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[tarigwaemir]

Haste Street, on the Feast of St. William of Bourges

Back in Berkeley, for those unaware of the fact. I'll write a longer post later, once I catch up on the backlog of labwork, but for the moment:

1. bibliophages discussion for "mystery" begins in two days. (Tomorrow is the last day to post about the books you've read, if you're participating in the book club.) As a warm-up, sub_divided has made an interesting post about the genre: Mystery Discussion Post. Please read and comment, even if you're not a member of the community.

2. blind_go is holding a special fanart round, for those of you who aren't watching the community. Sign up here! If you know of any fanartists, encourage them to sign up too! murinae suggested that we also allow people to post FSTs based on blind_go fics leading up to the deadline for this round, so those of us who are not artistically inclined can still join in the fun. Will make a post about that to blind_go once silvermuse89 and I finish settling the logistics.

3. K-drama of the moment: 쾌검 홍길동 or Sharp Sword Hong Gildong (KBS official site, D-addicts thread and Dramabeans summaries). Hong Gildong is the title character of a famous Joseon dynasty novel, which was written as a critique of the government and yangban society. He is better known as the Korean Robin Hood, since he's a thief that steals from corrupt government officials to give to the poor. (I don't know whether Hong Gildong precedes Iljimae or not--another Robin Hood-type hero, who as far as I can tell is based on a real-life historical personage?--and there are two Iljimae K-dramas coming out later this year, which will only add to the confusion, I'm sure.)

Anyway, Hong Gildong just started last week, and I watched the first two episodes with high expectations, despite it being a "fusion" drama (i.e. loosely historical setting and costumes but mixed with modern elements and spoken mostly in modern language). Initial thoughts: pacing is a little slow, action is exaggerated and unbelievable but pretty good for a Korean production, acting is unobjectionable, script is very funny. I think they should focus on the story, which (for me) is compelling enough to hold up on its own, but the writers seem intent on going off on bizarre tangents, which I suppose are meant to be comic interludes. But they seem to be setting up for what could be a really great drama.

4. Via Reading Copy, photographs of a writer's retreat. I want those bookshelves, though they seem impractical.

5. Greatest British Writers since 1945 from the Times.

6. Review of Existentialism is a Humanism by Jean-Paul Sartre reposted on Powell's Books Blog.

What we might call the central anecdote of "Existentialism is a Humanism" clarifies Sartre's position. The philosopher returns, three times, to the story of a young student who visits his professor with a quandary. The student's father has abandoned his mother and begun to collaborate with the Nazis; the student's brother had been killed in the fighting. "The young man had the choice of going to England to join the Free French Forces -- which would mean abandoning his mother -- or remaining by her side to help her go on with her life." The bigger question, Sartre elaborates, is how to express commitment. Will the student opt for the simple, immediate good of staying with his mother? Or risk abandonment -- not to mention capture and death -- for the larger good?

Sartre, of course, is the professor in the story, and his response is brutal: he refuses to give advice. The choice belongs to the student -- this is, after all, the fundamental existential position. We cannot tell others how to live.

Existentialism at its best? But the problem with Sartre is that he overestimates human beings: we do tell others how to live, and we live as we're told to, for the most part. We are, after all, socially conditioned, both subconsciously and consciously. (Sartre would probably reply that I'm missing the point: if I believe he is overestimating humanity, I am conversely uttering a self-fulfilling prophecy by assuming that humanity has limitations on its freedom. All I can say is, I would like to live by Sartre's convictions, as if I had a boundless free will, but I can't completely fool myself into believing that I do.)

7. Dickens-inspired cocktails and literary drinks from the Guardian.

Must hurry up and finish typing up my post for bibliophages.

Yours &c.

Comments

[darcenciel.livejournal.com]

Hmm, an interesting take on Sartre. *thinks about that*