21st Century Literature discussion

This is the thread to discuss part three of the novel Arcadia by Lauren Groff.

1. Isles of the Blest is a less known name for the Fortunate Isles/Islands of the Blessed. In Greek mythology, these are the islands where heroes and other prominent mortals were received by deities into a blissful paradise. How adequate is the name for this part of the novel? Is is ironic or is the big world Arcadians founds themselves in indeed a blissful paradise for some of them?

2. Do you find the fact that Bit's parents had split logical? How about their reconciliation?

3. What is the role of Helle in Bit's life? Is she a blessing or a curse or both?

4. Was her disappearance intentional or unintentional?

5. Bit was obviously befuddled by Sharon's choice of the most influential and favorite book Atlas Shrugged. Do you think literature can be a way of expressing our political and philosophical convictions? If yes, can we cross the line and betray our political convictions, e.g. liberals loving Atlas Shrugged or American Tabloid and conservatives loving novels like The Grapes of Wrath and Empire Falls?

Is literature a bridge between different political movements and ideas?

With regard to question #5, I think many people are happy to express (and even define) themselves by their cultural choices (books, music, movies, etc). Certainly, we take a fair degree of pride in what we choose to read and what we rate highly or feel an affinity for (at least everyone on goodreads who takes the time to build digital shelves and categorize their books). I thought it was pretty funny that Bit called things off right away like that (I haven't read Rand myself but I know the gist of her book).

We seem to seek out similar viewpoints and tastes--is that fair to say? How many of your friends on this site like authors/books you hate? I think we're more wired to seek affirmation than new viewpoints or experiences that prove us wrong. But it's still possible to betray our convictions as humans are full of contradictions. I still like Easy-E's music despite the fact that it probably goes against everything I believe in (respect for women, equality, nonviolence, etc.).

Bit seems like a bit of a cultural snob, no? It's hard not to make even minor judgments based on the tastes of others. If I met a stranger and they told me their favorite book wasFifty Shades of Grey I'd probably make very different assumptions (at bare minimum) about their reading habits than if they said War and Peace was their favorite (and I haven't actually read either of those books myself).

Marc wrote: "Certainly, we take a fair degree of pride in what we choose to read and what we rate highly or feel an affinity for (at least everyone on goodreads who takes the time to build digital shelves and categorize their books). I thought it was pretty funny that Bit called things off right away like that (I haven't read Rand myself but I know the gist of her book). "

We often wear our political preferences on our sleeve; the same is true about our literary preferences.
At the same time, literature often underlines our human commonality as good literature appeals to our human essence. I still entertain hope that compassion, love/hatred, kindness, light/darkness are the features we all share. Thus, the potential for understanding each other is still there ... somewhere. Literature and fiction in general are good bridge builders. IMHO :-)

I'm always surprised when someone says they like Ayn Rand/and or Atlas Shrugged. Not because of the political and social implications but because the writing is so horrible. (IMHO of course)

Zulfiya wrote: "Literature and fiction in general are good bridge builders. IMHO :-)"

I think I read somewhere that readers, in general, have a greater ability for empathy, which I think is key to building bridges.

Sandra, I've heard enough about Rand to think her work is not really worth my time.