reading (An Ordered Love)

I finished "An Ordered Love" last night and did a little dance of victory. This book is utter dross. It is written up as an academic examination of sex roles and sexuality within the Shakers, Mormons, and the Oneida community. The first three chapters of the book are an introduction consisting of convoluted sentences composed of stilted language. If you remember trying to write a 10,000 word paper on a subject you hadn't really researched by repeating yourself in different ways and spicing things up by thesaurus diving, imagine doing so for 80 pages. There is enough bovine waste in these pages to make entire continents grow green. This is academic writing at its worst: dense, repetitive, and meaningless.

The remainder of the book consists of a section for each of the societies featured. The first chapter in each section is a life history of the founder of the group. Unfortunately Kern, who's listed credentials do not include psychiatry, spends most of the chapter developing theories on the motivation of the founder based on his freudian analysis. This is sketchy at best and probably shows the ins and outs of Kern's psyche better than that of the subject. The remainder of the section is more readable, but no less laden with assumptions. Kern regularly holds these groups up to modern (1970's) standards rather than honestly comparing them with their time. In addition, he ignores historical, economic, and social realities that surrounded these groups whenever it doesn't suit his arguement of the moment.

If this is the only book you have available to read, gouge your eyes out now!

38. Louis J. Kern "An Ordered Love"

blah blah, it's fall

Yes, I'm still alive. I think I've finally turned the corner on the early fall melancholy and morose. Not that I'm mister amazing ambitious or anything, but at least I feel a tiny bit more like communcating and dealing with the world. During the last few months my list of things undone has been getting longer rather than shorter, but I am hoping I'll be able to reverse the trend soon.

I just got the Fedco trees catalog in the mail. It has all kinds of wonderful Spring porn in it: fruit trees, berry bushes, ferns, and other green things. I think I'll keep it in my beside table for the Winter. I probably won't end up getting any trees, but I am considering some lilac bushes, blackberries and raspberries, and some smaller items to go in the bare places in the back yard.