Franklin
Since Slate has put it forward, we can't help but talk about General Stan's Favorite American:
We leave A Great Improvisation persuaded that the American Revolution was not, as we so often prefer to think, a novel of a single character, or country, coming of age. Instead the revolution marked the entrance by the United States onto the imperial stage where England, France, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, and others had already been acting for some while. Franklin knew that he and his compatriots had roles in a much larger drama; as the word improvisation implies, he was ever open to the excitement and inventiveness of live performance. Perhaps the greatest pleasure of Stacy Schiff's book is in the way it makes us feel that we, too, are in chaotic Paris, waiting for a ship with instructions that never arrives, trying to launch a ship of supplies that never departs, thronged with ministers and fine ladies and inventors, and besieged with quarrelsome colleagues. It is our fortunate position to look over Franklin's shoulder and watch as, from these unlikely materials, he works to forge an alliance of war, and one of peace, "among a people that love me, and whom I love."
---
Wait a minute. The American Revolution wasn't all about God-Given freedoms and equalities? It wasn't about all men being unalienably equal? It wasn't about breaking free from the bounds of our oppressors? Crikey!
Of course, the ironies of America are multi-fold. For a country who broke free from her imperial and colonial bounds, established rules and legalities of freedom, and then pursued cultural imperialism, Irony is only a piece of the greater puzzles. Yes, you devlishly handsome and beautiful AntiCentenarians, We are playing witness now not only to a heel-turned wrestler-star America, but also to the Hipster America, who ironically loves-and-loathes the "banalities" of the WWE culture. The era of irony charges forward, risen from the ashes!
Ben Franklin, somehow, knew it all along.
-----
The AntiCentenarian claims [without doing any research whatsoever to support the claim] that this is the first internet posting that within 5 short paragraphs poorly attempts to synthesize Framing Fathers, trash-tv wrestling entertainment, and Hipsters. Another record dashed by your beloved AntiCentenarian!
We leave A Great Improvisation persuaded that the American Revolution was not, as we so often prefer to think, a novel of a single character, or country, coming of age. Instead the revolution marked the entrance by the United States onto the imperial stage where England, France, Spain, Russia, the Netherlands, and others had already been acting for some while. Franklin knew that he and his compatriots had roles in a much larger drama; as the word improvisation implies, he was ever open to the excitement and inventiveness of live performance. Perhaps the greatest pleasure of Stacy Schiff's book is in the way it makes us feel that we, too, are in chaotic Paris, waiting for a ship with instructions that never arrives, trying to launch a ship of supplies that never departs, thronged with ministers and fine ladies and inventors, and besieged with quarrelsome colleagues. It is our fortunate position to look over Franklin's shoulder and watch as, from these unlikely materials, he works to forge an alliance of war, and one of peace, "among a people that love me, and whom I love."
---
Wait a minute. The American Revolution wasn't all about God-Given freedoms and equalities? It wasn't about all men being unalienably equal? It wasn't about breaking free from the bounds of our oppressors? Crikey!
Of course, the ironies of America are multi-fold. For a country who broke free from her imperial and colonial bounds, established rules and legalities of freedom, and then pursued cultural imperialism, Irony is only a piece of the greater puzzles. Yes, you devlishly handsome and beautiful AntiCentenarians, We are playing witness now not only to a heel-turned wrestler-star America, but also to the Hipster America, who ironically loves-and-loathes the "banalities" of the WWE culture. The era of irony charges forward, risen from the ashes!
Ben Franklin, somehow, knew it all along.
-----
The AntiCentenarian claims [without doing any research whatsoever to support the claim] that this is the first internet posting that within 5 short paragraphs poorly attempts to synthesize Framing Fathers, trash-tv wrestling entertainment, and Hipsters. Another record dashed by your beloved AntiCentenarian!
posted by General Stan at 3:41 PM
1 Comments:
We're a bit late for President's Dy, but what the heck. It's Ronin's turn next: I vote he does Taft. (Corruption! Greed! Incompetence! The metaphoric possibilities!)
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