A mai történelmi regény by Ágnes Heller

Abstract

onSerbian poetry andtheeffects of globalization alongwithan appendix of Serbianpoetrytypesafter 1970,linkingeach termwiththe namesofassociated poets. Theimportance ofthis booklies in the explanation of how young womenpoetsworkin theAilN in Belgrade, as well as at theCenter forWomen'sStudiesinSerbia, and howthey havebeenempowered to create,critique, and publishtheir workopenlywithout fearofrejectionbymen ,whohavebeeninthe forefront until now.Thissignificant studyshowsus thatwomeninSerbianpoetry havefinally arrived. Biljana D. Obradovic Xavier University ofLouisiana Agnes Heller. Amaitort6nelmi reg£ny .Budapest. Mult esjovo.2010.263 pages. 3200Ft. isbn 978-963-9512-60-3 AgnesHeller isthedoyen ofHungarianphilosophers . She is wellover eightybut possessesalmostinexhaustible energy. InA maitortenelmi regeny (The contemporary historical novel),shediscussesthedifferingwaysvariousauthors approach themodern historical novel.In one respect, Hellercontinues thework ofherfirst master, theMarxist philosopher Georg Lukacs, whosebook on the historical novel is one of hisbestcritical achievements. Heller ,however, broadensthefieldof inquiry. WhileLukacsconcentrated on classicssuch as WalterScott, Balzac,and Tolstoy, Heller(a truly voraciousreader) chooses "postmodern "historical novels,which shereadsinseverallanguages, formulating her views on the genre withgreat insight andconviction. Of thewriters referred to by Heller,onlyone,Gyorgy Spiro,is Hungarian.His lengthy historical novelFogsdg (Captivity) is thestory ofa youngJewborninRomewho visitsthe provinces of Judeaand SamariathenunderRomanrule, duringJesus'slifetime. This book fits intoa particular type ofpopular historical novel,whichHellercalls the"Roman." Itusually dealswith a particular crisisduring Rome'shistory , orwitha natural catastrophe, for example Pompeii byRobert Harris and StevenSaylor'sRomaSub Rosacycle.Hellerpointsout that another popularsubject, for English novelists inparticular, istheconflict between scientists that characterizes theearlyperiodoftheRoyalSociety ,thedevelopment of theearly coffee trade, andthepolitical roleof coffeehouses. Mostof thesebooks arethrillers ofonekindoranother, andHellerquiterightly stresses the importance of Umberto Eco's The Nameof theRose as the original modelofthis particular genre. The centralcharacterin the majority ofthebooksdiscussedby Helleris either a Jewora woman. Several booksdealwith persecution arisingfromeitherthesimulation ofreligious conformity orreligious dissent,forbehaviorthatoffends theconformists and earmarks the victim for destruction.Such is Sarah, a young English prophet who is the victimof circumstances in IainPears'snovelAnInstance ofthe Fingerpost (1997), a work usingwhat I wouldcall theKurosawa"Rashomon effect" that tellsthesamestory from different characters' pointsof view.Heller repeatedly refers tothis complexbut intriguing novel.She discusses other victims inthebooks ofDavidLiss,oneofwhich, A Conspiracy ofPaper(2000),showsstrong similarity betweenthe SouthSea Bubbleof theseventeenth century andtherecent banking crisis inthe BBb SECRET history wmw ' Ijgj^V COSTAGUANA UnitedStatesand othercountries. Whilethemodernhistorical novel focuses onsocialchange andpolitical intrigue, inHeller's viewitis rather deficient on thesubjectoflove.In her opinion, the modern writer treats its characters withconsiderable skepticism , things notbeingwhatthey seem,and peoplehidingtheir true motives. Thebooksthatinterest Agnes Hellermostare thosewhichtake placeat a timeofa "suddentransformation of [a society's] view of history/' Herperceptive analysis of these novels reveals a common thread: momentoussocial change.While Hellerpuzzlesovertheworldwide success ofDanBrown's The Da Vinci Codeas justa fast-moving thriller withsomeobviousand occultculturalreferences , it is stilla good read.Itis likea light cocktail rather thana glass of a vintagewine.If somereadersreachforthevintage titles onHeller's winelistofhistoricalnovels , herbookwillhavebeen worth itsprice. George Gomori London Edward Hoagland. SexandtheRiver Styx.HowardFrankMosher, foreword . White River Junction, Vermont. Chelsea Green. 2011.xiv+ 247pages. $17.95. isbn 978-1-60358-337-4 Those whoagree with Edward HoaglandthatEmerson is the"cynosure ofAmerican literature" and havea tastefora writer who is "bytemperament a rhapsodist" will share thegeneralopinionthatHoagland is a majoressayist.An argument can be madeforsuchviews.They accountforHoagland'sundoubted seriousness, his biophilicconcern for allofnature, including humans, and themoralstancewhichmandatesthat we "actpurposefully but minimally, and keep [our]reason under wraps." Butthese premises alsoexplain theunderlying current of self-satisfiedmoralsuperiority exhibited in batchesof reader-nudging rhetoricalquestions ,oftenfollowed by abstract assertions of principle thatallow no questioning, as in "anybodywinningmoreof life's rewardsthanwe are is probably sellingout to some extent, don't youthink?" He dislikes thespread oftechnology butadmits that some ofithas prolonged hislife, and he callsforseniorsto makespace for newgenerations. (That'srather like thepublisher's note,whichboasts that 30percent ofthepaperusedis postconsumer, savingall kindsof resources and energy. The logical conclusion isnever reached.) Hoagland'sEmersonian desire to embrace"All" - he quotes"All natural fact is anemanation" - may accountforhis inability to end a seriesinthree elements oranything near it. Some of his rhapsodies aboutnature soundrather likeWilliamBoot 'scolumn "LushPlaces"in Evelyn Waugh'sScoop. Therelative absenceof a sense of humorand a markedironydeficiency maybe tracedto Hoagland'skinship with whatPhilipRahvcalled"Palefaces" as opposedto"Redskins" likeMark Twain.Twainand,later,Hemingwaywereabletoshowus thewonderofnature rather than(notquite merely) insisting onitthrough generalizations in a stylethat, in Cyril Connolly's terms, is mandarin ratherthan plain. Furthermore, thesenseof the interconnectedness of everything mayrelieve Hoaglandofthenecessity ofimposing a structure onmost oftheessays.Formostofthebook, theproseislikewater from anoffice cooler - you can get more...