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Preview
Spending a summer holiday in Italy, Sebastian Barnack - a handsome English schoolboy and aspiring poet - begins his real education under the tutelage of two very different kinds of teachers. His uncle, an atheist, introduces him to life's more profance pleasures, while a saintly bookseller steers him towards the spiritual, advising that "there's only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's your own self." Bitter, witty, and sincere in turns, Time Must Have a Stop is both a satire of a traditional coming-of-age novel and an earnest exploration of what it means to try and lead a good life.
Statistics
- Author: Aldous Huxley
- Title: Time Must Have a Stop
- Publisher: Dalkey Archive
- Publishing Date: 1998 (First Dalkey Publishing)
- Genre: Satire
Review
Aldous Huxley, only being surpassed by J.G. Ballard, is my favorite author when it comes to sociology, economy, philosophy, and of course theology. Unlike his famous book Brave New World, this book is more on the theology and sociology sides of Huxley's mind. Because of this, it shows both the positives and negatives of those who are Atheistic as well as those who have faith. How Huxley shows this however is quite awesome to a point that I wish more Atheists and people of faith were like Uncle Eustace and Bruno Rontini. Uncle Eustace is an Atheist who sarcastically mocks theology but does it in a way that doesn't offend anyone while Bruno Rontini is a strong believer in faith but understands the moral aptitudes of it far better than anyone else I can think of. This sets the plot for the main character, Sebastian, and his real education.
For Uncle Eustace, he introduces what good can come from the absence of God or a higher authority. Because of this, a lot of profance pleasures like gluttony, lust, and even greed are acted upon but by the way Uncle Eustace does it, he does it with class, dignity, and doesn't convert to hurting people or their property. The gluttony is shown by his desire to eat and even other characters attack him about his overindulgence by pointing out his belly and that hardly anyone at that time lives over the age of fifty in his condition. Lust is shown by his attitude around a beautiful, young, girl. Adesso comincia la tortura. Finally his greed is shown by how he spends his money on extravagant and pricey items from Degas paintings to authentic Chinese artifacts. Finally, he even goes to explain the falasies of those who use their faith for gain per say Dante in The Divine Comedy.
Now Bruno Rontini however is not the opposite but a very plural extension of those of faith...kind of like me. This is why Bruno Rontini is my favorite character in the entire book because his views parallel and mirror my views as well. He addresses in a sesne all I believe on personal responsibility and knowing that the only people who can make or break you is yourself. He even states that Uncle Eustace is correct with his view on Dante but that doesn't mean other writers who were against faith are justified such as Geoffrey Chaucer who went against the church in his writings of The Canturbury Tales. (Not to self: Read The Canturbury Tales) Also, he talks about how people of faith use what their knowledge to justify their faith instead of improving themselves. It is so easy to point fingers and to judge and criticize people but when it comes to criticizing one's self, well you get it.
All in all, this is one of the best books I have read. It took me a little longer than usually because Huxley used his advanced English language skills along with Italian to write this book which makes it very intriging to me. It is a satire of a common event in our lives but how Huxley words it is just majestic on its own thus why I love all of Aldous Huxley's books I have read so far. (Note to self: Read more Aldous Huxley books) To me, a worthwhile read if you are into philosophy, sociology, and/or theology but for everyone else, you might want to check the first chapter to see if it catchers your interest or not.
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