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Tig ig ig ig igers and tall tales ers and tall tales ers and tall tales ers and tall tales ers and tall tales the H Oxonian Review of books of books of books of books of books hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 [‘Tigers and tall tales’ continued on page 4] Questions of literary faith in this year’ Questions of literary faith in this year’ Questions of literary faith in this year’ Questions of literary faith in this year’ Questions of literary faith in this year’s Man Booker winner s Man Booker winner s Man Booker winner s Man Booker winner s Man Booker winner Because Pi’s percep- tive, reverent, and practical view of the world draws us in, we’re willing to suspend our disbelief of this elaborate framing device and immerse ourselves in the story. BANKABLE ANKABLE ANKABLE ANKABLE ANKABLE BICKERING BICKERING BICKERING BICKERING BICKERING Gillian Dow on Millington’s first novel pag pag pag pag page 2 e 2 e 2 e 2 e 2 MARQ MARQ MARQ MARQ MARQUIS de UIS de UIS de UIS de UIS de CUSTINE CUSTINE CUSTINE CUSTINE CUSTINE Leonard Epp on the Marquis and Russian history pag pag pag pag page 6 e 6 e 6 e 6 e 6 SA SA SA SA SATELLITE of TELLITE of TELLITE of TELLITE of TELLITE of LO LO LO LO LOVE VE VE VE VE C.E.J. Simons on Murakami’s Sputnik Sweetheart pag pag pag pag page 9 e 9 e 9 e 9 e 9 PHILOSOPHERS PHILOSOPHERS PHILOSOPHERS PHILOSOPHERS PHILOSOPHERS and FREEDOM and FREEDOM and FREEDOM and FREEDOM and FREEDOM Joshua Cherniss on six essays of Isaiah Berlin pag pag pag pag page 10 e 10 e 10 e 10 e 10 PRESENT fr PRESENT fr PRESENT fr PRESENT fr PRESENT from om om om om the ST the ST the ST the ST the STAR AR AR AR ART Jacqueline A. Newmyer on John Adams’ America pag pag pag pag page 13 e 13 e 13 e 13 e 13

Transcript of Page 1 Tigers and tall tales ers and tall tales the ow much can you ...

Page 1: Page 1 Tigers and tall tales ers and tall tales the ow much can you ...

TTTTTigigigigigers and tall talesers and tall talesers and tall talesers and tall talesers and tall tales

the

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Oxonian Review of booksof booksof booksof booksof bookshilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2

[‘Tigers and tall tales’ continued on page 4]

Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’s Man Booker winners Man Booker winners Man Booker winners Man Booker winners Man Booker winner

Because Pi’s percep-tive, reverent, and

practical view of theworld draws us in,

we’re willing tosuspend our disbelief

of this elaborateframing device and

immerse ourselves inthe story.

BBBBBANKABLEANKABLEANKABLEANKABLEANKABLEBICKERINGBICKERINGBICKERINGBICKERINGBICKERING

Gillian Dow onMillington’s first

novel

pagpagpagpagpage 2e 2e 2e 2e 2

MARQMARQMARQMARQMARQUIS deUIS deUIS deUIS deUIS deCUSTINECUSTINECUSTINECUSTINECUSTINE

Leonard Epp onthe Marquis andRussian history

pagpagpagpagpage 6e 6e 6e 6e 6

SASASASASATELLITE ofTELLITE ofTELLITE ofTELLITE ofTELLITE ofLOLOLOLOLOVEVEVEVEVE

C.E.J. Simons onMurakami’s

Sputnik Sweetheart

pagpagpagpagpage 9e 9e 9e 9e 9

PHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSand FREEDOMand FREEDOMand FREEDOMand FREEDOMand FREEDOM

Joshua Cherniss onsix essays ofIsaiah Berlin

pagpagpagpagpage 10e 10e 10e 10e 10

PRESENT frPRESENT frPRESENT frPRESENT frPRESENT fromomomomomthe STthe STthe STthe STthe STARARARARARTTTTT

Jacqueline A.Newmyer on JohnAdams’ America

pagpagpagpagpage 13e 13e 13e 13e 13

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oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 2

Bankable bickeringBankable bickeringBankable bickeringBankable bickeringBankable bickering

Gillian DowGillian DowGillian DowGillian DowGillian Dow is researching a D.Phil. at Balliol on the contem-porary reception of the works of the best-selling eighteenth cen-tury writer Madame de Genlis. She likes to read twentieth cen-tury bestsellers, too.

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This work is High Fidelity meets Man andBoy meets Men are from Mars, Women arefrom Venus, with perhaps just the slightestsprinkling of Bridget Jones: The Edge ofReason thrown in for good measure.

Got a letter to the [email protected]

Want to [email protected]

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hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 3oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books

Oxonian ReviewFFFFFRRRRROMOMOMOMOM THETHETHETHETHE EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITOROROROROR: : : : : Criticising, crCriticising, crCriticising, crCriticising, crCriticising, creating historyeating historyeating historyeating historyeating history

of books of books of books of books of books

thethethethethe

CHRISTOPHER BRADLEYEditor in Chief

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PPPPPUBLISHERUBLISHERUBLISHERUBLISHERUBLISHER

Sara C. Galvan

EEEEEDITDITDITDITDITOROROROROR INININININ C C C C CHIEFHIEFHIEFHIEFHIEF

Christopher Bradley

EDITOR

Jacob P. Goldstein

ONLINE EDITOR

Sandy Berkovski

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Brandon D. Miller

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Matthew Creasy

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Will Richmond

EEEEEXECUTIVEXECUTIVEXECUTIVEXECUTIVEXECUTIVE E E E E EDITDITDITDITDITORORORORORLeonard Epp

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BUSINESS STAFF

Pavan CheruvuTrudi Makhaya

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Tigers and tall tales [continued from page 1]

He is left in a well-stocked lifeboat with a hyena, an injured zebra,an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

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hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 5oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books

Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn is a D.Phil. student at Balliol College, writing onthe tropes of magic and the supernatural in twentieth centurywomen’s writing.

RevRevRevRevReversalsersalsersalsersalsersals

EdwEdwEdwEdwEdward Daviesard Daviesard Daviesard Daviesard Davies has been publishing poetry and short fic-tion since 1993, with over thirty publications to his credit. He has won Oxford’s Martin Starkie Prize, and honourablemention in the Neville Coghill Prize.

Is he mad? Is Richard Parker a hallucination? Will our authorreturn once more and explain?

O

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hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 6 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books

The Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian history

RUSSIA IS A TYRANNY

— Winston Churchill, 1924

I.I.I.I.I.

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[Letters from Russia] has often been criticized as adistorted, myopic representation of Russia through theeyes of a prejudiced, Romantic dandy.

AS A NATION

Abraham Lincoln, 1855

IN FRANCE Astolphe de Custine, 1843

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hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 7oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books

II.II.II.II.II.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the appeal ofLa Russie was renewed by interest in the oppressive pastfrom which Russia was perceived to be distancing itself.

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Leonard EppLeonard EppLeonard EppLeonard EppLeonard Epp is a Canadian graduate stu-dent at Balliol College and is researchingthe rhetoric of obscurity and clarity in1790s British political literature. He iswriting a D.Phil. thesis on Coleridge andRomantic Obscurity.

GileadGileadGileadGileadGilead

Amy FlandersAmy FlandersAmy FlandersAmy FlandersAmy Flanders is a D.Phil. student at Lincoln College.She studies the history of the British publishing indus-try. One of her poems appeared in May Anthologies 2002.

WWWWWaiting to enteraiting to enteraiting to enteraiting to enteraiting to enter Phillip Assmus

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Satellite of lovSatellite of lovSatellite of lovSatellite of lovSatellite of loveeeee: : : : : Murakami’Murakami’Murakami’Murakami’Murakami’s s s s s Sputnik SwSputnik SwSputnik SwSputnik SwSputnik Sweethearteethearteethearteethearteetheart

C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons is a doctoral candidate and senior scholar in En-glish Literature at Lincoln College. He holds degrees from Harvardand Toronto, and has studied Far Eastern languages and culturesince 1995.

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Sputnik Sweetheart is also a novel about the sacrifices ofwriting, something of a first for Murakami.

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Philosophers and frPhilosophers and frPhilosophers and frPhilosophers and frPhilosophers and freedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlin

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I.I.I.I.I.

II.II.II.II.II.

… [Hardy] has allowed Berlin’s voice—unfettered,insistent, lucid, humane—to continue speaking, with hisrare intellectual passion and rhetorical brilliance, to theperennial problems of people struggling against thethreats of oppression in ever-changing conditions.

Much of the credit for Berlin’s continued influencebelongs to Hardy, who has worked something of awonder.

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[Berlin] also reminded us that, to be careful advocates offreedom we must learn from the melancholy spectacle ofliberty’s betrayal by those who claim to defend it, inaddition to countering the disquieting insights of thosewho overtly struggle against it.

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Joshua ChernissJoshua ChernissJoshua ChernissJoshua ChernissJoshua Cherniss is currently at Balliolwriting a D.Phil. thesis on the intellectualand political context of Berlin’s thought.

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These essays continue to stand as a powerful defense ofliberty, and a warning against the passions of fanatics andfundamentalists of all creeds across the centuries.

III.III.III.III.III.

New CollegNew CollegNew CollegNew CollegNew Collegeeeee

St Catherine’St Catherine’St Catherine’St Catherine’St Catherine’s Collegs Collegs Collegs Collegs Collegeeeee

TTTTTempleton Collegempleton Collegempleton Collegempleton Collegempleton Collegeeeee

The Oxonian Review of Books would like tothank the following founding contributors:

TTTTTrinity Collegrinity Collegrinity Collegrinity Collegrinity Collegeeeee

UnivUnivUnivUnivUniversity Collegersity Collegersity Collegersity Collegersity Collegeeeee

The PrThe PrThe PrThe PrThe Proctors’ Officeoctors’ Officeoctors’ Officeoctors’ Officeoctors’ Office

To advertise withThe Oxonian Review,

please contact

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PrPrPrPrPresent fresent fresent fresent fresent from the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and America

T

America’s founders believed that the dictates of self-interest rightly understood should guide politics in a self-governing state; this conviction merits close attention inthis period of post-September 11 soul-searching andreexamination.

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Thanks to the founders, American presidents lead agovernment conceived in harmony with, not in spite of,human nature.

A handful of distinguished academics have offered a moresubstantive critique of McCullough, complaining that heoveremphasizes Adams’s moral fiber while neglecting hisshortcomings as president.

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Jacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. Newmyer, an M.Phil. student in New College,studies political philosophy and military strategy.

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SuffragSuffragSuffragSuffragSuffrage, 1900e, 1900e, 1900e, 1900e, 1900

—Edward Davies

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TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE BBBBBAAAAACKCKCKCKCK PPPPPAAAAAGEGEGEGEGE: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts

The Oxonian Review of BooksBalliol CollegeOxford, England OX1 3BJ

Elizabeth AracicElizabeth AracicElizabeth AracicElizabeth AracicElizabeth Aracic is a graduate student in English at New Col-lege. She is writing on the poetry of Emily Dickinson.

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At their best, they are striking, polished meditations by one ofthe most critical and well-rounded writers in America.