Reviews for Flappers and Philosophers

The average rating for Flappers and Philosophers based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2020-09-13 00:00:00 Roy Corson This was a lot of fun. Exceedingly. Awfully Fun. The sort of telling that I feel I had been not wasting time. And, extra to it, I am certainly much obliged to Daniel Coenn (whose name I've heard not until couple of weeks ago and for sure I'll easily forget, knowing and trusting my memory), as by fortunate accident I've found a little e-book named Francis Scott Fitzgerald: His Words, while I was in a random search for a new entry to start reading (although I have plenty of books in my own library that I have not yet read...). So, my attention was gripped firmly while reading quite a bunch of the most famous quotes that populated this American writer works. I've always liked F. Scott F. and have read most of his novels and will most probably come back to them over time. So, reading some quotes from this e-book, I felt like refreshing my acquaintance with F. Scott F. and easily available - of course I look up first on free of charge offers - was this really very entertaining collection of short stories dated back 1920. Well, how about that? 100 years gone since its publication and my time of read. As we like to say, it is never too late. Fortunately! ≪ In the millennium an educational genius will write a book to be given to every young man on the date of his disillusion. This work will have the flavor of Montaigne's essays and Samuel Butler's note-books'and a little of Tolstoi and Marcus Aurelius. It will be neither cheerful nor pleasant but will contain numerous passages of striking humor. Since first-class minds never believe anything very strongly until they've experienced it, its value will be purely relative . . . all people over thirty will refer to it as "depressing. This prelude belongs to the story of a young man who lived, as you and I do, before the book. ≫ This little extraction is the start-up quote from the 7th short story,'Dalyrimple goes wrong', who is a character torn between self and society. I found it very valuable, through its most obvious irony: does Dalyrimple "go wrong" when he chooses to become a masked burglar to make ends meet (though he wanted to work honestly)- or when he is, by a stroke of fate, rewarded at the end because he has learned to "cut corners' and land on "the right side of the fence"? 😊 Sliding swiftly and with style, or better said serpentlike intensity through these eight short stories, I wholeheartedly may say that I'm mighty glad of now having read them and, if I can give a verdict, these stories are to get you going good 😉 Being an impressionistic nature, I was definitely attracted by both words from the title: flappers and philosophers, and I have had a little bit of time dedicated to google-ing to read more about these "flappers" thing. It's always good to put together as many pieces of the puzzle (I sincerely confess I was somehow ignorant of the history of "flappers"), especially when this word is assigned to stories written by the famous Jazz age iconic writer. I have been awfully overjoyed by the story 'Bernice bobs her hair', this could justify why I have posted so many quotes from this story, almost an entire chapter at some point. I have very personal reasons, of course. I felt myself part of the story - both as a character but also symbolically, I mean even before getting to this collection of stories I have taken the decision to 'bob my hair'. It was great to see what were the so-called social standards for a generation of young Americans, what were in their mind the secrets of popularity, what were you supposed to say at a dinner table or on the dance floor, overall how a girl should make herself more socially appealing. As we well know this involves a lot of advice on conversation, poise, carriage, dancing, expression, dress, and personality, etc etc. I wasn't myself in a similar situation (or perhaps I was, yes-yes I was some good years back, if I take into account three weddings that I was invited to attend and where some high personages wanted to make me 'look' more socially appealing, haha), but I did make a pledge to 'bob my hair' if I pass successfully the entry exams for university (actually in the those old gone years I had had very long hair, and quite beautiful for that young age, and of course I had proceeded to sacrifice this beloved possession - my tresses 😊(how silly and funny we're when we're young). Nowadays, to 'bob my hair' has less traumatic effects. I guess after a certain age, things to be done not only feel less painful, mentally-wise, but also you realize that you like yourself no matter the length of the hair. Curiously enough, I have arrived at the end enthusiastically and smiling and smiling and being rather absurdly happy 😉 That is to count for a gay time I've been having, and concluding this is an absolute jewel - I mean reading was such a little thing, and surprisingly a happy thing. Hope this makes sense! I have tremendously enjoyed all of the stories, and I was very pleased to see that each one had a surprising closing effect, something that I was not prepared for. Well, of course they are not thrillers or crime-based history, but the conclusion is in the opposite direction with the general flow of the story. I guess that is what made me loved the stories even more. Still the general effect is that misty waves have been passing before my eyes, I felt too gay and fickle and cheerfully collapsing backward upon my bed, upon each story closing. ≪ "I want to be a society vampire, you see," she announced coolly, and went on to inform him that bobbed hair was the necessary prelude. She added that she wanted to ask his advice, because she had heard he was so critical about girls."

Review # 2 was written on 2018-09-17 00:00:00 Mark Clark Flappers and Philosophers are the tales of youth, mostly… Stories of young dreamers and their beautiful dreams being broken. And I admired how excellently the spirit of that rather rebellious epoch was preserved in the tales. Ardita scrutinized him carefully ' and classed him immediately as a romantic figure. He gave the effect of towering self-confidence erected on a slight foundation ' just under the surface of each of his decisions she discerned a hesitancy that was in decided contrast to the arrogant curl of his lips. Being a supreme egotist Ardita frequently thought about herself; never having had her egotism disputed she did it entirely naturally and with no detraction from her unquestioned charm. Though she was nineteen she gave the effect of a high-spirited precocious child, and in the present glow of her youth and beauty all the men and women she had known were but driftwood on the ripples of her temperament. She had met other egotists ' in fact she found that selfish people bored her rather less than unselfish people ' but as yet there had not been one she had not eventually defeated and brought to her feet. The language is elaborately metaphoric and light irony prevails while the plots are always intriguing and original. In its mood The Cut-Glass Bowl differs from the other stories - it a kind of a sarcastically dark allegory of fate… …the night I told him I was going to marry Harold, seven years ago in ninety-two, he drew himself way up and said: 'Evylyn, I'm going to give a present that's as hard as you are and as beautiful and as empty and as easy to see through.' He frightened me a little ' his eyes were so black. I thought he was going to deed me a haunted house or something that would explode when you opened it. That bowl came, and of course it's beautiful. And this splendid bowl has unexpectedly turned into the instrument of doom… "At eighteen our convictions are hills from which we look; at forty-five they are caves in which we hide." Our expectations for the future are always greater than our disappointments of the past.