Bibliophile, scholar of history, philosophy, and literature. Sometimes talks about socialism.https://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lhel7gbwek2jFinally got around to reading the Wilson translation of the Odyssey, which happened to be included in volume A of the 4th edition of the Norton Anthology of World Literature that has languished on my shelf for a few years.04 Feb 2025 17:25 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lhel7gbwek2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lgy4jebjc225I don't really need an introduction in general, but it doesn't hurt to go back to the basics. The section on Poetry I found useful. That's probably my weak point.30 Jan 2025 18:30 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgy4jebjc225https://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lgj36wnslc2uNot really too impressed with Weil in general. I know this is more or less just an essay, but I've read other things. Her Platonism is a little ridiculous, but her earnestness is refreshing, one might say.24 Jan 2025 18:56 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgj36wnslc2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lggotuh3bk2jBack to the classics. I don't have too much to say on this one.23 Jan 2025 20:10 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lggotuh3bk2jhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lgbdwmpwos2sAs a work of history I think this book is seriously flawed. Losurdo betrays an immense ignorance of American history, and this is more of a propagandistic polemic than a serious reflection on history.21 Jan 2025 17:11 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lgbdwmpwos2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lg6mqbiouk2sShort, but good. Another Hobsbawm classic.20 Jan 2025 15:11 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lg6mqbiouk2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lfwut3h5ks2dInterested in reading more on this. The included essays were interesting, but it seems like they had a very narrow focus on England and Northern France. They're quite old as well. It would be interesting to see how this debate has evolved in the past 50 years.17 Jan 2025 13:14 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfwut3h5ks2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lfs5bg3v3c2pBeen pretty lax about posting. Busy with real world duties, but I've still gotten a fair bit of reading done. This is old, the contributions date from the early 60's, but it was still an interesting read. There was a bit more diversity of thought than I expected.15 Jan 2025 16:02 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lfs5bg3v3c2phttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lf57bouoj225For some reason Towles' books are something of a guilty pleasure. He's a pretty mediocre author and I find his overly affected bourgeois snobbery to be kind of unbearable at times. Yet I still have fun with these. Enjoyed this more than the Lincoln Highway at any rate.07 Jan 2025 08:12 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lf57bouoj225https://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lf22hk4h2k2sThe more I see about this 'feudalism' discourse the more I'm reminded how the vast majority of marxists on twitter, despite their pretensions, are anti-intellectual philistines with a visceral hatred for any field of knowledge outside their own little bubble.06 Jan 2025 02:08 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lf22hk4h2k2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lezlvbbvek2wBeen a bit since I posted. Finished this yesterday. Honestly, I wouldn't recommend it. Probably too much detail, and I think Orlando Figes covers the malignancy and incompetence of this disastrous figure far better and more concisely in his 'A People's Tragedy'.05 Jan 2025 21:47 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lezlvbbvek2whttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lenb6leo322bIt's that time of year(to buy a bunch of books via annual holiday discount).01 Jan 2025 00:04 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lenb6leo322bhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lcfwysqorc2fAfter all these years, finally got around to beginning Hobsbawm's legendary series. Haven't learned much new from this, but I've read a lot of history over the years. It really does synthesize a lot of information and I think this remains relevant.03 Dec 2024 15:22 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lcfwysqorc2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3lbxfivc4ck2pBeen busy with things, but I finally got around to finishing this. I've wanted to read a variety of things about the CIA and FBI, so I consider this a first step. The book is quite comprehensive, but I think it is a little bottom heavy. The later period is covered more briefly.27 Nov 2024 20:32 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3lbxfivc4ck2phttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3l7u5mexkhu2wOne thing about studying early US history that surprised me a bit is how much slavery permeated everything. We take it for granted that this was in the case in the south, but what about in the north? At the time of the revolution 20% of Boston households held enslaved people.01 Nov 2024 02:43 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3l7u5mexkhu2whttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3l7tctqie6p2lOne of the countless irritating things about liberals is that their screaming about 'America First' is a sham. Just bring up any aspect of American foreign policy and they all instantly turn into America Firsters.31 Oct 2024 18:43 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3l7tctqie6p2lhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3l7tcgcejrc2dMixed things up with a combo about both the American and French revolutions. The usual caveat with biographies applies. This also reminds me about how much more I need to read about the French Revolution, and how woefully lacking English language historiography is on the subject.31 Oct 2024 18:36 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3l7tcgcejrc2dhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3l7qvjazj7u23Back to book posting, quite a backlog to post yet. This one wasn't too interesting. Marginal figure in the greater scheme of things.30 Oct 2024 19:40 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3l7qvjazj7u23https://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3l7ja4uazcn2vThe way social media has shaped the left today is pretty unsatisfying. It encourages an orgy of commentary in a way that neither changes anything nor adds to any meaningful discussion or conversation. Chatter for the sake of chatter. We're all guilty of that to some extent.27 Oct 2024 18:28 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3l7ja4uazcn2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3l7e75bwovs2fDo people still use this? might start cross posting here.25 Oct 2024 18:27 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3l7e75bwovs2fhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3kbl3j6lblz2uDisgusting to see Marxists applaud Bernie Sanders for saying that Israel should bomb Palestinian civilians, but moderately! Same shit as always. Posture radical while lining up behind progressive liberals. Been that way for nearly 100 years now.12 Oct 2023 17:35 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3kbl3j6lblz2uhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3kbj42dmbnv2hIt's interesting to see AOC use this tactic. She lacks the balls to endorse Israel directly, so she condemns those who oppose it. The question is why? Apparently she worries about offending anti-zionists, even though they unconditionally vote Dem anyway. So what's the point?11 Oct 2023 22:39 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3kbj42dmbnv2hhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3kbdqfw3s6f2s“I do not support Hamas, but rather the Palestinian people themselves!” This is an absurdity given that Hamas is presently the institution through which national liberation finds expression. There is no abstract will of the people that preexists its concrete embodiment.09 Oct 2023 19:28 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3kbdqfw3s6f2shttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3kbdqbo6vdh2eWhat is shocking is not the ugliness of people, but their lack of judgement. -Thomas Bernhard09 Oct 2023 19:25 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3kbdqbo6vdh2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3k5anll4gm52xFinished rereading this yesterday. It was much less impactful the second time, and it certainly pales compared to some of Bernhard’s other works like Gargoyles and Woodcutters.18 Aug 2023 16:19 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3k5anll4gm52xhttps://bsky.app/profile/mvulpiani.bsky.social/post/3k4xq7cpupf2vFinished this today. The most depressing thing about this book is that it makes you realize that American progressive liberals 100 years ago were more combative and militant than most Marxists are today. It’s not even a high bar in the first place, come on.15 Aug 2023 03:11 +0000at://did:plc:ij2gwcaaak464ilp7at6amn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3k4xq7cpupf2v