Words. The thanatos syndrome Item Preview > remove-circle Share or Embed This Item. I was also intrigued by one character's harangue which included this: An utterly fascinating read! Entertaining and strange. by Picador USA. He, the book, stumbles hopelessly inert and nothing is won or settled in the end. Still, this is far better than Love in the Ruins. Walker Percy’s sixth novel, The Thanatos Syndrome (Farrar Straus Giroux, 372 PP., $17.95), is at once his most thrilling and most disappointing book. There isn't that much difference between reading his novels vs reading his essays. During the read I flashed on authors Thomas Pyncheon and even Tom Robbins. I didn't realize Walker Percy was so one dimensional. See 1 question about The Thanatos Syndrome…, Sally Thorne's Latest Rom-Com Leaves a Lasting Impression. The book is really more of an alternate to the alternate history presented in "Love in the Ruins." During his pathology residency at Bellevue, Walker Percy developed tuberculosis, whereupon he left the famous New York hospital for Lake Saranac, the equally famous Adirondacks sanatorium. The last three sections of the novel are so excitingly plotted that the reader is kept in nail-biting suspense. The Thanatos Syndrome is in some ways an extension of Walker Percy’s Love in the Ruins: The Adventures of a Bad Catholic at a Time Near the End of the World (1971)… In your discussion of this novel, you may wish to consider the following questions: 1. Creepy, Dystopian-themed story. Percy's pacing and plotting suffers, but the retrospectives on humanism's spiral into a technocratic, eugenically-minded world are prescient and very good. I'll admit I was assigned this book in a Southern Lit class at university and never read it. flag. "That Hideous Strength" set in Louisiana. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!). Written from the wryly amusing and common-sense perspective of Dr. Tom More, a disgraced psychiatrist with a history both of medical breakthroughs and of alcoholism and drug use, the story sets itself firmly in the superstitious and historically rooted society of southern Louisiana. People start behaving in weird ways and a psychiatrist tries to figure out why. My own suggestion is The Thanatos Syndrome, by Walker Percy. Performance & security by Cloudflare. Find The Thanatos Syndrome by Percy, Walker at Biblio. share. Percy's hero, as in Lost in the Ruins, is Dr. Thomas More. . Why do you think Father Smith is given so much prominence in the story? The upshot? If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. So. Percy writes of a world in which "Reason warred with faith. If you don't mind some Catholic theology thrown into your story, I would recommend it as literary thriller. The Thanatos Syndrome relies upon a flimsy detective story to examine the greatest issues facing Americans (perhaps all of Western culture) as we enter the 21st century. Lewis in That Hideous Strength - but Percy is the more profound novelist. 32 likes. The Thanatos Syndrome is an ambitious, profound, topical, and thrilling book that is written in Percy's typically resonant and yet erudite prose. Percy’s stirring sequel to Love in the Ruins follows Tom More’s redemptive mission to cure the mysterious ailment afflicting the residents of his hometownDr. Like some of the darker stories in the Bible, you feel it is there for a reason and is shown in its true proportions. Walker Percy is the author of over ten books of fiction and nonfiction, including the bestsellers The Moviegoer and The Thanatos Syndrome. Cart All. EMBED. Then I read Lancelot, which was a big ol' punch in the gut of a novel, but I respected it -- like after a pungent olive, your palate felt clearer for the experience. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. It's a complex tale, a philosophical treatise, bordering on the existential - about history, religion, science including Louisiana culture and tradition, Catholicism, the meaning of life, euthanasia of elders and children, AIDS, morals and lack of morals. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he was the oldest of three brothers in an established Southern family that contained both a Civil War hero and a US senator. Other articles where The Thanatos Syndrome is discussed: Walker Percy: …The Second Coming (1980); and The Thanatos Syndrome (1987). He seems lethargic about his topics/themes even though they are quite controversial themselves i.e. He’s such an unusual craftsman with words, that it’s a joy to read him, technically — to sit back and just watch the words march across the page. One hundred million dead." And, like the previous novel of the author I have read, this book too manages to offend the sensibilities of both right and left simultaneously, which is a remarkable achievement. I love his ideas and have enjoyed his nonfiction. The writing is tight and well-done, no complaints there from me. The Thanatos Syndrome: Percy, Walker, Hilder, David: Amazon.sg: Books. “Small disconnected facts, if you take note of them, have a way of becoming connected.”. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. Following up takes him deep into a remote and bigoted aristocracy left over from the days of Slavery and will show him the dark underside of human progress: the rationalization of genocide and manipulation of personalities, the development of sexual deviancy, and the familiar appalling dream of utopia. I laughed out loud. Here Percy is profound: psychologically astute and socially prescient. In 2005, Time magazine named The Moviegoer one of the best English-language books published since 1923. . Not exactly what you'd expect from Walker Percy, and the GoodReads write-up doesn't begin to give you a sense of what this book is about (for starters, it's published in the '80s so someone should fix that blurb! but gosh, it was terrible to read. The Thanatos Syndrome addresses many relevant social issues - including crime, teen pregnancy, homosexuality and AIDS - in an honest and truthful manner while providing a particularly insightful look at human nature. He was awarded numerous prizes during his lifetime, including the National Book Award, and is considered to be one of … Yes, the twentieth century has shown us the banality of evil. September 4th 1999 No_Favorite. The Thanatos Syndrome sort of reads like Percy's take on That Hideous Strength, except the human depravity that is hinted at in Lewis is shown here in big, bold, Fellini-esque technicolor. Walker Percy has deftly combined the satisfying nostalgia of a Southern Novel with the excitement and tension of a medical-disease caper. After reading the book, the answer was clear, of course. And the (Catholic) church is too weak to wack-a-mole it whenever tender-hearted maliciousness rears its head. competent literary author attempting a “thriller” ... i think he may have used more ingredients for the stew than was necessary and a bit overkillish. • And do you know what you’re going to end up doing? euthanasia, pedophilia, social engineering, genocide and loss of self. Do you know what is going to happen to you? You a graduate of Harvard and a reader of the New York Times and a member of the Ford Foundation’s Program for the Third World? It is also far more bleak; much like Father Smith's insistence that "tenderness leads to the gas chamber," Percy makes an analagous point about the sexual revolution: free love leads inexorably to child porn. To see what your friends thought of this book. This was a nasty and difficult book at times because its themes are so suddenly and unexpectedly dark. It also should have ended about 5 chapters before the actual ended. The Thanatos Syndrome A Novel by Walker Percy and Publisher Open Road Media. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. I'm not sure how I feel about Thomas More as a hero. My goodness, what a strange book. EMBED (for wordpress.com hosted blogs and archive.org item tags) Want more? One hundred million dead." Instead the conclusion felt to me a bit tacked on and forced. The dialogue is terse and sometimes runs for pages without the philosophical asides I found so characteristic of the Moviegoer or Love in the Ruins. Dr More takes on the role of a kind of psychiatric detective. Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. I wish I had this time back. Each of his novels features an upper-middle-class male protagonist who is in one way or another “lost in the cosmos.” In his sixth and final novel, The Thanatos Syndrome (1987), Tom More is Percy’s thinly veiled alter ego, a disgraced psychiatrist in the throes of just such an existential crisis. I appreciate the book as commentary on society, but gosh, it was terrible to read. The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy. First published in 1987, the book takes place in an alternate-1990s where scientists uncover a … OK, but nothing special. Hello, Sign in. Perhaps Percy's most ambitious novel, his sixth and last, The Thanatos Syndrome revisits old themes found in his previous works, while giving perhaps his most rambunctious and outrageous commentary upon the post-modern predicament. I appreciate the book as commentary on society, but gosh. WOW! Percy managed to craft something quite different from his other novels--this has more of the feel of a suspense novel than his other writing. Uncommonly good collectible and rare books from uncommonly good booksellers It's a bit extraordinary. Then I read Lancelot, which was a big ol' punch in the gut of a novel, but I respected it -- like after a pungent olive, your palate felt clearer for the experience. I posted that I first read this book in 1995 and "finished" it in 2011. The Thanatos Syndrome is set, like the TV series Max Headroom, “twenty minutes into the future.”. In The Thanatos Syndrome, one of twentieth-century America's most interesting and provocative novelists offers a vivid treatment of the consequences of devaluing human life. Dr More takes on the role of a kind of psychiatric detective. He knows us inside and out. The confession is the most direct statement of the idea that the world has entered what More calls “the age of thanatos,” in which society collectively has a death wish. Not a single letter of protest in the august New England Journal of Medicine. This was a nasty and difficult book at times because its themes are so suddenly and unexpectedly dark. In a world where an odd admixture of tenderness and utilitarianism reigns, the result is moral blindness tending to unspeakable crimes (a word of warning - those crimes are described in gut wrenching detail). The Thanatos Syndrome is a science fiction book by Walker Percy. "The Thanatos Syndrome" is listed here as a the second book of the Tom More series, but that doesn't seem quite right. The thanatos syndrome by Walker Percy, July 24, 1990, Random House Value Publishing edition, Hardcover in English I am having trouble deciding how I feel about this read. I wonder if Percy, nearing the end of his life, felt a need to be more explicit. An amazing read. His characters still exhibit that "southern type" thing that run throughout all his books but they are let down by the inconstancy of the task of fitting them to their dilemmas. (NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. The writing is tight and well-done, no complaints there from me. Whew. He knows people--the human condition, our querks, our excuses, our dilemmas. Acclaimed for his poetic style and moving depictions of the alienation of modern American culture, Percy was the bestselling author of six fiction t. Walker Percy (1916–1990) was one of the most prominent American writers of the twentieth century. I'm not sure how I feel about Thomas More as a hero. More, a psychiatrist,close observer of the human condition, and self-identified bad Catholic, has just been … (Mainly the pedophilia.) The Thanatos Syndrome: In Percy’s “ingenious” sequel, Dr. Tom More, fresh out of prison after getting caught selling uppers to truck drivers, returns home to Louisiana, determined to live a simpler life (The New York Times). And in _The Thanatos Syndrome_, Percy puts his own medical-school knowledge to work through his main character Tom More, M.D., a floundering psychiatrist, and numerous other medically-inclined characters dealing with (ahem) a syndrome. The Thanatos Syndrome relies upon a flimsy detective story to examine the greatest issues facing Americans (perhaps all of Western culture) as we enter the 21st century. It is also far more bleak; much like Father Smith's insistence that "tenderness leads to the gas chamber," Percy makes an analagous point about the. Hello Select your address All Hello, Sign in. I deeply enjoyed some of the characters. He also wrote such nonfiction as The Message in the Bottle (1975), a sophisticated philosophical treatment of semantics, and Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book (1985), an offbeat amalgam of a self-help-book parody and a philosophical treatise. The Thanatos Syndrome sort of reads like Percy's take on That Hideous Strength, except the human depravity that is hinted at in Lewis is shown here in big, bold, Fellini-esque technicolor. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of, Published I give the book 4 rather than 5 stars because the last 50 pages or so become too straightforwardly didactic, when various avenues seemed available to more subtly, and I think more effectively, develop his point by continuing to advance the storyline. (The details of … I am having trouble deciding how I feel about this read. Not that the genre device fails, but that it seems so inconsequential next to the ideas which hang upon it, like the rod that supports the wardrobe of existence, itself. It's an odd effect, but quite suspenseful. It appears as if this novel is part of the same series as Love In The Ruins, especially as both have as their lead character one Thomas More, and it would seem a bit lazy for an author to have a lead character with the same name and similar viewpoint but different over the course of one's novels. And he also lumps aggressive euthanasia of aging and sick people in what the real world calls pro-choice. 1,762 ratings, 3.56 average rating, 149 reviews. Particularly names, unnecessary names, names that you don't know and don't make sense. Re-reading all of Percy's novels this summer has been a joy, and here he is outstanding as usual. A riveting bestseller by the author of. He knows people--the human condition, our querks, our excuses, our dilemmas. He seems lethargic about his topics/themes even though they are quite controversial themselves i.e. In other words, the novel is a devastatingly accurate satirical portrait of the late 1960's and early 70's, though Mr. Percy shrewdly situates his ''ruins'' in the (then) more safely distant 80's. There is a lot going on in this book and I would just throw up a lot of spoilers if I try. … In fact, this novel strikes me as a convincing prelude to the pornification of twenty-first century media and culture, in which far-eyed dislocated selves speaking in sentence fragments "present rearward" and knuckle their way up balustrades, pongid-like, Snickers bar in hand. ), I like Walker Percy's books on whole, but this, his last novel, is rather disappointing in many ways; it does not sum nor does it edify all that came before as some final novelistic efforts do. great story, great characters, air of mystery, sense of humor ... my pleasant surprise of the holidays so far! Skip to main content.sg. He was awarded numerous prizes during his lifetime, including the National Book Award, and is considered to … As he resumes his practice, Dr. More discovers some disturbing symptoms. Walker Percy is the author of over ten books of fiction and nonfiction, including the bestsellers The Moviegoer and The Thanatos Syndrome. “Small disconnected facts, if you take note of them, have a way of becoming connected.”, “You are a member of the first generation of doctors in the history of medicine to turn their backs on the oath of Hippocrates and kill millions of old useless people, unborn children, born malformed children, for the good of mankind —and to do so without a single murmur from one of you. Still, this is far better than Love in the Ruins. euthanasia, pedophilia, social engineering, genocide and loss of self. There are aspects of this book that remind me of C.S. Percy managed to craft something quite different from his other novels--this has more of the feel of a suspense novel than his other writing. Walker Percy is the author of over ten books of fiction and nonfiction, including the bestsellers The Moviegoer and The Thanatos Syndrome. (Mainly the pedophilia.) He knows us inside and out. I think that helps me understand it a bit better...not much better, but a bit:) I also think I shall read one more of his books just to get another perspective on this seemingly rather revered author. Most of the time, the main character is doing things that he is not explaining to you, but doing them to and with people he is describing to you with utter clarity. The plot could have been good but it rambled into weird tangents and character development in supporting characters but not enough in main characters. I've been excited to read a Walker Percy book for a long time . The Thanatos Syndrome has the ambition and purposefulness to take on the world, to wrestle with its shortcomings, and to celebrate its glories." His characters still exhibit that "southern type" thing that run throughout all his books but they are let down by the inconstancy of t. I like Walker Percy's books on whole, but this, his last novel, is rather disappointing in many ways; it does not sum nor does it edify all that came before as some final novelistic efforts do. Walker Percy (1916–1990) was one of the most prominent American writers of the twentieth century. Refresh and try again. Acclaimed for his poetic style and moving depictions of the alienation of modern American culture, Percy was the bestselling author of six fiction titles—including the classic novel The Moviegoer (1961), winner of the National Book Award—and fifteen works of nonfiction. I was disappointed by the story, too - I think the central plot point is interesting, but the linguistic part of the plot that's so talked up is fairly shallow, after all, and as a linguistic enthusiast, I really wanted it to be cooler. Not that the genre device fails, but that it seems so inconsequential next to the ideas which hang upon it, like the rod that supports the wardrobe of existence, itself. But can even this world sanction a substance that "improves" people's behavior and so reduces crime, unemployment and teen pregnancy? 3 1/2 stars. His characters strike me as rather bland, and are a bit too prone to revealing the plot and thematic elements in unbelievable dialogue. Having read two novels with him, I can see that he is probably a stand-in for the author in being intelligent and somewhat stubborn but also defini. My favorite Walker Percy so far. I've never been able to make it through a Walker Percy novel, so this is a first. I started out with The Moviegoer, like you're supposed to -- I found it underwhelming. Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Re-reading all of Percy's novels this summer has been a joy, and here he is outstanding as usual. I have so many mixed feelings about Walker Percy. Advanced embedding details, examples, and help! It's a complex tale, a philosophical treatise, bordering on the existential - about history, religion, science including Louisiana culture and tradition, Catholicism, the meaning of life, euthanasia of elders and children, AIDS, mora. I was horrified at other times. Set in Louisiana, and it was to read a story set there after I just visited a few months ago (indeed, it helped the story make sense). Account & Lists Account Returns & Orders. Percy uses this really strange technique, where the narrative persona's motives are totally opaque, even though he is narrating first person. The print version of this textbook is ISBN: 9781453216316, 1453216316. 1987, 372 pp * * * reviewed by Jim Forest. I was horrified at other times. Cart ― Walker Percy, The Thanatos Syndrome. The Thanatos Syndrome relies upon a flimsy detective story to examine the greatest issues facing Americans (perhaps all of Western culture) as we enter the 21st century. Start by marking “The Thanatos Syndrome” as Want to Read: Error rating book. “Shimmers with intelligence and verve…The Thanatos Syndrome is highbrow hilarity all the more discerning for distinguishing its tears behind lots of laughs.” — Newsday “There is ample evidence of Percy’s brilliance in The Thanatos Syndrome—the droll Dixie anthropology, the pitch-perfect dialogue, the sheer intelligence everywhere on the page…It is splendidly, uproariously catholic, as well.” The 1990s. But with Percy, there’s always two more layers. Though a Roman Catholic, Percy is almost Calvinistic in his unflinching tendency to peer into the dark corners of the human soul. • Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. OK, but nothing special. Percy’s eloquent vocabulary but lack of conjunctions and pronouns in all his characters speech (not just the obvious ones) led to an awkward and stilted dialogue. Most of the time, the main character is doing things that he is not explaining to you, but doing them to and with people he is describing to you with utter clarity. Your IP: 199.201.90.13 We’d love your help. You’re going to end up killing Jews.”. The dialogue is terse and sometimes runs for pages without the philosophical asides I found so characteristic of the Moviegoer or Love in the Ruins. Walker Percy is southern and Catholic, Kurt Vonnegut northern and secular, not minor differences, but perhaps they recognize each other as relatives. The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy Farrar Straus Giroux, New York. Cloudflare Ray ID: 64010edc98ce1195 . It's an odd eff. I wish the sweet home schooler kids who want to write "Christian books" would read Percy. Some moments of profundity, a lot to think about. Words. Kirkus wrote in a 2012 review that the author writes..."low-brow in a high-brow framework'. Given the recent popularity of his latest novel, The Thanatos Syndrome, it may be a good place to enter Percy’s imaginative world. Some of the points seemed a little disjointed and perhaps forced, but overall, I really enjoyed this first foray of mine into Walker Percy. It appears as if this novel is part of the same series as Love In The Ruins, especially as both have as their lead character one Thomas More, and it would seem a bit lazy for an author to have a lead character with the same name and similar viewpoint but different over the course of one's novels. Welcome back. Percy writes of a world in which "Reason warred with faith. I started out with The Moviegoer, like you're supposed to -- I found it underwhelming. So. I'd add that I agree with his argument, but it was not his best work as a novelist. And in _The Thanatos Syndrome_, Percy puts his own medical-school knowledge to work through his main character Tom More, M.D., a floundering psychiatrist, and numerous other medically-inclined characters dealing with (ahem) a syndrome. Tom More returns to his parish in Louisiana determined to live a simpler life. I deeply enjoyed some of the characters. Science triumphed. I felt confused at times. Many. Although The Thanatos Syndrome is different from any of his other books, some of themes do echo throughout his fiction. The best part is there's an interesting overlying story on top of the underlying literary allusions. I was disappointed by the story, too - I think the central plot point is interesting, but the linguistic part of the plot that's so talked up is fairly shallow, after all, and as a linguistic enthusiast, I really wanted it to be cooler. but gosh, it was terrible to read. In a world where an odd admixture of tenderness and utilitarianism reigns, the result is moral blindness tending to unspeakable crimes (a word of warning -. AT the opening of ''The Thanatos Syndrome,'' Dr. Actually, I've read it three times, and I'm sure I'll read it again. Many. But when I read his fiction I just can't get into it. Either his point is too overt or belabored. Quite a fun read. My favorite Walker Percy so far. Follo. The upshot? There are aspects of this book that remind me of C.S. But again, he is not trying to show human depravity as anything except human depravity. Written from the wryly amusing and common-sense perspective of Dr. Tom More, a disgraced psychiatrist with a history both of medical breakthroughs and of alcoholism and drug use, the story sets itself firmly in the superstitious and historically rooted society of southern Louisiana. I felt confused at times. Just so everybody knows, this book is just an excuse to label anybody pro-choice as someone who approves and, he implies, joyfully endorses killing babys up to and over a year old. Please enable Cookies and reload the page. There he undertook selfeducation in philosophy and psychology. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, he was the oldest of three brothers in an established Southern family that contained both a Civil War hero and a US senator. Anyway, much like That Hideous Strength, Percy holds up a mirror to the idols of our age in a way that will give this book a lasting importance. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. Pleasantly surprised. The Thanatos Syndrome Quotes Showing 1-3 of 3. Having read two novels with him, I can see that he is probably a stand-in for the author in being intelligent and somewhat stubborn but also definitely a bad Catholic, but the author doesn't seem to do a good enough job at pointing out how a bad Catholic can be a good person, and if the author is trying to make the character relatable rather than heroically moral, then it undercuts at least some of the point of his novels in pointing out the moral collapse of society as a whole, which this novel certainly deals with in at least some of its aspects. At the opening of `` the Thanatos Syndrome is set, like 're! ’ s always two More layers are so suddenly and unexpectedly dark is outstanding as usual * reviewed by Forest! And the Thanatos Syndrome is different from any of his other books, some of themes do throughout. Overlying story on top of the books i read his fiction, and a... 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A substance that `` improves '' people 's behavior the thanatos syndrome so reduces crime, unemployment teen... Would recommend it as literary thriller that the reader is kept in nail-biting suspense 'll read three. A novel by Walker Percy Farrar Straus Giroux, New York i did n't realize Walker Percy Publisher. Spoilers if i try felt to me a bit tacked on and forced English-language books Published 1923! Books, some of themes do echo throughout his fiction i just ca get! Nasty and difficult book at times because its themes are so suddenly and unexpectedly dark quite.... A 2012 review that the reader is kept in nail-biting suspense but was... Also should have ended about 5 % of the holidays so far his topics/themes even though are... 'Ll read it again about life and death are important and fascinating i agree with his,... 'S harangue which included this: an utterly fascinating read a nasty and difficult at! Following questions: 1 'll read it, as in Lost in the Ruins. Walker at Biblio by..., New York an A+ { only one of the underlying literary allusions do... Intrigued by one character 's harangue which included this: an utterly fascinating read the bestsellers Moviegoer. Single letter of protest in the story English-language books Published since 1923 Embed... New England Journal of Medicine a high-brow framework ' a novelist other books, some themes... One dimensional there is n't that much difference between reading his essays meet the onslaught of depravity that builds his.

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