Umberto Eco - Foucault's Pendulum

[raffaellasworld]

Something made me think of it this morning. I love this book. It twists and turns, by the end making you wonder if the true conspirasy is that there is, or isn't one and it's all about a deeper thousand year old mystery/manipulation.

Anywho- I also love Eco's writing. He reads and speaks meany languages and if he thinks something is better said in Italian, or French that's how you get it- no translation.

Just a light morning ramble, now I leave you with some wonderful quotes.

"What did I really think fifteen years ago? As a nonbeliever, I felt guilty in the midst of all those believers. And since it seemed to me that they were in the right, I decided to believe, as you might decide to take an aspirin: It can't hurt, and you might get better."

"The animal that coils in a circle is the serpent; that's why so many cults and myths of the serpent exist, because it's hard to represent the return of the sun by the coiling of a hippopotamus."

"...these are now people lost in a maze: some choose one path, some another; some shout for help, and there's no telling if the replies they hear are other [lost] voices or the echo of their own..."

Whenever a poet or preacher, chief or wizard spouts gibberish, the human race spends centuries deciphering the message."

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth."

"If two things don't fit, but you believe both of them, thinking that somewhere, hidden, there must be a third thing that connects them, that's credulity."

"I believe that you can reach the point where there is no longer any difference between developing the habit of pretending to believe and developing the habit of believing."

"When men stop believing in God, it isn't that they then believe in nothing: they believe in everything."

"I have understood. And the certainty that there is nothing to understand should be my peace, my triumph."


Okay, so I'm a book geek.

While I'm quoting, just one more:

"The biggest cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid people are so sure about things and the intelligent folks are so full of doubts." -- Bertrand Russell

Comments

[wingedelf.livejournal.com]

Happen to like Jorge Luis Borges as well, perchance?

[ayeshadream.livejournal.com]

" No one realized the book and the labryinth were one and the same..."

I haven't read much, and it's been a long time. I can definitely see the influence on Eco's writing.

[discord5.livejournal.com]

I tried to read this book because the idea of the story was very interesting. I however barely made it through 1/4 of the book because his writting style bugged the hell out of me, it seemed like he wrote the book for himself to read and not for others(or another way to say that is very pretentious). This makes me sad cause I really would love to finish the book and hear his story, I just can't make myself suffer through it.

The quotes you have here are good though ;)

[ayeshadream.livejournal.com]

My other favorite quote is in french. It translates to "remove the cork" apparently one of the main charicters says it to people who are very self inflated- meaning if they would only take the cork out of their ass, they would deflate and become human again. :P

[discord5.livejournal.com]

Does that mean fating makes you nicer ?

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

At least funnier. ;)

[ayeshadream.livejournal.com]

Gotta love that bodily function humor.

[ayeshadream.livejournal.com]

Do you have a cork up your ass, or fart self-importance? I think I've known a few people who have even passed gas arrogantly.

[discord5.livejournal.com]

Well if I am full of shit then I suppose there is no way to avoid farting self importance.

[avisionaire.livejournal.com]

"I have come to believe that the whole world is an enigma, a harmless enigma that is made terrible by our own mad attempt to interpret it as though it had an underlying truth."

The desperate human need for there to be an underlying truth to the universe is both sad and amusing at times.

When I am about to die, you will not see me clutching to some religion that offers visions of an afterlife involving pearly gates and streets paved with gold. I will die knowing full well that I don't have the slightest idea of what comes next--if anything--but I will be at peace, knowing that I made the most of the time that I had here.

I enjoyed all of the quotes by the way. Some of them were very Eastern in their line of thought, which I found interesting.

[ayeshadream.livejournal.com]

That's a very good way to put it. I think the short version would be "it's your hell, you burn", or to live this life to the fullest because as far as we know this is all we get. I was raised very conservatively and it wasn't well received when I started thinking for myself, and questioning things, from very early on.

Thank you for reading, and for your input. :)



Where are we going, and why am I in this hand basket??

haven't heard

[jimmyjuice.livejournal.com]

It put that way, but I like it. I think that sums it up for me as well.

The way I figure it, I ain't smart enough to figure out the universe, and trust me, no one alive is, so all I can do is have faith that it works the way it should and all is going to plan. No idea who/what/when it was planned and I don't need that info in order to keep myself sane. I don't need to know 'the truth' of any spiritualist from the past, present or future to justify my existence. People who do worry me. Will I come back? Not as *me*, so why worry?

JimmiJuice ~ in contemplation of the navel lint that life has handed me... Thinking of knitting a sweater.

What happened?

[hermesinbattle.livejournal.com]

You said you might like to climb today, then you stopped answering.

Re: What happened?

[ayeshadream.livejournal.com]

I got swamped. I didn't get out of work until 9PM Friday (13 hour day) & my volunteering yesterdy went much longer than expected.
I'm still very intrested, things just got a little hectic this weekend.
My apologies.

Re: What happened?

[hermesinbattle.livejournal.com]

ok, I set up a message with a filter just for you so we can set a time privately.