I wish I had the time to give this a proper review, but I will at least try to give a few words of praise concerning this book :)
Like 1987's "BabetteI wish I had the time to give this a proper review, but I will at least try to give a few words of praise concerning this book :)
Like 1987's "Babette's Feast" film, this play features some philosophical, epistemological, and religious talk around a dinner table-- however: where that film culminated in social harmony, any social harmony to be achieved seems to be fine-tuned to be accomplished within the perameters of the collective psyche of this play's audience.
Like 2011's "The Sunset Limited" (a movie adaptation of a screenplay from the same dude who wrote "No Country for Old Men", i.e. Mr. Cormac McCarthy), this play delves deeply into whether life is worth living (which always further reminds me of Job & Ecclesiastes), whether individual and collective harmony can be achieved (my biases are toward ye olde doctrines of Universal Music [an ontological teaching] and Universal Reconciliation [a teleological teaching]), and so forth.
And, like Greek tragedies of old (e.g. plays from Sophocles & Aeschylus), I am persuaded that this play is similar in how it is dialogue-heavy and demands us to interrogate ourselves as to what we think concerning issues like Determinism, Compatibilism, and Free Will.
(I would have preferred if there were less or no profane language, though. I don't have time to unpack all my thoughts here, so I shall limit myself to a few remarks. I think there is a place for provocative language-- but only in very particular situations where it would be helpful to communicate a weighty point. Most of the time, I feel like many neighbors in life intend to use such terms as harmless or fun filler words. In such cases, I do not seek to negatively judge those neighbors-- but it remains the case that such terms are often not being used with reference to etymologies or dictionary definitions. In some rarer cases, though, I feel like most expletive terms tend to be invoked in pointedly uncharitable ways-- and I would hope that we would always strive to season our language in loving ways, even when life gets tough or even when we get most distressed.)
[And, I would have preferred it if one of the characters did not eventually beat up one of the other characters-- but I would similarly prefer it if 'The Fall' had never happened either. And yet, both have happened; and we ought to do the best we can in our situations :) ]
In sum, I think this is a wonderfully thought-provoking play! ...more
I started this during 10.5.22 & finally was able to finish it today (10.22.22)-- what a great book!
I did chuckle more while reading this than I did wI started this during 10.5.22 & finally was able to finish it today (10.22.22)-- what a great book!
I did chuckle more while reading this than I did while reading Northanger Abbey or Sense & Sensibility-- so I think that this text is more humorous than the other two :)
But, in each book of hers that I've been able to read thus far for LTWR 336E, I must declare that Ms. Jane Austen is fantastic at getting us to think about epistemology-- how do we know anything, exactly? Are we not always benefitted from re-viewing assumptions which we might want to take for granted? And are we not always benefitted from re-contextualizing our 'maps of meaning' over time?
I could write much more in praise of this book, but I must away to do more school!
Lol, I love that so much I could rant about that more! I'd deeply recommend checking out Cymatics & reading 2 books I'm going through: Boethius' "Fundamentals of Music" ( https://classicalliberalarts.com/wp-c... ) & J.E. Berendt's "The World Is Sound: Nada Brahma: Music and the Landscape of Consciousness".
If I had more time, I'd love to go into a more detailed and extensive review-- but, for the sake of practicing concision, I'll just say: I loved this If I had more time, I'd love to go into a more detailed and extensive review-- but, for the sake of practicing concision, I'll just say: I loved this book!
Ms. Austen provides many thrilling twists and turns as (e.g.) Elinor & Marianne Dashwood refine their epistemological inventories concerning how they go about esteeming their neighbors in life :)
I dig that/how Ms. Austen gets me/us to philosophize :)
{Between the 12th & the 21st, I could only squeeze in reading 10/50 chapters; but on the 22nd, I managed to read Chs. 11 - 40; then, today (the 23rd), I managed to get from Ch. 41 to Ch. 50. So, most of my reading was done these past 2 days. Also, I read via a Google Play eBook edition with the additional aid of Google Chrome's 'Read Aloud' extension!}...more
As always, I would love to create a more detailed review later :)
As a work of Realist Epiphany Fiction, I loved how she depicted inter-plays/inter-coAs always, I would love to create a more detailed review later :)
As a work of Realist Epiphany Fiction, I loved how she depicted inter-plays/inter-connections--e.g. between times (how do the past & present inter-twine?) and psychological states (how many conflicting voices reside within a person?).
I finished the book during 9.6.22, but--as I'm reflecting upon her work now (9.28.22)--I'd like to mention these words: intimacy and incarnation.
I think she, like many writers and artists and artisans--yearns to bring 'abstract' and 'intimidating' questions to consciousness through 'concrete' and 'intimate' situations.
In the sense I'm trying to convey: she deeply cares about embodiment, enfleshment, & incarnation.
If you perceive & grant that sense, then I'd invite you to consider this: I am directed toward (what, in Christ-ian jargon, has been called) the Incarnation!
I am directed toward Transcendence become Immanence...
I am directed toward the Christ who manifested as Jesus of Nazareth...
And, via Jesus Christ, I am directed toward the perichoresis/circumincession of the Trinity/Triad that is the Godhead...
And suddenly I'm back here--but, I dare hope, better & deeper than before--"for God [the Father] so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Christ Jesus] that [...] all may have eternal life" (a John 3:16 reference, but read all of John & all of the Bible...), and I mean to be a follower of the Logic/Way, and the Logic/Way bids me to follow Him in loving the world within which I get to live :)
(It's been quite a while since I've been active on Goodreads & I may start updating a lot of my info...and, if I have time later, I may flesh out this(It's been quite a while since I've been active on Goodreads & I may start updating a lot of my info...and, if I have time later, I may flesh out this review more!)
Anyway, hi-- thank you for being you & thank you for visiting! This is my final semester before I can earn my Literature & Writing Studies (LTWR) BA degree, & I've gotten to read this as part of 1/3 final classes that I'm in.
To be short & sweet (where my temptation is to be verbose), I have quite enjoyed this book! ...more
I'm aiming to make a YouTube video Review of this at some point in the near future, but I have to at least quickly say 3 things:
(1) I downloaded & reI'm aiming to make a YouTube video Review of this at some point in the near future, but I have to at least quickly say 3 things:
(1) I downloaded & read a free copy from https://historicalapologetics.org/ (so, not the Kindle Edition that's advertised above!); (2) I wouldn't have known about this book except for (long story!) getting hooked on watching lectures from Dr. Tim McGrew [ https://timothymcgrew.com/ ]; & (3) I loved this book!
As I'd expressed some thoughts/feelings of mine within a January 29th of 2021 note to myself:
"Lately, I’ve been meditating on what I perceive to be some connections between the Western Christian ideas of 'sanctification-glorification', the Eastern Christian ideas of '[apo]theosis/deification/divinization/illumination', & what seem to be certain emerging popular science conversations about trans-humanism (at the very least) & post-humanism (at the most) + thinking about how my neighbors in life would consider the pros & cons of trans-humanism & post-humanism as potential goals."
In other words-- what if 'God' 'is' (the apophatic dimension of me feels compelled to phrase things like this), & what if 'God' 'seeks' to accomplish glorification / theosis via trans-to-post-humanism?
[In some ways, this train of questioning is similar to those who would ask: what if God created the cosmos via The Big Bang & is creating the cosmos via evolution?]
From what I can tell: neither I nor most trans-humanist or post-humanist sources from which I've been reading would say we ought to be reckless, hasty, & vain as we move toward the future...Rather, we need to strive to work together to improve our relationships toward the cosmos & toward each other-- to labor unto wisdom, patience, & humility!
As we brainstorm various futures, may we aim to do so in ever deepening love for all our dear neighbors in life (i.e. to care for each other & for plants & non-human animals & stars & so forth; to become evermore anti-racist, anti-sexist, anti-ableist, pro-LGBTQIA+, & so so on)!
Adding this as of 3.24.21 @ 7:13 PM-- at some point I'll need to write a proper review, but in summary? This is excellent & very re-readable!Adding this as of 3.24.21 @ 7:13 PM-- at some point I'll need to write a proper review, but in summary? This is excellent & very re-readable!...more
I read this in 2018-ish & am just adding this as of 3.24.21 @ 6:14 PM-- I've been so very behind in updating my Goodreads, lol! I thought/felt, howeveI read this in 2018-ish & am just adding this as of 3.24.21 @ 6:14 PM-- I've been so very behind in updating my Goodreads, lol! I thought/felt, however, that one of my many projects I could do during this Spring Break from CSU-SM college work would be to update some information here...
Now, here's my dilemma: I'm tempted to spend months & years writing tomes in praise of this book (& so many others!), but (then again) the maladaptive perfectionist editor within me would quite likely drag on the process for the rest of my life! (In fact, I imagine I'll probably cave in & shall re-visit & re-edit reviews like this in the future...) In an effort to try to be content with being imperfectly concise, though, I suppose I'll share the following (e.g.) reflections:
1. This book is one that I frequently re-visit & keep coming away re-freshed! 2. So many underline-able phrases & thoughts! 3. E.g. Page 24's "Belief clings, but faith lets go." is an elegantly phrased distinction which I keep epistemologically & philosophically re-viewing...
- On one hand, the Church History & Historical Theology nerd part of me goes "Yay! Kenosis!"; - on another hand, another voice within me goes "It's beautifully worded, but is it a distinction without a difference?"; - on yet another hand, an additional aspect within me goes "It seems that…we can’t very well go through life without being born into some complex system(s) of ‘traditional’ world-views— while virtually all of our un-conscious & conscious biases, presumptions, assumptions, definitions, postulates, common & un-common notions, & propositions can tend to be quite in-accurate & un-productive & so forth, some of these may be (at least, ostensibly) trending/tending towards accuracy & productiveness!"; - on a further hand, another part of me goes like "It seems that…although we seem to be born ‘in media res’ with regard to epistemological progresses & regresses, & although it is exceedingly tricky to de-construct & re-construct our epistemologies, it seems this work of simultaneously re-constructing & de-constructing our epistemologies can be done!"; - on yet another hand, another dimension of me is like "How am I doing in terms of belief & faith & epistemology? Am I clinging too much? Am I letting go enough? Am I / are we improving at all?"
4. The concluding chapter...Oh my goodness gracious...100% fantasmagorical, imho! This concluding chapter very much appeals to the mystic within me-- grappling with the tense & dramatic & frustrating & joyous tight-rope walk + balancing act between apophatic & cataphatic ways of striving to approach & surrender in attempting to do 'God-talk'; to strive to dialogue about that Mystery/Numinous/Absolute/Deep-Ultimate-Reality for which we long & which seems (at the vey least) rather ineffable. 5. Mr. Alan Watts had such a relaxing voice & seems like he was an excellent guy!
Thank you so much for being you & thank you so much for reading!
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