After the Lord of the Flies epiphany, I went straight to Borders Books and Music and asked at the info desk for more books about “human nature” or “the human condition” or something like that. I remember they chuckled at me, handed me Catcher in the Rye, and suggested I continue down the path of post-war New Yorker writers,Continue reading “Updike: A&P (1961)”
Tag Archives: William Golding
film: Fellini: 8 1/2 (1963)
Obviously, I’ve been putting writing about this film on hold for nearly two weeks, and I’m still not particularly eager to think about it, but it must be done, and so that’s that. I suppose a good starting point is Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller. The turning point for me, when I stopped judging booksContinue reading “film: Fellini: 8 1/2 (1963)”
film: Truffaut: Jules et Jim (1962)
Jules et Jim. It’s too great for me to speak of. When I first saw it I was sitting in an uncomfortable chair at a desk in a basement. I thought “what’s so great about this film–there’s nothing special about it.” Perhaps you cannot recognize greatness in anything until you’ve witnessed the vastness of mediocrityContinue reading “film: Truffaut: Jules et Jim (1962)”
The Tempest
The idea of isolating a group of people on an island is a popular one for authors to express their views of human nature. Perhaps the most well-known examples are Lord of the Flies, by Golding, and the opposing Island, by Huxley. Though Shakespeare’s The Tempest does not especially debate the topic of the inherentContinue reading “The Tempest”
arts & fetters 