Antic Hay – Aldous Huxley
I have to say I enjoyed this novel, as I have almost all of Huxley’s other writings, for the light it shines on a particular segment of society in an interesting if confused time. Huxley employ’s his characteristic wit and satirical prose in telling the tale of a mixed group of Londoners in the 1920’s, all seeking to make sense of a life, and perhaps more importantly to derive pleasure from it, that has lost it’s focus somewhere along the way. The protagonists range from pedants, academics, failed artists, journalists, scientists, and the idle rich and the just plain idle. Their interactions with one another form the loose framework of the story, although it seems really to be about each person’s individual pursuit of their own particular pleasure. I say it seems to be about this because it is hard to put your finger on a single theme.
Some will have trouble with this novel as it lacks a serious plot device or any culmination of the story in a climax. It certainly does not fall into the same category as some of Huxley’s more famous fictional works such as Brave New World or Island. Those who care to give it a chance though may be delighted by what they do find, namely a snapshot into the life and society of the pseudo-aristocratic circle in the inter war period in Britain. The time was one of change in society; a break from the past was clearly in the midst of happening, but no one was sure where is was leading, if anywhere. In this sense the novel and the characters really capture the essence of the time with their apparent frivolity and absence of direction. It is still a very readable novel, although at some points it is clear that the amount time that has passed since its publication in the 1920’s has left become too large a gap to overcome. Although Huxley is a greater writer and many of his works have stood the test of time, Antic Hay is not one of them.
Still the novel is packed full of humorous moments, for example Theodore’s giddy glee at the prospect of joining the ranks of the capitalist with his bound-to-be-fantastic new invention: pneumatic trousers, and does good job capturing the spirit of the age, however confused that spirit may be. Huxley’s command of the English language, as well as French and Latin, and his overall intelligence offer rewards to the reader outside the story itself. For those who appreciate a master performing his craft, Antic Hay will be a delight.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Aldous Huxley – The Devils of Loudun – p.315
Aldous Huxley – The Devils of Loudun – p.315
It is the early 17th century in Loudun, France. The local parish priest, Urbain Grandier, has become embattled in various local rivalries with civic magnates and ecclesiastical officials. He makes powerful enemies among them but they are helpless to action against for the moment. Both sides are determined to see victory and religious sanctity takes a back seat to revenge and personal gain. Against this backdrop an altogether remarkable occurrence takes place; the inhabitants of the local covenant experience an extraordinary case of mass possession by demons. The head of the covenant, Sœur Jeanne des Anges, experiences the worst of the possessions and under an exorcism conducted by Jean-Joseph Surin she, or the demon within her, places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Urbain Grandier. The moment his enemies have waited for has arrived.
For those who are fans of Huxley’s fictional and non-fictional works this book is not one to be missed. Although it falls into the category of non-fiction as it tells the story of a historical event in 17th century France, Huxley uses his creative powers and imagination to make the tale come alive. Granted historians may have an issue with taking such liberties in writing about a historical event, but Huxley’s goal is not ‘pure’ history, a pretty questionable term in itself, but rather to tell the story of a remarkable event with all the drama and suspense that it deserves.
His account of the mass possession in Loudun is backed up by an admirable amount of research. It is clear that Huxley’s knowledge of both the time and place extend far beyond the details of the story and serve to enlighten his account. His understanding of human psychology as plays a prominent role in this book. It goes beyond a simple recounting of historical events, which as interesting as they are does not in itself make the book a unique one. It is Huxley’s continual fascination with the human mind that really makes this book special. After setting out the basic historical framework for the story, he attempts to reconstruct the psychological factors that played a large role there. After examining the individual characters from the Loudun saga, Huxley takes the time to reflect and draw conclusions about humanity in general and what drives people to believe themselves possessed and the further implications this has.
Whether one agrees with the validity of conducting a sort of psychological analysis of historical figures hundreds of years removed from us and then in turn using those conclusions to draw wider ones about humanity or a time period in general, this book is an immensely interesting read.
It is the early 17th century in Loudun, France. The local parish priest, Urbain Grandier, has become embattled in various local rivalries with civic magnates and ecclesiastical officials. He makes powerful enemies among them but they are helpless to action against for the moment. Both sides are determined to see victory and religious sanctity takes a back seat to revenge and personal gain. Against this backdrop an altogether remarkable occurrence takes place; the inhabitants of the local covenant experience an extraordinary case of mass possession by demons. The head of the covenant, Sœur Jeanne des Anges, experiences the worst of the possessions and under an exorcism conducted by Jean-Joseph Surin she, or the demon within her, places the blame squarely on the shoulders of Urbain Grandier. The moment his enemies have waited for has arrived.
For those who are fans of Huxley’s fictional and non-fictional works this book is not one to be missed. Although it falls into the category of non-fiction as it tells the story of a historical event in 17th century France, Huxley uses his creative powers and imagination to make the tale come alive. Granted historians may have an issue with taking such liberties in writing about a historical event, but Huxley’s goal is not ‘pure’ history, a pretty questionable term in itself, but rather to tell the story of a remarkable event with all the drama and suspense that it deserves.
His account of the mass possession in Loudun is backed up by an admirable amount of research. It is clear that Huxley’s knowledge of both the time and place extend far beyond the details of the story and serve to enlighten his account. His understanding of human psychology as plays a prominent role in this book. It goes beyond a simple recounting of historical events, which as interesting as they are does not in itself make the book a unique one. It is Huxley’s continual fascination with the human mind that really makes this book special. After setting out the basic historical framework for the story, he attempts to reconstruct the psychological factors that played a large role there. After examining the individual characters from the Loudun saga, Huxley takes the time to reflect and draw conclusions about humanity in general and what drives people to believe themselves possessed and the further implications this has.
Whether one agrees with the validity of conducting a sort of psychological analysis of historical figures hundreds of years removed from us and then in turn using those conclusions to draw wider ones about humanity or a time period in general, this book is an immensely interesting read.
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
An American Dream – Norman Mailer
An American Dream – Norman Mailer p.238
Mailer’s ‘classic’ story of a supposedly all-American life gone astray is at times very good, but all too often it doesn’t reach the heights that it is aiming for. The concept of the American Dream is something that has loomed large in popular culture both in the US and in the exported version of that culture abroad. Many authors and artists have attempted to explore and seek out the essence of this rather ambiguous concept (Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind). More often than not they have not really known where to look and have come to the conclusion that the American Dream is dead or at least decaying. This view is central to Mailer’s own investigation into the Dream. In this book he attempts to convey a broader picture of society through the fall from grace and respectability of a middle-aged successful former Congressman.
Certainly the downfall of one man’s life from seeming respectability and contentment into upheaval, the underworld and the margins of his former society can be seen as a metaphor for an American generation in general or even the entire society. The fixation on suicide throughout the book seems almost a forced symbolic element when taken as part of the surface or primary story; it definitely makes more sense when applied to the death of the American dream as a whole. That Mailer sees US society standing on the ledge of building and alternating between the impulse to jump and self-preservation I think is a rather accurate assessment of the times he was writing about. The problem is that the effort to tie this into the story of the individual is too obvious or unnatural for lack of a better term.
Mailer set his goal high in writing this book, but for this kind of work the parallel meanings have to both be obvious, be able to stand independent of each other, and most importantly, naturally intertwine with each other. The failure to do so results in something that might have been great and yet clearly is not. All that being said, I did enjoy the book for the most part and would recommend it as a decent story and summation of a challenging time in the history of US society. One certainly cannot fault Mailer for the attempt.
Mailer’s ‘classic’ story of a supposedly all-American life gone astray is at times very good, but all too often it doesn’t reach the heights that it is aiming for. The concept of the American Dream is something that has loomed large in popular culture both in the US and in the exported version of that culture abroad. Many authors and artists have attempted to explore and seek out the essence of this rather ambiguous concept (Hunter S. Thompson comes to mind). More often than not they have not really known where to look and have come to the conclusion that the American Dream is dead or at least decaying. This view is central to Mailer’s own investigation into the Dream. In this book he attempts to convey a broader picture of society through the fall from grace and respectability of a middle-aged successful former Congressman.
Certainly the downfall of one man’s life from seeming respectability and contentment into upheaval, the underworld and the margins of his former society can be seen as a metaphor for an American generation in general or even the entire society. The fixation on suicide throughout the book seems almost a forced symbolic element when taken as part of the surface or primary story; it definitely makes more sense when applied to the death of the American dream as a whole. That Mailer sees US society standing on the ledge of building and alternating between the impulse to jump and self-preservation I think is a rather accurate assessment of the times he was writing about. The problem is that the effort to tie this into the story of the individual is too obvious or unnatural for lack of a better term.
Mailer set his goal high in writing this book, but for this kind of work the parallel meanings have to both be obvious, be able to stand independent of each other, and most importantly, naturally intertwine with each other. The failure to do so results in something that might have been great and yet clearly is not. All that being said, I did enjoy the book for the most part and would recommend it as a decent story and summation of a challenging time in the history of US society. One certainly cannot fault Mailer for the attempt.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
