EPTOn October 07 2015 13:04 BeStFAN wrote:
Recommendation to learn about French history?
specifically french and not European continent
Recommendation to learn about French history?
specifically french and not European continent
what period
What Are You Reading 2015 - Page 48
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notesfromunderground
188 Posts
what period | ||
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BeStFAN
483 Posts
like all encompassing overview from beginnings to today (or at least cover period around vietnam war) i could always read several books and not just 1 book, so in depth book recommendation on specific period would also be appreciated  | ||
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BeStFAN
483 Posts
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notesfromunderground
188 Posts
 maybe Julius Caesar's De Bello Gallico would be about as close as you could get.. | ||
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
On October 07 2015 08:26 Jerubaal wrote: I felt the same way about Marx. I felt bad about not having read all that much about him (while bashing him on the reg), but...I already knew what he was going to say. I read The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte recently and it was one of the better things I've read of his. His biliousness in that essay is alternately amusing and distracting. I certainly didn't exactly know what Hayek was going to say. I knew the premise obviously, but I was still surprised at most arguments. Not in a good way most of the times, even when I agreed with some of the conclusions. I neef to read Adam Smith now. Liberals always look smarter when they quote Smith. Even Marx quotes him, and rarely to disparage him. 18th Brumaire is the first I read, found it really funny back then, dont remember much else now... | ||
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IgnE
United States7684 Posts
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dmnum
Brazil6910 Posts
On October 07 2015 12:13 Carnivorous Sheep wrote: so i know it's silly, but...who are ya'll expecting/hoping for nobel? Expecting Svetlana Alexeievich/Amós Oz/Adunis, hoping for Mia Couto. I like when they give the Nobel to someone I don't know(like Modiano), because they it's an opportunity to get to know a new good author. | ||
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notesfromunderground
188 Posts
On October 07 2015 14:05 corumjhaelen wrote: Even Marx quotes him, and rarely to disparage him. 18th Brumaire is the first I read, found it really funny back then, dont remember much else now... Marx had a great deal of respect for Adam Smith. Partly this has to do with the fact that "Adam Smith the champion of modern capitalism" is a made up fairy tale person. Adam Smith would despise what we go around calling "capitalism," though of course he never heard of that word. In fact, there is a strong case to be made for Adam Smith as a fundamentally anticapitalist thinker. He had a strong principled objection to "doing things with other people's money" - which is, of course, the absolute center of this thing we call "capitalism." | ||
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
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Redox
Germany24794 Posts
On October 08 2015 00:23 corumjhaelen wrote: I know for Marx, and for Adam Smith, well, just borrowed Wealth of nation at my local socialist bookstore, also called a public library. Time to see for myself Hey super-capitalist Andrew Carnegie built a ton of libraries. | ||
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corumjhaelen
France6884 Posts
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Jerubaal
United States7684 Posts
On October 07 2015 15:08 IgnE wrote: What should I read to better understand the French Revolution? In English obviously. I find these questions about who to read for history problematic. It seems like there's just a big divide between sterile history books and unreliable/uncomprehensive commentators. I read the Norman Davies Europe and took a western civ course in college. Maybe you should look for a cheap textbook? I think Edumund Burke's "Reflections on the Revolution in France" is worth the read. It makes Marx's Brumaire look like a mild scolding. You might want to do that refresher course first, though. I think there's some inefficient communication going on when comparing the Left with Capitalism and Liberalism. The Left styles itself as a comprehensive social and economic viewpoint, while Capitalism is only an economic viewpoint that lets Liberalism take over on the social parts. Consequently, it seems to me that whenever someone critiques the Left on the basis of economics or social policy, the criticism is disregarded as incomplete because it does not include the other part. Hayek and Friedman, talented economists though they are, are clearly not as knowledgeable as Marx in political science. Regardless, I don't really see Capitalism or Liberalism as needing any defenders right now. Capitalism is a given in the international economy and the progeny of Liberalism (Marxism included) are running amok in its name. | ||
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IgnE
United States7684 Posts
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Xxio
Canada5565 Posts
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Nyxisto
Germany6287 Posts
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notesfromunderground
188 Posts
On October 08 2015 12:15 Xxio wrote: The Years of Rice and Salt. Enjoying it so far. He uses a more active version of the narrative voice in Shaman. Interesting structure and pacing. that is a very strange book in that regard. I think the impersonality of the narrator is very intentional. Nice observation. | ||
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VaultD
Finland85 Posts
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Flicky
England2675 Posts
My biggest problem was the way Herbert writes, I found it immensely difficult to tell when something was about to happen and where characters were. There were so many instances where I thought they were just in one place preparing for something then the next sentence they're in the next place doing it immediately. It was really juddery. Then in other cases I had no idea where they were at all. The absolute worst for this was: + Show Spoiler + The whole bit with Alia meeting the emperor and the Baron. Where the fuck was that? I thought it was on their ship but then she jumps out the door into a sandstorm like it's nothing? And then are they in the palace afterwards? This happened so much I was used to it at this point but I've never been more confused. The book never made it that clear where they were and they so often seemed to teleport to the next location to do their next action that it left me feeling like that girlfriend stereotype trying to watch a movie while she was on her phone. I also still don't really get what Paul's and Jessica's motives are the whole book - it seemed like Paul was apprehensive about his future for a while and then just "nope nvm I'll do it" without so much as a word. Anyway, doesn't matter. Next book is either Room by Emma Donaghue or Toll the Hounds by Steven Erikson. | ||
Carnivorous Sheep
Baa?21248 Posts
On October 08 2015 19:25 Flicky wrote: My biggest problem was the way Herbert writes, I found it immensely difficult to tell when something was about to happen and where characters were. There were so many instances where I thought they were just in one place preparing for something then the next sentence they're in the next place doing it immediately. It was really juddery. Then in other cases I had no idea where they were at all. The absolute worst for this was: + Show Spoiler + The whole bit with Alia meeting the emperor and the Baron. Where the fuck was that? I thought it was on their ship but then she jumps out the door into a sandstorm like it's nothing? And then are they in the palace afterwards? This happened so much I was used to it at this point but I've never been more confused. The book never made it that clear where they were and they so often seemed to teleport to the next location to do their next action that it left me feeling like that girlfriend stereotype trying to watch a movie while she was on her phone. I actually love this style of writing lol, I hate reading superfluous descriptions when I'm reading this kind of book. If something is happening just let it happen I don't need to hear about how they ride in the desert for a week or something. also >they actually gave it to alexievich zzz | ||
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