Hello Mr. Bean! I'm in the process of reading Pro Bono, and I have a few questions, if you don't mind. Um, is Mr. Fowler and Roger in the same party? If so, why did Fowler consider him as competition? How many parties are there? Does Roger's party have both the leftist and non-leftist members? I'm confused. But I'm rather fond of Jack Percival. I appreciate his dedication and his frankness. And the mysterious case with the trees is most intriguing! I sympathize with Roger, but I'm not all too happy about how he turned out. I don't blame him though. The perks the pathh he chose offered is irresistibly tempting. And what happened to Vic Fowler is very unfortunate. He allowed the one incident of deceit that ruined his father's chance at progress ruin his moral character. It's very sad. Anyways, thanks again for the book! Take care, Princess
Well Princess, men are men the world over and although they may have very differnent cultural backgrounds, an interest in women is a factor that is is common to them all. There are others such a physical prowess ( sport) and money that take up much of their time but getting a woman(en) is their most pressing concern. That is if they are normal heterosexual males. You may have noticed that the number of men contributing to the thread is relatively small compared to those who are on the literary forum, which is a pity, but I think that some of them are only interested in that side of things and never visit the General Chat forum; probably because it is mostly trivial stuff of no interest to the older members. That is why I suggested to the moderators that a sub-forum be set up concerning serious topics. The current topic on that sub-forum is about piracy, which has been much in the news of late but, even so, some frequent posters on the Literature forum still don't seem to know about it or just simply aren't interested in anything other than books. I'm all in favour of an involvement with literature but if it's to the exclusion of everything else, I think it is a narow-minded attitude. I think quite a lot of bookish people are loners who, despite their natural interest, don't get involved with members of the opposite sex because they see books as their own domain and don't want outsiders intruding and bookworms are required to spend more of their free time following what is a solitary pursuit anyway, but whilst books may be a substitute for real life, they can never replace it entirely. I have seen this conflict between the day to day existence and the imaginary one of literature played out in a number of posts to the General Literature forum. No matter how much we like to live in a parallel universe, where everything is absorbing and seemingly more important, we cannot escape the real world and if we seek to do so we will inevitably fail.
Hello Mr. Bean! I've noticed that no matter where you guys are from, or how different your culture is, you men seem to be thinking along the same line... My 'research' is going pretty well!
Yes, it is interesting to note that, when we are young, we all seem to want the world to be a better place and it is obviously lack of experience that makes us ask why it isn't. What I don't fully understand are those people who have been around long enough to know that as individuals we, like all living things, are competitive and that it cannot be otherwise; no matter how much we refuse to recognise the fact. Trying to level the playing field flies in the face of nature and will always fail to produce anything other than a weakening of the natural order of things that is essential for the well being, not just of the individual, but everybody. In other words, individual intelligence will out no matter how regrettable the levellers find it and try to contain it in the name of a spurious equality. of course, where people are unequal through poverty or are physically handicapped in some way they should be encouraged to overcome their lack of opportunity, but even here there will be those who will advance and those who will to stay on the sidelines. In connection with this, I will be posting a link on the music social group soon which shows how young people from a very poor background in Venezuela have been encouraged to form an orchestra and give public concerts. I have two recordings by famous orchestras of the piece concerned but I doubt if any orchestra has ever played it with same conviction as those young people. It is by Tchaikovsky and, as might be expected, it is an emotional piece but doubly so when you see how those youngsters live the music. I think that being a teenager is something that started in the USA the 1950s. Prior to that young people's spending power was somewhat limited and there was very little kudos in trying to exploit them. Once they started to aquire some of the increasing wealth generated by the post-war boom, a new creature "the teenager" was created by the media and ways were devised of relieving them of their money. Earlier, teenagers were referred to as young men and women; most of whom couldn't wait to grow up and enjoy those things that were the preseve of adults. With the advent of the teenager the situation has been reversed and you can now find 40 year old "teenagers" trying desperately not to grow up and behaving like silly kids. It's all bit sad really and you will find echos of it in Pro Bono Publico. So if you don't fit into the teenage mould, don't worry about it; in a few years time you will be grown woman anyway. If you prefer the company of older peple, you will obviously learn more useful things than indulging in chatter about so called "celebrities" and "pop music;" which is the biggest and most lucrative scam ever perpetuated on a gullible public. Incidentally, just in case you get to wondering about the sex scandal in Pro Bono Publico that launched a thousand pop groups both here and abroad, it was known as the Profumo Affair. I don't know very much about Marcos but I remember when Aquino was assasinated at Manila airport on his return from exile. And Marcos is said to have amassed a large fortune through corruption in much the same way as Suharto did in Indonesia but without further study I can't comment on him as a leader. Enjoy your painting. Brian P.S. I just picked up on your last post and I don't think the other guys are too concerned about you hanging around the thread. Like me they probably have a soft spot for young ladies.
Hi there Mr. Bean! I'm having a very good time in the blokes' thread! *giggles* You people are so much fun to hang around with! I hope you don't mind a teenage girl hijacking the guys' thread. Love lots, Princess
Ayn Rand was actually recommended to me by my mentor in debate. He's 3 years older than me and he's graduating this March. I guess we just have so much in common (philosophies, temperaments, sense of humor, etc.) that we got along great. Anyway, I remember having a socialist point of view in grade school. I used to envision a world where everyone is equal, no social castes, no rich or poor. No one would go hungry and everyone is given the same opportunities for education, housing, and such. Man would not envy his neighbor because there is nothing he would be jealous of. But I guess the notion was quite short-lived. At an early age, I'm very observant and rather inquisitive. (I still am, I believe.) I couldn't help notice how people truly are. I couldn't find sense or justification in the way other people would demand those who are clearly better than them in terms of ability and skill to serve or as they put it, 'help' them just because they believe they're helpless. I mean, how could you help someone who couldn't help himself? And growing up in a family who is somewhat liberal and who respects ability and reason, I was rather hesitant in giving my sympathy to those kind of people. This feeling, however, was suppressed, because it would seem that society deems this as selfish. I could see nothing wrong in bettering oneself, achieving one's goals and purpose, and believing in Man's ability to help himself. I remember as a child I would sometimes (well, oftentimes) side with the villain, seeing that the antagonist is clearly better than the hero, only that his actions were misguided and clouded with the bitterness of having the protagonist praised for his mediocrity, just because the hero 'feels' more than him. As you can see, I look at things rather differently than most people. It's difficult living with this kind of philosophy. It's because of Ayn Rand I've decided that enough is enough; I will not be crucified for being good at what I do. I have many tales regarding this, if you'd like to know more. It's funny how you say I'm wise beyond my years. A friend of mine whose also three years older than me said I should try being a teenager for once. And my roommate said I have a mind of an adult (70+ years old she says) and a heart of a child. It's bittersweet for me though. I mean, I don't make the mistakes most teenagers my age make; I always seem to know better. Although this prevents me from getting into trouble, it also narrows down my intimate circle of friends. I can't seem to relate well with them. Even as a little girl, I would prefer the company of teachers or other adults than that of my peers. I'm more at ease with the grown-ups and the conversations are always more engaging. And I can tell that they too enjoy my company. I guess it's a pleasure for them to share their pearls of wisdom with someone from a younger generation. But I kinda find it hard talking with those from my age group. I'm easily bored with talks about a celebrity's love life or the latest cheap gossip. Sigh... Growing up is definitely different for me. Probably another reason why my mentor and I got along so well. To be honest, he's probably the only one in school who really gets me. I haven't gotten around to painting it yet. I still have to buy the paint and the brushes. Turns out my uncle's paints are not that very good for the canvas. I thought of the bowl of fruit for my first painting because I thought it would be best to stick with the basics first. I don't think you'll see much of me in the pictures though since I'm the one who holds the camera! Let's just say I'm very cameraphobic. I'm not very confident being photographed. By the way, Marcos was my childhood hero. I was the only one in my class who didn't see him as a monstrous dictator. To me, the man was a genius. LOL! Love lots, Princess
Your interest in Ayn Rand is unusual for someone of your age. Most young people seem to hold the opposite view of life and I suspect that in a many cases it is because they are subjected to that particular ideology by their teachers; teaching being a profession that is known to be predominantly left-wing. At your age I was a supporter of the socialist viewpoint but grew out of it when I discovered how the world really works as opposed to how I wanted it to. Perhaps you are wise beyond your years but in any case, you will not have to go through life banging your head against a wall as so many others do. By antithesis I meant in style as The Fateful Circle uses dialogue and is completely different in it's storyline. I suppose I could write a book from the left-wing angle but, unlike Pro Bon Publico, it would totally without conviction. I am still waiting for the Australian to contact me about The Fateful Circle. Maybe he has forgotten about it or found something similar to read instead. Don't worry too much about the pictures, I can wait for them but I hope you feature among them. I just threw in Fernand Leger from the top of my head. I don't know much about him except that he seemed to paint lots of squares adjacent to each other and in very bright colours. I have just taken from my bookcase a copy of Purely for my Pleasure by Somerset Maugham, which is a book of paintings that he owned, and has a painting by Leger called Les Toits de Paris. Well, I have seen the roofs of Paris many times from various hotel rooms and they never looked like that. I suppose that it's all in the mind, rather than the eye, of the beholder. If you do paint the bowl of fruit, you will be among many others; as you point out, it isn't the most original subject, but I should be interested to see what you make of it even though my critisism will be based on a very slight knowlege of painting. It is a coincidence that you are reminded of President Marcos and his wife by Roger and Marion Percival, because you will see that they too become powerful and fabulously wealthy by the end of the novel. Best wishes, Brian
Hello Mr. Bean! Atlas Shrugged is definitely one helluva book! I'm left breathless every time I stop reading! There's just so much to take in! It meant a whole lot to me because Rand seemed to name the things I somehow already knew long ago, but I either just couldn't put my finger on it or I just try to refuse the thought because its socially unacceptable. I'm just overwhelmed to find out I'm not alone. An antithesis to Pro Bono? Oh my! I just couldn't imagine it to be honest! I mean, isn't it extremely difficult to write about both sides? Or have I misunderstood? Is it an antithesis in terms of the philosophy and content or is it in terms of style? I'm confused. Looks like you've sparked another LitNetter to become interested in your work. I'd very much like to discuss the book with him or her too! I'm still waiting for the call center to call. So far no luck yet. Oh well. I'm looking to see if I can find a job in a coffee shop or local publication. But I don't think our place has many of those. I haven't talked to my classmate yet and it's a bit difficult to get a hold of him this summer since he's probably on vacation. I haven't even seen the pictures again myself! I'm quite sure I'm no Fernand Leger! He's work is rather, um, precise, and I can't even color within the lines! I had a hard time deciding what to paint, but I've finally decided on a classic just two days ago --- the bowl of fruit! I haven't started yet though. But when I do finish, it'll be a pleasure to email you the picture of the picture for your valued criticism. I've been writing notes on the book, making comparisons with the concepts I've gotten from Ayn Rand. I haven't gotten very far yet though. But I'm enjoying myself. Oh, by the way, Roger and his courtship with Marion reminds me of our former President Marcos and his wife Imelda. Love lots, Princess
Hi Princess, I'm glad that you have managed to start on the book and it's interesting what you say about Atlas Shrugged. I had never heard of Ayn Rand until some time after I wrote Pro Bono Publico but I suppose people of a conservative cast of mind will often think alike. I promise you the book gets more into the characters as the story proceeds. As I said a while ago, the fact that the book is primarily concerned with politics and the law made me think that narration was more appropriate than dialogue; athough perhaps it would have appealed to the more general reader if I had used dialogue. The Fateful Circle,which I wrote as an alternative, is the antithesis of Pro Bono Publico, in that it is a psychological drama and devoid of political content. As a novel I think it is better written than the first book because I was able to concentrate on character development by way of dialogue. A member of the forum has asked me to send him a copy when he has relocated to another part of Australia as he was looking for a novel that had a psychological background with an intriguing plot. If you would like a copy when you have finished the first book just let me know. Have you managed to find a part time job yet? I remember you were going after a call centre post. I know you are keen to be doing something towards paying for your studies although, as I said, I think it would be better if you were able to take it easy for the summer break. I suppose that you will not be able to send me pictures of your field trip until you go back to college but I still look forward to seeing them when you manage to get hold of your friend's camera. What about your painting idea, are you still going to take it up? Maybe, at some future date, you will be able to send me a picture of something you have painted. I would be interested to see if we have a new Fernand Leger among us. As for myself, I have remained glued to my computer and contributing to some of the more amusing and interesting threads on the forums. Much of the stuff on the General Literature forum seems to go round in circles. I mean, that as more new members join, they naturally start talking about subjects that have already been discussed many times over but it is still one of the best forums around. Quite a few of the posts are pretty bland and some are overdone but generally the content remains informative and interesting, and the fact that the views expressed are from all over the world makes it particularly attractive; not to say addictive. I look forward to your views on the book and you can always ask me if there is something you need to know about it. Be good, Brian.
Hello Mr. Bean! I've started reading your book. I think you've been exaggerating a bit when you said it might be tediously boring in the first parts. I don't find it so. I had to look up a few things though to really get into the story. It is very reminiscent of Atlas Shrugged to be honest, only in a British setting. That's why it makes me read it even more!) Your book seems to prove Rand's theory. As to the style of the book, however, your friend may have a point when he/she said it would have been better if there was some dialogue in the story. To me, dialogues gives the reader the in-depth look into the characters' personality, nature, etc. The reader can get really drawn into the story if he/she is just presented with what is rather than if he/she goes along with the narrator's view of things. But anyway, how are you? What have you been up to these past few days? Love lots, Princess
