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From: sdh@inuxm.UUCP (Stephen Hoskins)
Newsgroups: net.wobegon
Subject: Re: 95 Theses 95
Message-ID: <407@inuxm.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 8-Aug-86 14:23:54 EDT
Article-I.D.: inuxm.407
Posted: Fri Aug  8 14:23:54 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 10-Aug-86 04:45:03 EDT
References: <397@tove.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Consumer Products, Indianapolis
Lines: 43

> 
>     Having just finished reading "Lake Wobegon Days," I have an
> observation that I want to toss out for corroboration or denial.
> In general, I found the book to be enjoyable reading, often 
> hillarious, but just not quite the same as the man himself
> delivering a monologue.  Most of the stories were light-hearted,
> some semi-serious, approaching poignant.  BUT, the 95 Theses 95
> which appeared in a (longest I ever seen) footnote near the end
> bothered me tremendously.  They were almost venomous in tone, and
> very sarchastic in places.  I thought they were out of style with
> the rest of G.K.'s writing and monologue.  I don't think I had
> ever heard him do more than poke some fun at his upbringing,
> but here it seems that a lot more is boiling to the surface.
> 
> What say you shy persons?
> 
> Dave Stotts
> Univ. of Maryland Computer Science

*** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***

I just read "Lake Wobegon Days" while on vacation.  I loved it!!!
I agree, not as good as the radio programs, but I got around that
by trying to imagine how he would read each story.  His delivery
really is an important part of his appeal.

The 20-page footnote about the 95 theses did seem more like serious
criticism than good natured fun poking.  They are very real, though.
Between my wife and me, we could identify people with most of the
bad traits he criticized.  But, some were quite humorous besides
being scalding rebukes.  Like the one about vacuuming (let me
paraphrase):

Nothing I ever did was good enough for you.
When you watched me do the vacuuming, suddenly it became an
exact science, a branch of physics.  It had to be done just so.
"Here, let me do it.  I should have just done it myself."

Having finished LWD, I've now started "Happy to Be Here."
It's starting out to be quite a different style of book, so
"I just don't know ..."

Stephen Hoskins