Steve, you noted that Wolfe was always more conservative than people realized. But if I'm not mistaken, he was never all that explicit about his politics. Do you think this was an intentional strategy for the sake of his literary success?
-
-
-
Yes. But Tom Wolfe didn't try too hard to stay in the Conservative Closet. His conservativism was obvious to a fellow conservative like me since 1976. But so many liberals assumed a culturally innovative Sixties artiste HAD to be a fellow liberal that Wolfe stayed under radar.
-
Today, in my experience, unless you're already a "brand name," the "leading lit. mags" won't publish non-PC satire. You won't see this, e.g., in The New Yorker, Granta, Glimmer Train, etc.http://www.newenglishreview.org/Christopher_DeGroot/Eros_and_Civilization/ …
-
So I can see why a Wolfe or a would-be Wolfe would be in the closet, or a little bit anyway.
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
I would presume David Chase is more conservative in some respects than Gilligan. Gilligan was pretty sympathetic towards Jesse & his drug addiction, while Chase portrayed Chris Moltisanti as a pathetic & ultimately detestable character (more in line w/real drug addicts, IME).pic.twitter.com/CWX26SGmlm
-
The scenes where Tony Soprano mocks Christopher for his problems with addiction, forcing him to drink are seriously some of the saddest in the show. Christopher was a slimeball, but you look back on it and wish he had been a Henry Hill/Gravano type of rat.
-
To my mind the scene that best summed up Chris was when he was gassing up the Hummer after he found out about Adriana working w/FBI and decided to sell her out because he couldn't bear to live without the status of mob life. The essence of the character: a selfish weakling.
-
Yes, he was always a scumbag but that scene cemented his damnation. He also got no respect from the mob for that. You're supposed to take care of your own weaklinks with your boss's knowledge. So he ultimately sealed his own fate.
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
His take on sin is deeply Catholic: evil is a choice you make, little by little, one decision at a time. Nice to see from an artist.
-
Walter White consistently mocks the concept of hell, sees death as darkness. He's an atheist who figures that, since he'll be dead soon enough, he may as well have some real excitement and be the best at something, consequences and people hurt be damned.
End of conversation
New conversation -
-
-
Opposite take: Breaking Bad is technically proficient storytelling but lacks the deep roots in the American tradition that makes The Sopranos a work of American poular art
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Ugh. I have a near book length manuscript on 'White Indentity in Breaking Bad', that I finished about 70% of. Put it on hold when Trump phenom began in 2015. There is strong evidence (& deductive reasoning) that VG is rather 'based' and/or unconsciously tapping into white angst.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
There's a tragic pessimism in the arc of Walter White that's distinctly conservative. Here's a man who gives all for his family but, if I remember correctly, at the end they don't even understand him. Also conservative is Gilligan's remark that God must exist for wrath's sake.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
By the end of BB I think you realize that Walter White didn't really change at all. He was the same person all along.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
I found "The Americans" downright reactionary; the show basically confirmed that everything the ultra-right was denounced for believing was true; the 60s counterculture was a Soviet front, the KGB was actively suborning people all over the place, etc., etc., etc...
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Conservative themes must be carefully encoded. Tarantino-esq Zahler is another ex. “Brawl in Cell Block 99” chock full of white ident symbolism. V Vaughn, Kurt Russell, & Mel Gibson (all conservatives) will be in his next film “Dragged Across Concrete”.https://www.counter-currents.com/2017/10/brawl-in-cell-block-99/ …
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
-
-
Vince Gilligan and Tom Wolfe (RIP) are our hometown artistic heroes. This is a very conservative and genteel town.
Thanks. Twitter will use this to make your timeline better. UndoUndo
-
Loading seems to be taking a while.
Twitter may be over capacity or experiencing a momentary hiccup. Try again or visit Twitter Status for more information.