tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post6879063678128491340..comments2024-03-10T07:42:17.071-04:00Comments on The Film Doctor: Overpopulation and Jonathan Franzen's FreedomThe Film Doctor http://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-86491802212876810652010-09-19T14:55:37.639-04:002010-09-19T14:55:37.639-04:00Thanks, Jamie and Craig,
I just noticed that, whi...Thanks, Jamie and Craig,<br /><br />I just noticed that, while reading Franzen's <i>Freedom</i> and William Gibson's <i>Zero History</i> at the same time, how the two authors treat Apple products in opposite ways. Whereas Gibson includes enough iPhones and MacBook Airs to make them appear like heavy-duty product placement in the novel, Franzen includes a harangue from the rocker Katz mocking Apple for giving people the illusion that "getting your own iPod is itself the very thing that makes the world a better place" (201). I do enjoy Franzen's at times bitter tragic realist aesthetic, and I agree that often Katz is the most fun of the characters.The Film Doctor https://www.blogger.com/profile/03073505923746994988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-11779509262917784862010-09-17T16:59:59.664-04:002010-09-17T16:59:59.664-04:00I'm halfway through this one, right about wher...I'm halfway through this one, right about where the deeply personal tone of the first part transforms into something political, a connection done quite deftly.<br /><br />Richard Katz is a great character, my favorite, though Patty's brain-rattling applecart-upsetter ranks a close second.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01450775188328918558noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7704583061723470804.post-48291879121736299472010-09-17T01:48:12.224-04:002010-09-17T01:48:12.224-04:00I just happened to stumble upon this blog, coincid...I just happened to stumble upon this blog, coincidentally after posting my own essay on <i>Freedom</i>.<br /><br />This is a terrific side of the novel, and one that hasn't been touched upon too much, at least in the reviews I've read. You've touched upon an excellent paradox (Walter's views vs. his own family), and while Patty's depression is mentioned much more explicitly, I didn't think about how Walter's own depression could potentially be manifested in his project. <br /><br /> Excellent reading, and I look forward to future postings.James Yateshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08318633423894546202noreply@blogger.com