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Triggered by a comment Becoming made in another thread about finding the children's classic "The Secret Garden" a very healing book to read. What fictional books have helped you and/or left you with a lasting message? Here are some of mine:

 

1. The Cat in the Hat - Dr Seuss. Trouble visits when you're feeling bored.

 

2. Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carrol. Some rules serve a valid purpose, others are just ludicrous traditions that provide false comfort amidst chaos. A lot of time is spent learning to figure out which is which.

 

3. Lord of the Flies - William Golding. Humanity is an easy thing to have, until you're surrounded by people who've lost theirs.

 

4. The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand. Almost any opinion can be justified by someone who thinks deeply and speaks eloquently. Listen and consider, but don't make it too easy for others to seduce your mind.

 

5. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons. People naturally resist change. You can help them by recognising their strengths and unique natures, and working out how both could flourish in altered circumstances. Also, a sense of humour is empowering in that it can help you to turn a depressing situation into a source of endless entertainment.

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Lord of the flies….same reason

 

Atlas Shrugged Ayn Rand. It seemed dated for a time, but with the EU, and increasing power of UN, it seems relevant again.

 

A confederacy of dunces. Dated ,but it had much to do with developing my sense of humor.

 

PJ O’Rourke (early works) Sense of humor and GREAT common sense. Helped me articulate my political views.

 

Defending the Undefendable. (book was too redundant, but..) Helped me question motives of everyone.

 

Tightwad Gazzette. Halted my descent into being a recreational shopper. Helped me cut my food budget in half.

 

100 years of solitude. Surreal. Improved my dreams. I learned that my dream world didn’t have to be governed by the laws of time and physics.

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It always pissed me off when somebody sang "Rock-a-bye-baby." I mean, telling a child that when the bow breaks the cradle will fall...down will go baby, etc. That's fricken cruel and a good way to start an infant off in life with big phobias about height, swings, beds, etc., not to mention lack of trust in adults and caregivers.

 

It also always pissed me off about Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. I mean the others didn't like him until one foggy Christmas Eve when Santa came to say "Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight." I mean, crap, "then all the Reindeer loved him and shouted out with glee." That's a lot of bunk, teaching kids they've got to be picked for some very special assignment in order to be loved.

 

The people who write stuff like this ought to be shot. I know these aren't literary works of genius but the stuff is on my level.

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travellingman

PJ O’Rourke (early works) Sense of humor and GREAT common sense. Helped me articulate my political views.

 

Parliament of Whores is still a great read, even though it's nearly 20 years old.

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Hi Gold Pile! Great list.

 

Ayn Rand "For the New Intellectual" makes reference to her fictional works in promoting her philosophy that capitalism and individualism are purer than, and morally superior to, collectivism.

 

I find it fascinating to read her as it demonstrates several ways in which a supremely self-interested individual can, if challenged, rationalise his or her lack of altruism towards others in a manner that sounds honest, pure and convincing.

 

Moral validation for absolute selfishness. As philosophies go, it's a pretty seductive one.

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"Rudolph with your nose so bright, won't you guide my sleigh tonight." I mean, crap, "then all the Reindeer loved him and shouted out with glee." That's a lot of bunk, teaching kids they've got to be picked for some very special assignment in order to be loved.

 

The people who write stuff like this ought to be shot. I know these aren't literary works of genius but the stuff is on my level.

 

A trait that had caused Rudolph endless shame ended up being one of his strongest qualities. Something he could use to help others. A lot of it is down to how parents help their kids search for meanings within stories, I think.

 

Agree with you about the Rock-a-by-baby rhyme though. I think a lot of nursery rhymes started their lives off as social or political satires for adults rather than being specifically for children.

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A trait that had caused Rudolph endless shame ended up being one of his strongest qualities. Something he could use to help others.

 

And those who mocked him were shamed when they realized that he had qualities worth admiring.

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A living thing with a nose that lights up belongs in a freak show...but I still think the other reindeer were buttholes for not liking Rudolph until he became leader of the pack. I just don't think you have to be lead dog to get respect from others. The Reindeer thing is a sorry lesson for kids.

 

Sorry to go so far off topic....now back to Literary Influences!!!

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A living thing with a nose that lights up belongs in a freak

show

 

:(

 

You haven't seen me when I'm cold. Scarlet schnoz - that's me. I identify strongly with poor lil' Rudolph :(

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Tony, maybe you are looking at the Rudolph thing from the wrong point of view. Instead of teaching kids that a freak occurance or a supposed flaw being useful is the only way to become great and adored, maybe the lesson is to the other reindeer. As in the feature that they mercilessly picked on Rudolph about, ostracized him over, is the very thing that saved Christmas when they were all as useless. So don't pick on other kids just because they are different. You might need them to save your sorry butt someday!:laugh:

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I never realised Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was such an influential literary figure!

 

Ahem. Anyone read any good books lately??

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Other than Windows XP Professional certification and Security+ certification textbooks, the last book I read was Les Miserables.

 

I don't know that I actually get any life altering insights from books. I enjoy reading, but I can't say there has been any book that changed my views or perceptions. Life itself does that enough for me.

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from the age of 13 to 20 most of the "literature" I perused was in the form of skin mags: Playboy, Penthouse, Cheri, Club, Hustler, etc....

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Okay Alpha, I find it very hard to believe that between the age of 13 and 20 you noticed there was text in a skin magazine. Heck, I am 31 and I had to go check to see if there really was an literature involved there! :lmao:

 

Well, actually, I did notice the letters.;)

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Well, actually, I did notice the letters.;)

yes, the letters were good, especially in Penthouse. I did find time occasionally to read the stray Hemingway or Steinbeck novel :)

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A polite message. I started this thread for people who like discussing books, and I'd really appreciate it if people would try not to derail the thread from that purpose.

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My teacher read us an adventure book (we were 5-6 years old) written at age 12 level.

I loved the book. My mother gave me a copy…I read it several times. That was the book that made me a reader.

 

lack of altruism towards others in a manner that sounds honest, pure and convincing.

 

 

In the grand time scheme, where humans have been around a short time, and capable of altruism only recently….

It remains to be determined if it is a good quality to have as far as survival goes.

 

I’ve been charitable to a few. In the end I consider it money misspent.

I’ve known highly charitable souls that put themselves in a bind by over doing it. It's not unheard of for the needy to prey upon their helpers.

 

On a larger scale: Until WWII the US was (like the rest of the world) primarily self serving, with nil foreign aid expenditures. US thus became the most powerful nation in history. Very capable 1945-1950 of controlling the world or destroying what it didn’t control.

 

Then the US went the route of aiding friends at first, then eventually aiding virtually everyone.

 

Now the US is threatened economically by some, militarily (nuke) by others that could have been dealt with in 1947.

 

Being moral, intelligent, being a philanthropist are qualities were proud of, but we may be replaced by new beings without those features.

 

Dinosaurs ruled the Earth a longer time with limited intelligence and zero compassion.

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A polite message. I started this thread for people who like discussing books, and I'd really appreciate it if people would try not to derail the thread from that purpose.

I don't know if I would classify The Cat in the Hat as a seminal work of literature :lmao:

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I don't know if I would classify The Cat in the Hat as a seminal work of literature :lmao:

 

:p To a 3 year old it was a good introduction to books. Anyway, I think you're underestimating Dr Seuss there. He was presented with the task of making reading fun for very young children by introducing a book that was capable of capturing their imagination whilst using the minimum of words. He succeeded brilliantly.

 

Similarily, JK Rowling has re-introduced children to books with the Harry Potter series. Anyone who has used their imagination to help others develop a love of books and reading merits a mention.

 

In the grand time scheme, where humans have been around a short time, and capable of altruism only recently….

It remains to be determined if it is a good quality to have as far as survival goes

.

 

 

What's your take on Brave New World, Gold Pile?

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As an aside, I've always hated people who dissect literature and avoided those courses and articles like the plagues having had more than enough of that in school. I had an English teacher in high school who could spot a phallic figure at a thousand paces. :rolleyes:

 

Yes, some authors deliberately interject a lot of symbolism into their work (T.S. Eliot's The Wasteland is practially a history of philosophy and civilization) but getting Freudian over Geisel? I think not. Yes, he wanted us to learn to be nice to each other but I'm fairly sure that's the only message he really 'hid' in his books.

 

In fact, my dislike of modern literature exists because I found too many authors these days trying their mightiest to be 'profound' and that results in very contrived (and dull) fiction IMHO.

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:p To a 3 year old it was a good introduction to books.

 

Anyway, I think you're underestimating Dr Seuss there.

 

He succeeded brilliantly.

Hey, I learned to read with Dr. Seuss books....

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A polite message. I started this thread for people who like discussing books, and I'd really appreciate it if people would try not to derail the thread from that purpose.

 

Flight of the Romanovs Great book! Like I was there.

 

Saddam Hussein by Efraim Karsh et al. I read this years ago. He and Stalin are twins. I've made a study of many dictators, those 2 stand out as crafty, brutal, ruthless, cowardly, bold, and sucessful.

 

Boris YeltsinBy Elena Klepikova et al. This book seemed to have a bias.

But it was none the less a revealing look at the man and his times. He, not Gorby was a true friend to the west. The media (with plenty of help from the subject) portrayed him has some drunken buffoon.

He was eager for freedom long B4 Gorby.

 

 

Note to mods. Thank you for promptly dealing with several GP posts today

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getting Freudian over Geisel? I think not. Yes, he wanted us to learn to be nice to each other but I'm fairly sure that's the only message he really 'hid' in his books.

 

Are we bound, in our interpretation of books, by the message the writer intended to convey? A and B both read a book. A tells B what he got from that book, and B says "You're wrong. That's not what the author meant. You don't get it."

 

Perhaps it's B who doesn't get it. Reading a book can simply involve enjoying a glimpse into someone else's imagination....or it can be about stimulating your own imagination to go off on an adventure of its own. If you pick out a particular message or symbolism in a book, it doesn't necessarily matter whether or not the author intended it to be there.

 

As an aside, I've always hated people who dissect literature

 

Why?

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:What's your take on Brave New World, Gold Pile?

 

:o I haven't read it:o Generally I enjoy the dystopian. (how often do ya get to say dystopian...correctly or not?):)

 

Blade runner, Brazil, Return to Gilligan's Island :confused: and other grim, brooding looks into the future are enjoyable.

 

I'd probably enjoy Brave New World too.

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If you pick out a particular message or symbolism in a book, it doesn't necessarily matter whether or not the author intended it to be there.

the "message", LINDYA, is what your mind perceives it to be....there is no right and no wrong. Everyone who looks at a particular famous painting or listens to Beethoven's symphonies may come away with quite dis-similar perceptions.

 

When it comes to this subjective crap the only rule is that there are no rules. :lmao:

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