A Magnificent Catastrophe (Book Review Sample)

A Magnificent Catastrophe – A Critical Review
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A Magnificent Catastrophe - A Critical Review
In one of his most succinct and "compelling read" works, A Magnificent Catastrophe, Edward J. Larson provides us with a fresh access to reality by drawing an apt reference to history. The tone of the writer in the 335 pages of the book cannot be mistaken. The writer puts up a spirited effort to calm nerves and appeal to the intelligence of his readers on contemporary issues by illustrating that most of the problems and fears that confront the society today are indeed not new. The writer uses Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams as his key characters in a rare artisanship to develop themes pertinent to the course of humanity, albeit in a political setting. It is not by accident that Larson refers to this period. The "dirty tricks" in politics that he alludes to are not unique to the 1800 election and neither did they originate therein. This year was carefully chosen by the writer, since the history of the 1800 election is grounded in the minds of the American people, deep in their minds, the very place he seeks to appeal to with his cautiously crafted themes.
One of the things that make the book a consuming read is the contradictory manner in which Larson criticizes and simultaneously admires his characters. He writes of how the adversaries in the election pummeled each other in a fascinating game theory that politics has always lived to be. The writer seems to assert that this form of game theory is what led to the invention of dirty tricks, further elaborating using an array of scenarios, how one’s success depended on a way or the other on another’s failure. However, Larson is also not short of admiration for the aspirants in the political duel, at one point in his criticism, stopping to admire their talents, if not morals. At one point, he writes that the adversaries could "write like angels and scheme like demons" (Larson p.17), a clear indication of his admiration for them. The quote below is one such scenario.
"If they (Adams and Jefferson) stopped to pray for anything from God, it was for wisdom to seek answers rather than the answers themselves" – Larson, page 8, 2nd Paragraph.
In the book, the portrayal of the Adams-Jefferson rivalry in the 1770s as ferocious and a matter of life and death is another scenario the writer uses to unnerve the reader concerning the tensions that were building in the run-up to polls in America. Some sections of A Magnificent Catastrophe almost seem fictitious as the writer provides a contrasting physique of Adams and Jefferson as the writer sets the stage (albeit virtual) for bruising battle, for that is what the political duel seems to be in the book. Adams is presented as a blunt, fat, short but hot-tempered individual, but his adversary, Jefferson, is a tall, Virginia aristocrat, unperturbed by the violent politics. In several instances in the book, Jefferson viciously attacks his political opponents, but the striking thing in all instances in which he does so is that it is an indirect attack, ostensibly to uphold his contemplative veneer. For many readers, Larson seems to be addressing the character of Jefferson in the 1800 election with the personality of contemporary Washington politicians. This is an artistic masterpiece only available to him. The writer proceeds to spice up the political rivalry with the policy preferences of the adversaries. At some point, he pits the two rival factions as microcosms teeming with proxies out to do the bidding for their surrogates in the disguise of regional powers. This is the reason he provides details of the effect that Adams and the Federalists were inclined towards France, while the Republican Party, headed by Jefferson, preferred England. The two sides were indeed spoilt for a fight at a time when America stood on a hostile ground (Larson, 2007, p.16). Essentially, the Federalists were more radical, advocating for industrial revolution while their opponents, the Republicans, were conservatives, seeking to embrace the agrarian culture that had served them so well for years. The taking of these standpoints draws the battle lines and what follows is a breathtaking narration of how the two factions’ hardline positions led to a series of vicious clashes and civil wars. The kind of narration provided by the writer appears to be a clever illustration of what political intolerance can do to a nation.
A Magnificent Catastrophe is a book about change and transition as much as it is about the political rivalry and game theory. A page-turner complete with precise reference to the history of a nation, the book seems to appreciate the role of political transition in reshaping the social, political and economic destiny of a country at war with itself. Larson observes that the ultimate victory savored by Jefferson marked the revolution of 1800, an apparent reference to the first transition of power to the opposition in the history of America. He even noted that one election (1800 polls) "took on extraordinary meaning" (Larson, 2007, p.4). The quote below illustrates what Larson made of the 1800 polls.
"The proximity of Adams and Jefferson in office as President and Vice President served to personalize every clash and to excite the sense that an epic confrontation between them was imminent in the next presidential context. The stage was set for the election of 1800: America’s first and most transformative presidential campaign." – Larson, page 36
In fact, the book was much more relevant at the time of writing than it is now. Rather interestingly, this is what makes the book even more meaningful today; a fact that writer’s intentions have dawned on the readers. The book displays the character of Larson as one who points only for those "who can see." In several ways, just like in his other works, Larson, in A Magnificent Catastrophe, makes an appeal to the readers’ intelligence, an intelligence that might not be consciously available to them. The role of the press in a free and democratic society is also elaborated in the book. Larson narrates that part of the reason Jefferson won is because he had a strategy hinged on the notion that the press is the "engine" that drives campaigns. However, even after the campaigns, the press became an essential avenue of polit...