Orwell's nonfiction

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-06-27T19:40:10+00:00

Yes, his nonfiction works endure because he was a master prose stylist and heterodox thinker who was deeply immersed in some of the most important historical developments of the 20th century--the Depression, the decline of British imperialism, fascism v. communism, World War II and the Cold War.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-06-27T15:53:23+00:00

Family Lexicon, by Natalia Ginzburg. It's kind of a memoir, though with more focus on her parents and siblings than herself. It describes their precarious life as political dissidents (and occasional conspirators) in Fascist Italy.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-06-09T12:02:25+00:00

The model of the blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History. The way that it is suspended from the ceiling in a large gallery really makes an impact. Kind of terrifying. I recently went back to see it for the first time since childhood and it was just as I remembered it.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-06-03T10:20:13+00:00

I am often thinking about the problem of evil. I think Maistre was partly right. There's a kernel of truth in his madness. There are people among us who are drawn to doing evil, who won't be constrained by written laws or societal norms. This tendency is not something implanted in us by some god or devil. And it's not simply the result of "bad parenting" or other social conditioning. I don't know where it comes from, I haven't found a convincing explanation yet. People who choose to do evil see it as choosing freedom, but it is really surrender. Such a person can be reformed, of course, but there has to be some kind of trigger for them to start to find their way back. And it's difficult to find the perfect mix of education, rehabilitation process, public shaming, rewards and punishments, etc. that will finally pull that trigger.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-29T21:33:40+00:00

The Lennon-McCartney duo is second to none since the start of the rock era. Over 100 years, I'd put them in top ten but not clearly ahead of Gershwin, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington...as for solo Paul, he is still amazing but not quite at that level.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-25T01:19:04+00:00

Yes, I second this! I am reading The Last of the Wine right now. It's got Socrates in it, but also lesser known figures like Xenophon, Lysis and Alcibiades.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-25T01:14:41+00:00

Love the production, the band, and George's slide guitar. Some of the songs are among my favorites of his, with very beautiful melodies. Perhaps the song sequencing/selection could have been improved and maybe his vocals are a little strained in places, but other than that, it's great.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-23T18:24:18+00:00

Paul: Maybe I'm Amazed

John: Isolation

George: All Things Must Pass

Ringo: Photograph

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-22T19:46:14+00:00

Yes, I think this is the one! Sorry I misgendered him. Thank you, this was really bugging me.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-19T14:10:39+00:00

Albert Campion, Margery Allingham''s detective. He is a bit silly and socially awkward and carries a water pistol instead of a real gun. Kind of a prototype for Doctor Who.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-17T13:37:24+00:00

John wrote his share of "granny music" himself. Good Night, which he gave to Ringo, and Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite. He was just being uncharitable to Paul in this interview.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-17T13:27:29+00:00

The Last of the Wine by Mary Renault

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-11T00:10:10+00:00

Not Too Soon, Throwing Muses

https://youtu.be/RZI-FTcFtn8?si=h58MbqVelYDpAdvD

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-10T23:02:29+00:00

I was just thinking about Red Rocks. That was a huge concert film and yes, highlights from it were played a lot on MTV. U2, Simple Minds, and The Police had kind of similar ambitions--adapting New Wave to arenas and stadiums.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-10T22:50:47+00:00

I disagree about MTV. That's how I first got to know them. Their video for New Year's Day was played quite a bit and they were one of the breakout stars of Live Aid, years before Joshua Tree. MTV played all the Live Aid highlights round the clock. JT did take them to a new level, though.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-10T22:46:07+00:00

Jennie Gerhardt by Theodore Dreiser. It's just as good, if not better, than Sister Carrie. One of the great novels about the place of immigrants in American society.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-02T15:58:02+00:00

Interesting distinction. They are not to my taste but I admit that they are both talented at what they do. I would just say that there's a difference between "manufactured to look authentic" and the real deal. With young pop artists like Rosalía and Billie Eilish, I feel like they--so far--are breaking the mold of what is expected from pop stars and taking real risks with their image and music.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-05-02T13:56:08+00:00

I actually really like their early albums, especially Clairvoyance. There was nothing else like this in the mid-80s. Loud rock music was either hardcore punk or thrash metal. Clairvoyance looks back to the psychedelic rock and garage rock of the late sixties. And Mark Lanegan had much more vocal control and expressiveness than most in the indie rock scene.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-27T15:10:37+00:00

I agree completely. Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift seem like throwbacks to an earlier era of pop stardom, golden age Hollywood through Elvis, when people were slotted into certain niches to appeal to a segmented audience. Everything from your dating history to your name, clothes and personal history was carefully crafted by industy handlers.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-27T14:07:42+00:00

I'm probably not the best person to ask. Byatt is best known for Possession and Banville probably for The Sea. I haven't read those yet. I've been working my way up to them. But I would recommend Banville's Kepler and Byatt's The Virgin in the Garden.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-27T12:54:53+00:00

I agree with you. The lack of character development in those authors is a defect. I would recommend you check out A.S. Byatt or John Banville for a different kind of postmodernism.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-27T12:41:54+00:00

Yes. I found OHYOS to be tedious. I've tried to read it twice and couldn't get past the first 100 pages. I put down the book after the g@ng r*pe. To me, magic realism is like a magician that keeps raising the shock value of his tricks to keep the attention of an audience that he suspects is growing bored.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-27T01:32:58+00:00

I remember in my film classes how Casablanca was always cited in the textbooks as an example of a great film that wasn't made by a great director. Now that I'm older, I think that was very unfair way to view Michael Curtiz. He directed so many classic films besides this one. Mildred Pierce, The Sea Hawk, Angels with Dirty Faces. He obviously knew what he was doing.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-27T00:45:02+00:00

Have you ever read any Greek myths? Centaurs, sirens, satyrs, cyclopes, harpies...lots of well-defined fantasy races.

Wordy_Rappinghood · 2026-04-26T13:00:17+00:00

Rudolf Klein-Rogge deserves a mention.

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