The Vulgar Eclectic
Vulgar: of the usual, typical, or ordinary kind
definitions courtesy of Merriam-Webster
Eclectic: composed of elements drawn from various sources
recent blog posts
- R.U.R. by Karel Čapek
I just finished reading R.U.R., a three-act play written by Karel Čapek and published in 1920. Originally written in Czech, it was quickly translated into many languages. I read the translation done by Claudia Novack in 1989 and published by Penguin. The first English translation omitted significant lines from the play; as such, I recommend reading Novack’s unabridged translation or one of a few that have appeared since.
I found this science fiction play moving and compelling as a piece of drama, with profound ideas and beautiful language. It is also very interesting as a foundational text in science fiction, one that has had a surprisingly substantial influence on the genre and culture in general. I hear echoes of it in everything from Philip K. Dick to The Terminator to current discussions around AI.
I had long heard of the play but, for some reason, felt it would likely be unable to live up to its reputation and perhaps pale in comparison to other works of drama I’ve enjoyed. I was wrong, and thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of reading R.U.R. It was refreshing, thought-provoking, evocative, and a perfect example of why I love reading plays.
“A human being. That’s something that feels joy, plays the violin, wants to go for a walk, in general requires a lot of things that — that are, in effect, superfluous.”
from an early stage production of R.U.R. - The pathos of the Hulk
from Marvel Team-up #104 (April 1981), featuring Ka-Zar and the Hulk, written by Roger McKenzie, pencils by Jerry Bingham, and inks by Mike Esposito - Ninja
From Ninjutsu: the Way of the Shadow Warriors, a back-up feature in issue #367 of Sgt Rock; art by Michael Chen and Tim Truman - This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
I just finished reading This One Summer (2014), a graphic novel written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Jillian Tamaki.
It is a realistic coming-of-age story focused on two friends and their respective families during an annual summer trip to a lake. I found the characters complex and interesting and the artwork fantastic. Many of the topics explored are not neatly tied up; characters and situations are presented without judgement or conclusion, creating a sense of realism and poignancy that the art complements.
- The Book-lover: A Guide to the Best Reading by James Baldwin
I recently read The Book-lover: A Guide to the Best Reading (1885) by James Baldwin. This book begins with numerous quotes about reading and the love of books, before transitioning into a discussion of choosing what to read, ways of reading, and the value of libraries. The latter part of the book is a series of suggested reading lists compiled for different readers and topics.
Baldwin includes many inspiring quotes and thoughts about the importance and joys of reading. I found the lists of suggested reading to be useful, especially because they include many books that are no longer in the general consciousness, even among readers.
As one example among many, the book Voyage in the Sunbeam: Our Home on the Ocean for Eleven Months (1878) by Annie Brassey is mentioned in a section about geography and natural history. This book, previously completely unknown to me, is a chronicle of the author’s 36,000 mile circumnavigation of the globe with her family in the 1870s. It sounds fascinating and is now a possible future read. In this way, the lists can be a useful tool to a curious reader.
“…the voice of a brother who, ages ago, felt and suffered and renounced,— in the cloister, perhaps with serge gown and tonsured head, with much chanting and long fasts, and with a fashion of speech different from ours,— but under the same silent far-off heavens, and with the same passionate desires, the same strivings, the same failures, the same weariness.” (George Eliot, as quoted by Baldwin)
