What are you currently reading?

[Brian]

1 the last 100 pages of wp
2 the maudlin rose colored view of the peasants in ak
3 the religiosity
4 the kreutzer sonata's implicit views on women and sex
5 his collection of Stockhausen CDs

Don't get me wrong. He had an incredible pull on me when I was in high school. But that's an age when many are seduced by nonsense. (How many fell victim to Ayn Rand at that age?) i am thankful I never had a chance to meet Leo.

Do you include in 2 and 3 the embrace of nonviolence and surrendering of possessions? Tolstoy's nonviolence had a huge influence on later thinkers - Gandhi wrote him a fan letter, and the last thing Tolstoy wrote was a reply to Gandhi. On the other hand, his decision to give up all his worldly goods and live the life of a hermit led directly to his death, which does a better job explaining how foolhardy he was than you or I ever could.

Also how would you compare his thinking to, say, Dostoevsky? Dostoevsky is certainly religious (#3), but an outstanding thinker, no?

[Ken B]

Do you include in 2 and 3 the embrace of nonviolence and surrendering of possessions? Tolstoy's nonviolence had a huge influence on later thinkers - Gandhi wrote him a fan letter, and the last thing Tolstoy wrote was a reply to Gandhi. On the other hand, his decision to give up all his worldly goods and live the life of a hermit led directly to his death, which does a better job explaining how foolhardy he was than you or I ever could.

Also how would you compare his thinking to, say, Dostoevsky? Dostoevsky is certainly religious (#3), but an outstanding thinker, no?

As for the peasants I meant the near total obliviousness to the darker side of the peasantry's ignorance and capacity for evil. Very incorrect to state it so baldly. Maupassant and Gorky had clearer vision.
You cite other examples of his unworldly foolishness.
Yes Dost seems a better thinker. But I am glad he wrote novels not philosophy!

[stingo]

Who recommended this to me here??? I'm on the first one and so far so good!!! Fun fun!

It is. I just finished the trilogy and liked it a lot.

Just started Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.

[asin]B004J4WKUQ[/asin]

[milk]

Do you include in 2 and 3 the embrace of nonviolence and surrendering of possessions? Tolstoy's nonviolence had a huge influence on later thinkers - Gandhi wrote him a fan letter, and the last thing Tolstoy wrote was a reply to Gandhi. On the other hand, his decision to give up all his worldly goods and live the life of a hermit led directly to his death, which does a better job explaining how foolhardy he was than you or I ever could.

Also how would you compare his thinking to, say, Dostoevsky? Dostoevsky is certainly religious (#3), but an outstanding thinker, no?

I once thought Grand Inquisitor was a nice piece of thinking - not in its conclusions about God but about Freedom. However, it's been years and I find that I sometimes do change my mind about things when I revisit them. I'm equivocating!   

[Mookalafalas]

1 the last 100 pages of wp
2 the maudlin rose colored view of the peasants in ak
3 the religiosity
4 the kreutzer sonata's implicit views on women and sex

  Couldn't agree more.  When he describes a scene, it's like you are really there, and he can go on and on about a fairly mundane event and hold you riveted, but I cringe when he tries to get symbolic or go beneath the surface of things.  For me this is the opposite of Dostoevsky, who doesn't try to paint a living, breathing scene, but [asin]lives[/asin] beneath the surface of things. To me a really telling difference is that Tolstoy espoused a kind of liberal egalitarianism, but he has scenes that go on for pages before you realize there are servants in the room with the protagonists. They are invisible to him.  Dostoevsky was a social conservative and elitist (especially after his 10 years in Siberia) and yet the servants in his novels always have complex personalities--they may be repulsive, but he is incapable of not seeing them, and seeing them as people.   

thread duty:
[asin]978-0394720241[/asin]

[Karl Henning]

See now I'm picturing a tee-shirt. "We lived through Wagner and all I got was this Elgar."

Well played!  I don't endorse the sentiment, but I know good work when I see it

[Karl Henning]

1 the last 100 pages of wp
2 the maudlin rose colored view of the peasants in ak
3 the religiosity
4 the kreutzer sonata's implicit views on women and sex
5 his collection of Stockhausen CDs

Don't get me wrong. He had an incredible pull on me when I was in high school. But that's an age when many are seduced by nonsense.

Many years ago, I read a wonderfully detailed bio of Britten, which I ought to go back to for lots of refreshers.  But one of the bits which stuck is, how as a young musician he was besotted with Brahms, but later, the pendulum swung.  If I am not misremembering, when not far from death he jested that his greatest regret was that he would perforce follow soon after Brahms in the music dictionary.

Britten's personal struggle over time with Brahms doesn't touch the latter's immortality.

I am sure you see my point without my needing to etch it.

I only note that Сергей Сергеевич (a man with a fascinating religious view) seemed to suffer no such reservations as your'n.

[Karl Henning]

I once thought Grand Inquisitor was a nice piece of thinking - not in its conclusions about God but about Freedom.

And yet, it's a tale which could have been written today:  about how the people who wear Christ's name like a sort of badge, would crucify Him anew if He walked among us today.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

I have never really warmed to Tolstoy, I tried reading both war and peace and anna karenina but I wasn't able to finish either one. On the other hand, Dostoyevsky is one of my favorite authors of all time. I think the brothers karamazov is one of the greatest novels ever written, even though I am technically an atheist. Only things in Karamazov that I kind of dislike is at times little patronizing religious views and Aloysha. Now you might say isn't that a pretty big factor, him being one of the main characters. Well yes, but the book is so full of other superbly portrayed characters. And Aloysha is not all bad - he has interesting qualities in him, only thing I actually find kind of jarring about him is his apparently perfect kindness to everyone (except I am not sure if he judged Smerdyakov in the end or not, who despite his villany is very complex and even sympathetic character,  and I was also annoyed how he chastises Kolja about replying sharply to a complete asshole doctor). I think that Karamazov is an excellent book to read, whether you belive in God or not.

By the way, am I only one who finds Dostoyevsky's books at times extremely funny? I have heard several opinions that his books don't have anything funny in it. I disagree with it, I find several parts of his books very funny, often in some very bizarre way, but still.

I also read that one of the authors who had largest impact on him was Dickens. I read about an interview between Dostoyevsky and Dickens, which unfortunately turned out to be a faux. Which isn't that surprising considering the obvious language barrier.

[Karl Henning]

Reading some old chuckleworthy posts from the archives . . .

pffff whatever....

You must be dreaming...

its not ridiculous...when you think about it...

ive been around for along time, probably longer than you and most of the others here...Bach is my fave
you seem like an upset LvB fanboy....

Are you that hurt over that, really? how do you manage in the real world...in any event here;

Performing Beethoven and Haydn on period instruments and tinkly fortepianos is so…yesterday.

“You love and defend traditions that no longer exist for me. The dust of the past is not always to be respected.” - Claude Debussy

Not necessarily? Pffffff

Pffffffffffffffffffffffffff whatever...

Ooo you're so righteous.

This explains everything; maybe it's time to get laid? 

More horseshit mythology.

Just goes to show how much you know Tommy Boy, and more importantly how much you've actually heard! You're out of your depth on this im afraid, and it's quite transparent.

Look at Mr. Serious. LIGHTEN UP!!!

Karl, it's not dogma, it's common sense for fuck sakes...

you didn't get my point. re-read what i did say...

[North Star]

Excellent material for the GMG novella Cato should write..

[North Star]

Excellent material for the GMG novella Cato should write...

...Actually, that thing would more likely be a long novel - a murder mystery (one or more members disappear) solved on-line.

[Moonfish]

Reading some old chuckleworthy posts from the archives . . .

It sounds like 2007-08 was a vintage year..?

[Karl Henning]

No, that's really just Vol. 1 . . . .

[Karl Henning]

But that's how the legend was born . . . .

[Mookalafalas]

I have never really warmed to Tolstoy, I tried reading both war and peace and anna karenina but I wasn't able to finish either one. On the other hand, Dostoyevsky is one of my favorite authors of all time. I think the brothers karamazov is one of the greatest novels ever written, even though I am technically an atheist. Only things in Karamazov that I kind of dislike is at times little patronizing religious views and Aloysha. Now you might say isn't that a pretty big factor, him being one of the main characters. Well yes, but the book is so full of other superbly portrayed characters. And Aloysha is not all bad - he has interesting qualities in him, only thing I actually find kind of jarring about him is his apparently perfect kindness to everyone (except I am not sure if he judged Smerdyakov in the end or not, who despite his villany is very complex and even sympathetic character,  and I was also annoyed how he chastises Kolja about replying sharply to a complete asshole doctor). I think that Karamazov is an excellent book to read, whether you belive in God or not.

By the way, am I only one who finds Dostoyevsky's books at times extremely funny? I have heard several opinions that his books don't have anything funny in it. I disagree with it, I find several parts of his books very funny, often in some very bizarre way, but still.

I also read that one of the authors who had largest impact on him was Dickens. I read about an interview between Dostoyevsky and Dickens, which unfortunately turned out to be a faux. Which isn't that surprising considering the obvious language barrier.

  I liked War and Peace and Anna K a lot, personally. A lot of fantastic writing in each one, on an episode by episode basis, but I agree that Dostoyevsky is the king.   I can't think of anything funny offhand, however.  I believe that the Dickens influence is real.  I've heard that before, and when reading Martin Chuzzlewit recently, felt positive that one section of it had inspired Dost in a portion of "The Idiot" and "Crime and Punishment".  25 years should have been plenty of time for the books to get to him--if they weren't translated into Russian, he could have read them in French.

[Ken B]

Many years ago, I read a wonderfully detailed bio of Britten, which I ought to go back to for lots of refreshers.  But one of the bits which stuck is, how as a young musician he was besotted with Brahms, but later, the pendulum swung.  If I am not misremembering, when not far from death he jested that his greatest regret was that he would perforce follow soon after Brahms in the music dictionary.

Britten's personal struggle over time with Brahms doesn't touch the latter's immortality.

I am sure you see my point without my needing to etch it.

I only note that Сергей Сергеевич (a man with a fascinating religious view) seemed to suffer no such reservations as your'n.

Well I did pick Tolstoy as a great writer who is not a great thinker. I still think he's perhaps the greatest novelist ever.

[Ken B]

Before Al Gore poisoned it by calling it his favourite book, The Red and The Black by Stendahl was my favourite novel.
Still is, but I do feel a twinge saying it now.

[Mookalafalas]

Before Al Gore poisoned it by calling it his favourite book, The Red and The Black by Stendahl was my favourite novel.
Still is, but I do feel a twinge saying it now.

  That's the only Stendhahl I read, but I read it twice. My favorite part is when the protagonist wants to seduce a very proper lady, and his friend gives him a suitcase of letters to copy and send her, in order, slowly warming from respectful solicitude to passionate love (over what, a two year period?).  Sometimes he'd forget to change place names and seasons when copying the letters, and would have to cover up later

[Ken B]

  That's the only Stendhahl I read, but I read it twice. My favorite part is when the protagonist wants to seduce a very proper lady, and his friend gives him a suitcase of letters to copy and send her, in order, slowly warming from respectful solicitude to passionate love (over what, a two year period?).  Sometimes he'd forget to change place names and seasons when copying the letters, and would have to cover up later

Yeah, don't you hate when that happens?