By failing to recognize that this is the funniest parody in the entire history of literature, you unwittingly condemn yourself as irrational and anti-life.
The funniest parody in all of literature is Ulysses, and it's so funny nobody gets it.
McSweeney's is misinterpreting Rand. Rand isn't about making money. She's about creating good products and making money because people like what you've got. Kind of like how 37Signals does today: they're the "Atlas heroes." They do what they want, they don't compromise, and they're reporting doing well despite the crash because they're making something that people want.
McSweeney writers aren't bad, but they're immature. They take low shots and they're willing to be lame for laughs. In a way, kind of like Dave Eggers, who's quite good but who could be a lot better if he stopped the annoying little games. I like reading them on occasion, but this was one of their weaker moments.
Well, it's not entirely a parody. But there are absolutely parodic incidents. It takes the name Ulysses to allude to a grand epic, and then focuses on three people living a day in their lives. And it's not a parody in the sense that Joyce is making a bigger point, which is that the human mind is so complex and beautiful that the mere fact of living a day is an epic unto itself.
However, Joyce still absolutely has a comedic mindset. The opening, when Buck Mulligan descends and shaves, is written as if it were a religious ritual. There's the excellent newspaper scene, where headlines announce the goings-on of the characters. There's a chapter where every few paragraphs Joyce takes on the style of a new writer, moving from extremely obtuse ancient writing up to Irish slang. There's the penultimate chapter, which takes a scientific approach to two characters having sex. Stephen's chapter is a parody of the overthinking genius. Really, every chapter is as silly as it's straight. It's one of the things that makes Ulysses so fascinating.
Technically, I'd call Finnegans Wake an even greater parody, but that's not fair, because it parodies itself.
If you'd said "Ulysses is funny" I wouldn't have questioned that. :) It's certainly not a parody of the Odyssey, despite the partially ironic title and the echoes in the episode structure.
I think those echoes are what make me call it a parody. It's a serious parody - I think that it mirrors it to prove a serious statement - but at the same time, it's saga-length and absolutely epic, yet it focuses on the mind rather than on great actions and deeds. Perhaps it's not a direct parody - it does much more than parody - but I think that parody's still in there.
The part near the very end - the Sinbad the Sailor monologue - still cracks me up. What excellent writing.
Portrait is close to Joyce's autobiography. And absolutely reading it will make Ulysses easier to read. Otherwise, it's nearly incomprehensible. Joyce believes in in media res to an extreme.
Ulysses isn't directly parody, as was said in response to my original post. There are elements, but it's very much a serious book at the same time. Funny, but serious.
I 2nd that. Understand that this is like a good troll, you just have to enjoy it.
"There's a whole world out there of byzantine financial products just waiting to be invented, Dagny. Let the leeches run my factories into the ground! I hope they do! I've taken out more insurance on a single Rearden Steel bond than the entire company is even worth! When my old company finally tanks, I'll make a cool $877 million."
Their eyes locked with an intensity she was only beginning to understand. Yes, Hank ... claim me ... If we're to win the battle against the leeches, we must get it on ... right now ... Don't let them torture us for our happiness ... or our billions.
He tore his eyes away.
"I can't. Sex is base and vile!"
"No, it's an expression of our highest values and our admiration for each other's minds."
"Your mind gives me the biggest boner, Dagny Taggart."
Yeah, but it takes itself seriously. A parody straw man argument doesn't make you think, and that's an essential for good comedy.
I read a very good parody of Atlas a while ago. It didn't take words from Rand and mash them up (like this does) - it does a good job of emulating her style while criticizing her ideas. This one's less clever than that, which is a shame.
This one reads like it was written by someone who got through the first 50 pages of Atlas Shrugged, read the cliffs notes, got a D on a paper, and has resented the style and the ideas ever since.
