OMBC: Introductions Breed Conclusions

This is my first update to the One Man Book Club.

No, I have not yet finish The Jungle, but this will be the last update on that subject, or at least the last for a while.

Before you go all crazy on me about not sticking to my quest to read and report on a classic book, I want you to know that I will be doing so, but with a different novel by a different author. Now, before I reveal the new work of literary genius into which I will delve, I feel the need to explain my early and significant shift of novels and genres: I can’t stand Socialists.

At the time I chose to read The Jungle, I didn’t know much about the book or its author. Oh, sure, I had heard of the unspeakable things that the book reveals about food quality and safety in the early twentieth century, but I did not know about the true propagandist intent and nature of the novel. However, upon reading the timeline of Upton Sinclair’s life and the brief introduction to the novel, I have come to the decision to let The Jungle rest for a bit. That’s where the title of this post comes in. It all comes back to my lack of tolerance of Socialists.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, Upton Sinclair was a Pinko Commie. Yup, a died-in-the-wool, card carrying member of perhaps the most immature group of privileged bourgeoisie who feel guilty about their wealth and feel the best way to soothe their consciences is to collectively punish others for their successes and promote mediocrity. If you can't tell,I have utter contempt for Socialists and their ilk.

I will eventually find my way back to The Jungle, but I need a little lighter fare that lacks overt propagandistic drivel that will only serve to frustrate and annoy me.

Now to announce my new selection: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, by the late, great Douglas Adams. Actually, it will be the entire Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide, which is a collection of the saga’s “Five Books and One Story”.

I first fell in love with Douglas Adams, his ability to tell a story, and his writing style more than a decade ago. I have already devoured all of the Hitchhiker books and another of Adams’ collections: the (mis)adventures of Dirk Gently. I was re-introduced to Adams thanks to my parents, who gave me a fresh copy of The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide last week, as a belated birthday present. I have not yet gotten very far in the first book, but am proud to report that I have completed the introduction and have not lost any of my zeal or anticipation for the entire series. On the contrary, it has served to wet my appetite and give me a little kick in the pants to get going on this (these) book(s).

I hope to make regular reports on at least a weekly basis, but we’ll see how things turn out (that’s a code phrase for “we’ll see how lazy I am”). Until next time…

Welcome

My wife wants me to blog...
I want to start reading again...

I have decided to combine the two! (I know...genius.)

Here's my dilemma: I have a healthy library of classic, ne0-classic, and will-not-even-approach-classic literature, but never actually do any reading. I have copies of some of the better known works of Dante Alighieri, Joseph Conrad, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Thomas Hardy, Joseph Heller, C.S. Lewis, John Milton, George Orwell, Sir Thomas More, and Upton Sinclair, but have read a pathetic few. I am depriving myself of the literary wealth secured by sturdy hardback bindings and contained between flimsy covers of so many paperback Barnes & Noble Classics.

And why, you ask? That's a good question. That's a tough question. I don't like tough questions, so stop asking them. But seeing as the question has been asked, I will venture an answer: I am lazy. I prefer the complete lack of interaction required by absorbing what I can only believe as toxic and brainwashing waves emminating from my television to the freeing and engaging act of sitting down with a good book and letting a story take a hold of my very being.

I'll give myself a C for that answer. It contained the necessary information, but was not long enough (don't worry, I'll explain in a future post...maybe). Now, for my solution to that laziness: accountability.

That's right! My various high school teachers and the threats of failing grades could not keep me on the ball, but the anonymity of the WorldWide Web will be the motivation that will provide me with the drive to stick it out!

Well, we'll see anyway.

So, now to the point of this post and this new blog as a whole: unus vir [Latin for "one man" (yeah, I know, it's lame)] will serve to document the findings and discussions of my one-man book club (from now on referred to as OMBC) and will also be the home of my various rambles, rants, and tirades. Knowing me, OMBC will never get off the ground and I will be too lazy to commit the time to write down any of my other random thoughts.

Back to OMBC! My quest to enlighten myself and the world as a whole will begin with a not-so-in-depth study of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle. I was going to start with Sir Thomas More's Utopia because I actually made it through 82 pages of that work about a year or two ago. However, I re-evaluated that decision once I opened the book and was reminded that my copy is a 1551 translation of the original Latin. I thought I'd start out with something easier to digest and regurgitate for the masses (that may not be a bad metaphor considering the things I have heard about The Jungle).

And so, my one-man crusade to end my own creeping illiteracy begins. I will struggle through such masterpieces as The Divine Comedy, Crime and Punishment, and Heart of Darkness, all the while documenting my thoughts, interpretations, and identification of universal themes (loss of innocence, anyone?) for posterity. Your comments are welcomed, but please, do not attempt to debate me. I will not be lured into such things, primarily because I am lazy. Just posting will be hard enough for me.