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Summary:
1912 work by the highly influential English writer of the early 20th century. Includes chapters on the homelessness of man, imperialism, feminism, education and the home of man.
Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Rating:
It's Chesterton
Customer Rating:
This is one of my favorite books by Chesterton. He relates the dangers of Big Business and Big Government. The amazing thing is the way the Big Business argument has withstood the test of time. Most importantly it is Chesterton, get it, enjoy it, love it.
Beyond my comprehension
Customer Rating:
Chesterton was undoubtably a genius. I am certain that this book has great value and meaning but I found it beyond my ability to dig it out. The language is full of idoms and references from late nineteenth and early twentieth century England which I could not comprehend without tremendous effort. I gave up on it. I suppose this is more of a reflexion of myself than Chesterton.
This Should Be The First Chesterton Book You Read
Customer Rating:
At least as far as the ones I have read (several).
Chesterton's short essays in this book can be read almost independently with much satisfaction. The world has changed a bit since the early 1900's but it is astonishing how prescient this work truly is. It might be hard for modern readers to realize how different the current issues of poverty are from those of his day and the forces that contribute to it are focused in different areas, but the fundamental analysis is impeccable.
What Chesterton does beyond all comparison is foundational thinking. His wit and paradoxical prose force the reader to consider problems from an entirely different perspective. In this sense Chesterton truly is a revolutionary conservative. When he asks if it is possible to "set back the clock" we suddenly discover that he is dead serious and that it is a very desirable thing to do.
All in all, this is a non-religious book and a good introduction to Chesterton's work. He keeps the sermons to an absolute minimum and makes an awful lot of sense.
What's wrong with the world? I am.
Customer Rating:
I think the collection of essays are generally well written, but there are some issues. Before I start, yes; I know WWWtW was written nearly 100 years ago for a primarily British audience. There are parallels with today's culture, but the book was written for quite a different population facing similar evils.
This may be petty, but the use of the "n" word really bothered me. I know Chesterton was a wordsmith, and was not a racist, but the use of that word really offended me. I know...different age and different culture, but I live in 21st century New York, not 20th century England. Is the use of the word meant to be offensive? I don't believe offense was Chesterton's motive. Chesterton even calls poor East Enders "guttersnipes", but this is his way of wordsmithing and even here the euphemism is not meant to be offensive, but clever. However, in spite of Chesterton's love of euphemisms and cleverness, I find the "n" word to be a huge stumbling block.
Chesterton's idea of the fundamental difference among the sexes is accurate. However, the whole objection to women not voting is rather unsettling. I know...different age and different culture, but it still bothers me. However, the notion of the Industrial and Post Industrial age forcing women into the workplace so that families can survive is an acute assessment.
What's not to like about Hudge and Gudge?
I think Chesterton is the Epitome of an age long since past. He chose not to pursue formal education, but the man was a generalist, and that suited him. There are too many specialists in the world, with large student loan debts, who cannot figure out why pulling on a push door will not open the door. If we had more Chestertons, I think the world would be a better place; there is always the need for generalists in a specialized world.
Great Edition
Customer Rating:
This is a wonderful edition of What's Wrong With the World. If you have read much of Chesterton's social commentary or essay work, you know that he makes many allusions to people, places, and ideas that were common to him in the early part of the 20th Century. Ignatius Press did a great job footnoting many of these references, which makes this amazing work of Chesterton's much more accessible to the common man, whom he loved so much.
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