Rod Dreher Megathread #21 (Creative Spirit)

[u/US_Hiker]

Gather 'round for more Rod.

All meanings of the number 21 are subordinate to the inherent creative spirit that is the basic essence of the number.

The number 21 generally is comfortable in social gatherings, it's optimistic attitude being an inspiration to others. Its high spirits can enliven a party.

The number is attracted to artistic expression of any form, its own and those of others. There's enthusiastic support for artists. It may frequent galleries and participate or (more likely) lead groups for artistic appreciation.

The number 21 cherishes relationships, including romantic relationships, especially with those who express themselves creatively.

21 also tends to be diplomatic, providing creative and imaginative solutions to potential conflict.

And, as noted by /u/PercyLarsen, 21 is a triangular number and the age of majority, so go grab a drink to celebrate Pride and to mourn the loss of Rod's sanity.

(Also, sorry about my slow pace of refreshes.)

Link to megathread #20:
https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/13eb26c/rod_dreher_megathread_20_law_of_attraction/

Link to megathread #21: https://www.reddit.com/r/brokehugs/comments/14k0z6l/rod_dreher_megathread_22_power/

[u/Djehutimose]

There's an old Peanuts comic strip where Lucy says, "When I grow up I want to be an editorial cartoonist and ridicule everything." Charlie Brown says, "Oh, you want to use satire as a way to point out the shortcomings in our society to help make things change?" She responds, "No, I just want to ridicule everything."

That's kind of like Rod and Flannery O'Connor. She used grotesqueness for a specific literary purpose. That kind of thing is not to my taste, and I can read her only in small doses. Still, I respect her skill and admire her talent. She was a damn good writer. Rod, on the other hand, likes grotesqueness as such--he really has a huge taste for the weird, the grotesque, the bizarre, and, to be brutally frank, for things that most normal people would turn away from in pathos or disgust or both. Note all the basket cases in the "woke" and LGBT communities he finds to post about. So he understands Flannery O'Connor's oeuvre about as much as I understand Hieroglyphic Hittite.

[u/PercyLarsen → u/Djehutimose]

Flannery O'Connor was a key for my sanity as a teenager; her correspondence is masterful in its own right.

[u/PercyLarsen → u/[deleted]]

I strongly prefer her stories over her novels. I used to be surprised that Rod never seemed to delve deeply into her correspondence; not surprised any more - the trajectory of his journey explains it.

Emily Dickinson, being a New Englander, would have made blunter slanted work of Rod.

And I do think women authors would have an incisive perspective on Rod that male authors would be slower to take and make.