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whoischels's reviews
104 reviews
Discovering the Clown, or the Funny Book of Good Acting by Christopher Bayes
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.0
Read this as part of my self-improvement initiative where I read specific books I've avoided and general books on subjects that scare me or make me uncomfortable. The progression has been: snakes/venom > Lolita by Nabokov > clowns. After this, I will read Blood Meridian.
I read this because I wanted to know more about the theory of clowns. Like why people are drawn to this as a hobby or career. Bayes is clear that the clown uncovers the unsocialized self, a self that wants to be immature and have unmitigated fun. In that respect, it seems clowns make me uncomfortable because of an internalized fear of the unsocialized self.
That said, I think Bayes has a very US-centric view of clowns. I did not finish but began to read a book on the semiotics of clowns, and it seems that in Europe the auguste clown that Bayes coaches was historically paired with a whiteface clown. The acts the auguste and whiteface do are meant to satirize social class interactions--the downtrodden, goofy auguste and the well-kempt, sometimes supercilious upperclass whiteface. Within that context, the meaning of the auguste clown that Bayes talks about coaxing out of an actor seems a bit individualistic in a uniquely American way. I have more thoughts on this, but I'll have to actually finish the clown semiotics book.
CONTENT WARNING: clowns
I read this because I wanted to know more about the theory of clowns. Like why people are drawn to this as a hobby or career. Bayes is clear that the clown uncovers the unsocialized self, a self that wants to be immature and have unmitigated fun. In that respect, it seems clowns make me uncomfortable because of an internalized fear of the unsocialized self.
That said, I think Bayes has a very US-centric view of clowns. I did not finish but began to read a book on the semiotics of clowns, and it seems that in Europe the auguste clown that Bayes coaches was historically paired with a whiteface clown. The acts the auguste and whiteface do are meant to satirize social class interactions--the downtrodden, goofy auguste and the well-kempt, sometimes supercilious upperclass whiteface. Within that context, the meaning of the auguste clown that Bayes talks about coaxing out of an actor seems a bit individualistic in a uniquely American way. I have more thoughts on this, but I'll have to actually finish the clown semiotics book.
CONTENT WARNING: clowns
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Obligatory 4 star. Read this again because it was trending on Twitter some months ago for reasons I can't remember. As an adult reading this, it really beats you over the head with themes, yet handles them very sublimely. I see why they made us read this in high school.
I will say that reading this while under the assumption that Nick is gay really makes you understand the character interactions better than assuming he's straight.
I will say that reading this while under the assumption that Nick is gay really makes you understand the character interactions better than assuming he's straight.
Piranesi by Susanna Clarke
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Holy sh**?
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
challenging
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Merchant and the Alchemist's Gate - 4
This story explores time travel with awareness of the constraints of it. It's a great thought exercise and a well-crafted story. While it isn't structured like an essay at all, the three parts of it (told as stories by a character similarly to Arabian nights), it somewhat feels like one...each part explicitly backs up Chiang's ideas about how time travel might work.
Exhalation - 5
A weird story about a race of beings whose thoughts are driven by the play of air over their processing centers, and what a scientist of that race might have to do in order to understand how their brains work. A metaphorical stab at answering the question of whether the self is defined by the parts that make up the brain and the thoughts in it, or if the self is defined by our interactions with the things outside of us.
Remarkably well-thought out world building for such a short story.
What's Expected of Us - 4
A fun little device called a Predictor, which lights up a second before you press it--every time, without fail--is the precursor to a worldwide epidemic of catatonia. Because the Predictor provides proof that fate is determined and free does not exist, it causes sparks incredible psychological problems for some people. A wonderful little speculative story framed as a sort of news article. Short, to the point, concise.
The Lifecycle of Software Objects - 3.5
I wonder if this was perhaps meant to be a novel, but ended up fizzling out at the novella stage. As is generally the case with Ted Chiang stories, demonstrates incredibly deep thinking about the concept and worldbuilding. Docking points because the voice throughout the story felt a little bland to me.
Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny - 2
This was a very short little story, but it was a slog to get through.
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling - 3.5
Again, a well-thought out concept: a device called Remen which records all of your interactions to a searchable database. Nobody misremembers anything anymore. The story revolves around a journalist writing about the device in the context of his own relationship with his daughter, and his encounters with his own misremembered memories of how he treated her. An excellent concept with an emotional plot to explore it, but was missing a sort of emotive spark.
The Great Silence - 3
A parrot's take on how humans think about extraterrestrial life. Cute. Seems like how a parrot would think about this.
Omphalos - 3
An alternative history where religion is very mixed up in science and perhaps the way the solar system and universe is laid out is totally different from real-Earth? I kind of checked out during reading this, but the concept was excellent.
Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom - 4
I would love to see this adapted into a scam-heist-thriller. I have never read a heist thriller, only watched them, but I believe this one was expertly planned. Great concept, a business around tools that branch off into different universes, but allow communication between them...so that you can talk to yourself or a loved one in a universe where things turned out differently. Provides some good examples of how that goes, but centers around some ways one might immorally profit from this business. Would love to see someone like Charlie Kaufman adapt this.
This story explores time travel with awareness of the constraints of it. It's a great thought exercise and a well-crafted story. While it isn't structured like an essay at all, the three parts of it (told as stories by a character similarly to Arabian nights), it somewhat feels like one...each part explicitly backs up Chiang's ideas about how time travel might work.
Exhalation - 5
A weird story about a race of beings whose thoughts are driven by the play of air over their processing centers, and what a scientist of that race might have to do in order to understand how their brains work. A metaphorical stab at answering the question of whether the self is defined by the parts that make up the brain and the thoughts in it, or if the self is defined by our interactions with the things outside of us.
Remarkably well-thought out world building for such a short story.
What's Expected of Us - 4
A fun little device called a Predictor, which lights up a second before you press it--every time, without fail--is the precursor to a worldwide epidemic of catatonia. Because the Predictor provides proof that fate is determined and free does not exist, it causes sparks incredible psychological problems for some people. A wonderful little speculative story framed as a sort of news article. Short, to the point, concise.
The Lifecycle of Software Objects - 3.5
I wonder if this was perhaps meant to be a novel, but ended up fizzling out at the novella stage. As is generally the case with Ted Chiang stories, demonstrates incredibly deep thinking about the concept and worldbuilding. Docking points because the voice throughout the story felt a little bland to me.
Dacey's Patent Automatic Nanny - 2
This was a very short little story, but it was a slog to get through.
The Truth of Fact, the Truth of Feeling - 3.5
Again, a well-thought out concept: a device called Remen which records all of your interactions to a searchable database. Nobody misremembers anything anymore. The story revolves around a journalist writing about the device in the context of his own relationship with his daughter, and his encounters with his own misremembered memories of how he treated her. An excellent concept with an emotional plot to explore it, but was missing a sort of emotive spark.
The Great Silence - 3
A parrot's take on how humans think about extraterrestrial life. Cute. Seems like how a parrot would think about this.
Omphalos - 3
An alternative history where religion is very mixed up in science and perhaps the way the solar system and universe is laid out is totally different from real-Earth? I kind of checked out during reading this, but the concept was excellent.
Anxiety is the Dizziness of Freedom - 4
I would love to see this adapted into a scam-heist-thriller. I have never read a heist thriller, only watched them, but I believe this one was expertly planned. Great concept, a business around tools that branch off into different universes, but allow communication between them...so that you can talk to yourself or a loved one in a universe where things turned out differently. Provides some good examples of how that goes, but centers around some ways one might immorally profit from this business. Would love to see someone like Charlie Kaufman adapt this.