22 September 2008

The way of all flesh - Samuel Butler

http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/greatest-novels-of-all-time/144-1.jpg

You can just tell from the cover that this book is a real keeper right? Wow, what a boring book. Somehow though, it ranks as the #12 book on Modern Library's list of top 100 from the 20th Century. This should be a misnomer, as the book itself was written in the 1870s, but not published until 1903. It makes the list mostly for its attack on Victorian ideals and the rejection of Calvinism. I know, you are really starting to get a literary boner. Believe you me, it was hard to keep it in my pants while reading, luckily I was outfitted with my cranial chastity belt - this prevented my brain from being too understimulated while reading the book.

To be fair, it is simply a case that the book's slow pace is basically antiquated. The ideas themselves are quite progressive for the time, but read today, it takes a person of supreme patience (or someone equipped with my aformentioned cranial chastity belt) to slog through the book.

Conclusion: Unless you are reading all the ML top 100, no real reason to pick this one up.

It was proved incontestably that its ultimate foundation was and ought to be faith, there being indeed no other ultimate foundation than this for any of man's beliefs. If so, the writer claimed that the Church could not be upset by reason. It was founded, like everything else, on initial assumptions, that is to say on faith, and if it was to be upset it was to be upset by faith, by the faith of those who in their lives appeared more graceful, more lovable, better bred, in fact, and better able to overcome difficulties. Any sect which showed its superiority in these respects might carry all before it, but none other would make much headway for long together. Christianity was true in so far as it had fostered beauty, and it had fostered much beauty. It was false in so far as it fostered ugliness, and it had fostered much ugliness

1 comment:

Benny said...

They may be generally light in weight therefore they may be preferred by those those who are into sports. As of late rolex replica and also other digital brands inside the marketplace are developed with some hublot replica sale sense so you'll not be shocked to seek out a digital timepiece that could catch your attention. Given the tag heuer replica sale inside the market place these days, plenty of are getting them as gifts and jeweler. Men's watches and rolex replica sale can act as incredible gifts to any person who loves them during a special occasion like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings and so on. Nevertheless, for gifts and replica watches uk a timepiece you pick has to be 1 that oozes class and prestige. One can find a thousand and 1 brands to choose from which can fit this, prime among them getting fake rolex sale among other people. Its imperative that you simply know the brand of watch you like before ordering.