Dan > Recent Status Updates

Totally sexist, racist and incredibly violent. Also very enjoyable however. Ah Hemingway pretty sure I would rather read you than have been your friend.

A quick and engaging read. Hard to read all the blatant racist or at least crudely racial stuff.

The only Hemingway novel I haven't read. Maybe not his "best" but I bet it'll be enjoyable.

I now know that I will be reading more Carl Sagan. He's the kind of author/mind whose intelligence soothes.

Yes this is a great book! Yes it validates all my cynicism about humanity!

that last chapter was a little repetitive but enjoyable Best summed up by the lyric "a man sees what he wants to see and disregards the rest" but an "unscientific man" to be sure.

"But democracy can be subverted more thoroughly through he products of science than any preindustrial demagogue ever dreamed" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA yup

Chapter 1 key takeaway: The process of science is more important than the findings.

A hint of racism perhaps in Dreiser declaring how "a murdering Chinaman" reflects on what a horrible place the death house is?

An attorney named Catchuman? Facepalm city Dreiser! Still really like the book,

The lure of status and comfort and the "freedoms" they bring. Poor Clyde. Led astray by Sondra's selfish vengeful intentions. Oh how I can relate this to my own life!

Dreiser should give good reason why Roberta doesn't just GET ANOTHER JOB! Otherwise we have unrealistic tension in the story as the only conflict is that Clyde shouldn't date any of the women that work for him. oh well

Dreiser is so good at describing peoples inner worlds and their feelings and motivations. He so aptly describes the insecurity of lower social class. He reminds me of my own resentment of the arrogance of the successful.

The longing for status and the woes it can bring! The importance of status in America is unique. The claim that it can be attained by anyone in America is supposed to be unique. It is so untrue.

There are lot of similarities to Sister Carrie in this book.. Ahhh the enticement of material comfort, the illusory promises of status, the beguiling manipulative ways of the fairer sex and the perils that the pursuit of such desires can lead one to! These are the themes.

I like Dreiser's writing. Sometimes his run on descriptions are a little much and his Jersey accent seems a bit off but I love it so far.

Hegglund from Jersey City sure talks a lot like Jim from Huckleberry Finn! Not so sure that Dreiser has the best written interpretation of the jersey accent.

Hooboy here we go. A true literary dagwood! The longest effort undertaken in a while. As I loved "Sister Carrie" I'm assumning In will love this. The first eight pages were good :)

After reading a bunch of Twain this is fun and fast reading...thus far

I wonder what MT would think about our flawed democracy and the fact that it elected someone worse than a feudal lord. I also wonder how he would feel about the true outcomes of free market capitalism and its unforeseen consequences (climate change, oligarchy)). He'd definitely be a Bernie Sanders supporter methinks.

MT pointing out that intellectual work for those capable is usually if always a pleasure and richly compensated. Manual work is toil. Tradespeople who say they love it after 30 years are rare, and they get paid squat.

"Education can do so much!" So true MT.

MT refers to the quest for the holy grail as "gone grailing" . Hilarious.