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Growing Up Absurd
Growing Up Absurd: Problems of Youth in the Organized Society | Susan Sontag, Paul Goodman
6 posts | 2 read | 6 to read
Paul GoodmansGrowing Up Absurdwas a runaway bestseller when it was first published in 1960 and it became one of the defining texts of the nascent New Left. Goodman, at the time well into middle age, was a maverick anarchist who broke every mold, and did it brilliantlyhe was a novelist, poet, and a social theorist, among a host of other thingsand the books success established him as one of Americas most unusual and trenchant critics, combining vast learning, an astute mind, utopian sympathies, and a wonderfully hands-on way with words. Growing Up Absurdtakes the crisis of disaffected youth as indicative of the crisis within the culture at large, which Goodman describes as being run by corporations that provide employment (when they do) but not work in any meaningful sense, work that engages body and soul. Disaffected youth was in this sense at the forefront of a disruption of a social order that was, if not directly politically repressive, humanly repressive, stifling the real human potential which, surely, a good society would serve to unleash, encourage, and pass on.
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Schwifty
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Pickpick

An important book, but I would not recommend it for the average reader. Goodman was a poet, playwright and academic who combined his literary prowess with sociological and psychological theory to levy a scathing critique on American culture. The Absurd arises when youth encounter a culture they are expected to conform to that cannot provide opportunities for a meaningful existence, a possible explanation for the "Beats" and the unrest of the 60s.

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MLRio
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Mehso-so

Goodman had some interesting quasi-anarchist political ideas, but his anecdotal/speculative approach leaves a lot to be desired, and the pervasive patronizing misogyny is appalling even by last century‘s standards. ⭐️⭐️

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MLRio
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—Henry Steele Commager #relevant

16 likes1 stack add
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MLRio

Artists and bohemians have always gravitated to the bottom of the income pyramid. It is cheaper there. There is less timetable. Life is simpler and more factual.

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MLRio
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70mph winds are a great excuse to stay in. #homebody #windmageddon

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saresmoore
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These three are still TBR, but don't they look pretty together? I'm waiting for the kiddos to start school before I dive into Goodman's masterpiece. I'm prepared for it to shatter illusions and leave me sockless.

#LGBTQpride
#RiotGrams

Moray_Reads I loved A Single Man 8y
britt_brooke Great photo! 📷👏🏻 They do look lovely together. 8y
saresmoore @Moray_Reads They had a few Isherwood books at the quirky bookstore I found on my anniversary—it was hard to choose just one. I'm glad to hear you liked it! 8y
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saresmoore @britt_brooke Thank you! I won't disclose how long I fiddled with the configuration to get a shot I liked. 😏 8y
Cinfhen Really pretty photo 💕 8y
LeahBergen So pretty (I love these colors together). 8y
saresmoore @LeahBergen Me too! Blush & blue are the colors on my inspiration wall. 😊 8y
Suet624 I can't wait to see what happens when those kiddos go off to school. 👻😈 8y
saresmoore @Suet624 Release the kraken! Wait, no. Probably just a lot of angsty contemplative writing and deep reading. 😁 8y
79 likes3 stack adds10 comments