FReeper Book Club: Atlas Shrugged, This is John Galt Speaking

A Publius/Billthedrill Essay | 18 July 2009 | Publius & Billthedrill

[Publius]

Ah, not going to bite into that madelaine, are we?

[definitelynotaliberal]

Mais, non!

[r-q-tek86]

Ping me when you start... I’ve always had an interest in medicine

[r-q-tek86]

Reagan’s speech had little immediate impact, but it was the manifesto for a movement. Some 16 years later it bore fruit.

True. It had to wait for people to see the real result of The Great Society and begin to get desperate before they would heed his words. I hope we don't have to wait as long this time. I've got nine people that depend on me for a paycheck every two weeks that I would hate to disappoint.

[Billthedrill]

LOL - it was a commentary on our respective cultural tastes. I actually tried to slog my way through Swann's Way one time and gave up. Proust wrote seven volumes of that stuff. I have to admire his persistence.

Let's toss this one out to the Book Club - what do you folks think might be a good subject?

[r-q-tek86]

notalib... Did you see that Pub and Bill are writing a book based on this series?

Pub and Bill... Sounds like a line is forming for that book of yours. How are things going with the publishing houses?

[Radix]

Me being a high school drop out and all seriously left me ill prepared for my first college course in English as well as the other subjects.

I managed to get my act together after a few months of working in a shoe warehouse.

In my English1 course, a few “auditors” showed up one day and though not disruptive, certainly opened up my awareness to what I suppose can only be referred to as “critical” analysis with their challenging insights to the particular work that we were exploring at that time.

I have been a fan of the interpretation of literature ever since.

You two have been quite appreciated from here since these threads began several months ago. Thanks for that.

I read Atlas a couple of years ago. I think that I got it, but your insights have been most helpful to me since this series started.

I suspect that you two have a history together involving academics. Cannot tell for sure, but you certainly have raised yourselves in my estimation after this work.

You make me want to post less and not appear as ignorant as I actually am.

[Lee N. Field]

Augustine of Hippo, a converted Gnostic

Augustine was a Manichean.

[Publius]

Our agent is circulating it around. Haven’t heard much of late. We’ll see.

[r-q-tek86]

what do you folks think might be a good subject?

It is going to be hard to follow such an epic as AS although I like the idea of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers that Pub mentioned upthread.

[Publius]

Check Posts #12 and #48.

[EBH]

This is John Galt Speaking Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOt6rUkU5xY

This is John Galt Speaking Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luKo_w-EVmU

This is John Galt Speaking Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7T0B1OUAFA

This is ....Part 4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfgFd9MJYg8

Part 5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ArrEYig5SI

For more visit
http://www.youtube.com/user/XCowboy2

[depressed in 06]

You have sacrificed reason to faith hope.

Currently, more apt.

[r-q-tek86]

what do you folks think might be a good subject?

Perhaps a look on the dark side such as Das Capital or the Communist Manifesto?

[alfa6]

Thansk gents for the fine series. It has given me something to look forward to on the weekends.

I first read AS back in 1973 when I was in college. It was probably the one thing most responsible for me becoming a conservative/liberterian of sorts.

I just finished re-reading it in February-March of this year while recovering from hand and arm surgery. As a commenter noted earlier in the thread we arte living it now.

I am looking forward to rereading this thread to get a better undertsnading of Galt’s speech.

Regards

alfa6 ;>}

[Billthedrill]

Capital is three volumes of pure misery. At least Rand broke the monotony occasionally with a scene of Dagny getting her clothing torn off. The Manifesto, though, is exceedingly interesting reading, IMHO, especially the "historically inevitable" parts Marx had to fudge twenty years later in Capital when they didn't come to pass.

I was actually thinking in terms of fiction. For non-fiction I like Publius's idea.

OTOH, a little rewrite could make Capital more accessible. "'Oh, Hans!' she gasped, grasping the torn remnants of her silk blouse against her nubile body. 'Tell me again about ze relations of production und ze labor theory of value, you beast!'" Hot puppydogs, we got us a best-seller on our hands there... ;-)

[r-q-tek86]

I’ve watched a few of these and the answer to the question of whether people would listen to the whole speech may be answered by the diminishing views each successive section had received.

[r-q-tek86]

I was actually thinking in terms of fiction. For non-fiction I like Publius's idea.

Ok... Fed papers or Nurses it is

[MrsPatriot]

But he renounced Manicheanism when he converted to Christianity.

[Clinging Bitterly]

Any way you slice it they run a long time.

I cheated with the whole book in audio (running some 53 hours) and even with that the Galt speech did not receive my undivided attention.

But so much of the substance is elsewhere in the book, it is as Pub said, there but to allow the rest of the work to take place.