The words induced me to turn towards myself. I learned that the possessions most esteemed by your fellow-creatures were, high and unsullied descent united with riches. A man might be respected with only one of these advantages; but, without either, he was considered, except in very rare instances, as a vagabond and a slave, doomed to waste his powers for the profits of the chosen few!

-Frankenstein (1831)

      • Pluto [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I didn't like it or the fact that Le Guin was making anti-Soviet talking points.

        • DoghouseCharlie [he/him, comrade/them]
          ·
          1 year ago

          That's one thing that pisses me off when you look into any kind of Soviet art. There's always a forward or some Wikipedia article or Reddit dillweed trying to say that the author secretly hated communism and if you read between the lines you'll see it! I read one of Mao's books and it had a forward by Zizek. I can't understand what point that man is trying to make in the best of times but good lord it was just a bunch of whiny libshit about Chinabad. I really liked Roadside Picnic and all of the Stalker related media though, I can recite the ending monologue from memory.

        • Lemmygradwontallowme [he/him, comrade/them]
          ·
          1 year ago

          I mean fair enough, man can only take so much "authoritarian orangutan 100 billion dead", before it destroys what's left of his head, but Le Guin's anti-Soviet nature is at most just relegated to the foreword, as you said. Just don't have it rent-free in your mind.

      • Pluto [he/him, he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I mean, Le Guin in the Foreword.

        The book was... I don't know. Just didn't like it.