tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post563313657087259041..comments2023-10-31T05:03:38.910-07:00Comments on Letters from a broad...: Humans vs. Death: La Peste (The Plague) by CamusC. L. Hansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-5025983288275156412008-03-17T13:36:00.000-07:002008-03-17T13:36:00.000-07:00Are you in a plague-striken area? Wow. I hope yo...Are you in a plague-striken area? Wow. I hope you're okay...C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-71469975207464079052008-03-17T06:46:00.000-07:002008-03-17T06:46:00.000-07:00A novel very realistic, situations occurring like ...A novel very realistic, situations occurring like happening in front of us.Ratnahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16059251673406179747noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-42371210934134391852008-02-05T22:32:00.000-08:002008-02-05T22:32:00.000-08:00Hey Mathew!!!I agree, that's a powerful scene.Hey Mathew!!!<BR/><BR/>I agree, that's a powerful scene.C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-34684398510063956832008-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:002008-02-05T22:26:00.000-08:00Just happened upon this blog. How happy I was to s...Just happened upon this blog. How happy I was to see someone else has been moved by <I>La Peste</I>! It has influenced me more than any other work of literature. If I were to nominate a book to be the "atheist bible" (which, of course, we don't need), it would be this book. There is more to it, morally speaking, than most people have ever imagined.<BR/><BR/>The most powerful scene, which I practically "re-live" daily since having first read it five years ago (I just finished re-reading it two weeks ago), is the one where Rieux and Paneloux watch the the young child die from the plague and Paneloux suggests loving God for doing what we do not understand, and Rieux replies with the simplest, yet most powerfully elegant statement: "I've a very different idea of love. And until my dying day I shall refuse to love a scheme of things in which children are put to torture."<BR/><BR/>I could go on and on about Camus and his luminous work for hours, but you get the idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-41441742057719919962008-02-05T16:20:00.000-08:002008-02-05T16:20:00.000-08:00Well, at least you're not conflating entertainment...Well, at least you're not conflating entertainment and quality. =)Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006115623631732544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-31232377557887062032008-02-05T12:26:00.000-08:002008-02-05T12:26:00.000-08:00Hey Rebecca!!!You're probably right. I'm starting...Hey Rebecca!!!<BR/><BR/>You're probably right. I'm starting to think I didn't think my opinion through very carefully... ;^)C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-5876832966907404892008-02-05T11:29:00.000-08:002008-02-05T11:29:00.000-08:00Yes, but to make someone WANT to read it doesn't n...Yes, but to make someone WANT to read it doesn't necessarily mean you have to make it entertaining. I guess if you're specifically aiming for a super-blockbuster, sure - but LOTS of things have HUGE audiences without really being what I see as entertaining - Michael Moore's documentaries, political non-fiction (a lot of non-fiction in general), even movies like "There Will Be Blood," although I will concede that many people probably DID find that entertaining. Well, no, I don't concede that. I bet most people just found it GREAT, without much actual entertainment.Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006115623631732544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-70909137743221248342008-02-05T11:10:00.000-08:002008-02-05T11:10:00.000-08:00Hey Rebecca!!!True, not everthing worthwhile is en...Hey Rebecca!!!<BR/><BR/>True, not everthing worthwhile is entertaining and certainly not everything entertaining is worthwhile. I guess I'm kind of thinking more from an author's perspective: even if there's some real substance there, you're more likely to build an audience if you can make them want to read it, like <I>Persepolis</I>... :DC. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-34608170015061360352008-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:002008-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00I haven't read it, and I guess this is kind of off...I haven't read it, and I guess this is kind of off-topic, but I wanted to say something about your ideas on "entertaining." <BR/><BR/>I greatly dislike it when people confuse "good" or "worthwhile" with "entertainment" or "personal enjoyment" - when people claim a movie sucked because they didn't enjoy it (FYI - I don't think you're doing that. I just don't like it when people do). I recently saw "There Will Be Blood," and a friend asked me how it was. I replied that it's AMAZING and a completely great movie - but not something I'd really call enjoyable. The friend derisively replied that there's no point in watching something that's not enjoyable. I competely disagree - sure I might not have any desire to see it again, but I'm glad I saw it. I got to see some truly great acting, the cinematography is incredible, and the score is bone-chilling - and when I walked out of the theatre I knew that I'd been changed, if only a little. So yes - I think it's absolutely valuable to read books and watch movies that we don't find entertaining. I also think people read non-entertaining books all the time, just because we want to KNOW. It doesn't have to be a barrel of laughs, or a fun thriller - it just has to be well done. If you build it, they will come (COULD...NOT...RESIST...) And that is my take on it.<BR/><BR/>On the other hand, I find absolutely nothing wrong with watching something HORRID simply because it's entertaining. I do, after all, watch America's Next Top Model RELIGIOUSLY.Rebeccahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10006115623631732544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-74891123456456716372008-02-04T12:10:00.000-08:002008-02-04T12:10:00.000-08:00Hey Cynthia!!!Yeah, so I heard... ;^)Hey Cynthia!!!<BR/><BR/>Yeah, so I heard... ;^)C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-48184146587339123242008-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:002008-02-04T11:52:00.000-08:00Hi CL,We studied Camus "The Plague" (spoiler alert...Hi CL,<BR/><BR/>We studied Camus "The Plague" (spoiler alert)... The plague is a metaphor of the German occupation. :-)<BR/><BR/>It was a hard read for me because it has an unreliable narrator. Evenso, I am glad I had an opportunity to read the book and study it. <BR/><BR/>CynCyn Bagleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08404416186783891402noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-81997867232233515762008-02-02T22:59:00.000-08:002008-02-02T22:59:00.000-08:00I'm pretty sure what Camus was saying was - "It's ...I'm pretty sure what Camus was saying was - "It's another day it paradise".John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-72878193670858957772008-02-02T21:44:00.000-08:002008-02-02T21:44:00.000-08:00I'm with you on that, lifeguard. This book is as ...I'm with you on that, lifeguard. This book is as much about the struggle with life as it is about the struggle against death. Gives your <I>nom de blog</I> a whole host of possible new meanings when you look at it like that, hey?Lynethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06357023675142716573noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-70832862045069781652008-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:002008-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:00Thanks for the comments and chastizements, everyon...Thanks for the comments and chastizements, everyone!!! ;^)<BR/><BR/>By the way, of course this post was my contribution to the Nonbelieving Literati discussion. To read the other reviews, look <A HREF="http://spaninquis.wordpress.com/2008/02/01/a-plague-of-carnivals-no-wait-a-carnival-of-plagues/" REL="nofollow">here</A>.C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-90318373563281784762008-02-01T16:20:00.000-08:002008-02-01T16:20:00.000-08:00Ex chastises CL Hanson (I have to toss in "Hanson"...Ex chastises CL Hanson (I have to toss in "Hanson" because there is some other CL running around the Atheosphere who isn't nearly as bright): <I>Thanks a lot for revealing the ending. You didn't even put in a spoiler alert.</I><BR/><BR/>In that case, he should be all over me for:<BR/><BR/><I>The plague won and then disappeared.</I><BR/><BR/>I don't think what either of us did was nearly as bad as EX telling everyone that Grand cheated the Grim Reaper! That's the WHOLE STORY (at least according to Ex).John Evohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10868904051881865159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-22229997625472089272008-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:002008-02-01T14:17:00.000-08:00Don't forget the children, Chappy! And they had a ...Don't forget the children, Chappy! And they had a pit full of women's bodies ... it's just that we never got told about them.The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-21294302094820980602008-02-01T12:52:00.000-08:002008-02-01T12:52:00.000-08:00Your last paragraph was great. I really liked Rie...Your last paragraph was great. I really liked Rieux's outlook on fighting the plague, even when others were giving up.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09429263099197981481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-77548029706493201612008-02-01T12:37:00.000-08:002008-02-01T12:37:00.000-08:00Are you sure that death wins? Maybe someone tore t...Are you sure that death wins? Maybe someone tore the last page out of your copy. As far as I could tell, the plague only affected the menfolks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-45133052112060735642008-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:002008-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00Hey, CL!!!I only meant it to compliment the point ...Hey, CL!!!<BR/><BR/>I only meant it to compliment the point that everyone dies. In life, we don't lock horns with death, we lock horns with life, that, among other harsh realities, ends in death. I guess I'm just saying we struggle against life, and in death it is life that ultimately wins. Or maybe it's just Friday, and my brain is toasted. I enjoyed your post though!Alejandrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08578877429793660591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-67153714082771575882008-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:002008-02-01T08:21:00.000-08:00Remember when the Lord of the Rings was in the the...<B><I><BR/>Remember when the Lord of the Rings was in the theaters? I was talking to someone about how Gandalf crossed back over from death and came back to Middle Earth to help fight Sauron and an eavesdropper yelled at me for giving away the ending of the movie!</B></I><BR/><BR/>Damn you, erlybird! Again? ;)Spanish Inquisitorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05261181794832002207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-35963583843348017702008-02-01T08:14:00.000-08:002008-02-01T08:14:00.000-08:00I read The Plague and The Decameron while I was a ...I read The Plague and The Decameron while I was a doing a master's thesis and living in Florence. My research had to do with the effects the plague had upon everyday life in that city where it is estimated that the population went from around 100,000 to around 30,000 during the course of one summer. What had seemed important in May was trivial in September.<BR/><BR/>BTW, I am sure glad the Exterminator scolded you for being a spoiler! When I do my blog post on War and Peace I will be sure not to reveal the ending. LOL.<BR/><BR/>Remember when the Lord of the Rings was in the theaters? I was talking to someone about how Gandalf crossed back over from death and came back to Middle Earth to help fight Sauron and an eavesdropper yelled at me for giving away the ending of the movie!Lars Larsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04251861709629640112noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-46753516335441690822008-02-01T06:52:00.000-08:002008-02-01T06:52:00.000-08:00Hey Lifeguard!!!I'm not sure what you mean by that...Hey Lifeguard!!!<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure what you mean by that. I'm just saying that everyone dies eventually. (And not just in this book...)<BR/><BR/>Hey Ridger!!!<BR/><BR/>Exactly!!!C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-9293775483965547682008-02-01T06:19:00.000-08:002008-02-01T06:19:00.000-08:00I agree; I love the message: your victories will n...I agree; I love the message: your victories will never be lasting, but that's no reason to give up the struggle.The Ridger, FCDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01538111197270563075noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-38095854912579083782008-02-01T06:11:00.000-08:002008-02-01T06:11:00.000-08:00See, I think in the struggle against life, LIFE al...See, I think in the struggle against life, LIFE always wins.Alejandrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08578877429793660591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19053670.post-9259667652850900042008-02-01T02:43:00.000-08:002008-02-01T02:43:00.000-08:00Oops!!! ;^)Oops!!! ;^)C. L. Hansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12698855413639518095noreply@blogger.com