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Laddar... The Monarchy: A Critique of Britain's Favourite Fetish (1990)av Christopher Hitchens
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Gå med i LibraryThing för att få reda på om du skulle tycka om den här boken. Det finns inga diskussioner på LibraryThing om den här boken. A pamphlet dense and critical. ( ) A short, sharp read by the master polemicist Christopher Hitchens. It is not quite as hard-hitting and comprehensive as I would have liked, but Hitch is always refreshing to read. It's a shame he didn't write a full-length book on the topic, but in a sense he did: his problem with monarchy is similar to his problems with religion (tawdry mysticism, illusion/delusion, retards social growth, etc.), which he has discussed at length. His argument revolves largely around the constitutional poverty enabled by the British monarchy, noting its obstruction and retardation of national social maturity. But he also has time to pour his measured scorn on the fetishism (his phrase, and an apt one) of the monarchy by the British people and the media. It is actually rather depressing that the issues Hitchens identified and railed against when writing this in 1990 are still just as relevant in 2013, and perhaps have even intensified. With the royal wedding and the birth of Prince George... the sycophancy is all but unbearable. In fact, on the day that I read this book the front-page story (the front page) in The Sun tabloid was that Kate Middleton - 'Princess Kate' as she is nauseatingly (and erroneously) dubbed - has a flat stomach months after giving birth. That's the entire story. The front page. In this short essay Hitchens does what Hitchens does best: he takes a complex argument and separates out the most salient points, before presenting them cogently in what is, ultimately, a serious yet entertaining proposition. Its brevity may render it of little value to the well-read anti-monarchist, but this same quality conversely renders it perfect for the uninitiated republican. After reading The Monarchy, I only wish Hitchens had written a more in-depth work on the subject before we lost him. inga recensioner | lägg till en recension
Ingår i förlagsserienChatto CounterBlasts (10)
As the Duke and Duchess of Sussex bring renewed focus to the monarchy, now is the perfect time to re-examine Christopher Hitchens's powerful polemic. In this scathing essay, Christopher Hitchens looks at the relationship of the press and the public to the royal family, unpacking the tautology and contradictory arguments that prop it up. In his inimitable style, Hitchens argues that our desire not to profane or disturb the monarchy is a failure of reason and a confusion of reality. Fealty to the magic of monarchy stops us looking objectively at our own history and hinders open-minded criticism of our present. It is time we outgrew it. With the recent birth of royal baby Archie, during a time of austerity and national inequality, Hitchens's 10,000-word critique is even more relevant today than when it was first published in 1990. 'Christopher is one of the most terrifying rhetoricians that the world has yet seen' Martin Amis Inga biblioteksbeskrivningar kunde hittas. |
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Google Books — Laddar... GenrerMelvil Decimal System (DDC)354.410312Social sciences Public Administration, Military Science Administration of economy & environment [formerly Foreign States] Europe British Isles -- Scotland, IrelandKlassifikation enligt LCBetygMedelbetyg:
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