Posted by Wendy B. on June 5, 2001, at 15:02:01
In reply to Re: Correct me if I'm wrong ... » Willow, posted by Glenn Fagelson on June 5, 2001, at 2:39:01
> > "Read this: "The Whore of Mensa," by Woody Allen, from his "Without Feathers" collection."
> >
> > Woody Allen, is he not the guy who slept with his grown (adoptive - still a partent/child relationship) daughter? In my mind, his writings are similar to the madness of Hilter.
> >
> > Willow, hearing a hundred banshies!
>
> Dear Willow,
>
> Thank you for your imput. It is true that
> Woody Allen, the comic genius, has
> been quite a controversial character. I
> have not read any of his books; however, I
> will read, "The Whore of Mensa" in order to
> see what you are talking about. If, as you
> say, he writes with the madness of Hitler,
> then I will know it after the first 10 pages,
> and will read no further. I appreciate your
> feedback.
>
> Glenn
>Dear Glenn & Willow:
As Glenn rightly and mildly puts it, Woody Allen has been a controversial character... His love escapades aside, he is well-known for his overt Jewish-ness, that element taking a very important role in all of his work. He, or whomever the protagonist is in every one of his movies (and many of his stories), is a neurotic intellectual jewish boy-man, always a self-conscious, long-term therapy goon, always a boy bullied by jew-haters in his youth. (For that reason alone, travelers on the Psycho-Babble Highway might want to look him up in their video stores and libraries.) Please cf: his film "Annie Hall" if you want to know more about what I'm trying to explain here.
But to imply or come right out and say, as Willow does here (and this is not an attack, just IMHO), that his writings are thus akin to the "madness of Hitler" is really to miss the point of his whole life's work. His portrayal of Jew-haters of every kind, and the horrors the Nazis wrought, is an essential part of his work (cf: the scene in Annie Hall as he stands in line for the 20th time to see "The Sorrow and the Pity," dragging his reluctant girlfriend Annie to it, also for the n-th time...)
If he made some really terrible, and/or sick decisions in his personal life, who am I to judge? I've made many of my own, and haven't we all? The only thing is, we thankfully never made it into the daily papers, or the covers of People Magazine, because we ain't famous. Statement of the obvious, here, I guess.
But to me it doesn't necessarily follow if I read books by a child-abuser, and that's debatable in his case, that I condone child abuse. Just like if I read "Mein Kampf," it wouldn't make me a Nazi, either...
I have read several of Woody Allen's stories and books, but never the Whore of Mensa. I don't know if it portrays any oppressed, neurotic jewish male figure, but I can almost bank on it! I'll have to look it up.
No disrespect meant here to anyone, just my personal opinions..Wendy
poster:Wendy B.
thread:6273
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20010526/msgs/6304.html