Kindle & Victor Hugo

Just taking a moment to geek out about Kindle. Specifically, I just bought the Works of Victor Hugo. Among other things, it includes The Man Who Laughs.

For years, The Man Who Laughs was out of print. I was pleased by and grateful for the work of those who brought it back into print. Having read it several times, I'm thrilled now to have a copy of it in my Kindle, where I can search on keywords for passages that are important to me.

For example, I mentioned to Mary how someone I met recently reminded me of Barkilphedro, a vile, hateful, little man who manipulated his way into some degree of power. With some important details lost in a foggy memory, my Kindle copy of The Man Who Laughs can now quickly dispel the fog.

And that's just my current focal point! The Works of Victor Hugo collection includes Toilers of the Sea, Les Miserables, Hugo's poems, his non-fiction, and more. And all this for less than $5!!

Un-freakin'-believable! Man, I love capitalism. Even as the knee of this mighty Atlas buckles under the growing weight of a socialist world, it still produces gems like this.

72 Degrees

Obama recently stated the following: "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK...."

Break out the charts because we'll need 'em to break down just how much is wrong with this statement. In essence, it boils down to is this: They won't like us. And? What's your point? What's your argument?

Won't like us!? By what standard?

The standard of judgment of "other countries" matters. If you care about what the death-worshippers, the dictators, the statists and their ilk think, if you embrace their standard of judgment, you're doomed spiritually let alone existentially. If you care what the best among them think—i.e., the freest, the bravest, if you embrace their standard of judgment, then you embrace man's life qua rational animal, you value the highest degree of comfort man's reason can afford you—e.g., 72 degrees all the time, all the food you need, etc.

As a contrast to the feeble ideas (or lack thereof) behind Obama's statement, Objectivist philosopher Harry Binswanger reminded me via his email list of the spirit of another era, an era we ought to emulate—the era that gave birth to Cyrano de Bergerac. In particular, he cited Cyrano's famous "No thank you" speech. While I could not find a transcription, I found this excellent rendition of the scene.

Note: I made a point of finding a scene that is based on Brian Hooker's translation. I've never seen another other translation that is anywhere near the poetry of Hooker's fine work. If you know of one, please let me know.

In the meantime, keep the spirit of Cyrano alive in your mind and your heart.

Atlas Shrugged movie

51 years ago, Ayn Rand's great novel Atlas Shrugged was published. For years, a movie has been "in development". The latest incarnation on this effort can be read here.

Interestingly, this report includes this confession:

What's most interesting is that Perelman managed this even though he isn't much of an Ayn Rand fan. "It's not very good literature," he and I agreed, "but I have respect for her."

It's one thing not to be a fan of Ayn Rand's ideas or her writing. It's quite another to posture as if you know what you're talking about when you claim Atlas Shrugged is not great literature.

Atlas Shrugged

My favorite novel is now featured at atlasshrugged.com. I can't say enough good things about this truly great adventure story. The philosophy behind and within it challenges, among other things, the core ethical assumptions of centuries. As such, it is radical—radical in the truest sense of that word. At the same time, it's a breath of fresh air, giving depth to a lighthearted appreciation of all that is good in this fascinating world.

Grammar Blogs

I was happy to stumble across, of all things, grammar blogs. My happy stumble started with a Google search on "moot point". That brought me to a site named "Language Rules!".

During and after college, I invested long stretches of time in learning English grammar. My elementary education on the subject sucked. So, I had tons of work to do overcome the deficiency. I've been told that the hard work is evident in my writing here and elsewhere. While I welcome the compliment, I find that I'm still learning. Precision of thought as well as its expression is a lifelong challenge.

So, it's no surprise that I welcome finding grammar resources on the net. Thank you, virtual grammar community!

Cyrano

While updating my Turkish blog, I was reminded of one of my favorite plays—Cyrano De Begerac. If you haven't read it or seen it yet, do! If you yearn to for artistic achievements that touch the best within your soul, include this play in your quest. An imperfect transcription of one of the speeches from this play is available at http://members.tripod.com/~Alestra/speech.html.

The Man Who Laughs

Victor Hugo's amazing novel, The Man Who Laughs, is evidently available in toto at this site.

Seeing this, I was floored. Since it's often out-of-print, I would have been happy just to find a reference or two.

My motivation for the web search was to refresh my memory of the character named Barkilphedro. His name came to mind while I was thinking of certain unpleasant characters at work.

Barkilphedro is Hugo's fascinating personification of hate. What makes this character study especially chilling is its relevance to the modern world. In my case, I see elements of this character in corporate America.

To give you just a tiny taste of Hugo's insights from which Barkilphedro evolved, here are some excerpts from the site:

He was given his way [by Queen Anne], so much was he feared. He who can make the king laugh makes the others tremble.

He was a powerful buffoon....

There are wheels within wheels at court. Barkilphedro became the motive power. Have you remarked, in certain mechanisms, the smallness of the motive wheel?...

Barkilphedro excelled in making the cunning discoveries which place the great in the power of the little. His walk in the dark was winding, soft, clever. Like every perfect spy, he was composed of the inclemency of the executioner and the patience of a micrograph. He was a born courtier. Every courtier is a noctambulist. The courtier prowls in the night, which is called power. He carries a dark lantern in his hand. He lights up the spot he wishes, and remains in darkness himself. What he seeks with his lantern is not a man, it is a fool. What he finds is the king....

Barkilphedro, once a candidate for orders, had studied a little of everything. Skimming all things leaves naught for result. One may be victim of the omnis res scibilis. Having the vessel of the Danaïdes in one's head is the misfortune of a whole race of learned men, who may be termed the sterile. What Barkilphedro had put into his brain had left it empty....

Hate indistinct is sweet and suffices for a time; but one must end by having an object. An animosity diffused over creation is exhausting, like every solitary pleasure. Hate without an object is like a shooting-match without a target. What lends interest to the game is a heart to be pierced.

One can not hate solely for honour; some seasoning is necessary--a man, a woman, somebody, to destroy.

This service of making the game interesting; of offering an end; of throwing passion into hate by fixing it on an object; of amusing the hunter by the sight of his living prey; of giving the watcher the hope of the smoking and boiling blood about to flow; of amusing the birdcatcher by the credulity of the uselessly-winged lark; of being a victim, unknowingly reared for murder by a master-mind; all this exquisite and horrible service, of which the person rendering it is unconscious, Josiana rendered Barkilphedro.

Ayn Rand once wrote: "Hugo gives me the feeling of entering a cathedral". Reading Hugo, I feel the same kind of reverence.

P.S., Can someone translate "omnis res scibilis" for me? I could not find a translation via Google.