Lewis’s “It Can’t Happen Here” and Roth’s “Plot against America” do a very good job of predicting a Donald Trump.
Tag Archives: authoritarianism
Novels That Predicted a Trump
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Fascism, It Can't Happen Here, Plot against America, Sinclair Lewis Comments closed
Is Golding’s Novel True? Sadly, Yes
A recent Guardian article about actual shipwrecked boys raises doubts about the psychology of “Lord of the Flies.” Sadly, the book is still true.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Fascism, Lord of the Flies, Rutger Bregman, William Golding Comments closed
The World’s White Heart of Darkness
Monday The rise of white terrorism around the world is leading liberals like me to question some of our basic assumptions. Are our democratic institutions, which we took for granted, strong enough to withstand the murderous resentment of entitled people who feel threatened? Amongst the entitled I include both those wealthy individuals who countenance violence […]
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Donald Trump, Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad, white terrorism Comments closed
Shafak: Storyland Is the Taste of Freedom
Turkish novelist Elif Shafak says that we must cultivate emotional intelligence to live in an increasingly diverse world while battling authoritarians’ reductive desires. Lit is vital in this endeavor.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Diversity, Elif Shafak, emotional intelligence, multiculturalism Comments closed
Euripides’s Attack on Authoritarianism
It’s possible to read “The Bacchae” as a critique of the autocrats who hijacked Athenian democracy and were running Athens into the ground.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Bacchae, Dictators, Donald Trump, Euripides, rebellion Comments closed
Lit, An Antidote to Authoritarianism
Literature’s universalism functions as an antidote to the exclusionary politics of figures like Donald Trump and Marine LePen.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged Dambudzo Marechera, Donald Trump, Hisham Matar, Martha Nussbaum Comments closed
House of Spirits, Authoritarians on the Rise
Strong men (and occasionally women) the world over appear to be having a moment, leading to interest in authoritarianism. Isabel Allende’s description of brutal landowner Esteban Trueba in “House of Mirth” reveals some disturbing similarities to Donald Trump.
Trump’s “Truth” Is Like Big Brother’s
Like Orwell’s Big Brother, Donald Trump has been allowed to define truth. We’re all paying for it.
How Kipling’s Kaa Would Fight ISIS
ISIS resembles the Monkey People in Kipling’s “Jungle Book” in the way it craves attention. It is defeated by Kaa, but the authoritarian python brings his own set of problems, a fascist reaction to anarchy.
Posted in Uncategorized Also tagged fasicism, Jungle Book ISIS, Rudyard Kipling, terrorism Donald Trump Comments closed
