BotM: MARCH: LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > BotM: MARCH: LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders

Down With People: Oct 31, 2012; The child delights in violence.

I'm reading this and it's really really good so far

# ¿ Mar 13, 2018 05:05

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# ¿ May 21, 2024 06:19

Down With People: Oct 31, 2012; The child delights in violence.

Finished this now and I thought it was very beautiful. I was really moved by the ghosts shifting between all of their future forms and little Willie's ascension. And there were some truly top-notch dick jokes. I'm not really very familiar with Lincoln or the history of the Civil War to say much about its depictions of the subjects.

Chamberk posted:

Regarding the reverend:

Do you guys think he managed to redeem himself and give himself a better fate than the one he originally expected? Saunders leaves this somewhat open-ended, but does seem to suggest that he may have been able, through helping Willie, to avoid the hellfire.

It's hard to say! Given the spiritual bent of the novel I don't think he's doomed to an eternity in hell and the visions in the palace may have had a more complicated meaning and purpose. The important thing I took from it is that he's going to get what's coming to him but he's ready now.

Franchescanado posted:

Or the ghosts that spend their afterlife distracted in an orgy.

I want to talk about the demons disguised as angels that attack the ghosts. I believe that's near the end of Part 1. When we read it for my book club, I was pretty sure they were in fact demons disguised as the individual's definition of Beauty or Peace so they could lure them into the afterlife, specifically Hell, or to trap the souls in unrest like the little girl stuck in the fence trapped in an endless loop of shapeshifting, but I seem to have been the only one that thought that.

Did I misread that section, or did anyone else glean the same thing?

Oh yeah, totally. I mean the fact that they're offering things that appeal to the desires they had in life rather than acceptance of the truth that they're dead confirms that.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2018 07:44

Down With People: Oct 31, 2012; The child delights in violence.

pleasecallmechrist posted:

Implying that at the highest levels of power the Civil War wasn't actually fought to consolidate Industrialist power by destroying the agricultural barons of the South.

You are a pathetically predictable idealogue.

lose another war bitch

Tree Goat posted:

lol

although i will say i didn't find the potential-possession at the end really that compelling either? it also sort of had the effect of lionizing lincoln as one of either a spirit of vengeance or a supernaturally woke anti-racist which a) seems ahistorical and b) somewhat undoes much of the effort spent in humanizing him and placing him in context as a historical figure. it was not quite as jarring as if jesus' time in the garden of gethsemane had ended up with g-d giving him a slap on the back and saying "go get 'em, champ," but it still didn't feel great

I thought it was some cornball poo poo to be honest I wasn't keen on that

# ¿ Mar 21, 2018 06:57

Down With People: Oct 31, 2012; The child delights in violence.

pleasecallmechrist posted:

Implying anything I said says I give a gently caress about who won the Civil War. Go change your tampon sweetie.

I dunno dude you just angrily quote-replied everyone in the thread making fun of you so it seems like you do actually care about this a lot

Down With People fucked around with this message at 22:35 on Mar 21, 2018

# ¿ Mar 21, 2018 22:31

Down With People: Oct 31, 2012; The child delights in violence.

I'm reading Delany's Dhalgren right now so it would be really convenient for me if everyone else also had to read Dhalgren

# ¿ Mar 30, 2018 03:47

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > BotM: MARCH: LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders