[ERX]≫ Libro Gratis Ship of Fools Katherine Anne Porter 9780316713900 Books

Ship of Fools Katherine Anne Porter 9780316713900 Books

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Ship of Fools Katherine Anne Porter 9780316713900 Books

Ship of Fools captures that time, long ago, when being at sea was a necessity. There was no other way to cross oceans and a voyage could take weeks to arrive at a final destination. And because of this need, the types of people that congregated in close quarters on board a ship at sea was diverse. Ship of Fools captures the mood and diversity of passengers at sea during this bygone era.

The book's strength resides in the various mind-sets of its eclectic group of passengers. While they come from different backgrounds, different professions, and different places, they all posses that common human trait that becomes readily apparent when diversity is forced upon individuals for prolonged periods of time: pride, in all of its sad manifestations.

There is no escaping the foolishness that pride brings to every passenger. Each passenger cannot avoid seeing themselves in the true light of their own beliefs and their actions are consequently foolish to all but the actor (and those of similar minds). Themes of patriotism and xenophobia are explored alongside more typical human faults such as jealousy, envy, and greed. And while Katherine Porter spares her readers from being judged, the personal guilt of the reader is only a thought away from each foolish act.

As the book progresses, however, this strength-of-theme also becomes its primary weakness. The effect of capturing the somewhat monotonous mood of weeks upon the ocean served to create a similar outlook for the book itself. It seemed to take weeks for both the voyage and the book to end.

Picture: The SS Werra (2), which was to be renamed the Vera by Porter.


Tags : Ship of Fools [Katherine Anne Porter] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The story takes place in the summer of 1931, on board a cruise ship bound for Germany. Passengers include a Spanish noblewoman,Katherine Anne Porter,Ship of Fools,Back Bay Books,0316713902,General,Ocean travel,Psychological fiction,Ships,Thrillers (Fiction),Travelers,Voyages and travels,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction General,Fiction-Coming of Age,General Adult,Literary,Literature - Classics Criticism,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Modern fiction,United States

Ship of Fools Katherine Anne Porter 9780316713900 Books Reviews

porter managed to capture swirling crowd scenes and scatter them in a contained space and keep them spinning, beginning with persons from different european countries preparing to embark on the ship, vera, which will carry them from the bustling port city of veracruz to home ports in spain, germany and england. the germans and british travelers perceived mexico as a third world country, pretty much a dirt hole; once aboard ship, their tongues unleash their prejudices on a spanish troupe of performers, cuban students and a woman of dubious royalty from mexico being transported, the rumor is as a political exile, to santa cruz for her role in a revolution. it’s the early 1930s, anti-semitic sentiments against a couple of passengers who are segregated during dining foretell the outcome of soon to be held german elections. nor do their prejudices bind the northern europeans as a group, as everyone on board finds fault with someone else. traveling artists, a physician, even the captain, are part of the xenophobic mood, which interferes with urgencies to connect with other passengers, through sex or companionship, other than aggressively by lust and violence. don’t expect a story line, the characters are too busy finding fault to look outside their own diseased minds toward anything like interaction.
This was absolutely brilliant, one of the best books I’ve read this year. Porter is most remembered for short stories, but this, her only novel, was excellent!

The German passenger-freighter Vera is crossing from Mexico to Germany, in 1931. With 48 1st-class passengers and 900 desperately poor Spaniards in steerage. Germans, Americans, Spaniards, a Swede and Mexicans make up the 1st-class, and Porter’s portrayal of the human condition is spectacular. Their prejudices, class differences, fierce nationalism and pride are dissected with skill - all while the Vera heads towards a Europe moving closer to World War Two. The huge character list, their reflections on their own life and the judgements against fellow passengers, and Porter’s powers of perception make this a fabulous read. So great!
This is a masterpiece of human insight into the best and worst aspects of mankind. I loved best Katherine Porter’s unsparing analysis of people, demonstrated, as the best example I can remember, in a most novel way with her presentation in one scene of the power and dangers of community. She shows the delight in community in a scene where the anti-Semitic passengers overcome their ennui and are especially happy in their companionship at a dinner table after someone who they thought was their kind had been expelled when it was discovered he had married a Jew. Porter demonstrates her unfailing understanding of people’s character in her exquisite portrayal of their new found happiness and gemutlichkeit. She captures the essence of this dilemma community offers the perfect expression of harmony and sympathy; and yet, harbors the ugliest hatreds and xenophobia of mankind.
The more you think about Ship of Fools the more interesting it is. A ship bound from Mexico to Germany in 1931 is filled with passengers, mostly Germans who've been living in Mexico running businesses and returning home, a few Americans on vacation. They have about seven days to spend and within hours they start to make themselves and each other miserable. Their rampant sexism, racism, classism etc is so patently absurd. For one example, a German man passionately in love with his Jewish wife waiting for him when he arrives is seated at the captain's table. He mentioned to a lady he met that he was married to a Jewish woman and she tells the captain. The next he is moved to a table with the one Jewish man on the boat. Furious at the indignity the German commissariats with the Jewish man who responds to the effect, "Why would a nice Jewish girl marry a Goy like you?"

No one on this boat can win due entirely to the absurdity of everyone's trained cultural opinions. It would be hysterically funny if it were not so often pathetic.

Porter's writing is masterful. She moves among her characters with grace, elevating them in your opinion only to send them crashing down based on the absurdity of perfectly common ways of thinking.
Ship of Fools captures that time, long ago, when being at sea was a necessity. There was no other way to cross oceans and a voyage could take weeks to arrive at a final destination. And because of this need, the types of people that congregated in close quarters on board a ship at sea was diverse. Ship of Fools captures the mood and diversity of passengers at sea during this bygone era.

The book's strength resides in the various mind-sets of its eclectic group of passengers. While they come from different backgrounds, different professions, and different places, they all posses that common human trait that becomes readily apparent when diversity is forced upon individuals for prolonged periods of time pride, in all of its sad manifestations.

There is no escaping the foolishness that pride brings to every passenger. Each passenger cannot avoid seeing themselves in the true light of their own beliefs and their actions are consequently foolish to all but the actor (and those of similar minds). Themes of patriotism and xenophobia are explored alongside more typical human faults such as jealousy, envy, and greed. And while Katherine Porter spares her readers from being judged, the personal guilt of the reader is only a thought away from each foolish act.

As the book progresses, however, this strength-of-theme also becomes its primary weakness. The effect of capturing the somewhat monotonous mood of weeks upon the ocean served to create a similar outlook for the book itself. It seemed to take weeks for both the voyage and the book to end.

Picture The SS Werra (2), which was to be renamed the Vera by Porter.