His take on Napoleon is a really traditional aristocratic one. He looks down on him and his bourgeois hang-ups around sexual morality, emphasizing how "common" his attitudes were. His book is still interesting and worth reading because it focuses less on the military aspects and more on politics, repression, feuds, his personality and insecurities, etc.
I don't understand, If someone assaults me and I jump up and down for reparations, it would be justified for them to say " why haven't other people who have assaulted not have to give reparations?". I'm trying to understand your point.
The person who has assaulted you is not ordered to pay you reparations. They are incarcerated for correction in a prison. If we stretch that thought experiment out so as to faithfully reflect humanity’s use of slavery, then two hundred people have been involved in a bloodbath until the 19th century, so this simplistic and reductive rhetoric helps nobody.
@@JoeSpivey02 I'm sorry if my example is simple and reductive, I did not mean to make this conversation about name calling. It's not about you being smarter than me, I was explaining your theory as I understood it. I still think countries that are able to give reparations, should. I believe it sets a tone for the future of this world to not descend into our pro-slavery past ( Of course, slavery is still a reality today) Regardless, it's important to be sensitive to a people's expression of trauma. They have a right to voice their frustrations, if nothing else.
🤔 Maybe Julian Fellowes was having some fun when he named the landowning family of Downton Abbey “Crawley”. I read VF decades ago when I may have been a bit young to appreciate Thackeray’s brilliant wordplay. I remember almost nothing beyond “nabobs” and that Becky Sharpe was a remarkably skilled flirtatious manipulator.
What is the funniest/most joyfull book to read this November? Wilde is surely not loved/liked by all people, and whether he was homosexual or not, his works are trully magnificient even today and real legacy for mankind. 👏🏻for Mr Wilde
After rereading some of the really beloved works, it is really hard for me to understand why would anyone be so thrilled with USA, whose ideas and themes are really different from the Brittain and Continent. They have great works, I do not even want to dispute that, but they are just different and it is just not it. It is not that important, but it is astonishing.
What a selection!! I'm going for The Histories of Herodotus translated by Spider-man. Thieves of State by Sarah Chayes. The Black Death by Philip Ziegler. And Machiavelli's The Prince. And maybe I can squeeze in something else, but it has to be thin and painless.
Antonia Fraser's biography of Cromwell is brilliant. The trilogy you are thinking of is an ongoing biography being written by Ronald Hutton (the second volume of which I reviewed for Open Letters and on my RU-vid channel). Antonia Fraser's is still the best popular biography written of the great man, though I haven't read it in seven years. It retains pride of place on my shelf. I have never read anything else by her, which is criminal considering how prolific she is. I highly recommend. I have the first volume of Martin Gilbert's book but have never read it. (I have however read his magnificent history of Israel.) I have had Zamoyski's biography of Napoleon on my shelf forever and have never read it, but I have listened to a good chunk of the audiobook. I know he takes a more negative attitude to the splendid Corsican - like Andrew Roberts, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Bonapartist, without apology, and have been since I was ten. The world would be a better place if he'd won. No German nationalism, no Nazism, a stronger version of the European Union, the list goes on. A large bust of him which I purchased during my sojourn in Paris takes pride of place on my desk. Philip Dwyer's biography of him is also marvellous. (I have only read the first volume of it, however.)
Thanks Joe : ) Non fiction wise I'll be reading the optimistically titled The End of Everything: How Wars Descend into Annihilation by Victor D Hanson and also Ultra Processed People by TV pundit Dr Chris van Tulleken and if I get my skates, on The Anarchy: The Relentless Rise of the East India Company by William Dalrymple
Wodehouse is just a master of dialogue - I imagine him reading his work out loud to ensure the laugh lines, the fluent delivery of it all. Just so good.
Some general characteristics of work from the period, sociology etc., politics would be wonderful to listen to. Probably majority of viewers has some ideas about the periods, but different opinion or general ideas would be wonderful as contrast. If you are interested in doing such thing, of course.
What is happening in France at the moment? Annie Erno has some excellent ideas, at least the structure is great. News are really colourful, and give a variety, but certainly no follow up on political events and after elections state. I do think it would be wonderful to hear more about trends in France, because Emily in P is certainly not the event of the year
I’m glad to hear you are out and about and taking the time to make friends and influence people in your community, including old biddies, corpulent men, and bad dancers. Will you be invited to next year’s event, do you think?
You in no way resemble Boris Johnson. First, you're humble, and you employ well what's known as "self-deprecating humor." Second, you're not fat; and third, I believe you would have tried your hardest to keep as many people as possible safe during a deadly plague.
Well Mr Spivey… well well well 😂 I don’t disagree with you, however I would like to stress - as I did in my own video - I didn’t vote leave. I too am a remainer, alas I think the Remoaner is somewhat of an annoyance. I don’t entirely disagree with anything said. To sum up all of BoJos career in 20mins (and even then I think my video is too long) there needs to be a lot of detail left out. It’s why I start my video saying I’m pitching this to someone outside of the UK, as the majority of my audience are American, Brazilian and Indian, so I’m trying to nutshell all of this to people who have zero idea who BoJo is. But again, I think a fair rebuttal from yourself as I don’t disagree in the slightest. Maybe we can continue this FAKE BEEF through the ether. Once I got some time, I’ll drop you a line, somewhere, somehow 😅
I'm sure Kieran will agree with you. I think using soft lenguage as he does makes you modify your thoughts to think nicely of everyone, d'you know what I mean? It's a double edgeless sword.
5:02 Noone is product of establishment, it is a false premise. Surrounding does play a significant role, but people do choose actions, in general. Same is true for extreme circumstances, eventhough the decision process may be more forced than in normal, people do choose what they want to do and what will they do with their life/free time and what is morally acceptable for them
11:02 The whole sentence is based on bad premise, that average people want to look up to him. And it is even worse looking at this point, because he inherited money and is not the lottery winner. That only means that if his behavior is not staged, than it means he lacks values needed for politics. We do not want average money winner that look like us, we want a capable politician that will certainly not look and mimic our worst behaviours and our dreams of relaxed living, which are dreams for good reason.
11:18 it can mean or sound I am anti common people and middle class and want to support rich powerholders, and that would be another false premise. If people somehow think holding to power structures or some values are nonsense, they should examine or rethink examples of nice common, moneyspending warlords in Africa and wars they vaged or how dictators who promoted lavish lifestyle for them and illusions of future for forced voters ruined people across the globe, from Russia, Germany, to Southern America. Maybe they think they need, but certainly do not want to feel for themselves, how bullets are reward for toughts or or how stating that someone is ugly or evil can be brutally punished. Maybe they feel or suppose it is somehow a characteristics of true power, but they certainly are wrong. Life proved them wrong.
19:05 about this, prejudices did stem from fact that unfortunately, crime rates and cases of misconduct certainly just contributed to stereotypes, especially attitudes of individuals/groups toward west in general, people and especially politics. Eventhough it is not truth, some people did help in strengthening the stereotype.
22:25 Boris... Does he have Russian family connections, slavic of some sort? Is he German? Or is it the artistic name, so to say? Is it a praxis for public politians to take a name for PR purposes? I suppose he is from trading family, he seems as such from his mannerisms, maybe the name suggests some 19th century origin in trading occupation? Are politicians allowed to have personal deals/continue with personal business when they start career in politics? Whatever the reason, this Slavic connection only means he cannot be adequate for domestic politics or objective enough to value interest of Brittons for such and so obvious reasons of centuries of conflicts, with latest ended Cold War and new provocation in Ukraine. I am sorry if I forgot to mention recent and smaller ones in between, there were surely some.
Everyman's Library books are great. I've just discovered them so only have a handful, but yes, they all have the literary & historical context chronologies.
I SO love Vanity Fair! The novel had the honor of being my very first e-book ever. Once I discovered that the author was an extremely slow marathoner, I began calling him William PaceMeak Thackeray.
Is there a qritique of Victorian time period? If not, is there another term for the period in terms of stylistic characteristics? Was there a reaction to realism movements in Europe in the time period? Or any kind of dialectics between Brittish literature movements and others?
I do think there should be a form of petition or initative in October to read books written in other time period, related to spring, some form of upheavals, whether in politics or in culture, about new beginnings, something that would contrast usual autumn depression or somewhat stale/boring mood. Classics/some works should not be regarded as seasonal reads, of course, but some movement idea for autumn seems excellent.v
Vanity Fair is a location in John Bunyan's book Pilgrim's Progress. I would be interested to see your response to that book in the future. Also I have pointed this out in various places online, but I enjoy it as a fact: Becky Sharpe and Ameilia Sedley are of the same generation as Jane Austen heroines like Emma Wodehouse and the Bennet sisters.
'the words are spurting from my pen like... I don't know, complete the simile in your own way folks' , love how you are unintentionally funny and study in irony
I adore the beginning of the Dickens! I wonder if I were to hear it anew and had not learned it as a child whether I would find it as compelling? Perhaps not…
Since you expressed a willingness to buddy read one work of a 20th century American female, I dug out my copy of the 'Age of Innocence'. Would that be a decent candidate?
@@JoeSpivey02 Excellent! December it is. You and I both seem to dislike dragging books out too much. Would two weeks be reasonable for you? Maybe starting after the first week of December?
I would really like to hear one of your stories or essay on a topic of your choice, I cannot talk all the time. Some form of comments on a topic of your choice would be awesome as well, if you think it is suitable for your channel or better, if you are interested in making something new and off topic. Great video, certainly it was not what I have expected, but I have enjoyed. I do hope you are having wonderful time and that you managed to find time for yourself and activities you enjoy doing, besides reading.
Ammount of questions what do peoole like or do not like to eat, wear, dress, and how would they react to certain situations and which type of product would they prefer is beyond normal and I do think it is beyond limits of taste of market research. It is irrelevant, but it bothers me a lot lately. If you have a comment on that, it would be great.
I am sorry about your tin ear when it comes to the symphonic opening of A Tale of Two Cities. :). Very enjoyable video. I really must try Carlyle. I don’t think I have ever read him except as quotes in other people’s works.
I’ve fallen for Henry James’ works about as hard as you have this past year, starting with Turn of the Screw, Washington Square, Daisy Miller, The Europeans, and now finally Portrait. I agree with you that of these books, Washington Square is probably the most deficient in world-building; that element is marvelous in all of the others, especially Portrait with its fascinating evocations of Rome and Florence. I hope to read everything he ever wrote.
