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Hypersynaesthesia

the colours in your head

4.25.2005

Scary...

So here we have The Modern Library's list of the Top 100 Greatest Books. Note the two sides. One side is Random House's list, with predictable titles and authors. On the other side-- four instances of Ayn Rand and three of L. Ron Hubbard in the top ten?!

What?

I mean, yes. Ayn Rand can be an interesting author... if you are fifteen, impressionable, and actively engaged in the process of reading one of her books. I actually have a friend who's a pretty hard-core Objectivist and... power to her for being able to maintain that view. I couldn't. In a way, it would be nice to be that utterly cut-throat and selfish, and there would be a certain satisfaction in having a world-view like that, though then that whole selflessness/ morals/ greater good thing kicks in, and the two become a trifle hard to reconcile. And as for L. Ron Hubbard-- perhaps I just have issues with Scientologists because my greatuncle was supposedly murdered by them (more on that at some other point.) I don't know. Once again, people can do what they want, but Battlefield: Earth? Ack.

4 Comments:

At 3:14 PM, April 25, 2005, Anonymous Anonymous said...

"Ayn Rand" and "convincing" are hardly terms that merit being put together. She was a novelist of feeble skills - though the one-dimensionality of her plots and characters may appeal to the weak-minded - and totally worthless as a thinker. In fact, her ideas are so painfully ridiculous (and obnoxious in their pretentiousness) that I would be willing to stop using Atlas Shrugged as a doorstop if I could replace it with the head of some spoilt, ignorant, rich brat with an inferiority complex who thinks it is appropriate to call her a "philosopher"

L. Ron Hubbard, on the other hand, is not even worth a comment.

 
At 3:22 PM, April 25, 2005, Blogger Alex said...

jp--> rants like this are why I adore you :-)

yes, I agree with that. But in a much more lovey-dovey, let's hug fluffy bunnies and UNDERSTAND each other way.

Now, if you will excuse me, I'm late for my interpretive dance session.

 
At 3:15 AM, April 26, 2005, Blogger Andy said...

Heh. I love those two lists. They both kinda undercut each other, I think. Though the "readers" one is particularly dumb.

Alex, if you want a real job, do me a favour and check out which of the following lists you think is the best...

http://listsofbests.com/lists/1/

in fact, that whole site ( http://listofbests.com ) is pretty interesting. You can search on books, films, authors, etc and see which ones come up on which lists.... but you know what?......

'Ada or Ardor' isn't on a single one! Just goes to show how far you can trust these things ;-)

(Next on my to-buy list, BTW: M/F by Anthony Burgess)

 
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