Author: Rev. Joe Dirt

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20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

20000_Leagues_Under_Seas_1110This book was not quite what I expected. What little I knew about this story was from seeing bits and pieces of the various movies based on this book. The movies emphasize the adventure aspect of book. Perhaps the best way to describe the book would a travelogue for 20,000 leagues most of which was under the sea.

Towards the end of the book Professor Aronnax is reviewing his time aboard the Nautilus. He does so in a short paragraph:

“My nerves were somewhat calmer, but in my excited brain I saw over again all my existence on board the Nautilus; every incident, either happy or unfortunate, which had happened since my disappearance from the Abraham Lincoln—the submarine hunt, the Torres Straits, the savages of Papua, the running ashore, the coral cemetery, the passage of Suez, the Island of Santorin, the Cretan diver, Vigo Bay, Atlantis, the iceberg, the South Pole, the imprisonment in the ice, the fight among the poulps, the storm in the Gulf Stream, the Avenger, and the horrible scene of the vessel sunk with all her crew. All these events passed before my eyes like scenes in a drama.

It is these events that Hollywood has sucked out of the book to make movies. Continue reading “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne”

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An Antarctic Mystery, or The Sphinx of the Ice Fields by Jules Verne

an_antarctic_mystery_coverI supposed there are a few ways to look at this novel. Perhaps Jules Verne was riffing on Edgar Allan Poe. Perhaps, given Poe’s sense of the macabre, Verne was collaborating with a departed Poe. Or perhaps, like me, Verne found the ending of Poe’s book was less than satisfying, and he decided to do something about it. The book I am referring to is Edgar Allan Poe’s The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket

In Poe’s book, after a series of adventures two of the main characters are adrift in the Antarctic Ocean in a small boat. Poe envisioned an Antarctic that was warmer than the reality we know to be true. This Antarctic may have been heated by thermal action. The novel ends with the two of them in a mist or fog when suddenly a huge human like figure appears as the boat rushes towards some rapids. The explanation given by the author Continue reading “An Antarctic Mystery, or The Sphinx of the Ice Fields by Jules Verne”

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The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Hunchback_of_Notre_Dame_1004This is a book that I believe most folks are aware of and probably have some inkling of the story. I would also hazard a guess it is a book that most folks have not read and the story is not really what they think.

I was interested in movies that may have been made based on The Hunchback of Notre Dame. There are several. The list is not complete.

  1. From 1923 starring Lon Chaney, Patsy Ruth Miller, Norman Kerry, Nigel de Brulier, Brandon Hurst and others
  2. From 1939 starring Charles Laughton, Maureen O’Hara, Cedric Hardwicke, Thomas Mitchell, Edmond O’Brien and others
  3. From 1956 starring Gina Lollobrigida, Anthony Quinn, Jean Danet, Alain Cuny, Robert Hirsch and others
  4. From 1976 made for TV movie starring Kenneth Haigh, Michelle Newell, Warren Clarke and others
  5. An animated Walt Disney version from 1996
  6. From 1997 made for TV version that can be found on YouTube starring Mandy Patinkin, Richard Harris, Salma Hayek and others

The one that surprises me the most is the Disney film. I have not seen it, but I cannot imagine Continue reading “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”

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The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe

Narrative_Arthur_Gordon_Pym_1108Edgar Allan Poe is best known for his short stories and poetry, particularly the poem The Raven. In researching Poe I discovered that he is known as the founder of the detective fiction genre and credited with reinventing science fiction. During his lifetime he was best known as a literary critic. In reading the Wikipedia article I had another myth burst. I was always under the impression that Poe was a drug addict and died from such a life style. Poe had his issues, alcoholism may have been one of them, but many of the negative qualities associated with Poe are the result of a smear campaign by an enemy of his, Rufus Wilmot Griswold and a public all too willing to be titillated. However, Poe did die in mysterious circumstances and his death has been attributed to a cornucopia of etiologies.

The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket is Poe’s only novel, although not a long one. It is a book in 3 distinct parts.

The first part is the classic sea adventure story. A young man is desirous of going to sea for the adventures he believes he will encounter. His parents and grandfather are adamantly opposed to his plan. Continue reading “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe”

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The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy

death_ivanilyitch_1104I cannot quite identify what draws me to Russian literature of the late 1800s, but it speaks to me. I’ve read many of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s books and several Leo Tolstoy’s.   I came across this little gem while perusing a list recommended literature.

It is in many ways a classic Russian work. Our protagonist is a judge who worked his way up by first going to the provinces and by a bit of luck too. He is a talented judge and unusual for these type of tales, an honest judge. He married as it seemed the thing to do, and that it was expected of people in his profession and social situation.   His marriage is not a happy one, but does produce several children. As in many Russian novels, there are money difficulties. It does not seem to matter what he makes, the family’s wants expand to the income and a little more. As his marriage deteriorates and other difficulties crowd in, he buries himself in his work. All of this is not an uncommon tale.

What I admire about Tolstoy is his ability to zero on the absurdities of human life. Continue reading “The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy”

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ObamaCare for Dummies

This is a very NON-PARTISAN explanation of the Affordable Care Act aka ObamaCare.  It strikes me that a large number of folks are opposed to ObamaCare and actually have little or no understanding of what it really is.

One issue I hear a lot is that folks are afraid that they will be taxed to subsidize freeloaders.  IMHO this is happening already in two ways.  The first would be excessive corporate profits.  There is a reason insurance executives can be paid those huge salaries and bonuses.  Secondly, when poor folks have no other health care option but to show up at an emergency room we are taxed for by the cost be shifted into other arenas of the hospital and passed on to paying patients.

Health resources are limited which means they need to be triaged.  The question becomes do you want the government triaging your health care or a for profit corporation.  Seniors seem to love the governments Medicare program.  Native Americans seem to find Indian Health Care more than acceptable.  My personal issue with ObamaCare is that is leaves too much in the private sector, but I realize it was probably the best that could be done at the time.

At least invest the 15 minutes or so in a very well done video before you absolutely decide one way or the other about ObamaCare.  Far too many of us many political decisions along partisan lines without all the information.  Far too many of our politicians do not speak to the issue, but work on our fears.  Educating yourself is at least a start in the right direction.

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The Sea Wolf by Jack London

Sea_Wolf_1005London is probably best known for his book The Call of the Wild and possibly White Fang. London had a short but very prolific career. He was first published at 21 and had drunk himself to death by the time he was 40. The actual cause of his death was a morphine overdose. It remains unknown whether it was accidental or a suicide. He detailed his alcoholism in John Barleycorn or Alcoholic Memoirs. In some ways he had great insight into his alcoholism and at the same time practice great denial. He also wrote a very good book on the slums of London, The People of the Abyss.

I had not heard of The Sea Wolf which only points out my literary ignorance. After reading the book I wondered if they had ever made a movie of it. They have a few times. There is the 1941 version starring Edward G. Robinson. There is a 1993 made for TV movie starring Charles Bronson and Christopher Reeves. There is also a TV mini-series from 2009.

As I was researching the movies I came across a review of the book that stated more than a few critics have called it possibly The Great American Novel. I am not sure I would go quite that far, but I would definitely put it high company. Continue reading “The Sea Wolf by Jack London”