
vote declined by two million votes (p 249). The Depression was receding and an
upward swing occurred after the Nazis’ ‘Public Works’ program, which persuaded
workers that the situation had improved. Compared to the standard of living of
1932 things had indeed improved, but the standard of living was still inferior
to the living standards of the 1920s (p. 240). Still, workers in public work
schemes were scarcely on more money than people who claimed unemployment
benefits (p. 241). Public work programs cut unemployment by 40% (p. 35). However,
more people were affluent in 1938 than 1932 (p. 242). However, the Nazis dwelt
as to whether they should prioritise war or domestic economic affairs, which
accounts for Goring’s famous quote: ‘Guns before butter’ (p. 264). Rationing
started around 1936 and 1937, shopkeepers only sold butter to its most loyal
customers and most meat products were rationed before the war (p. 264).
Goebbels summed up the ethos of war-time austerity thusly: ‘In times when
coffee is scarce, a decent person drinks less or stops drinking it altogether’
(p. 267). However, alcohol consumption went up and a black market sprung up (p.
58). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Having examined the
Nazis’ economic policy, this essay will examine their political ideology. The
Third Reich was populist and authoritarian in nature (p. 35). It immediately
established a one-party state, abolished independent courts and crushed all
other political parties. Indeed, Hitler stated the following: ‘Henceforth I no
longer acknowledge different parties – I only acknowledge Germans’ (p. 35). Trade
unions offered to collaborate with the regime, but so did big business (p. 36).
They reintroduced conscription in 1935, which led to the ‘militarisation of
society’ (p. 41). Indeed, many people spoke about ‘the tenacious spirit of the
German soldier’ (p. 68). The Nazis emphasised collective sacrifice for the
common good and there was a loss of freedom (p. 44). The Nazis were majoritarians
and used terror to crush all minorities and dissidents (p. 62). The deaths of
anti-Nazis were seen as ‘an atonement for German crimes’ (p. 71). The Nazis, of
course, scapegoated the Jews, who were equated with capitalism and profit (p.
68) and for being racially impure. They also scapegoated intellectuals and
‘degenerate art’ (p. 69). They were also hostile to the aristocracy, although
there was also some deference to them as well (p. 87).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA59C9iaaWfTcV2IZdhXpnF6CcoMALZp-ME0w-zF3OLD3eTlCw4C1BQS5Ac7Cb3nMN0b6eCg0fhoL7JEvI1JDR37PVAjuVFv6MP8oowFLoiPsh02ZYwmKq0vTXotbdkK70YHhBR4eGGA/s330/nazis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDA59C9iaaWfTcV2IZdhXpnF6CcoMALZp-ME0w-zF3OLD3eTlCw4C1BQS5Ac7Cb3nMN0b6eCg0fhoL7JEvI1JDR37PVAjuVFv6MP8oowFLoiPsh02ZYwmKq0vTXotbdkK70YHhBR4eGGA/s320/nazis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Most of the episodes in
<i>Heimat</i> take place during the Nazi era. Most of the characters who become
Nazis do so out of expedience rather than out of principle. In its review of
the film, <i>The New York Times</i> wrote that, although the film is about not
about guilt, it does not excuse the behaviour of anyone (1986). In one scene,
the characters Lucie and Eduard let prominent Nazis plan their operations at
their spacious villa. The scene starts with mid-shot, in black and white, of a
corridor, which dollies out as the Nazi politicians walk towards it. The camera
is placed low on the ground. The soundtrack is comprised of serene music for piano
and violin. There is a pendulum clock in the background. The camera work edits
to a mid-shot of a separate room, where Lucie and Eduard stay whilst waiting
for the high-ranking Nazis to complete their work. The room is bare, white and
more brightly illuminated than the corridor. Lucie says: ‘I’m trembling all
over. My knees, too. The Reichsleiter paid me a sweet compliment. He said that
I’ve got the flair for the big occasions. […] No-one’s to go to the study. The
Reichsleiter told me to ensure that they mustn’t be disturbed. We’ll remember
this for a long time – Rosenberg, Frick and Ley.’ The camera pans to the right
and looks out of the window. The room is brightly illuminated and more densely
populated. This is followed by a mid-shot of the characters peering through the
door, as they glance at the high-ranking Nazis. A mid-shot reveals a
high-ranking Nazi with a grin on his face. He says: ‘Dear lady, please accept
the gentleman’s thanks and my own. We apologise for the swift departure. The
Fuhrer’s colleagues were most comfortable in your lovely house. The unperturbed
seclusion. […] discussing difficult political problems […] pleased the
gentleman very much. The best wishes and thanks very much from the heart.’ He
proceeds to do a Nazi salute and this is followed by a 360 degree mid-shot of
the characters peering through the door. They are both in different rooms,
which emphasises their difference in status. This scene is later followed by a
scene where they eat all the food that they prepared for the Nazi officials,
which is in colour. Lucie says: ‘You mustn’t start at the top, not the bottom.
We need something that requires special forces of nature. […] It will only work
with a catastrophe, a flood. […] but in the Hunsruck, nothing ever happens.
Nothing to get on in the world.’ The music appears in the background as she
starts to cry. They are not particularly interested in Nazism as an ideology or
as a set of principles. Instead, they use it as a way in which to advance their
career and their prospects. She says that ‘nothing ever happens’ in the
Hunsruck, as the small town does not offer enough opportunities. She is a
former prostitute who marries Paul as a way to advance her career. Indeed, it
was very common in Nazi Germany for people to use the Nazi Party as a way to
cynically rise in the social echelons.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBjCUqYEoiISItydB-D7jmdJYSpLWBdhk-_O7u8DUZjSYe9k-5NnmIJTNi45TQaLAopOXWNgOi_YpGvFTLMxjzpJx4D3fHikQVt2ezso0E7eaRWXuGBbYHIPqekNukrhjZAFFE9mzhyU/s512/heimat+1+film.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="389" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbBjCUqYEoiISItydB-D7jmdJYSpLWBdhk-_O7u8DUZjSYe9k-5NnmIJTNi45TQaLAopOXWNgOi_YpGvFTLMxjzpJx4D3fHikQVt2ezso0E7eaRWXuGBbYHIPqekNukrhjZAFFE9mzhyU/s320/heimat+1+film.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Many Germans during the
Nazi era were unaware of the atrocities that took place, but it was still an
insidious undercurrent. In one scene, Maria encounters ‘death rings’ that
German workers wear and this disturbs her. The scene starts with a
black-and-white mid-shot of a male character who comes in wearing a hat. Candles
lie on the table, the table has a white cloth and the wall is white, which
contrasts with his black clothing. There is also a Renaissance painting on the
wall. The camera is placed lower on the ground and is framed via a 360 degree
angle. The camera pans to the left Maria’s friend who says: ‘We went to the
movies. We have necklaces.’ The camera tilts up and pans to the left, towards
Maria. The camera later pans to the right, revealing all of the characters in
the room and they occupy most of the space. He says: ‘We have necklaces.
They’re in such high demand. We can sell them for 50 marks.’ This is followed
by a close-up of Maria looking at the necklaces. She says: ‘They’re
frightening.’ This is followed by a close-up of the necklaces, which have
skulls attached to them. Her friend says: ‘Those red eyes seem to stare at
you.’ He says: ‘They cost 12 marks each; the eyes are the real rubies.’ The
camera work edits to a mid-shot of the other two characters. Maria still looks
startled and says: ‘Who buys stuff like that?’ The other two characters are framed
via a 360 degree angle whilst Maria is framed via a 180 degree angle. He
replies thusly: ‘The Hunsruck road workers… all the engineers and the Labour
corps… The Todt organisation men, they keep buying death head rings. Death
heads brooches and even death head rings.’ This is followed by a close up of
the ‘death head rings,’ in colour. Violin music plays in the background, as
Maria says: ‘I think the wine has gone to my head.’ This scene is mundane and
depicts ordinary people in an ordinary environment. However, the ‘death head
rings’ symbolise the sinister undercurrent in Nazi Germany. Indeed, many
ordinary Germans were involved in death camps. Maria, a decent and ordinary
woman, is taken aback by it. This sinister and depraved aspect lies beneath their
ordinary, mundane and traditional life. Reitz uses close-up angles to reveal
Maria’s discomfort and switches to colour so as to emphasise the importance of
the jewellery. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Society became
increasingly militarised in Nazi Germany. Although there are no war scenes, and
the entire series solely takes place in a single town, this is something that
does appear in the film. This becomes starkly apparent in the scene when
Germany has invaded Poland. This scene, which is in black and white, starts
with the mid-shot of a door looking out onto the horizon. The doors have
Swastika flags on them and there is also a picture of Adolf Hitler. The camera
edits to a shot of the room, where several members of Nazi Youth stand upright.
A speech is played, as militaristic music is blares in the background: ‘Boys,
girls, comrades. You will work together with the German people. The Fuhrer is
about to make a historic announcement to us all.’ This is accompanied by a 180
degree mid-shot of the Hitler Youth and the camera pans to the left, revealing
all of the young soldiers standing upright. There is also a group of Hitler
Youth on the other side of the room and the camera once more pans across them.
There are about ten members of Hitler Youth on each side of the room. Meanwhile,
Hitler’s speech becomes highly vitriolic and belligerent: ‘Poison gas will be
met with poison gas. I shall wage this struggle, no matter against whom. […]
The armed forces are best equipped, beyond comparison with those of 1919. I
demand sacrifices from the German people that I have rights to. Every personal
sacrifice.’ The camera work edits to outside of the room, where a single
individual, another member of Hitler Youth, stands outside. The camera tilts up
to reveal another picture of Adolf Hitler and it tilts back down to reveal the
megaphone which projects Hitler’s speech. This scene takes place just when
Germany is about to invade Poland and when the nation is on the cusp of a
brutal war. Everything is indeed Nazified and militarised; all of the youth are
forced to listen to the belligerent speech and they are all forced to stand
upright and follow procedures. It is clear that society is under the influence
of fascism, that is highly authoritarian and that it is heavily regimented.
Everyone is forced to sacrifice themselves for the good of the greater whole,
as the individual is crushed and forced to go to war so as to defend fascist
ideals. There is also a cult of personality around Hitler, as a large picture
of him adorns the room and they are all forced to listen to his words. His
words are highly aggressive and vitriolic, as he speaks about ‘poison gas
meeting with poison gas.’ There is already a sense of hubris, as he states that
they are more prepared than the WWI – ‘we are more equipped than 1919’ – and
that they will resoundingly win this war. This scene demonstrates the way in
which fascist society had regimented and militarised the whole of society.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will now
examine the ‘Denazification’ of Germany after the war. Most German were indeed
appalled when they discovered the concentration camps (Jarausch 2006, p.5). The
more people discovered about the details of the crimes, the more it seemed that
‘the Germans had committed a crime against civilisation itself’ (p. 6). Indeed,
the Germans had produced Kant, Schiller, Goethe, Humboldt, Hegel and Beethoven,
but they had sunk this low (p. 6). However, by the summer of 1945 young
privates continued to maintain that Hitler was a great man and they remained
incredulous when they were shown pictures of concentration camps (p. 31). Some
Nazis were detained and they realised that they could offer their labour to the
allies (p. 32). However, despite this, the overwhelming consensus was that WWII
should never happen again (p. 33). Although the Nazi regime was nationalistic,
‘Heimatfilms’ were made during this period, which aimed to create a ‘political
sense of home’ (p. 34). Indeed, Edgar Reitz’s films were a reaction against
this and were an attempt to create a type of film which was not nationalistic.
Although positive interpretations of the war did not disappear, a new anti-Nazi
consensus emerged, the military had been discredited and new ‘peaceful values’
emerged (p. 35). Thousands of people became ‘DeNazified’ by throwing away
copies of <i>Mein Kampf</i>, swastika badges and party membership cards (p.
46). Indeed, ‘Denazification’ was one of allies’ central aims (p. 46). The
Soviets interned many civilians after the war and sent them to the USSR (Bessel
2009, p. 323). Meanwhile, President Franklin D. Roosevelt summed up the ethos
of the war thusly: ‘[It is a] crusade to save civilisation from a cult of
brutal tyranny, which would destroy it and all the dignity of human life (p.
47). However, following the war some Nazis evaded responsibility by committing
suicide, others went underground and others destroyed evidence (p. 49).
Removing all Nazis from professional life proved unfeasible and cumbersome, as
it was impossible to condemn 6.5 million Nazi party members to manual labour
(p. 54). Finally, the conditions of post-war Germany straight after the war
were dingy and derelict, as infrastructure had been destroyed, public
administration had collapsed, there was a huge influx of refugees and millions
of foreign troops had arrived (Bessell 2009, p. 320). Families had been split
up during the war, lost their home and possessions and were forced to live in
cellars (p. 323). German soldiers were not welcomed warmly, as they had lost
the war (p. 323). However, despite this brief period of chaos, the economy and
society soon started to open up (p. 332). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
essay will now explore Denazification in <i>Heimat</i>. Indeed, prior to the
end of the war, some characters are already aware of gas chambers: ‘The final
solution is being executed mercilessly. Between ourselves, we all know anyway.
Up the chimney… I mean, the Jews.’ The character is indeed higher up in the
echelons of the party, but Reitz still reveals how people were already aware of
the Final Solution. An episode takes place after the war has ended and Lucie is
attempts to ingratiate herself with Paul, Maria’s former husband who fled to
America. Paul has since become a wealthy businessman and he has finally arrived
after the collapse of the Nazi regime. After the war, the Americans are seen as
paragons of freedom and liberation. Once the Nazis are defeated, Lucie tries to
ingratiate herself with the Americans to, once more, advance her career. The
scene starts with a mid-shot, in black and white, of Lucie wearing a dress and
she has an American flag attached to her hat. The camera pans to the left, as
she scurries through a group of people so as to talk to Paul. Slow music plays
in the background. The camera pans to the left, which reveals Paul’s mother,
his aunt and Maria’s son. The camera work, which is comprised of mid-shots,
pans across a room, which is crowded with many people. It is only a mid-shot,
not a long-shot, but the panning camera reveals all of the characters, which
would otherwise be difficult in the cramped room. One of the characters holds a
large box filled with cigarettes, which have clearly been imported during
war-time rationing. A mid-shot reveals Maria walking into the room, but
everyone in the room is in awe of Paul. However, Lucie is manipulative and
controlling, so she appropriates the situation. She says: ‘We own the wonderful
villa that’s the headquarters now. […] We had Rosenberg, Frick and Ley for four
hours in our house. We all had no idea what murderers they were… what criminals
sat on our chairs. Isn’t that true we had absolutely no idea what beasts were
shaking hands with. […] They were the highest of us. They were like Gods, they
were. Now I thank the Lord God in heaven that saved us from them.’
Denazification had already begun by this point, however, other scenes
demonstrate that characters like Lucie were already aware of the Final
Solution, so it is highly disingenuous for her to say that they were not complicit.
Still, she seems to be in awe of them: ‘they were like Gods.’ She let them do
their planning and organisation in her house, meaning that she is also
implicated in the crimes. She subsequently attempts to win over the Americans
because this once more is advantageous. This also mirrors history, as many
people attempted to work with both the Nazis and the Americans at various
stages so as to advance their careers.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The post-war economic performance of West
Germany has been called a ‘miracle’ or the ‘Wirtschaftswunder.’ This essay will
now examine the German ‘economic miracle.’ This brought the German economy into
a leading position in the world, something which it has maintained to this day
(Heather 2021). Indeed, this comes through in the film, as the character Anton
builds an optical factory. The German economy has always been centred on
manufacturing, as opposed to the British economy which is centred on services.
As this essay has demonstrated, Germany was an economic basket case during the
Weimar Republic and the Nazi years. The German economy since the war has been
called a ‘social market;’ that is, a predominantly market-based economy which
is supplemented with social services and social insurance. After the war, the
Christian Democrats became the dominant party. The CDU drew members from
liberal, conservative and Christian Trade Union groups (Bessell, p. 311). In
1950, Konrad Adenauer became the chancellor of Germany and his party were
committed to ‘a democratic society guided by social and Christian principles’
(p. 311). Their manifesto contained the following principles: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘The spiritual worth of human
beings will be recognised and in which the family would be the foundation of
social order and in which “which justice would be the fundament of the state.
[…] Centralism will be rejected as un-German. […] Right to property will be
safeguarded, the dominance of big capital, of the private monopolies and
concerns will be broken. […] Help to construct a new and more beautiful Germany
upon the unshakeable fundament of Christianity and of Western culture’ (p. 312).<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This new post-war Germany would be
federal, capitalist but with a social conscience and infused with Christian
principles. It would be a market economy, generated by free and responsible
people, coupled with social justice. People would be free to make their own
choices, consume and choose their own occupation, but the market would still
need state regulation (p. 87). It would be a competitive economy with trade and
property rights coupled with pensions, unemployment insurance and health
insurance. In other words, the market would work for the people. By contrast,
East Germany developed a planned economy (Jarausch 2006, p. 74). West Germany’s
economic miracle stood in stark contrast to East Germany’s centrally planned
economy, which was not successful. West Germany did things that East Germany
did not, since promoting monopolies, limiting access to world markets and price
fixing were all forbidden so as to encourage freer competition (p. 78).
Structural changes led to economic growth, as pro-market reforms abolished
state planning and other forms of interventionism (Albrecht 2008, p. 3). Still,
it maintained collective bargaining, a key component from the Weimar era (p.
5). As a result of these policies, West Germany experienced an incredible
period of growth in the 1950s. Between 1948 and 1953, industrial production
increased more than three-fold from 57% to 174%. Unemployment stood at 12.2%
and this declined by half. The economy grew by 8.2% a year, a rate that was
never achieved again. This rapid growth doubled living standards in a decade
(Albrecht 2008, p. 1). However, it must be pointed out that Germany had started
from a far more desperate position than the UK (p. 3). New machines were
introduced into the economy, which led to a 7.2% increase in productivity (p.
89). Anton’s optics company clearly benefited from new technological
advancements, though interestingly optics encountered problems in the German
economy in the 1970s (p. 92). The post-war German economy was peaceful and it
was completely unlike the Weimar republic or the Nazi era. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2P68N67im94xy5G1W1xHsAv-MO1T61tcBGXuhdDSKdqgHFNMFmFjRGHmI9Cx6e7WDqo4G3sTtD8t-ikZsomejNiG_KDtXZS8oC0cokr1D9hHk9d64FHgydjWS3Ih-Sp-MjBti99qtRs/s800/adenauer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2P68N67im94xy5G1W1xHsAv-MO1T61tcBGXuhdDSKdqgHFNMFmFjRGHmI9Cx6e7WDqo4G3sTtD8t-ikZsomejNiG_KDtXZS8oC0cokr1D9hHk9d64FHgydjWS3Ih-Sp-MjBti99qtRs/s320/adenauer.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
character Anton embraces this post-war entrepreneurial spirit by starting his
own optic company. He decides to do this after the end of the war. We see him
next to his future wife, as they sit on a field. The field is framed via a
long-shot and from a 180 degree angle. Anton tells his wife: ‘I’m going to set
up a factory.’ She seems incredulous: ‘What are you saying, Anton?’ This is
followed by a 360 degree mid-shot of the couple. She says: ‘With what? For that
you need capital.’ He replies thusly: ‘I’ve got that. […] Here in my head. I’ve
my capital and the decisive idea. Coming back, I first hit on the idea, my
invention. Martha, you don’t understand much about optics.’ The camera work
edits to a 360 degree mid-shot, perched higher up, and it pans across to the
left as the characters walk across the field. It later edits to a mid-shot of
the characters walking towards the camera, as it dollies out. Martha says:
‘People think you’re crazy’ Anton replies: ‘Whoever has the imagination to
acquire a kingdom, he’ll get it too.’ He later mentions that the conditions in
the Hunsruck are ideal for his venture: ‘What’s it got to do with the Hunsruck
air? It’s free of dust, ideal for optical manufacturing. And what’s more, it’s
rich in oxygen because of the forests.’ Martha replies by saying: ‘Anton, I’m
afraid.’ He says: ‘Martha, stick with me, then the good years will come.’ This
captures the spirit of post-war Germany, as it is entrepreneurial. Indeed, West
Germany pumped its Marshall Plan money into private companies. Anton embodies
the spirit of the entrepreneur, as he claims that he has a ‘decisive’ idea in
his ‘head.’ Although he might not have capital, he has imagination, which is the
central pillar of entrepreneurship, as he claims that ‘whoever has imagination
will conquer the kingdom.’ Most entrepreneurial decisions come with risks, as
they are creative and original. Martha claims that she is afraid, as the plan
could easily backfire. Like many innovative companies, Anton’s plan is original
but it is also thought-through, as he identifies that the Hunsruck air is
optimal for his company. In line with the capitalistic nature of post-war
Germany, the way forward for the country is through prosperity. Indeed, its
post-war constitution protected property rights. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
period shortly after the war has been called ‘social democratic,’ as many of
the rough edges of capitalism had been smoothed out through trade union rights,
full employment and safety nets. Indeed, the anti-Marxist liberal philosopher
Karl Popper believed that capitalism had been humanised and that this
completely discredited the Marxist need for revolutionary overthrow (Magee 1973,
p. 98). However, by the 1970s the Bretton Woods settlement had been jettisoned.
Bretton Woods fixed exchange rates and it also closely regulated the financial
system (Chen 2021). Indeed, we see a new, more predatory form of capitalism
emerging in <i>Heimat</i>, as a multinational corporation attempt to buy
Anton’s company. Of course, this type of monopolistic takeover actually
contravenes the market principles of the Christian Democrats’ constitution. The
scene starts with Anton saying this: ‘They want to buy out my factory. […] A
sum has been mentioned.’ There is a mid-shot of Anton in front of golden boots
and he walks around them in circles, ruminating about that has been offered to
him. Usually, most of the scenes that take place in day time in <i>Heimat</i>
are shot in black and white, but this one is in colour. We later see a mid-shot
of the American businessmen inside the room, where we see a ‘Simon Optik’ logo
in the background. The boots outside in the veranda are very symbolic, as Anton
came up with the idea for the business after walking back to Germany straight
after WWII. He created it in his ‘heimat,’ the town where he grew up, which
means that it is an authentic business. Meanwhile, the multinational companies
do not symbolise this authenticity and, indeed, they want to take over it. The
businessmen smoke cigars and looks smug and powerful. Anton walks into the room
and shows them a lens and tells them how he first became interested in
photography aged fourteen. He tells them: ‘Ever seen anything like it?,’ which
once more symbolises the authenticity of his own business. It is his own
enterprise with its own unique qualities, which would be lost with the
takeover. He later says: ‘Gentleman, I am now forty-four, our order book is in
excellent shape, I have just registered three patents, taken on extra
specialist workers. I don’t know why I should retire from business.’ Indeed,
his business is on an upward trajectory and he sees no reason why he should
sell it off to the multinationals. One of them replies thusly: ‘As we see it,
you are not mass-producing. You specialise in technology, medicine, space
exploration, etc. And we are a multinational concern operating in fields
adjacent to yours.’ His small business caters to a small aspect of the market
whilst the multinational company wants to buy it out and offer a hefty sum for
it. However, a true free market would let smaller business provide a niche in
the market. The man does compliment Anton for his lens: ‘Magnificent lens –
never seen the like,’ which once more emphasises the authenticity of Anton’s
business, as opposed to the homogenous, monolithic, monopolistic, mass-produced
multinationals. They say: ‘[We have] invested large sums in processes
comparable to yours.’ Anton replies thusly: ‘I love my work. I’ve built up a
factory for me and the population. It is our livelihood. We all depend on this
firm.’ This emphasises how important the factory is to his own personal
development and how much it has done for the local community. The businessman
replies by saying: ‘66 million is a lot of money,’ which once more emphasises
their financial clout. The scene alternates between mid-shots of Anton and the
businessmen. This scene is followed by a long-shot of the workers out in the
field, this time in black and white, who all wear white overalls. The camera is
perched high up. This is followed by a mid-shot of Anton speaking and this is
followed by a mid-shot of the workers. Anton says: ‘With regard to your offer
of 12<sup>th</sup> August 1967 concerning the takeover of our business by your
concern, we inform that we are not interested at all.’ This is once more
followed by the original mid-shot of Anton on the stool. He says: ‘It’s because
we are unbeatable that they want to buy us up. They’d use our name for three or
four weeks… so that it looks like a free market economy… then they’d get rid of
the competition. That’s their aim.’ Indeed, the principles of Adenauer’s
constitution were decidedly non-monopolistic, as it aimed to have competition
coupled with safety nets and social insurance. Multinational companies do not
care for these principles, as they take over everything, so it is actually
opposed to the idea of a genuine free market. Additionally, Anton fraternises
with his workers and clearly cares for their welfare.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1srJFHtx2sg6wcxalAilEQQGiGMWUqlSkeuXQovMJ6jLSufTkFZDXWdxKmkqL49l4H3dMnzGWLflz_X-S79xa8T4F1dX2SuD0R52B3TCvO0kgbV1PF1fZNaLg_DYBKTFPmN_3okjO_0/s512/anton+heimat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="179" data-original-width="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1srJFHtx2sg6wcxalAilEQQGiGMWUqlSkeuXQovMJ6jLSufTkFZDXWdxKmkqL49l4H3dMnzGWLflz_X-S79xa8T4F1dX2SuD0R52B3TCvO0kgbV1PF1fZNaLg_DYBKTFPmN_3okjO_0/s320/anton+heimat.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i>The Second Heimat: Chronicle of a
Generation </i>(1993) is longer than its predecessor and covers a shorter
period of time. It covers ten years, it starts from 1960 and ends in 1970, it
lasts for twenty-five hours and it is novelistic in scope. It follows a young
composer, Herman, who leaves the Hunsruck so as to study music in Munich. The
main theme of the series is the ‘second’ home that we find as adults. It covers
everything from avant-garde movements in music and film as well as more
renowned events such as the assassination of Kennedy, the rise of Hippiedom,
the rise of terrorist movements and the moon landing. However, these historical
events are often in the background and the series chiefly revolves around
musicians, filmmakers, philosophers, activists and other assorted bohemians.
Indeed, there is more history in the second instalment of Heimat than the first
(Adams). The series has been likened to a soap opera and the series resembles
aspects of German Romanticism, as many of the characters are emotional and take
notions such as ‘love’ very seriously. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdMeWA0ucJ43_5ECCChbIVu70GuAHipvn1oq6xEuiVWkJDXaUZA9rnI6ceIVXfNrVCsmMTYXvKN9tfwx7spsA0kWvV3T_S9ZKYydvc0OI4KLdwxV3FuALXgdjpIFmwUATP5xhqnN-0cs/s259/heimat+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDdMeWA0ucJ43_5ECCChbIVu70GuAHipvn1oq6xEuiVWkJDXaUZA9rnI6ceIVXfNrVCsmMTYXvKN9tfwx7spsA0kWvV3T_S9ZKYydvc0OI4KLdwxV3FuALXgdjpIFmwUATP5xhqnN-0cs/s0/heimat+2.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The film covers the ‘avant-garde’
in music. Some of its most striking scenes involve performances of avant-garde
music and this is partly because all of the musicians in the film are
classically trained (Rosenbaum 1994). However, although it deals with the
avant-garde, the film is classically shot (Rosenbaum). ‘Avant-garde’ is a
somewhat woolly term that is tossed around like confetti. It was originally a
military term, which meant crossing the battle ground and traversing into new
frontiers. It meant being in the vanguard, an army that was ahead of the rest.
In art, it refers to new and experimental ideas. Norman Lerbrecht defines it
thusly: ‘Artists who work in advance of public taste. In music, it meant
composers who ignored audience needs, specifically the post-1945 Darmstadt
circle led by Boulez and Stockhausen who advocated serialism, experimentalism
and electronics’ (1992, p. 14). Indeed, the younger generation were angry with
the older generation after the war. The composer Olivier Messiaen recalls a
young Pierre Boulez: ‘He became angry with the whole world. He thought
everything was wrong with music’ (Ross 2007, p. 392). Although many of the
individual composers were different, they were all seeking to break with the
past (Staines and Clark 2005, p. 376). Indeed, Boulez personified the mood of
the musical avant-garde: ‘Boulez went on to become the perfect avatar of the
post-war avant-garde, the one who permitted “no compromise, no concession, no
half-way, no consideration of values” (from the <i>The Prophet</i> by Thomas
Mann)’ (Ross, p. 387). Indeed, the language of music was ‘reinvented on almost
yearly basis’ (p. 387). Different fads appeared and reappeared, such as
twelve-tone composition, total serialism, chance music, neo-dada collages, set
theory, noise, silence, etc. (p.387). This became very politicised since it
emerged in the free west whilst the Soviet Union suppressed it (p. 387). As
such, many composers abandoned neo-classicism and embraced serialism because it
had not been tarnished by the totalitarianisms of the left and right. The Nazis
and the Soviet Union both banned it. Indeed, Ernst Krenek said the following:
‘My adoption of the musical technique that the tyrants hated most of all may be
interpreted as an expression of protest and thus a result of their influence’
(p. 389). Serialism had been developed by Arnold Schoenberg and it was an
attempt to provide a template for music that was not in any particular key. It
used all twelve tones of the chromatic scale and the composer had to order
these in rows. Music in the past usually stuck to certain keys, such as Mozart.
Keys in music use a certain sequence of notes which are derived from octaves.
Mozart did this more rigidly, but Beethoven started to modulate between
different keys. Richard Wagner blurred it more by using chromatic notes – that
is, the black notes on the piano – and by modulating to more distant keys
(Staines and Clark, p. 468). After the war, composers took this technique
further. Indeed, they wanted to eliminate tonality more than the inventor of
the system did (p. 389) and Schoenberg’s serialism was couched in classical
forms (p. 393). As such, many composers wanted to take the twelve-tone
technique further and after the war Pierre Boulez wrote an article called
SCHOENBERG IS DEAD (P. 394). Although the system was invented by Schoenberg,
the composers were primarily influenced by Anton von Webern (Staines and Clark
2005, p. 376) After the war, composers began to apply the twelve-tone technique
to all aspects of music, such as dynamics, pitch and duration, which was called
‘total serialism’ (p. 430). Previous composers who at some point were
considered new and daring, such as Paul Hindemith and Igor Stravinsky, were now
considered kitsch by snobbish critics like Theodor Adorno (p. 388). Indeed, by
the time Stravinsky decided to start composing in the twelve-tone technique it
was considered passé (p. 395). Modern music appeared to be in a state of
perpetual revolution, even if the music wasn’t serialist.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBNCMjhnLYNnLnZfqJZf-Mb63mF19SteOXS4MgRxr_19GbGV0cMjUpul1K3Ga_NXy0AGNBSOb8E2-7YHjXCEzDQ-ZRtpU8EZ2nTVQJsA17xNM0Q9ffBh4MnKVI_OH2NQNAaz9mxA4Zgk/s232/boulez+and+stockhausen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="217" data-original-width="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBNCMjhnLYNnLnZfqJZf-Mb63mF19SteOXS4MgRxr_19GbGV0cMjUpul1K3Ga_NXy0AGNBSOb8E2-7YHjXCEzDQ-ZRtpU8EZ2nTVQJsA17xNM0Q9ffBh4MnKVI_OH2NQNAaz9mxA4Zgk/s0/boulez+and+stockhausen.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Several scenes in <i>The
Second Heimat</i> depict all of these things. There is a scene in the first
episode where the main character, Herman, experiences a piece of avant-garde
music for the first time. The scene is in black and white and it starts with a
mid-shot of Herman opening the door of a rehearsal room and the spacious
conservatory is visible in the background. Herman is framed via a mid-shot,
which pans to the left and follows Herman as he enters the room. The camera
pans from a 180 degree angle to a 360 degree angle and it spins around as he
opens the door. A group of musicians are framed via a mid-shot. A piano player
is on the left of the screen, there are marimba and xylophone players at the
back and light comes in from the background. The musicians stop playing, turn
around and look at Herman. This is followed by the same mid-shot of Herman who
says ‘Isn’t this room 144? I’ve come to practise.’ There is light mainly on the
left side of his face and as he walks forward the camera pans slightly and
follows him. The camera work edits to the a more focused mid-shot of the five
musicians. Jean-Marie says: ‘We’re rehearsing. Were did you get the keys?’ The
camera pans to the right as he says this. Herman says: ‘From the porter.’ The
camera pans to the left as Jean-Marie says: ‘The same old battle. They hear
modern music and out comes the spare key.’ It is clear that they feel
beleaguered and that they are somewhat self-righteous. They are doing something
new – like Boulez and Stockhausen – and that they are fighting a fusty old
order. Meanwhile, the piano is in the background, there is strong contrast
between black and white and it resembles a crochet. The camera angles alternate
between the perspective of Herman and the five musicians and it highlights their
surprise. Volker, the piano player, says: ‘We always rehearse in the chamber
room. It’s only for seniors.’ The camera pans across to the right and follows
Jean-Marie as he walks towards Herman. ‘Where can I go then?’ Herman asks. The
camera pans to the left onto the musicians and it is framed via the same
mid-shot. The music starts and they play an avant-garde piece, which is
followed by a mid-shot of Herman looking intrigued and bewildered. The camera
dollies out and pans as Herman moves across the room and settles on a mid-shot
of Herman behind the musicians. Herman says: ‘How I envied the older students.
They were the lords of creation, haughty, united against the world. They were
the prophets of the new music. Whatever shocked the older generation, they did
it. So this is the new music.’ The sound is comprised of Herman’s interior
monologue and the avant-garde music. The camera pans and dollies into Volker
playing the piano and it tilts up and down as he signals for the other
musicians to stop. This is followed by a close-up of Herman, which is
accompanied by the interior monologue: ‘It fascinated me, like the city
itself.’ There is a mid-shot of Volker playing dissonant chords on the piano
and the camera work alternates between shots of Jean-Marie, the other musicians
and Volker. This is followed by a high-angle mid-shot with everyone in the
room. Herman hears modern music for the first time and he is enraptured by it.
It is emblematic of social change, as the new music is in a state of perpetual
renewal. They want to ‘shock’ the older generation and they feel like they are
beleaguered. Finally, the camera angles emphasise how they look at each other
from different perspectives.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Herman composes
avant-garde pieces later on in the film. There are several scenes that recreate
pieces that Herman wrote. Earlier on in the series, he did not receive acclaim
for a cello concerto, so he wanted to do something completely different. The
film shows the premier of one of his pieces, which is filmed in colour. It
starts with a mid-shot of an opera singer wearing blue and she is accompanied
by a blue background. There is a mid-shot of the crowd, which is not packed and
is mostly filled with Herman’s friends. The grand piano is on the left and it
is accompanied by a double bassist and saxophonist, which has clear nods to
jazz. There are hoovers surrounding the performers, which adds to the sense of
experimentation. The film edits to a shot of percussionists, who come from the
background, and they wear tuxedos. The door is open and light comes in from the
background whilst the rest of the room is dark. The percussive music that they
play is reminiscent of <i>Ionisation</i> by Edgard Varese, as it is dissonant,
syncopated and rhythmic. The camera pans across to the left, as they walk onto
the stage and the lighting centres on them. Volker says: ‘I don’t do theatrical
stuff, but this is going down well.’ The music is a cross between opera, modern
classical and jazz. It attempts to break new ground and it is theatrical. It is
very much in line with the spirit of experimentation that was present in the
1960s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVieC03QeBGHmVd5DnDFdLrDdIBmPvhtADrgz27NYUfE0AUMUBbGOXkMkr7YuN8X_X85e1utOSoWHP56II2ocTt1syPuJJS6nybdJyfXY4IKfDZh_42Bq8RmnHJ5CO39qlAxk1xoChsNA/s725/heimat+2+music.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="537" data-original-width="725" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVieC03QeBGHmVd5DnDFdLrDdIBmPvhtADrgz27NYUfE0AUMUBbGOXkMkr7YuN8X_X85e1utOSoWHP56II2ocTt1syPuJJS6nybdJyfXY4IKfDZh_42Bq8RmnHJ5CO39qlAxk1xoChsNA/s320/heimat+2+music.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The avant-garde musical
world had a cliquish aspect to it and it also couched its music in scientific
verbiage. The musical avant-garde was centred in a German city called
Darmstadt. There was a high-tech vibe to it and composers dressed like
scientists (p. 426). Indeed, Pierre Schaffer compared French composers to
atomic physicists, which had a whiff of pseudo-science to it (p. 426). Pieces
had pseudo-scientific titles like <i>Configurations</i>, <i>Quantities</i> and <i>Structures</i>
(p. 427). Although it was a time of experimentation, some composers were
frustrated by the rigidity of the school. Hans Werner Henze was ‘frustrated by
the more or less official ban on tonality’ (p. 247). Karlheinz Stockhausen was the
‘crown prince’ of the school and many people revered him (p. 428). Stockhausen
established himself in a studio in Cologne in 1953. Despite being
‘hypermodern,’ several members still retained 19<sup>th</sup> century
obsessions such as revolution, overthrowing the bourgeoise, transcendence, etc.
(p. 431). Several composers were collegial in the 1950s, but this broke down by
the 1960s (p. 453). Additionally, avant-garde movements were very interested in
electronics, which was centred in the RTF studio in Paris. They experimented
with musique concrete, which involves electronic manipulations of real sounds,
such as pianos, railways, engines, etc. (Staines and Clark, p. 521). Meanwhile,
the WDR studio in Cologne attempted to create a new musical language purely
from electronic sounds. Stockhausen joined this studio and produced some of his
most renowned works, such as <i>Gesang der junglinge</i> and <i>Kontakte</i>.
Meanwhile, Luciano Berio and Luigi Nono pursued a middle path between both
schools. Most major European composers worked at these schools, but an
electronic studio was established in Princeton and this is where Milton Babbitt
and John Cage worked. However, the rise of new technologies soon started to
make many of these ventures seem dated (p. 521). The movements were cliquey, centred
in Darmstadt, attempted to appear scientific and the rise of electronics
promised to create new sounds. However, for all the sense of experimentation
and newness, many of these notions started to seem passé.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">The musical scene in <i>The
Second Heimat</i> certainly is cliquey, but it is centred in Munich, not
Darmstadt. The series also documents composers competing with each other, which
once more is similar to the musical scene in Darmstadt. However, the series
also chronicles the development of electronic music, as Herman eventually
acquires his own electronic studio, which is called ‘Varia Vision.’ Herman
collaborates with his friend Rob, a filmmaker, so as to create a synthesis
between sound and image. He is funded by a wealthy industrialist so as to do
this. Herman shows his studio to his friend Volker, whom he often competes with
throughout the series. The scene starts with a 180 degree mid-shot of Volker
and Herman and there is not much light on them. Herman tells Volker: ‘This is
my electronic studio. What do you think? This is a brand new mixing table from
England.’ Indeed, electronic music often used state-of-the-art technology.
Volker looks solemn and forlorn, as his former rival has eclipsed him. Indeed,
this rivalry mirrors the rivalries in the modern classical scene in the late
1950s. Electronic studios require a lot of investment, meaning that Herman is a
sought-after composer. The camera pans and follows Herman via a 180 degree
mid-shot. He says: ‘Vodocer. Six channels. It makes the sound generators
respond to the human voice.’ The state-of-the-art technology is able to
synthesise real voices and instruments – as opposed to the earlier musique
concrete, which manipulated real sounds. Herman says: ‘Do you realise what that
means? That sawtooth generator there. I can make it talk. I can make a VW
engine talk. I can break down human voices into elements and synthesise them. I
can turn speech into music and vice versa.’ The new technology is a
multifaceted synthesis of multiple sounds, which mirrors new keyboards which
became available around this time, such as the Moog. The engineer comes in
wearing an overall and he is called ‘Doctor,’ which emphasises how this
enterprise was often considered scientific rather than artistic. Indeed, he
uses technical language, as he talks about ‘parts for the ring modulator.’
Volker turns to Herman and tells him about a project he wants to do which wants
to mix electronic sounds with acoustic ones. Herman says: ‘We don’t splice
anymore. We synthesise.’ Old acoustic instruments are considered old-hat, even
if they are spliced with electronic sounds. This is somewhat ironic, given how
dated a lot of the electronic music from this period subsequently became.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay will now
look at the German New Wave, as several characters in the film are filmmakers.
The German New Wave revitalised German filmmaking, as there had been a fallow
period after the Third Reich. The golden years had been during the Weimar
Republic, but Nazis brought this to an end and most films were imported after
the war (Stanford 1980, p. 6). However, most filmmakers were more well-versed
with Hollywood filmmakers rather than the classics from the Weimar era (p. 6)
and this comes through in <i>The Second Heimat</i>. Pivotally, ‘Heimatfilms’
were very popular. They filmed the idyllic countryside and they were patriotic.
They acquired nationalistic overtones during the Nazi era and even after the
war Heimatfilms were too linked with the Nazis (p. 11). However, Edgar Reitz’s
Heimat films were notorious, as they were not nationalistic or even patriotic.
However, the German New Wave in the 1960s broke with staid Heimat films after
the publication of the ‘Oberhausen Manifesto.’ Edgar Reitz was one of the
signatories of the manifesto and he recreates this in <i>The Second Heimat</i>.
It was a youthful and revolutionary document. It stated the following: <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">‘The collapse of the conventional
German cinema finally removes the economic basis from an attitude of mind that
we reject. With it, the new cinema has a chance of coming to life. […] We
declare our object to be the creation of the new German feature film. This new
cinema needs new freedom. Freedom from the customary conventions of the trade.
Freedom from the influence of commercial partners. Freedom from the tutelage of
vested interests. We have a concrete notion of the new German cinema. We are
collectively prepared to take economic risks. The old cinema is dead. We
believe in the new one. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Oberhausen, 28 February 1962.’ (p.
14)<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This is similar to <i>The Second
Heimat</i>, as the filmmakers in the film say that ‘papa’s cinema is dead.’ The
manifesto demanded new production conditions (Niewalda) and they were clearly
influenced by the Nouvelle Vague, who are also cited in the film. Edgar Reitz
signed the Oberhausen manifesto alongside Alexander Kluge and twenty-four other
signatories. The manifesto also stated that ‘papa’s cinema is dead,’ (Niewalda)
something that is explicitly quoted in Reitz’s film. Kluge studied law and one
of the filmmakers in the film, Stefan, studies law. However, not much happened
after the manifesto was released. Government funding was only set up by 1965. Germany
started producing films with international recognition when Alexander Kluge
released <i>Yesterday Girl</i> in 1966 and won the Silver Bear in Venice (p.
15). Television played a big part in developing new German cinema and there
were more outlets for cinema in German TV than any other European country (p.
15). Indeed, Reitz’s <i>Heimat</i> films were funded by and broadcast on
television. Although Reitz made his films later, there were also other Heimat
films made during the German New Wave period (p. 135). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Several
scenes of the film depict filmmakers as well as musicians. Indeed, they mention
the same slogan that the Oberhausen manifesto included – ‘Papa’s kino is dead.’
We see a mid-shot of Robert and Richard placing stickers that say ‘Papa’s kino
is dead’ across Munich. The camera pans across to the right as they are chased
away by the owner of a cinema. This reifies how iconoclastic much of this
cinema was and how they were disposed to anti-social pranks. It is a ‘break
with the old.’ They proceed to place these stickers on statues, beer mugs, zoos
and people on the streets, public toilets and the top of cathedrals. The series
later on shows the filmmakers involved in several projects. There is a scene
where Stefan, most likely modelled on Alexander Kluge, abandons an ambitious
project. It becomes ‘sabotaged’ by a group of political radicals. The scene
starts with a black and white mid-shot of a camera filming Robert, a fellow
filmmaker, talking. The camera dollies into a close-up of Stefan talking. Robert
says: ‘Today, making a film means taking responsibility. Responsibility for
political awareness. A film is just a dead record of a lot of pre-rehearsed
scenes. Vision is only truth when we feel what we see. I mean, the camera has
no feeling.’ The camera work edits back to the mid-shot of Robert being filmed.
He continues: ‘To approach the truth, the camera man must get his feeling into
the picture. Reality isn’t truth. We tend to think, the more realistic a scene
is, the better it is.’ There is a sense of the ‘meta’ in this scene, simply
because Robert is being filmed by a camera and he is talking about the process
of filmmaking. Obviously, the camera work causally captures the material world
as it is and Robert is talking about how it is the job of the filmmaker to
imbue this process with his own vision. This is followed by a mid-shot of
Stefan, the project’s director, walking over. The camera dollies out as Stefan
approaches the set. The camera pans and shifts from a 360 degree to a 180
angle. Stefan says: ‘Stop shooting! I’m announcing the end of production. We’re
taking all the equipment, all exposed and unexposed film. […] All costumes,
props, tools. […] Production is over. You’ve violated the contract.’ The crew
seem nonplussed as he says this. The production is sabotaged by a group of
leftist agitators. Robert had talked about film being ‘a political
responsibility,’ but Stefan says that the production has being ‘systematically
sabotaged.’ Many of the members of the German New Wave were very ambitious, but
they found it hard to get their ambitious projects off the ground. Indeed,
Reitz had several flops prior to making the <i>Heimat</i> films. Indeed, Stefan
is an auteur who has lost complete control over his project. Robert talks as to
how film is an attempt to manipulate causal reality and how the filmmaker
attempts to imbue this with his own vision. However, Stefan in this scene has
not managed to do this and it is hijacked by a group of radicals.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now look at the Baade-Meinhof group, a hard-left terrorist
organisation that was formed in 1968. It originated from the university protest
movement and it decried the United States as imperialist (Jenkins). Like the
rest of the first world, West Germany experienced left-wing youth revolts in
the 1960s (Moncourt and Smith 2013). It distrusted their parents’ generation,
as they thought that the post-war regime that their parents ran was still
comprised of Nazis. Indeed, Christopher Hitchens states the following in an
article: ‘[They wanted to] strip the mask from the pseudo-democratic state and
reveal the Nazi skull beneath its skin’ (2009). They started to live in
communes (Moncourt and Smith), which once more mirrors scenes in <i>The Second
Heimat</i>. Whilst other leftist groups leant towards countercultural anarchism,
Baden-Meinhof tended towards communism and often cited Mao as an influence. The
Social Democrats came to power in 1969 and pushed through many of the demands
of the student movement. Despite this, the group kept protesting and became
more radicalised (Moncourt and Smith). The members of the gang supported
themselves through bank robberies and engaged in terrorist bombings and arson
of West German corporations. It also kidnapped and assassinated political
figures, provoked an aggressive response from the government and thought this
would lead to a broader revolutionary movement. The tactics became more violent
and they started to become more estranged from the political left. It later
transpired that East German secret police had provided them with training,
shelter and supplies (Jenkins). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Indeed,
this resentment against the ‘Nazi’ past of their parents’ generation permeates
the entire series. Earlier on in the series, the character Ansgar says that the
‘economic miracle’ that they were living through was being presided over by
former Nazis. The character Helga becomes radicalised and joins a leftist group
which later morphs into a terrorist organisation, which is clearly modelled on
The Red Army Faction. In one scene, she likens the Christian Democrat
government to Nazis, even though its former leader, Adenauer, fled the Nazi
regime and subjected the country to the process of ‘Denazification.’ She
hyperbolically compares the Christian Democrat administration to Germany in the
1930s: ‘We intellectuals are responsible for the democracy in this country.
That’s where most artists failed in 1933. It mustn’t happen again.’ Helga and
her group later visit the ‘Foxhole,’ a mansion she used to frequent in her
bohemian days. They are worried that they are being monitored by the
government. She once more hyperbolically compares the government to the Nazis,
as they are about to be banned: ‘That’s how Hitler came to power.’ They
themselves are the product of the ‘bourgeoise’ and they have lived through the
German ‘economic miracle,’ yet they still talk about ‘revolution,’ ‘dismantling
power structures’ and ‘transition from capitalism to socialism.’ They
acknowledge that the economic conditions are unprecedented, but they still think
that they can live without it: ‘[We should] liberate ourselves from affluence.’
Indeed, they call Frauelein Cerphal a product of the ‘bourgeois’ when they are
quite clearly a product of it, too. Eventually, Helga’s political group morphs
into terrorism. We see this in a scene when a train gets stopped by the police,
as they attempt to track down terrorists. We see a low-angle long-shot of
helicopters and the sound of helicopters. The police are later framed via a
mid-shot. Herman later encounters a close-up of Helga and other members of the
terrorist organisation; it dawns on Herman that Helga is now a terrorist. Later
on in the episode, they look into Stefan’s car, who had a relationship with
Helga, and they barge into his apartment. His apartment is festooned with
posters of <i>Blow-Up</i> by Antonioni, <i>The Conformist</i> by Bertolucci and
<i>Death in Venice</i> by Visconti, which clearly reveals his interest in
Italian filmmaking. The terrorists are framed via a mid-shot and they disguise
themselves. Stefan says: ‘My God, Helga, how long can you live like this?’ She says:
‘At last I am needed.’ We see a low-angle mid-shot of Stefan and this is
followed by a mid-shot of Helga eating. She is clearly self-righteous and she
feels that what she is doing is just and necessary. Obviously, her former
friends are taken aback by her transformation. The hard-left groups in Germany
drifted towards terrorism, as they were radicalised by the Nazi past of their
parents. However, they benefited from the ‘social market’ settlement that they
installed after the war.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW637881KhyAHlWwxSTxmRJ3fN_L_fjKmSP79SilYrpClnTEpB7kU-BiSV1KLUjm-h5Go8cMPeblpVOcviiZvs8N6ETtBUF_6wzzJ-gy9tKdQsjMKLCw-scmX0vSQCQ-_g5eu-zdywssE/s261/heimat+2+terrorists.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="193" data-original-width="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW637881KhyAHlWwxSTxmRJ3fN_L_fjKmSP79SilYrpClnTEpB7kU-BiSV1KLUjm-h5Go8cMPeblpVOcviiZvs8N6ETtBUF_6wzzJ-gy9tKdQsjMKLCw-scmX0vSQCQ-_g5eu-zdywssE/s0/heimat+2+terrorists.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i>Heimat
3: A Chronicle of Endings and Beginnings </i>(2004) is set after the fall of
the Berlin. It deals with a new homeland which is more multicultural,
cosmopolitan and globalised. Indeed, it explores what ‘homeland’ means in a
much more different world. Jonathan Romney: ‘What does home mean in a period of
such radical displacement and dislocation?’ (2009). It takes place between 1990
and 2000 and, being eleven hours long, is shorter than the first two
instalments. It deals with the collapse of communism, the integration of east
and west Germany, the integration of immigrant communities and crass consumerism.
Once more, these issues are largely in the background and the series primarily
focuses on the personal relationships between the characters. Interestingly,
although it is the third series, it seems to be more linearly derived from the
first series than the second one. The series is set in the town Schabbach, where
the first series is set. Hermann meets Clarissa, the singer and cellist that he
is infatuated with in the second series. They meet by chance and decide to
settle in Schabbach, the homeland that he decided to repudiate in the second
series. This essay will look at the reunification of East and West Germany as
well as the integration of immigrants into Germany.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuatnvO4qnWmb_qJL0lqJtkrHaYZGpqi9AxMTsVU1mZkN9wm0C4nzY-ZPhvE4ypIkB49uSkft4EVBc_g8RmP0OpjcSTW-1cIkM3kxsdIAVvhq_46uFLOIfDFUMopzVjeuM86iuNlQ-2o/s1200/heimat+3+poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuatnvO4qnWmb_qJL0lqJtkrHaYZGpqi9AxMTsVU1mZkN9wm0C4nzY-ZPhvE4ypIkB49uSkft4EVBc_g8RmP0OpjcSTW-1cIkM3kxsdIAVvhq_46uFLOIfDFUMopzVjeuM86iuNlQ-2o/s320/heimat+3+poster.jpg" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The
Reunification of Germany was a major achievement, which required ‘strong
international partnerships and deft political manoeuvring’ (Hadley 2021).
Indeed, it has been called a ‘political miracle,’ as it was hard to imagine
that Soviet Union military forces would retreat peacefully from their occupied
territories (Sinn 2000, p. 1). East and West Germany became reunited on October
3, 1990 and the Soviet Union collapsed a year later. According to Kohler, the
German chancellor, German Reunification would not have been possible without
Gorbachev’s market reforms – Perestroika (restriction) and Glasnost (openness)
(Hadley). Additionally, The Soviet Union had struggled to keep up with Ronald
Reagan’s aggressive defence spending, which had decimated their economy. The
USA and West Germany were in favour of reunification, but France and the UK, led
by Francois Miterrand and Margaret Thatcher respectively, were not. The world
was already going in this direction, as the Communist Party in Poland voted to
legalise Solidarity, the anti-communist trade union, which won seats in the
parliament. There were mass pro-democracy demonstrations in Hungary. Bush, Kohl
and Gorbachev all had an excellent relationship, which helped make
reunification work (Hadley). Negotiations between Kohl and Gorbachev took place
in Mosco and Stavropol between July 14-16, which was a diplomatic breakthrough.
In these negotiations, Kohl attempted to convince Gorbachev that a unified
Germany would not be a threat to the Soviet Union (Hellfeld/Chase 2010). Gorbachev
did not use the presence of troops to stamp out the demonstrations against East
Germany, a tactic which had been used by his predecessors and he kept his word
when it came to Hungary and Poland, too. Indeed, he said: I just want the
Soviet Union to be a normal country’ (Hadley). On July 17, he gave the go-ahead
for East and West Germany to reunify (Hellfeld/Chase). West Germany was given
the permission to incorporate territory of 108,333 kilometres and 16 million
people. The Soviet Union had already amassed a massive debt in the arms race
with Ronald Reagan, so it was in no mood to keep control of satellite states.
In return for accepting German reunification, Kohl agreed to pay for the costs
of withdrawing Soviet troops. He also promised financial help so as to stabilise
Soviet finances (Hellfeld/Chase).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb5YUMJBmA0M0bqSzF5VQT0mVoJy7HInz9I_taY6L-2jm63DQMvKoCIuVtvmNs2pdyuMccFIKOhodHT0ltgASSlepImXrE1h2FMm9GBU83UWATPFfbcRcydd0LAKu0BH_1BnFreYhws0/s700/kohl+and+gorbachev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="394" data-original-width="700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGb5YUMJBmA0M0bqSzF5VQT0mVoJy7HInz9I_taY6L-2jm63DQMvKoCIuVtvmNs2pdyuMccFIKOhodHT0ltgASSlepImXrE1h2FMm9GBU83UWATPFfbcRcydd0LAKu0BH_1BnFreYhws0/s320/kohl+and+gorbachev.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
German reunification was considered a great success, it has inevitably created
problems. As analyses of <i>Heimat 3</i> will demonstrate, several East Germans
struggle to integrate into West Germany. Many people said that it was a
positive development at the time (Gramlich 2019). However, although living
standards have risen in East Germany, surveys have shown that ‘a clear
majority’ of East Germans remain unsatisfied (Eddy 2020). Indeed, economic
growth lags behind in the east; economic output lags behind the west by 70% and
east Germans earn 15% less on average (Eddy). Labour productivity in the east
stood at one third of the level of the west (Becker, Mergele and Woersmann
2020, p. 158). Self-employment had been restricted in the communist regime,
which led to a low level of entrepreneurship following reunification (p. 158).
German reunification led to a shock to retirement levels and prices increased
after the abolishment of price controls (p. 158). The planned economy meant
that people had to wait for decades to buy a car (p. 165). East German doctrine
taught people to live frugally, but reunification opened up opportunities for
consumption, so East Germans spent money on items so as to display their high
status (p. 165). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>East Germany went from
being one of the most industrialised countries to one of the least, as its
infrastructure and its economy was ravaged by communism (Dale 2019). As a
result, some easterners express their discontent by supporting far-right
parties. Also, the east has lost a generation of people who fled to the west
following reunification. They sought jobs after 94% of state-owned companies
were shut down. Currently, none of Germany’s major companies have their
headquarters in the east and the region trails in research, development,
machines and factories. Six in ten west Germans see reunification as a complete
process, but more than eight in ten East Germans see it as incomplete (Eddy). Following
reunification, Helmut Kohl set the exchange rate of the Ostmark to the
Deutschmark to 1:1, which led to a 400% increase in the value of the East
German currency. None of the East German companies were able to withstand the
shock, as costs could not be reduced and all prices were subject to
re-evaluation. Kohl also oversaw the privatisation of eastern enterprises, the
sell-off was accompanied by legal and illegal corruption and he prioritised the
interests of western businesses. Only 5% of former eastern businesses were sold
to easterners; 85% were sold to westerners. As a result, most senior management
activities took place in the west. The east experienced emigration and
stagnation as well as the depopulation of towns and demolition of houses.
Westerners were mostly appointed to positions of power, which included the civil
service, professorship, industry and the armed forces (Dale). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
inequality between East and West Germans is depicted in <i>Heimat 3</i>. The
fall of the Berlin wall is depicted at the start of the series and this is when
Herman and Clarissa serendipitously meet each other. Clarissa encounters two
East German workers after a concert of hers has been cancelled. The scene
starts with a mid-shot of Clarissa wearing an elegant blue top whilst the East
Germans wear shabbier clothing, which emphasises their differences in class.
Otto assumes that she is a reporter, but she is the lead singer at the concert,
which once more emphasises class distinctions. The camera pans to the right,
towards Udo who smokes a cigarette and drinks a beer. Udo says: ‘That’s Mrs. Lichblau,
the western singer they cancelled. You should know that.’ The camera pans to a
low angle mid-shot of Clarissa sitting down with a meal and there are darker
tones in this shot. The camera work edits to a mid-shot of the easterners, who
are portrayed via a lighter tone. Udo tells Otto to ‘leave the lady alone.’ Otto
says: ‘You see, I’m a joiner, a tiler, a scaffold builder, all in one.’ The
camera work alternates between low-angle mid-shots of the East Germans and
Clarissa. This is followed by a voiceover from Clarissa: ‘A thought crossed my
mind. Weren’t they the craftsmen we needed for our house on the Rhine? I could
make them an attractive offer. Can you imagine working for me? I could make you
ten marks an hour.’ This is followed by a close-up of the workers. Otto says:
‘West German marks?’ Clarissa says: ‘Yes, I have my car here. I can take you
there.’ Otto: ‘The BMW outside.’ Otto and Udo seem incredulous, as it seems to
be a lot of money to them. However, Clarissa later mentions to Hermann that she
is underpaying them and she is taking advantage. East Germans, therefore, were
prone to exploitation. This scene is later shortly followed by a scene where
Clarissa drives the East German workers to West Germany. The three of them are
framed via a mid-shot. Clarissa sings, in an operatic voice, the East German
national anthem. We see a close-up of Udo who says: ‘Look.’ Clarissa says:
‘What?’ Udo says: ‘That blue. Amazing.’ He points to a neon sign in blue. The
East German is taken aback by it, as everything in the communist regime had
been so drab, decimated and squalid. Clarissa is so used to her comfortable
life in the west that she sees nothing remarkable about the petrol station.
Both Udo and Otto later struggle and drift in the new reunified Germany. Otto
struggles to make ends meet and even ends up in jail whilst Udo starts a failed
business venture. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00dIl3Bzf8Z0L76I7LJhwzNuEJnpNwYSnHIWbYjoZmgq0zj8UiAZqTAdvmXbIJTnLjFRMvgtfRAJ9saeIK0CCSZWoP92YEbXoS9YpnjTr_cMAX9Bv_nlGvgKOCpkrZapiNnFFUSd8BNk/s797/heimat-3-01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="797" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg00dIl3Bzf8Z0L76I7LJhwzNuEJnpNwYSnHIWbYjoZmgq0zj8UiAZqTAdvmXbIJTnLjFRMvgtfRAJ9saeIK0CCSZWoP92YEbXoS9YpnjTr_cMAX9Bv_nlGvgKOCpkrZapiNnFFUSd8BNk/s320/heimat-3-01.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>This
essay will now explore the inflow of immigrants and refugees into Germany in
the 1990s. Indeed, like many other places, immigration is a big issue in
Germany and a large part of the population supports controlling migrant flows
(Arenas-Arroyo, Giunfella, Vargas-Silva 2018, p. 2). Most immigrants have lived
for ten years or longer in Germany and one third of them have lived in Germany
for more than twenty years (Green 2001). The public is concerned that it
affects labour markets and the country’s finances (Arenas-Arroyo, Guinfella,
Vargas-Silva, p. 2). People also take an interest in the unemployment and the
benefit dependency of immigrants (p. 2). The arrival of migrants and the
subsequent impact on the job opportunities of the native-born population also
becomes an issue (p. 2), but empirical studies show that this is not an issue
(p. 3). The number of migrants in Germany, as of 2018, is 12.1 million, they
account for 15% of the population and 40% of them come from EU countries (p.
2). Several problems arise from migration, such as welfare benefits, language
training, the provision of education to migrants and the access to
infrastructure and accommodation (Kannels and Lecca 2017, p. 1). However,
refugees can often integrate into the economy, work, pay taxes and help it grow
(p. 2). It can create a supply shock, since refugees have to be integrated into
the labour market. It also creates a demand shock, as it creates additional
spending of welfare (p. 4). It also creates additional problems, such as gaps
in educational achievements, low employment, brain waste and high levels of
overqualification, social exclusion and poverty (p. 7). The poverty rate is
also higher in immigrant households than native households and migrant children
are often more likely to be exposed to poverty (p. 8). Following reunification,
many migrants came from abroad as well as the former East Germany (Graka,
Schwarze, Wagner, p. 1). The inflow of immigrants peaked in 1990/91, as by 1997
8% of the West German population had immigrated as compared with 1% of East
Germany in 1984 (p. 2). The unemployment rate in East Germany was 18% due to
economic ‘shock therapy’ whilst it stood at 10% in West Germany in 1997 (p. 3).
However, this high unemployment rate also affected immigrants (p. 6).
Immigrants do tend to be on lower incomes, although Germany does have lower
rates of income inequality than the rest of Europe (p. 6). However, there have
been cases of xenophobia in Germany and of violence towards immigrants (Bade
and Anderson, p. 85). Foreigners have been attacked on the streets, with
slogans such as ‘foreigners out’ and ‘Germans for Germans’ being chanted (p.
85). Victims of these attacks have usually been asylum seekers (p. 85). <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>There
are several scenes in <i>Heimat 3</i> which depict multiculturalism. There is a
scene where several Russian immigrants arrive at Schabbach, which in the first <i>Heimat</i>
is a predominantly homogeneous community. The scene starts with a
black-and-white mid-shot of the Russian immigrants, a young couple and an
elderly couple. We see a mid-shot of a young Russian woman with a child and
there is a black man behind her. This once more emphasises the new
multiculturalism in towns, not just cities. The music has folkish aura to it,
which emphasises the provenance of these people, as opposed to the Teutonic
highbrow classicism of Hermann and Clarissa. Russian immigrants, black
immigrants local people from the Hunsruck all get on with each other. It is
harmonious, there is a sense of solidarity and that multiculturalism works.
There are no diatribes such as ‘German for Germans.’ The Russian woman tells
its child: ‘Well, Nikitoshka, a new time is beginning.’ She is starting a new
life in Germany and possibly shedding some of her Russian heritage. This is
followed by a mid-shot of an elderly German couple, who will most likely hold
on to their Russian heritage and integrate into German society less
successfully. They dress in a more traditional way, but they sit next to the
African families, which once more emphasises multiculturalism. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Indeed, the Russian
immigrants have fled the communist regimes which had just been deposed. This comes
through in a scene where we see a mid-shot of the Russian woman with African
children in the street. They fraternise and, once again, there is a sense that
multiculturalism works. This is obvious a stark contrast to the racist and
nationalistic rhetoric in the first <i>Heimat</i>. The Russian woman goes to
the black woman’s flat, where she is joined by the character Ernst, Herman’s
brother. Ernst stares into the cot, looks at the infant and says: ‘You belong
to your own people. A fridge, nice clothes, a TV, freedom.’ Ernst is framed via
a mid-shot and from a low angle, from the perspective of the baby. The baby,
meanwhile, is framed from a mid-shot and from a higher angle, from Ernst’s
perspective. Whilst Ernst does not have racist or nationalist values, he does
have conservative values and he does want them to assimilate. He mentions the
material comforts that the baby will enjoy, but he also mentions the conceptual
values that are open to him. He will enjoy freedom, an ideal that will enable
him to determine his own values and choices, something that he would not be
open to him in the stultifying conformity of Soviet communism. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">This essay explored the
Nazification and denazification of German society in <i>Heimat</i>.
Unemployment aggravated the situation, so many people turned to fascism, even
though the vote for the Nazis had declined by the time of the fifth general
election of 1932. However, many of the Nazis in <i>Heimat</i> do so out of
expedience rather than out of principle. Many of the Nazis were aware of the
gas chambers, but less politically engaged characters like Maria becomes
disconcerted when she encounters ‘death rings.’ Once the Nazis are defeated,
one of the erstwhile Nazis attempts to ingratiate herself with the occupying
Americans. Following the war, the political program presented by Adenauer and
the Christian Democrats emphasised the sanctity of property rights and
entrepreneurialism, but they tempered this with trade union bargaining rights
and social insurance. As a result, the economy grew and Germany became an
industrial powerhouse. Indeed, this is depicted in <i>Heimat</i>, as the
character successfully starts an optical company. However, the film does depict
the rise of a more predatory capitalism in the 1970s, as multinational
companies attempt to buy him out. <i>The Second Heimat</i>, meanwhile, partly
dealt with the restless creativity of the 1960s avant-garde. Indeed, the
avant-garde in music in the late 1950s and early 1960s was in a state of
perpetual renewal. This does come through in the film, as the character Herman
composes a series of experimental pieces. In the end, he acquires his own
electronic studio, which once more mirrors the avant-gardism of the era. The
musical avant-garde was often iconoclastic, cliquish and highly competitive and
this comes through in the film. The film also deals with the German New Wave,
which was once more iconoclastic. The movement railed against the commercialism
of the medium, but it also emphasised the importance of the ‘auteur.’ This
comes through in the film since Stefan, an auteur filmmaker, has his film
sabotaged by a group of insurrectionary leftists. The film does indeed deal
with leftist movements, which are highly hypocritical since they rail against
an economic system which has given them unbridled opportunities. Indeed, the
leftists become more and more radical and turn into terrorists. Finally, <i>Heimat
3</i> deals with the integration of East and West Germany, immigration and
multiculturalism. The East German characters are exploited and they struggle to
integrate into the reunified Germany. Additionally, the film does depict
multiculturalism in a positive light, as several nationalities manage to
co-exist peacefully. However, some immigrant characters do struggle to
integrate in other episodes. These are all the aspects of German social change
that the trilogy depicts.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Works Cited<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Adams, John. (2011)
‘Heimat.’ In <i>Movie Habit</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.moviehabit.com/review.php?story=hei_af11"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.moviehabit.com/review.php?story=hei_af11</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Anderson, Lieslotte.
Bade, Klaus J. (1994) ‘Immigration and Social Peace in United Germany.’ In <i>Daedalus</i>.
In 123:1. p. 84-106.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Arenas-Arroyo, Esther.
Guintella, Osea. Vargas-Silva, Carlos. (2018) ‘Immigration and Unemployment
Benefits: Evidence from Germany.’ In <i>Reminder-Project-EU</i> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Becker, Sasch O.
Mergele, Lukas. (2020) ‘The Separation of Reunification of Germany: Rethinking
a National Experiment: Interpretation of the Enduring Effects of Communism.’ In
<i>Journal of Economic Perspectives</i>. 34:2., p. 143-171.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Bessel, Richard. (2009)
<i>Germany 1945</i>. London: Simon & Schuster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chase, Jefferson.
Hellfeld, Mathhias Von. (2010) ‘How Kohl and Gorbachev Sealed the Deal on
German Reunification.’ In <i>DW</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.dw.com/en/how-kohl-and-gorbachev-sealed-the-deal-on-german-reunification/a-5788998"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.dw.com/en/how-kohl-and-gorbachev-sealed-the-deal-on-german-reunification/a-5788998</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Chen, James. (2021) ‘Bretton
Woods Agreement and System.’ In <i>Investopedia</i>. Available from: https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/brettonwoodsagreement.asp#:~:text=The%20Bretton%20Woods%20Agreement%20and%20System%20created%20a%20collective%20international,to%20the%20price%20of%20gold.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Dale, Gareth. (2019) ‘<a name="_Hlk71402030">How Divisions Between East and West Germany Persist 30
Years After Reunification</a>.’ In <i>The Conversation</i>. Available from: How
Divisions Between East and West Germany Persist 30 Years After Reunification. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Graka, Markus. M.
Schwarze, Johannes. Wagner, Gert G. (1999) ‘How Unification and Immigration
Affected the German Income Distribution.’ In <i>Institute for Economic Research</i>.
4:6. P. 867-878.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Grunberger, Richard.
(1971) <i>A Social History of the Third Reich</i>. London: Penguin. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Eddy, Melissa. (2020)
‘Three Decades After Reunification, Germans Wonder: How United Are We. In <i>The
New York Times</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/world/europe/east-west-germany-30-anniversary.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/03/world/europe/east-west-germany-30-anniversary.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Eichengreen, Barry.
Ritsch. (2008) <i>Understanding German Economic Growth in the 1950s</i>. No.
113/08. London: London School of Economics/ <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Englene, Pehr. (2011)
‘Memory of Everyday Life: A Study of Edgar Reitz’s Heimat.’ In <i>Dandelion:
Postgraduate Arts Journal & Research Network</i>. 2.2 <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-left: 36.0pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Green, Simon O. (2001)
‘Immigration, Asylum and Citizenship in Germany: The Impact of Unification and
the Berlin Republic.’ In <i>West European Politics</i>. 24:4. p. 82-104.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heather, John. (2021) ‘Wirtschaftswunder.’
In <i>Britannica</i>. Available from:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wirtschaftswunder"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Wirtschaftswunder</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Hitchens, Christopher.
(2009) ‘Once Upon a Time in Germany.’ In <i>Vanity Fair</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/08/hitchens-guerrillas200908"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.vanityfair.com/culture/2009/08/hitchens-guerrillas200908</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jarausch, Konrad H.
(2006) <i>After Hitler: Recivlizing Germans, 1945-1995</i>. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Jenkins, John Phillip.
(1998) ‘The Red Army Faction.’ In <i>Britannica</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Red-Army-Faction/additional-info#history"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.britannica.com/topic/Red-Army-Faction/additional-info#history</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Kanels, D’Artis, Lecca,
Patrizio. (2017) ‘Long-term Social, Economic and Fiscal Effects of Immigration
into the EU: The Role of the Integration Policy.’ In <i>JRC Working Papers in
Economics and Finance</i>. 4.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Lebrecht, Norman.
(1992) <i>The Companion to 20<sup>th</sup> Century Music</i>. Sydney:
Australia. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Magee, Bryan. (1973) <i>Karl
Popper</i>. Glasgow: Fontana.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Moncourt, Andre. Smith,
John. (2013) <i>The Urban Guerilla Concept</i>. Montreal: Kersplebedeb
Publishing.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Nievalda, Sabine.
‘Oberhausen Manifesto.’ In <i>International Short Film Festival Organisation</i>.
Available online from: </span><a href="https://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.kurzfilmtage.de/en/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Romney, Jonathan. (2009) ‘Heimat 3.’ In <i>The
Independent</i>. Available from: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/heimat-3-15-490096.html<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Rosenbaum, Jonathan.
(1994) In <i>Chicago Reader</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1994/04/the-second-heimat/"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1994/04/the-second-heimat/</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ross, Alex. (2007) <i>The
Rest is Noise: Listening to the Twentieth Century</i>. London: Harper Perennial<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sandford,
John. (1980) <i>The New German Cinema</i>. London: Eyre Metheun. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Sen, Ashish Kumar.
(2021) ‘German Reunification: It Was Nothing Short of a Miracle.’ In <i>United
States Institute of Peace</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/02/german-reunification-it-was-nothing-short-miracle"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.usip.org/publications/2021/02/german-reunification-it-was-nothing-short-miracle</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Sinn, Hans-Werner.
(2000) ‘Germany’s Economic Unification: An Assessment After Ten Years.’ In <i>Review
of International Economics</i>. 10:11.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Ed. Staines, John and
Clark, Duncan. (2005) <i>The Rough Guide to Classical Music</i>. London: Rough
Guides.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Uknown
author. (1986) ‘The Screen: “Heimat,” An Epic on German Life. In <i>The New
York Times</i>. Available from: </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/05/movies/the-screen-heimat-an-epic-on-german-life.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">https://www.nytimes.com/1986/09/05/movies/the-screen-heimat-an-epic-on-german-life.html</span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify;"><b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Filmography<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heimat</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">. (1984) Directed by Edgar Reitz. Edgar
Reitz Film (ERF) Sender Freies Berlin (SFB) Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR). 924 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heimat 2: Chronicle
of a Generation</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.
(1993) Directed by Edgar Reitz.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Edgar
Reitz Film (ERF) Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) (co-production) Sender Freies
Berlin (SFB) (co-production) Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR) (co-production)
Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) (co-production) Südwestfunk (SWF) (co-production)
Hessischer Rundfunk (HR) (co-production) British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
(co-production) Televisión Española (TVE) (co-production) Sveriges Television
(SVT) (co-production) France 2 (FR2) (co-production) (as A2) ARTE
(co-production) Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK) (co-production) Yleisradio (YLE)
(co-production) Österreichischer Rundfunk (ORF) (co-production) Danmarks Radio
(DR) (co-production) Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) (co-production). 1,532
min.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-align: justify; text-indent: 36.0pt;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">Heimat 3: A
Chronicle of Endings and Beginnings</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">.
(2004) Directed by Edgar Reitz. Edgar Reitz Film (ERF) Südwestrundfunk (SWR)
(co-production) ARD (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der öffentlich-rechtlichen
Rundfunkanstalten der Bundesrepublik Deutschland) (co-production) ARD Degeto
Film (co-production) Arri Cine Technik GmbH & Co. KG (co-production)
Recorded Picture Company (RPC) (co-production) Jeremy Thomas Productions
(co-production). 689 minutes.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-73805013369962129662021-03-06T12:51:00.001-08:002021-03-06T12:51:34.295-08:00Conversation and Wine 4<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/98-0R6GpAms" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-68662410925017077262021-02-21T03:49:00.001-08:002021-02-21T03:49:58.772-08:00Conversation and Wine 3<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/TpmVIHtBuD0" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-89550281867197583622021-02-06T12:25:00.000-08:002021-02-06T12:25:08.036-08:00Conversation and Wine 2<iframe width="480" height="360" src="https://youtube.com/embed/RUQjj-92qFw" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-83417530657642591762021-01-23T13:23:00.002-08:002021-01-23T13:23:27.545-08:00Conversation and Wine 1<iframe width="480" height="270" src="https://youtube.com/embed/guPbgDgPKr8" frameborder="0"></iframe>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8831741882077822891.post-11063234947066114762020-11-18T10:09:00.004-08:002020-11-18T10:09:49.313-08:00Stockhausen <p> Winamop has published my short story 'Stockhausen,' which is about composer Karlheinz Stockhausen. Here's the description on the website: 'Simon King's last biographical story for us is about the renowned composer Stockhausen as he conducts an aerial performance.'</p><p>http://www.winamop.com/sk2005.htm</p><p>Part twelve of 'Fifteen Characters: Loners and Altruists.'</p>Simon Kinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07546918914904499503noreply@blogger.com0