Maggie's Farm

We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.

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Thursday, March 17. 2022

Unloveable virtues

In his science fiction novel Nemesis, Isaac Asimov describes a female character as possessing the "unloveable virtues": Serious, Practical, Responsible, Dutiful.


When I googled the concept, I found this: "Stan Asimov used to say that his brother Isaac had "all the unlovable virtues". Then, while describing a character in Nemesis, Isaac wrote "she possesses what someone once described to me as all the unlovable virtues"."



Posted by The Barrister in Quotidian Quotable Quote (QQQ), The Culture, "Culture," Pop Culture and Recreation at 16:40 | Comments (5) | Trackbacks (0)

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I'm married to someone just like that, and she keeps me on the straight and narrow. Of course, it helps that, at home, she's also whimsical, artistic, gracious, sociable, and possessed of an outrageous sense of humor.

Can't speak for Asimov, but old college acquaintances who'd met him said he was a Dirty Old Man and a bit of an ass.
#1 Mike Anderson (Link) on 2022-03-17 17:34 (Reply)
A woman like that is worth a great fortune.
#1.1 snopercod on 2022-03-17 20:31 (Reply)
Stan Asimov was the editor of The Long Island Press, which morphed into Long Island Newsday. Stan's son Eric wrote restaurant reviews for the NY Times, daughter Nan writes for the San Francisco Chronicle.
#2 nunnya bidnez jr on 2022-03-17 18:13 (Reply)
I read Asimov's autobiography In Memory Yet Green and didn't get that impression. But he did get a PhD in Chemistry, so he had to have had some serious practical side.
#3 Assistant Village Idiot on 2022-03-17 18:50 (Reply)
I'll never forget seeing Asimov in Bermuda - I was a teenager and had read Foundation and there he was, mutton chops, wild hair, big belly and all, in a pair of polyester Stay-press slacks, sandals and yes: socks. Standing there rocking on his heels in the dim light of the aquarium we were visiting there. I couldn't believe my eyes, but I snapped a picture with my disposable camera and I still have it.
#4 Aggie on 2022-03-17 19:49 (Reply)

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