Thursday, November 22, 2007
The Wild Duck
Henrik Ibsen
1884
This is a play about a social and family values in late 1800's Norway.
There is a lot in this play. A completely deluded family led by a foolish and unrealistic father live an existence that can not be sustained due to their disconnection from reality. Greggers, an old friend, arrives and tried to set things right by revealing all the family secrets being motivated by the belief that having everything out in the open is the healthiest way for a family to function. Greggers is an idiot, his idea is a dumb one and it results in the destruction of the family. All the characters have serious moral flaws, their selfish and misguided. The play itself is so rich and developed that even the minorest of characters is revealed as deep, complex, and as always, screwed up. It was a joy to read, and would be even better to see live.
Henrik Ibsen
1884
This is a play about a social and family values in late 1800's Norway.
There is a lot in this play. A completely deluded family led by a foolish and unrealistic father live an existence that can not be sustained due to their disconnection from reality. Greggers, an old friend, arrives and tried to set things right by revealing all the family secrets being motivated by the belief that having everything out in the open is the healthiest way for a family to function. Greggers is an idiot, his idea is a dumb one and it results in the destruction of the family. All the characters have serious moral flaws, their selfish and misguided. The play itself is so rich and developed that even the minorest of characters is revealed as deep, complex, and as always, screwed up. It was a joy to read, and would be even better to see live.
Monday, November 19, 2007
Marley And Me
John Grogan
2005
This book is a memoir about a man raising his dog and his family.
The writing gets better near the end as the author seems to be able to write with much more emotion and clarity about recent experiences (including death) with his dog than he managed with more distant memories. There are a lot of cliches and predictable moments in the early chapters, but the end is well worth enduring a bit of tedium. Marley dies and Grogan fully understands the impact Marley has had on his life. Marley is simple, ever content, always curious, and fiercely values companionship and family. Grogan sees the Marley's way of life serves as a guiding beacon to true simple hapiness.
I thought the book was nice, not overly profound, but it acomplishes what it sets out to do. In a way, it comes to the same conclusion as Candide. Focus on what's important and hapiness will follow.
John Grogan
2005
This book is a memoir about a man raising his dog and his family.
The writing gets better near the end as the author seems to be able to write with much more emotion and clarity about recent experiences (including death) with his dog than he managed with more distant memories. There are a lot of cliches and predictable moments in the early chapters, but the end is well worth enduring a bit of tedium. Marley dies and Grogan fully understands the impact Marley has had on his life. Marley is simple, ever content, always curious, and fiercely values companionship and family. Grogan sees the Marley's way of life serves as a guiding beacon to true simple hapiness.
I thought the book was nice, not overly profound, but it acomplishes what it sets out to do. In a way, it comes to the same conclusion as Candide. Focus on what's important and hapiness will follow.
