More Bloomsday

[altariel]

The message board discussion below the BBC's Cheat's Guide to Joyce's Ulysses has now turned into a lively argument between detractors and supporters. A 'Stephen Fry' of London fulminates against philistinism. Lovely BBC, creating rich and fascinating social documents.

Comments

[kathyh]

It's great, isn't it. It really makes me fume when detractors say that the BBC shouldn't have an internet presence. It's one of the things that's going to have to be defended for the dreaded Charter renewal.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Weren't there the same complaints about starting a second channel, and experimenting with colour, all those kinds of things? The BBC's online presence is so obviously a massive success. (Having said that, I barely ever go to bbc.co.uk, it's almost always the news site I visit.)

[kathyh]

Weren't there the same complaints about starting a second channel, and experimenting with colour, all those kinds of things?

I think so. The BBC should obviously have remained fixed in the early 1950s.

Having said that, I barely ever go to bbc.co.uk, it's almost always the news site I visit.

Same here, though I do go and look at the Archive Interviews site occasionally out of a former professional interest. They've got Kenneth Williams up talking about Round the Horne at the moment (but don't go and look there because you're supposed to be finishing a chapter *g*). On This Day is fun too.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

I perfectly understand people who say 'this isn't for me, I'll stick to other stuff that I prefer' Who could argue with that? But the anger and - I don't think this an exaggeration - fear that some of them come up with gives me pause for thought. What is that about? Must feel that the book is in some way an attack on them.

[altariel.livejournal.com]

Is it some kind of expression of middle-class anxiety? Did people just have a really bad experience with a teacher at school? Is it true that England is the only culture with the phrase: "Too clever for your own good"?

[communicator.livejournal.com]

middle-class anxiety

My theory is that the UK is not anti-intellectual, as people say, but has a social convention that the class system is aligned to cleverness. So it is unaccepatable to be at the wrong level of cleverness for your status. If you are middle class your status depends on you being clever enough to understand all clever things. You don't understand Ulyssess, ergo either you are a fraud or the book is bullshit.