Comments on: Catch-22: Analysis

By: Valera Fooksman

Valera Fooksman — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 06:36:44 +0000

Ha, only a month later and I’m done! Great book, despite of the fact that some other ones are “more interesting”. Certain elements (quotes, situations, attitudes) I recognized along the way as archetypical, or, in other words, as part of the cultural background that is simply there. Some other things I will have with me from now on (read: they became the cultural background). That’s the difference between a great book and an interesting book: the great book is important, it’s a landmark in one’s perspective, it changes the reader. This one is most certainly a great book (as well as 1984, although I don’t understand why people compare the two).

Thanks for your posts, they are, as usual, top notch. I wonder what’s gonna be the next book. Not Ulisses I hope… Maybe Iliad instead? and Odyssey thrown in for good measure?

By: Fred

Fred — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:37:49 +0000

I just finished reading “Catch 22″ again, having started a bit later than this group. I’ve read it twice before. It is a frustrating work, coming back to the same events from slightly different perspectives and never quite resolving some plot points. (Just why was Nately’s whore so mad at Yossarian anyway?)

Still, there are scenes and moods/situations from the novel that have stuck with me over the years, more so than with many other books. Yossarian and Dunbar in the hospital; McWatt buzzing the raft a bit too low; Orr’s obtuseness and our new perspective of him by the end; Snowden; Yossarian’s troubles with Nately’s whole; Milo’s odd business model; etc. The novel’s a mess, but it’s hard to forget.

By: Pat

Pat — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:55:26 +0000

Bah. I feel like I have been duped–everyone kept saying in the comments here that we should persevere to the end–all would become clear and a plot would eventually emerge. But the ending fizzles out and I’m just left feeling weary and unfulfilled after reading hundreds of pages about insane people acting incredibly badly. I think the point that “war is hell” could have been made more clearly in fewer pages.

By: alex

alex — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 22:26:36 +0000

hurry up and finish the book already. i hate catch 22, but love your blog and want things to get back to ‘normal’ (whatever that means)

By: Kevin S.

Kevin S. — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:51:21 +0000

heathersway, for what it’s worth, I really enjoyed the movie. Lot of great actors in it as well. Just wish I had finished reading the book before watching the movie since the sequence of events is changed slightly.

By: EDB

EDB — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 00:44:10 +0000

Although I didn’t read along, as I read the book two months ago, I enjoyed following your progress through it and comments on it.

By: The Dad Diaries

The Dad Diaries — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:11:25 +0000

There is a wonderful protest song (what happended to those?) by the incomparable Divine Comedy here - http://youtube.com/watch?v=TPTowHCETgg or just enter keywords 'divine comedy guantanamo'. Imagine this one actually being released? I cant personally.

By: heathersway

heathersway — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 19:28:46 +0000

I loved 1984. Catch 22, not so much.

I got a call yesterday that the movie is in at the library for pick-up. I know, I know, Junior warned me but I can’t not watch it now.

By: Greg

Greg — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 15:34:18 +0000

I managed to complete the book ahead of schedule, which is a real feather in my cap!

But then my comment here lacks the depth of analysis of the post above so that’s a black eye.

By: j. matt

j. matt — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:50:19 +0000

I guess Dug beat me to the circularity/repetition joke.
I think this book was far superior to 1984, which I never liked.
I would not remove a single sentence.