"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless" For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief. These are two lines from one of my favorite pieces of literature (Ecclesiastes) written by King Solomon around 935 B.C. It's quite brief but filled with so much intelligence; I find myself always coming back to it. Check it out if you haven't already
There's a line from Book I that really spoke to me: "The first rule of farming is to never expect an easy way". On the surface, the Georgics is an ancient Roman poem about farming instructions, but it's secretly a book about dealing with the inevitable misfortunes of life. Some things are just out of our control. You can do everything right, and a storm can still barge in and tear it all down. We can't control the weather, but we can control how we respond to it. The Georgics have a lot in common with the much more recent Serenity Prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference". They both emphasize the importance of knowing and accepting limits and having the resilience to press on through life's many challenges.
As I mail carrier I walk up to seven hours a day (except Sundays) and its nice most of the time but in my case I wish I walked less. So little time to do everything and have time to read. Love your subject matter! Unfortunately I've only ever read an excerpt of the Georgics. From book four. His way of describing bees was so wonderful! I was rather sad when I finished. As to the farmer: 'in cheer he matched the wealth of kings, and late returning home at night he loaded his table with banquets unbought.'
Have you ever given Gene Wolfe a try? The Book of the New Sun is his masterpiece, but I think you'd have a ball with Peace or The Fifth Head of Cerberus. Always read Wolfe at least Twice. Give him a shot. He's incredible.
Read The Sacred and The Profane by Mircea Eliade, The Golden Bough by James George Frazer, The White Goddess by Robert Graves. "Meaning" is based on perception. Additional authors to consider/contemplate: Terence McKenna, Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, Aleister Crowley and of course the great poets both past and present. The Birth of Tragedy by Nietzsche is a decent place to begin for newcomers to such concepts.
Love your reviews! So glad to have subscribed to your channel! I have recently started reviewing on facebook, not sure if I'm ready for youtube just yet! You're truly an inspiration!! X
"Being and Time " from Martin Heidegger would totally fit as a companion to this. Pretty tough reading but life changing. You should also give Borges another go... (I mean please :-) )
I am sorry to hear about your grandfather, deaths always tend to make people's minds wander to their outer limits but thank you for the amazing video. You have yet again made my weekend. Also I don't know if it will matter but because of your reviews I have picked up two books that you have reviewed and can not wait to read them as well as a film from your other channel. The way you talk about literature and film for that matter is truly inspiring and thought provoking. I feel very oddly connected to the way you think and dare I say it nourished after watching some of your reviews. So I am curious to know if you, my very handsome friend, may also be better than food?
So true. I remember the moment I earned enough money to buy my first car. I was 24. Up until then I walked to work (2 jobs) everyday which was about 2 hours of walking everyday. I bought a car and started law school at the same time...talk about a health nose dive!!!
What the hell is going on right now? Werner Herzog? Jean Cocteau? Recommending Black Orpheus? I don't know many people that know film this well. But books and films? O_O And Cocteau's Orpheus is pretty good if I may say so myself. It's pretty much just an updated Blood of a Poet.
I loved the excerpts you read in this video. It would be great if you did more classical literature. I'm sure you don't consider yourself any sort of authority, but you still make me want to read Virgil so...
Cliff, you mentioned that you haven't read The Divine Comedy. I was very curious to know your opinion on this work. I found it boring how he just walks from person to person asking them about their sins. The translated poetry didn't feel as profound as I'm sure it feels in Italian. The Catholic concept of hell is extremely obnoxious, and I found it sad that there's suicide victims, gay people, and "witches" in hell, among others who seemed to perform incredible innocuous acts. That, and it's extremely anachronistic and requires notes to understand it. Those are my thoughts, and I got a ton of "negative comment karma" on reddit on their classics board (I think reddit is stupid in general and I almost never use it). I would love to know your thoughts on the Comedy, I've only read Inferno. Thanks!
The "requires notes to understand it" and also the endless parts about Dante's political enemies being in hell is really annoying, I think purgatory is one of the best parts, not too much over top torture or but not much sweetness that the heaven section has. The heaven section is so over top sweet, I can't stand it. I read the whole thing, very imaginative and beautifully written, in terms of poetic form it is some of the best you will read. Its soo much of its own time, it is hard to connect to such a story in my opinion. I connect more with John Milton, I love the story of Satan and the fall of humanity, much more interesting. I could live without dante but not milton.
There's an interesting Borges essay about how kafka and Virgil didn't truly want their work destroyed but merely 'longed to disburden themselves of the responsibility that a literary work imposes on its creator', and if you really wanted to rid the earth of your masterwork you would not assign the task to someone else
Orpheus and Eurydice weren’t readers, I wager. Probably did a bit of walking, I suppose, if mythological characters walk at all. As a painter, I know a number of very intelligent and talented people who don’t do much reading at all. Most are interesting people in a shallow way. Intelligent but only in a narrow sense. Underdeveloped, if you get what I mean. Good people but, at best, bright children.
Think the overall literacy rate is probably as high as its ever been in the West,. Our collective ability to comprehend abstract meaning or think critically though....
you do realize that the vast majority of people that existed in the 1800s were illiterate right? as a whole we are the most educated cohort of humans to have ever lived .
Wonderful channel. I do however wish you'd said 'the reader' instead of using the 'c' word at 2.26. Language, as you surely know, shapes how we think of ourselves and others and the world.
I First Liked Your Video Then Started Watching It.. I Think It Speaks A Lot About..How Much I Appreciate You Doing What You Do. Having A Great Time Just Being Here..Learning A Lot..Exploring A Lot..Appreciated!
Time for some women writers, Cliff! Apart from Sontag, there's not been too much of that. How about Aleksijevitj, who recently won the Nobel, or Alice Munroe, or Gertrud Stein, or Woolf, or Morrison, etc..
is God still "too limited of a concept" for you, having listened (and spoken) to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Cliff? Are you still confident in the breadth and depth of your knowledge of God, to dismiss it altogether, and so hastily?
![The Georgics by Virgil translated by Robert Wells [1986]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1RruQyt2_to/mqdefault.jpg)
If times ever get tough, Cliff, I can totally picture you working in some small independent book store recommending Houellebecq to 13 year olds.
+Ryan Eakin Especially 13 year olds! :D
"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless"
For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief.
These are two lines from one of my favorite pieces of literature (Ecclesiastes) written by King Solomon around 935 B.C. It's quite brief but filled with so much intelligence; I find myself always coming back to it. Check it out if you haven't already
+Dane Schneider Wooooow goddamn is that cool...Thank you, I certainly will.
+Better Than Food: Book Reviews you're welcome, keep up the great reviews
There's a line from Book I that really spoke to me: "The first rule of farming is to never expect an easy way". On the surface, the Georgics is an ancient Roman poem about farming instructions, but it's secretly a book about dealing with the inevitable misfortunes of life. Some things are just out of our control. You can do everything right, and a storm can still barge in and tear it all down. We can't control the weather, but we can control how we respond to it.
The Georgics have a lot in common with the much more recent Serenity Prayer: "Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference".
They both emphasize the importance of knowing and accepting limits and having the resilience to press on through life's many challenges.
As I mail carrier I walk up to seven hours a day (except Sundays) and its nice most of the time but in my case I wish I walked less. So little time to do everything and have time to read.
Love your subject matter! Unfortunately I've only ever read an excerpt of the Georgics. From book four. His way of describing bees was so wonderful! I was rather sad when I finished.
As to the farmer:
'in cheer he matched the wealth of kings, and late returning
home at night he loaded his table with banquets unbought.'
Have you ever given Gene Wolfe a try? The Book of the New Sun is his masterpiece, but I think you'd have a ball with Peace or The Fifth Head of Cerberus. Always read Wolfe at least Twice. Give him a shot. He's incredible.
"We are withering in muscles and spirit," love that!
Thank you for your review. I highly recommend you to read The Death of Virgil from Hermann Broch.
Nice recommendation. One of the best books I have ever read.
Read The Sacred and The Profane by Mircea Eliade, The Golden Bough by James George Frazer, The White Goddess by Robert Graves. "Meaning" is based on perception. Additional authors to consider/contemplate: Terence McKenna, Robert Anton Wilson, Timothy Leary, Aleister Crowley and of course the great poets both past and present. The Birth of Tragedy by Nietzsche is a decent place to begin for newcomers to such concepts.
Haven’t read this one but will soon, have read the the Aeneid though and is my favorite mythology book. Love your channel.
Love your reviews! So glad to have subscribed to your channel! I have recently started reviewing on facebook, not sure if I'm ready for youtube just yet! You're truly an inspiration!! X
"Being and Time
" from Martin Heidegger would totally fit as a companion to this. Pretty tough reading but life changing. You should also give Borges another go... (I mean please :-) )
I am sorry to hear about your grandfather, deaths always tend to make people's minds wander to their outer limits but thank you for the amazing video. You have yet again made my weekend. Also I don't know if it will matter but because of your reviews I have picked up two books that you have reviewed and can not wait to read them as well as a film from your other channel. The way you talk about literature and film for that matter is truly inspiring and thought provoking. I feel very oddly connected to the way you think and dare I say it nourished after watching some of your reviews. So I am curious to know if you, my very handsome friend, may also be better than food?
So true. I remember the moment I earned enough money to buy my first car. I was 24. Up until then I walked to work (2 jobs) everyday which was about 2 hours of walking everyday. I bought a car and started law school at the same time...talk about a health nose dive!!!
What the hell is going on right now? Werner Herzog? Jean Cocteau? Recommending Black Orpheus? I don't know many people that know film this well. But books and films? O_O
And Cocteau's Orpheus is pretty good if I may say so myself. It's pretty much just an updated Blood of a Poet.
+Mercader de Valencia I'm secretly a very old man - thanks for watchin ;)
I loved the excerpts you read in this video. It would be great if you did more classical literature. I'm sure you don't consider yourself any sort of authority, but you still make me want to read Virgil so...
Awesome, I'll certainly try. Thanks for watching!
I recommend you to read also The Aenid.
Can I ask which translation you read? Adding to my reading list. Very much enjoy your channel!
+Matthew L Sure man, John Holcombe's. Really enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
Hello sir, could you review some Henry Miller? Love what you do
+Joe the Ragman Yup, on the way, appreciate it.
Cliff, you mentioned that you haven't read The Divine Comedy. I was very curious to know your opinion on this work. I found it boring how he just walks from person to person asking them about their sins. The translated poetry didn't feel as profound as I'm sure it feels in Italian. The Catholic concept of hell is extremely obnoxious, and I found it sad that there's suicide victims, gay people, and "witches" in hell, among others who seemed to perform incredible innocuous acts. That, and it's extremely anachronistic and requires notes to understand it. Those are my thoughts, and I got a ton of "negative comment karma" on reddit on their classics board (I think reddit is stupid in general and I almost never use it). I would love to know your thoughts on the Comedy, I've only read Inferno. Thanks!
The "requires notes to understand it" and also the endless parts about Dante's political enemies being in hell is really annoying, I think purgatory is one of the best parts, not too much over top torture or but not much sweetness that the heaven section has. The heaven section is so over top sweet, I can't stand it. I read the whole thing, very imaginative and beautifully written, in terms of poetic form it is some of the best you will read. Its soo much of its own time, it is hard to connect to such a story in my opinion. I connect more with John Milton, I love the story of Satan and the fall of humanity, much more interesting. I could live without dante but not milton.
@@mattjmjmjm4731 Yeah, Purgatorio I actually liked a lot.
There's an interesting Borges essay about how kafka and Virgil didn't truly want their work destroyed but merely 'longed to disburden themselves of the responsibility that a literary work imposes on its creator', and if you really wanted to rid the earth of your masterwork you would not assign the task to someone else
I'm getting addicted to these videos... keep up the great work Cliff!! ps: any love for Joyce commin' soon?
+Better Than Food: Book Reviews
5:40 How do you spell the name of that film school?
+Badwolf504 www.roguefilmschool.com/
Thanks!
I am curious what you think of Thomas Pynchon.
This is some absolutely amazing prose. Do you have any plans to review any of F Scott Fitzgerald's work?
have you read any delillo?
Black Orpheus kicks ass, I'm so glad you mentioned it
Orpheus and Eurydice weren’t readers, I wager. Probably did a bit of walking, I suppose, if mythological characters walk at all. As a painter, I know a number of very intelligent and talented people who don’t do much reading at all. Most are interesting people in a shallow way. Intelligent but only in a narrow sense. Underdeveloped, if you get what I mean. Good people but, at best, bright children.
Wonderful review. Werner is awesome, have you seen his interviews with Paul Holdengraber, I think you'd love Paul Holdengraber.
Think the overall literacy rate is probably as high as its ever been in the West,. Our collective ability to comprehend abstract meaning or think critically though....
you do realize that the vast majority of people that existed in the 1800s were illiterate right? as a whole we are the most educated cohort of humans to have ever lived .
Wonderful channel. I do however wish you'd said 'the reader' instead of using the 'c' word at 2.26. Language, as you surely know, shapes how we think of ourselves and others and the world.
+Denian Arcoleo Thanks for watching - your guitar playing is superb.
+Better Than Food: Book Reviews
Thanks Cliff. I'm so happy to have found your channel.
I hope that someday you'll discuss the greatest of all writers (Marcel Proust).
Have you read Georg Trakl?
I have. One of the best finds of my life. I hope he covers him eventually
What about the greatest american living author?
You mean steven king ? No, I am just making a horrible joke, please dont take it seriously
What's the best, around?
Sorry to hear about your grandfather's passing.
Thanks man - it is what it is, not easy but it'll come to us all.
Do Kierkegaard
well put sir.
I First Liked Your Video Then Started Watching It..
I Think It Speaks A Lot About..How Much I Appreciate You Doing What You Do.
Having A Great Time Just Being Here..Learning A Lot..Exploring A Lot..Appreciated!
u have right
Nice video!
Virgil's prose style sounds so dank . I'm going to scoop this book up G.
Time for some women writers, Cliff! Apart from Sontag, there's not been too much of that. How about Aleksijevitj, who recently won the Nobel, or Alice Munroe, or Gertrud Stein, or Woolf, or Morrison, etc..
Seriously, will never get tired of this guy.
Are you a hot fashion model or a classical scholar? Or both?
Tea, earl grey, is better than coffee. Virgil, is amazing.
is God still "too limited of a concept" for you, having listened (and spoken) to Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, Cliff?
Are you still confident in the breadth and depth of your knowledge of God, to dismiss it altogether, and so hastily?
"Good morning everybody" (rethinks) "Good afternoon" --- your life must be perfect.