book reviews
Reviews of books by relationship gurus, dating experts, and cautionary tale-tellers.
Hills like White Elephants
As a man shaped by war and sportsmanlike adventures such as game hunting (London School of Journalism, 2003), one could be surprised to read a poignant piece on abortion, sensitively written by Ernest Hemingway, lacking overt personal agender, pushed toward the audience. Hemingway did just that in Nineteen twenty-seven, writing a thinly veiled discourse on abortion, forcing the reader to acknowledge (even if only in private) their own beliefs upon reading the dialogue between an unnamed American and his lover. Hemingway’s lack of verbosity (Stone, Pg 395) is uniquely paired with his almost total reliance on dialogue to deliver this simple yet powerful story. Had Hemingway used a different set, or even placement of words the readers' interaction with the story would have been wholly different. Dialogue alone cannot tell the story, however. Three highly symbolic scenes are given at key intervals to set the stage and move the act along. These elements are supported by Hemingway allowing the reader a direct point of view and encouraging deliberate engagement. It is imperative though that the reader consider “Hills like white elephants” through the lens of Hemingway’s own ‘iceberg theory’; “the dignity in the movement of an iceberg lies in only one-eighth of it being above water” (London School of Journalism, 2003)
By Waters Dragonfriend3 years ago in Humans
Human behaviour psycology
Human behaviour psycology: (HBP) is a discipline of psychology that examines human behavior. HBP is defined as "the study of how people function psychologically". The field is rooted primarily in developmental psychology and cognitive psychology, although recent developments have brought research in evolutionary biology and genetics and neurobiology to bear on HBP. Its primary focus is on how individuals and groups behave, interact, and develop.
By Muhammad Abrar3 years ago in Humans
Eudaimonia
Happiness is the soul doing everything it can imagine, respectfully. Have you aligned yourself to your deepest truth of what morals affect your character? I learned to understand that as a human, I cannot possibly operate out of good characters if I am unaware of what character is or when I am hiding my bad ones. Ethics taught me the value in finding the balance not only within myself, but with others through the space that life is aimless and not confined to one meaning. The information about “The Good Life” created space for me to feel more confident in my vision of building an effective life of longevity and luxury. And that is why, I sincerely believe The Good Life is about self-gratification with minor consideration to humanity.
By Drako the Righter3 years ago in Humans
Advice from Ancient Rome
Marcus Aurelius kept a private diary. For roughly 700 years after his reign, no one in history mentions its existence until 906 AD when a book-collecting bishop finds a copy and begins a letter-writing campaign: "I have an old copy of the Emperor Marcus' most profitable book, so old indeed that it is altogether falling to pieces.… This I have had copied and am able to hand down to posterity in its new dress."
By Anastasia Basil3 years ago in Humans
The Hollywood Grandma
Adeline De Walt turned out to be a role model for all people over the age of 60, and an inspiration to all of us of any age. Born in Benton County, Iowa in September of 1862, during the Civil War, she would go on to be one of the most admired women of her time. She enrolled in college for the first time in her sixties and starred in her first feature film at age 79. She was cast in such favorites as The Ten Commandments, The Human Comedy, The DuPont Story, Son of Dracula, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, and A Witness to Murder; just to name a few.
By Paula C. Henderson3 years ago in Humans
Tra Livorno e Genova, il poeta delle due città Omaggio a Giorgio Caproni a cura di Patrizia Garofalo e Cinzia Demi
There are literary essays that enlighten, enrich, make people say: “Here, this is exactly what I thought and felt”. There are others dripping academia, for example those read on university days, when you had to waste an hour, not to study the poet or novelist in question, but just to understand what the critic meant with his nebula jumble of words. We students ended up telephoning one another, asking: “But what did you get?” We tried to reconstruct the thread of the discourse, to “translate” the text into an understandable Italian, laboriously linking the subject and the predicate. Often, in the end, once paraphrased and vulgarized, the essay could be summed up in three or four key concepts. We felt, then, the need to move away from a world made up only of people talking to themselves, and immerse ourselves in real life, in concrete things.
By Patrizia Poli3 years ago in Humans
Milly Dandolo, "Il dono dell'innocente"
If it weren’t for the fact that the book is yellowed, flecked, cracked, if it weren’t for the fact that the edition (Garzanti 1942) is a reprint of the original for the Treves types of 1926, I would say that the style of “The Gift of the Innocent” by Milly Dandolo is similar to that of many contemporary authors, surprisingly modern for the time, albeit fully influenced by the decadent climate. It is no coincidence that Dandolo, in addition to being a writer for children — a collaborator of “Il Giornalino” at the age of fourteen together with Gian Burrasca’s Vamba — was also a translator of foreign masterpieces. Italian versions and adaptations of Dickens, Maupassant, Katherine Mansfield, Bernardin de Saint Pierre, D. H. Lawrence and Barrie are due to her.
By Patrizia Poli3 years ago in Humans
