They are indeed, but what that has to do with my post is a mystery for the ages.
On a side note, that hilarious Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch, "Confuse-A-Cat, Ltd.", had one of the subsidiaries listed as "Amaze-A-Vole". Just in case you'd like to know.
Ah, I see. No, I'm afraid that the Banana Slugs don't actually have a football team (though they're quite likely to take us to school in fencing!).
The VOLS (no 'e'), on the other hand (short for 'Volunteers') absolutely mangled the Texas A&M Aggies. (Aggie, I'm told, is short for 'agricultural-military', the "A&M" part of the school name).
I can see how you'd be confused, though--orange-clad football players vs. squinty little burrowing rodents. It's a commonly made error, I suppose.
I'll definitely share my thoughts once I get around to it. (Hopefully that shouldn't take *too* long...)
As for you, if you haven't already, I'd strongly recommend J.I. Packer's Knowing God. One of the most challenging, edifying, and stimulating books I've ever read. I recommend it to all Christians.
Faerie Queene is no small commitment. I recall getting no farther than book 3, though that was quite good. Karmazov, I think, is perhaps one of the greatest novels of all times. If you get past a chapter called "The Onion" and don't like it, you may like like the entire book as a whole. And let me know how Joyce is!
Few of the books on that list can count as 'small undertakings'...but particularly so with Spenser. The primary reason he's on there is because I'd always wanted to take the course on Spenser in college (a whole TERM of The Faerie Queene!!!) but was never able to work it out.
And since C. S. Lewis raved about it in The Discarded Image, I kinda figure I owe it to myself.
Similarly, I was supposed to finish Karamazov in a religious studies course I took, but was never able to do so, to my exceeding great chagrin. What I was able to read, however, I liked quite a bit. It's more of a 'finding the time' issue than a 'keeping myself interested' one.
I'm still reading that Chesterton bio and now I really want to read The Man Who Was Thursday next. If you get to it first let me know how it is! And if it's really complicated. As for Atlas Shrugged. If you've not read anything by Ayn Rand before then stay away. None of her stuff is of value. The woman wrote a book called The Virtue of Selfishness! Also she said she called herself Ayn because it rhymed with the word "mine". Ooh,lovely. And,yes,I've got beef with a dead woman! ;>
Re: Ooh...tigerbotedgeJanuary 6 2005, 06:58:59 UTC
Looking forward to Thursday quite a bit (and not least because it comes so highly recommended by so astute a colleague as erunion), I'll be happy to give you the skinny once I finish it.
I've actually dabbled in Ayn Rand a bit (Anthem, chunks of The Fountainhead). I liked the former pretty well, actually, though the latter didn't strike too many chords for me. That one's on there primarily for an "And now for something completely different..." perspective.
Perhaps, though, you could clarify something for me about The Virtue of Selfishness. Not having delved too deeply into Rand's politics, I'm somewhat forced to rely on secondhand information for that sort of thing, and I was always told that Selfishness was actually more of a repudiation of Communist fundamentals in favor of individualism, that it was more a reaction on her part to certain Marxist tenets that denied individual personal dignity in favor of the aggregate good (much like the overall theme in Anthem), rather than simply extolling Narcissism and self-absorption. Is this an
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I think you got it but don't quote me. Actually, pertaining to what you just said if you MUST read a book of hers read "We The Living'. I read it in '97 so it's been awhile but I,actually, liked it. It had to do with the power of being an individual and it's importance. How an individual can't live in a manufacturing line society. I think I almost cried while reading it! Her philosophy/"religion" /whatever you want to call it was Objectivism. I studied up on her/it for awhile. My bestfriend at the time went overboard and quit being a Jehovah's Witness and started going to Rand's philosophy. She was always sticking her books in my face and talking about her all the time. I tried to understand Objectivism and whatever good it cultivated but again all I saw was an outlet for selfish people to say their behaviour was ok and normal. I think Ms. Rand was a power hungry and attention starved *expletive*. But that's just me. Also,Tiger, I'm not as booksmart as I used to be so this is all stretching me a bit so don't quote me. :>
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On a side note, that hilarious Monty Python's Flying Circus sketch, "Confuse-A-Cat, Ltd.", had one of the subsidiaries listed as "Amaze-A-Vole". Just in case you'd like to know.
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The VOLS (no 'e'), on the other hand (short for 'Volunteers') absolutely mangled the Texas A&M Aggies. (Aggie, I'm told, is short for 'agricultural-military', the "A&M" part of the school name).
I can see how you'd be confused, though--orange-clad football players vs. squinty little burrowing rodents. It's a commonly made error, I suppose.
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I've always been curious about "The Imitation of Christ." After you read it, will you post your general thoughts about it (if you get the chance)? :)
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As for you, if you haven't already, I'd strongly recommend J.I. Packer's Knowing God. One of the most challenging, edifying, and stimulating books I've ever read. I recommend it to all Christians.
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And since C. S. Lewis raved about it in The Discarded Image, I kinda figure I owe it to myself.
Similarly, I was supposed to finish Karamazov in a religious studies course I took, but was never able to do so, to my exceeding great chagrin. What I was able to read, however, I liked quite a bit. It's more of a 'finding the time' issue than a 'keeping myself interested' one.
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As for Atlas Shrugged. If you've not read anything by Ayn Rand before then stay away. None of her stuff is of value. The woman wrote a book called The Virtue of Selfishness! Also she said she called herself Ayn because it rhymed with the word "mine". Ooh,lovely. And,yes,I've got beef with a dead woman! ;>
Reply
I've actually dabbled in Ayn Rand a bit (Anthem, chunks of The Fountainhead). I liked the former pretty well, actually, though the latter didn't strike too many chords for me. That one's on there primarily for an "And now for something completely different..." perspective.
Perhaps, though, you could clarify something for me about The Virtue of Selfishness. Not having delved too deeply into Rand's politics, I'm somewhat forced to rely on secondhand information for that sort of thing, and I was always told that Selfishness was actually more of a repudiation of Communist fundamentals in favor of individualism, that it was more a reaction on her part to certain Marxist tenets that denied individual personal dignity in favor of the aggregate good (much like the overall theme in Anthem), rather than simply extolling Narcissism and self-absorption. Is this an ( ... )
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