Comments for Another Look http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress The Best Books You've Never Read Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 Comment on by BaaBaaRaa http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=909#comment-35 BaaBaaRaa Fri, 24 May 2013 15:00:58 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=909#comment-35 Gotta love Stanford!!!! (And I DO!...) Gotta love Stanford!!!! (And I DO!…)

]]> Comment on by clh http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=909#comment-27 clh Wed, 01 May 2013 23:11:32 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=909#comment-27 I've done so – but you don't need a Stanford ID to participate, or be on our mailing list. "Another Look" is Stanford's gift to the community. I’ve done so – but you don’t need a Stanford ID to participate, or be on our mailing list. “Another Look” is Stanford’s gift to the community.

]]> Comment on by Joyce Kiefer http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=909#comment-25 Joyce Kiefer Wed, 01 May 2013 22:09:45 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=909#comment-25 Please add me to your mail list. I'm a retired Stanford employee and no longer have a Stanford ID that I know if. Thank you. Please add me to your mail list. I’m a retired Stanford employee and no longer have a Stanford ID that I know if. Thank you.

]]> Comment on by Elizabeth Waldo http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=657#comment-23 Elizabeth Waldo Sun, 24 Feb 2013 06:08:00 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=657#comment-23 I found myself comparing Bertrande to one of those wives who have been married happily for years and finds out her husband is a bigamist. I don't care how happy you've been, the idea of 'forgiving and forgetting' would be repugnant. She was lied to in the most fundamental way. As Glen said, "he was...guilty of the most fundamental sort of fraud" I found myself comparing Bertrande to one of those wives who have been married happily for years and finds out her husband is a bigamist. I don’t care how happy you’ve been, the idea of ‘forgiving and forgetting’ would be repugnant. She was lied to in the most fundamental way. As Glen said, “he was…guilty of the most fundamental sort of fraud”

]]> Comment on by sunny chen http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=657#comment-21 sunny chen Fri, 22 Feb 2013 20:07:04 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=657#comment-21 I was not too convinced on what happened to the characters in the story. I thought the story was like a tall tale for me. However, I was intrigued by the theme of truth and lie. Author forced her characters to face with truth and lie and lead to their different responses to the challenge. Isn't it often easier to live with lie than dealing with truth. Facing the truth can be very painful. Who like to be in pain? You can find this kind of examples all over the Old Testament. People prefer to look away from the truth. What choice will we make for ourselves: facing the truth with pain and live happily in lie? How much truth can one handle? I was not too convinced on what happened to the characters in the story. I thought the story was like a tall tale for me. However, I was intrigued by the theme of truth and lie. Author forced her characters to face with truth and lie and lead to their different responses to the challenge. Isn’t it often easier to live with lie than dealing with truth. Facing the truth can be very painful. Who like to be in pain? You can find this kind of examples all over the Old Testament. People prefer to look away from the truth. What choice will we make for ourselves: facing the truth with pain and live happily in lie? How much truth can one handle?

]]> Comment on by Glen Worthey http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=657#comment-19 Glen Worthey Fri, 22 Feb 2013 05:13:20 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?p=657#comment-19 I had rather little sympathy for Bertrande while reading the novel. Her dilemma seemed too narrowly religious in a way that didn't speak to me, she seemed more rigid that righteous, and her chosen mode of resolution seemed far too damaging to those around her. But during our discussion, I realized that she was fighting for more than the salvation of her soul (in the strictly religious sense): as many of you pointed out, she was fighting for her very selfhood, for the truth of her mind, for affirmation of her sanity. But one important piece of evidence for this reading was not mentioned last night: the true nature of the imposter's crime -- which was, in fact, a crime against selfhood. No matter how decent a man he turned out to be, he was still guilty of the most fundamental sort of fraud: that of the usurper of somebody else's selfhood. This tragic pair – one whose self-knowledge, sanity, and very selfhood were under attack, and the other an unrepentant denier of selfhood, a sort of "self-snatcher" – are stuck in an inevitable conflict that should trouble even the non-religious modern reader. We all have selves – souls – the deepest and most fundamental part of our being. It seems to me that this is precisely what was at stake in this harrowing novel. I had rather little sympathy for Bertrande while reading the novel. Her dilemma seemed too narrowly religious in a way that didn’t speak to me, she seemed more rigid that righteous, and her chosen mode of resolution seemed far too damaging to those around her.

But during our discussion, I realized that she was fighting for more than the salvation of her soul (in the strictly religious sense): as many of you pointed out, she was fighting for her very selfhood, for the truth of her mind, for affirmation of her sanity.

But one important piece of evidence for this reading was not mentioned last night: the true nature of the imposter’s crime — which was, in fact, a crime against selfhood. No matter how decent a man he turned out to be, he was still guilty of the most fundamental sort of fraud: that of the usurper of somebody else’s selfhood.

This tragic pair – one whose self-knowledge, sanity, and very selfhood were under attack, and the other an unrepentant denier of selfhood, a sort of “self-snatcher” – are stuck in an inevitable conflict that should trouble even the non-religious modern reader. We all have selves – souls – the deepest and most fundamental part of our being. It seems to me that this is precisely what was at stake in this harrowing novel.

]]> Comment on by Wallis Leslie http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=555#comment-15 Wallis Leslie Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:13:50 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=555#comment-15 Cynthia Haven' s discussion leaves me wondering why reposeful, blessed Janet Lewis would pursue such a vision of "no new order or personal redemption, but only more chaos" and then honor and disseminate it with high art. Cynthia Haven’ s discussion leaves me wondering why reposeful, blessed Janet Lewis would pursue such a vision of “no new order or personal redemption, but only more chaos” and then honor and disseminate it with high art.

]]> Comment on by Jenifer Tice http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=359#comment-11 Jenifer Tice Mon, 19 Nov 2012 16:29:10 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=359#comment-11 Sorry that I missed the discussion, but thank you for recommending the book. It was well worth reading, and certain phrases like "the shine went out of everything" resonate with anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. I also loved his description of familiar objects bringing comfort. A remarkably effective piece of work. Sorry that I missed the discussion, but thank you for recommending the book. It was well worth reading, and certain phrases like “the shine went out of everything” resonate with anyone who has experienced the loss of a loved one. I also loved his description of familiar objects bringing comfort. A remarkably effective piece of work.

]]> Comment on by Wallis Leslie http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=359#comment-9 Wallis Leslie Thu, 18 Oct 2012 22:13:21 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=359#comment-9 Hi Tobias Wolff, Wonderful comment about your giving a gift of this book to the whole community by hosting this event. Your own books and readings have been a great gift to me. thank you, Wallis Leslie Hi Tobias Wolff,

Wonderful comment about your giving a gift of this book to the whole community by hosting this event. Your own books and readings have been a great gift to me.

thank you,
Wallis Leslie

]]> Comment on Excerpt from the book by clh http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=307#comment-7 clh Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:22:07 +0000 http://www.stanford.edu/group/bookclub/cgi-bin/wordpress/?page_id=307#comment-7 It's a great book, Lucinda. Have you read it yet? Hope to see you on November 12! It’s a great book, Lucinda. Have you read it yet? Hope to see you on November 12!

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