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TTTTTigigigigigers and tall talesers and tall talesers and tall talesers and tall talesers and tall tales
the
H
Oxonian Review of booksof booksof booksof booksof bookshilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2
[‘Tigers and tall tales’ continued on page 4]
Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’Questions of literary faith in this year’s Man Booker winners Man Booker winners Man Booker winners Man Booker winners Man Booker winner
Because Pi’s percep-tive, reverent, and
practical view of theworld draws us in,
we’re willing tosuspend our disbelief
of this elaborateframing device and
immerse ourselves inthe story.
BBBBBANKABLEANKABLEANKABLEANKABLEANKABLEBICKERINGBICKERINGBICKERINGBICKERINGBICKERING
Gillian Dow onMillington’s first
novel
pagpagpagpagpage 2e 2e 2e 2e 2
MARQMARQMARQMARQMARQUIS deUIS deUIS deUIS deUIS deCUSTINECUSTINECUSTINECUSTINECUSTINE
Leonard Epp onthe Marquis andRussian history
pagpagpagpagpage 6e 6e 6e 6e 6
SASASASASATELLITE ofTELLITE ofTELLITE ofTELLITE ofTELLITE ofLOLOLOLOLOVEVEVEVEVE
C.E.J. Simons onMurakami’s
Sputnik Sweetheart
pagpagpagpagpage 9e 9e 9e 9e 9
PHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSPHILOSOPHERSand FREEDOMand FREEDOMand FREEDOMand FREEDOMand FREEDOM
Joshua Cherniss onsix essays ofIsaiah Berlin
pagpagpagpagpage 10e 10e 10e 10e 10
PRESENT frPRESENT frPRESENT frPRESENT frPRESENT fromomomomomthe STthe STthe STthe STthe STARARARARARTTTTT
Jacqueline A.Newmyer on JohnAdams’ America
pagpagpagpagpage 13e 13e 13e 13e 13
oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 2
Bankable bickeringBankable bickeringBankable bickeringBankable bickeringBankable bickering
Gillian DowGillian DowGillian DowGillian DowGillian Dow is researching a D.Phil. at Balliol on the contem-porary reception of the works of the best-selling eighteenth cen-tury writer Madame de Genlis. She likes to read twentieth cen-tury bestsellers, too.
I
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This work is High Fidelity meets Man andBoy meets Men are from Mars, Women arefrom Venus, with perhaps just the slightestsprinkling of Bridget Jones: The Edge ofReason thrown in for good measure.
Got a letter to the [email protected]
Want to [email protected]
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 3oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Oxonian ReviewFFFFFRRRRROMOMOMOMOM THETHETHETHETHE EDITEDITEDITEDITEDITOROROROROR: : : : : Criticising, crCriticising, crCriticising, crCriticising, crCriticising, creating historyeating historyeating historyeating historyeating history
of books of books of books of books of books
thethethethethe
CHRISTOPHER BRADLEYEditor in Chief
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PPPPPUBLISHERUBLISHERUBLISHERUBLISHERUBLISHER
Sara C. Galvan
EEEEEDITDITDITDITDITOROROROROR INININININ C C C C CHIEFHIEFHIEFHIEFHIEF
Christopher Bradley
EDITOR
Jacob P. Goldstein
ONLINE EDITOR
Sandy Berkovski
COPY EDITOR
Brandon D. Miller
STAFF ARTIST
Matthew Creasy
IMAGES EDITOR
Will Richmond
EEEEEXECUTIVEXECUTIVEXECUTIVEXECUTIVEXECUTIVE E E E E EDITDITDITDITDITORORORORORLeonard Epp
BUSINESS MANAGER
Kevin Schwartz
PUBLISHERS’ LIAISON
Nicholas Pacheco
DISTRIBUTION MANAGER
Joseph Rubin
BUSINESS STAFF
Pavan CheruvuTrudi Makhaya
R
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 4 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Tigers and tall tales [continued from page 1]
He is left in a well-stocked lifeboat with a hyena, an injured zebra,an orangutan, and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 5oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn Jennifer Dunn is a D.Phil. student at Balliol College, writing onthe tropes of magic and the supernatural in twentieth centurywomen’s writing.
RevRevRevRevReversalsersalsersalsersalsersals
EdwEdwEdwEdwEdward Daviesard Daviesard Daviesard Daviesard Davies has been publishing poetry and short fic-tion since 1993, with over thirty publications to his credit. He has won Oxford’s Martin Starkie Prize, and honourablemention in the Neville Coghill Prize.
Is he mad? Is Richard Parker a hallucination? Will our authorreturn once more and explain?
O
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 6 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
The Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian historyThe Marquis de Custine and the question of Russian history
RUSSIA IS A TYRANNY
— Winston Churchill, 1924
I.I.I.I.I.
A
[Letters from Russia] has often been criticized as adistorted, myopic representation of Russia through theeyes of a prejudiced, Romantic dandy.
AS A NATION
Abraham Lincoln, 1855
IN FRANCE Astolphe de Custine, 1843
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 7oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
II.II.II.II.II.
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the appeal ofLa Russie was renewed by interest in the oppressive pastfrom which Russia was perceived to be distancing itself.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 8 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Leonard EppLeonard EppLeonard EppLeonard EppLeonard Epp is a Canadian graduate stu-dent at Balliol College and is researchingthe rhetoric of obscurity and clarity in1790s British political literature. He iswriting a D.Phil. thesis on Coleridge andRomantic Obscurity.
GileadGileadGileadGileadGilead
Amy FlandersAmy FlandersAmy FlandersAmy FlandersAmy Flanders is a D.Phil. student at Lincoln College.She studies the history of the British publishing indus-try. One of her poems appeared in May Anthologies 2002.
WWWWWaiting to enteraiting to enteraiting to enteraiting to enteraiting to enter Phillip Assmus
O
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 9oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
O
Satellite of lovSatellite of lovSatellite of lovSatellite of lovSatellite of loveeeee: : : : : Murakami’Murakami’Murakami’Murakami’Murakami’s s s s s Sputnik SwSputnik SwSputnik SwSputnik SwSputnik Sweethearteethearteethearteethearteetheart
C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons C.E.J. Simons is a doctoral candidate and senior scholar in En-glish Literature at Lincoln College. He holds degrees from Harvardand Toronto, and has studied Far Eastern languages and culturesince 1995.
B
Sputnik Sweetheart is also a novel about the sacrifices ofwriting, something of a first for Murakami.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 10 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Philosophers and frPhilosophers and frPhilosophers and frPhilosophers and frPhilosophers and freedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlineedom: 6 essays by Isaiah Berlin
I
I.I.I.I.I.
II.II.II.II.II.
… [Hardy] has allowed Berlin’s voice—unfettered,insistent, lucid, humane—to continue speaking, with hisrare intellectual passion and rhetorical brilliance, to theperennial problems of people struggling against thethreats of oppression in ever-changing conditions.
Much of the credit for Berlin’s continued influencebelongs to Hardy, who has worked something of awonder.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 11oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
[Berlin] also reminded us that, to be careful advocates offreedom we must learn from the melancholy spectacle ofliberty’s betrayal by those who claim to defend it, inaddition to countering the disquieting insights of thosewho overtly struggle against it.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 12 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Joshua ChernissJoshua ChernissJoshua ChernissJoshua ChernissJoshua Cherniss is currently at Balliolwriting a D.Phil. thesis on the intellectualand political context of Berlin’s thought.
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These essays continue to stand as a powerful defense ofliberty, and a warning against the passions of fanatics andfundamentalists of all creeds across the centuries.
III.III.III.III.III.
New CollegNew CollegNew CollegNew CollegNew Collegeeeee
St Catherine’St Catherine’St Catherine’St Catherine’St Catherine’s Collegs Collegs Collegs Collegs Collegeeeee
TTTTTempleton Collegempleton Collegempleton Collegempleton Collegempleton Collegeeeee
The Oxonian Review of Books would like tothank the following founding contributors:
TTTTTrinity Collegrinity Collegrinity Collegrinity Collegrinity Collegeeeee
UnivUnivUnivUnivUniversity Collegersity Collegersity Collegersity Collegersity Collegeeeee
The PrThe PrThe PrThe PrThe Proctors’ Officeoctors’ Officeoctors’ Officeoctors’ Officeoctors’ Office
To advertise withThe Oxonian Review,
please contact
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 13oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
PrPrPrPrPresent fresent fresent fresent fresent from the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and Americaom the start: John Adams and America
T
America’s founders believed that the dictates of self-interest rightly understood should guide politics in a self-governing state; this conviction merits close attention inthis period of post-September 11 soul-searching andreexamination.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 14 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Thanks to the founders, American presidents lead agovernment conceived in harmony with, not in spite of,human nature.
A handful of distinguished academics have offered a moresubstantive critique of McCullough, complaining that heoveremphasizes Adams’s moral fiber while neglecting hisshortcomings as president.
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2 page 15oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
Jacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. NewmyerJacqueline A. Newmyer, an M.Phil. student in New College,studies political philosophy and military strategy.
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SuffragSuffragSuffragSuffragSuffrage, 1900e, 1900e, 1900e, 1900e, 1900
—Edward Davies
hilary 2003 . volume 2 . issue 2page 16 oxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian roxonian review of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of bookseview of books
TTTTTHEHEHEHEHE BBBBBAAAAACKCKCKCKCK PPPPPAAAAAGEGEGEGEGE: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts: Collecting her thoughts
The Oxonian Review of BooksBalliol CollegeOxford, England OX1 3BJ
Elizabeth AracicElizabeth AracicElizabeth AracicElizabeth AracicElizabeth Aracic is a graduate student in English at New Col-lege. She is writing on the poetry of Emily Dickinson.
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At their best, they are striking, polished meditations by one ofthe most critical and well-rounded writers in America.