The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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So, What's On the Bedside Table these Days? -- Part 1
Christopher wrote: "Oh, Lordy, I LOVE Tessie. She just needed a stalwart and honorable man who loved her. Okay, you might want keep the household cutlery on the down-low too. ;-) ."Shje's the child of a drunken father and a co-dependent mother. She's messed up from the start. And her choice in men is, well let's just ask do you really want to be in the company of "men Tess has loved"?
I know you will all be delighted to learn that I am reading Terry Eagleton's latest book Why Marx was Right:D:D. It is an excellent reappraisal of Marx's theories and knocks of lot of the myths about his theories out of the water. http://bensonian.org/2011/01/28/why-m...
http://reviews.publishersweekly.com/9...
Mod
I'm currently reading a collection of stories called The Most P.G. Wodehouse. I'm just arriving at the end of the Drone Club stories. They are light and entertaining, but are a little formulaic.I'm also reading Leviathan (by Hobbes) and a collection of stories by the Irish writer Frnak O'Connor.
I also highly recomend two books that I recently read. They are Dark Star Safari and The Great Railway Bazaar, by Paul Theroux. These are both great reads (especially if one is interested in travel)!
I've just embarked on a crusade, to read all of Don Quixote (I've read bits and pieces in the past) and all of Montaigne's Essays (again, I've read just a few selected essays up to now)...I have both the Screech and the Frame translations of Montaigne, and I've been jumping back and forth...Frame seems to be a bit easier to read so far...I'm also reading Sarah Bakewell's 'How to Live' which is an inventive biography of Montaigne (very good in the early going)...
...and for Cervantes I'm reading the Edith Grossman translation, which seems to have a nice balance between directness and a sense of being authenticly antique...
OK... so what's on the bookshelf today? I started reading my first Evelyn Waugh novel, "A Handful of Dust", last night and like it very much so far. I also picked up a few other books at the library today, including "Bright Young Things", by Josephine Edgar, and "The Way We Live Now", by Anthony Trollope, of course. So I shall be reading a Victorian novel this week in addition to the others not of the period.And what's everyone reading now? Enquiring minds want to know! ;o)
Mod
Christopher wrote: "Well, I am currently slowly plodding through Ian C. Esslemont's latest offering in the Malazan series (seriously cool fantasy fiction) entitled, Stonewielder. On the train, to and f..."I have that Collins book on my to-read list, and am anxious to hear what you think of it, Christopher. And Hardy's poetry is a good thing to read on the train - each poem isn't too long and their beauty can life one's spirits in the morning, right? Thanks so much!
I just finished The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - has anyone read this? I was blown away...this is one of those books that will haunt me forever.
Lauri wrote: "I just finished The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - has anyone read this? I was blown away...this is one of those books that will haunt me forever."It is, as you say, a haunting reading experience. It has that seeming simplicity, which, in fact, is a typical feature of German Literature, but it is extremely deep in the topics it explores.
Schlinck does a wonderful job exploring the idea of guilt and how two incompatible things could actually coexist - love and passion on one hand, and hatred and condemnation on the other hand.
I also liked how tackled the issue of illiteracy and how destructive this fear of being exposed as illiterate could be.
It is also interesting that he did not choose the easiest and the most exciting character to tell the story, and it gives the novel a certain open-end perspective. We, readers, are left to interpret and imagine many things left unsaid, unmentioned, and unknown, because the wonderland of Hannah's mind has never been presented in the book.
Anyway, it was a truly good read.
Zulfiya wrote: "Lauri wrote: "I just finished The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - has anyone read this? I was blown away...this is one of those books that will haunt me forever."It is, as you say, a haunting readin..."
I agree with both of you. I loved the way Schlink let the story unfold. Have you checked out the movie version?
I am reading Best Russian Short Stories after finishing the series of D'Artagnan romances and The Count of Monte Cristo. I was visiting with the Deputy Consul General of France today and she suggested that I read Le Bossu (The Hunchback) by Paul Féval. But I have not been able to find it in an English translation. Is anyone familiar with Féval? He seems to be a prominent writer of era. I would love to find an English version of the book as I was told I would likely appreciate his work since I liked Dumas so much.
I'm halfway through Dubliners by James Joyce. It is not as intimidating as I expected.
Emily wrote: "I'm halfway through Dubliners by James Joyce. It is not as intimidating as I expected."Emily, I think "Dubliners" and "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" are the two most accessible of Joyce's books. "Ulysses" is much more difficult, and I found that "Finnegan's Wake" was nearly impossible. Do you think you'll read more of Joyce's work? Thanks!
Ellen wrote: "Emily wrote: "I'm halfway through Dubliners by James Joyce. It is not as intimidating as I expected."Emily, I think "Dubliners" and "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" are the two most acces..."
I totally agree with Ellen. His first two major works are the most accessible, though you can see that 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man' is one step up. His other two major works 'Ulysess' and 'Finnegan's Wake' represent an ever-present challenge and a duel between a reader and the writer.
My favorite stories in 'Dubliners' are 'A Painful Case'and 'The Dead'. The stories mature within the frame of the book, but it is obvious he planned 'Dubliners' to be a certain literary "Bildungs" exercise - not only his characters mature, but his style along with his whole language becomes different, more stable, more mature. You can still trace the same thing in his 'Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man'where he uses it as a device to show the birth and growth of an Artist.
Newbie waving at you from Tokyo!I am about 50 pages into The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and enjoying it immensely, but I'm far behind the discussion schedule.
I plan to read The Count of Monte Cristo maybe not next, but soon...what can I say?
I like Big Books and I cannot lie (sorry, am I allowed to rap here or is it a rap-free zone?)
Gaijinmama wrote: "Newbie waving at you from Tokyo!I am about 50 pages into The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and enjoying it immensely, but I'm far behind the discussion schedule.
I plan to read [book:T..."
Hi Gaijinmama,
I read The Counte of Monte Cristo late last year and it immediately went into my top10 all time favorites. Then I moved on to The Three Musketeers and all the series of D'Artagnan romances that followed. It took me about 7 months to finish all my Dumas reading. I could not have spent my free time in a better, more fulfilling way. I hope you enjoy reading The Count.
Alessa
Zulfiya wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Emily wrote: "I'm halfway through Dubliners by James Joyce. It is not as intimidating as I expected."Emily, I think "Dubliners" and "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" are the ..."
I definitely agree with your analysis of Joyce's work, Zulfiya. And you're also correct about how the stories "mature" in "Dubliners" as the book continues. I have read "Ulysses" - it was a great struggle, but I managed to finish it. "Finnegan's Wake", on the other hand, I've started several times, have made it about halfway through or so, and then just became so frustrated I had to put it down again. Someday I'll make my way through it, though. Have you managed to plow your way through "FW" yet? Thanks so much!
I've read Ulysses and enjoyed it very much. If I were to read Finnegan's Wake, (which I probably won't) I would read it with a good guide -- either a knowledgeable teacher or a well-annotated version of the novel.
Jeanne wrote: "I've read Ulysses and enjoyed it very much. If I were to read Finnegan's Wake, (which I probably won't) I would read it with a good guide -- either a knowledgeable teacher or a well-annotated versi..."Jeanne, I agree with you. A good annotated edition is necessary, but even with one I've found it difficult to plow my way through "Finnegan's Wake". I'm going to make it someday, though, because I have a feeling it's going to be worth the struggle.
Hi, all. Not been around the discussions for a while, but I have been keeping up with reading The Pickwick Papers. I finally finished The Christ-Haunted Landscape: Faith and Doubt in Southern Fiction, which was absolutely excellent. I'm currently reading Gravity's Rainbow and just started Smilla's Sense of Snow, as well as re-reading Watchmen, reading Uncle Silas with another group, and leisurely working my way through Nine Horses: Poems. I'll probably pick up a re-read of something by Philip Levine in honor of his being named Poet Laureate. I'm very excited about that.
How're you liking Gravity's Rainbow, Denae?I'm taking a break between Moby-Dick and Vanity Fair for something a little lighter: Survival in the Killing Fields.
I am a masochist.
Amazing book though, especially if you enjoy being traumatized.
Err, let me know how that book is once you've finished it.I'm enjoying GR overall, but it's definitely good that I'm reading other stuff as well. It's a good book, but very dense and pretentious as hell. It does have a beautiful flow to the words though which I'm loving.
Cool. I'm hoping to get to it sometime next year, but I can't say I'm not a little nervous. It's got quite the difficult reputation.
I won't lie, there were points in the first 100-150 pages where I had to just power through it, but I'm enjoying it now.
Denae wrote: "I'm enjoying GR overall, but it's definitely good that I'm reading other stuff as well. It's a good book, but very dense and pretentious ..."We often have 3 or 4 threads going at once. Please indicate who you're replying to by hitting the "reply" button under their post.
Rochelle wrote: "Denae wrote: "I'm enjoying GR overall, but it's definitely good that I'm reading other stuff as well. It's a good book, but very dense and pretentious ..."We often have 3 or 4 threads going at on..."
I will take into account in the future that that is a rule in this group. In general, I've seen it primarily used if one is replying to a post that does not immediately precede the post being made. I feel that, in some cases, that can be easier, given the somewhat terrible way replies works on goodreads, but I certainly had no desire to violate a rule.
Listening to The Way We Live Now in the car and The Children's Book is on the nightstand. But really posting to tell everyone about the great deal I found - The Annotated Huckleberry Finn from Daedalus Books for only $15. Mine arrived yesterday and it's (salebooks.com) absolutely gorgeous. Sat right down and started looking through it. Has all the illustrations from the original book. Daedalus also has what looks to be a lovely accordian folding book that traces the geneologies of all the characters mentioned in Shakespeare's plays, including plot outlines, map etc. Only $5...I had to tell my husband to hide the catalog when it comes in the mail, I'm dangerous!
Mod
I'm also reading a brand new translation of "The Complete Plays of Sophocles: A New Translation". These translations, by Robert Bagg and James Scully, are powerful, dynamic, and emotionally hard-hitting. I also just finished reading a different translation of Aeschylus' "The Oresteia" by George Thomson. I finished reading the few remaining minor novels of Thomas Hardy. I particularly enjoyed "A Laodicean" that has a great plot with romance and a bit of a mystery to boot.
Can you link me to that Sophocles? Sounds really interesting but I can't dig it up on GR. I read Fagles, and...I was kinda sick of Fagles' weird tics at that point, having recently done his Iliad and Odyssey, so I wouldn't mind a fresh perspective.And how'd you dig that Aeschylus translation?
I've recently finished Vanity Fair, which is totally not as good as Middlemarch; now reading King Solomon's Mines because I figured I'd earned some fun.
I've hit a bit of a doldrums lately with reading, for some reason, so I'm cleansing my palate with Witches Abroad, which I am enjoying very much. Once I finish it, I'll be getting back to Death by Black Hole: And Other Cosmic Quandaries, a re-read of Watchmen, Gardens of the Moon and possibly Triangle: The Fire That Changed America, although, honestly, it's pretty boring so far. I'm still working through Gravity's Rainbow. As far as group reads go, I have Uncle Silas and, of course the Tolstoy here.
Mod
Alex, great to meet another fan of the ancient Greek tragedies! I thought I'd spend a few minutes and share some of my favorite translations with you--
Aeschylus' "The Oresteia"--
Probably my favorite is the translation by Robert Fagles, but I have a profound love-affair with the 1999 adaptation/translation by Ted Hughes, The Oresteia of Aeschylus: A New Translation by Ted Hughes. I also love Richmond Lattimore's 1953 translation.I also think it worthwhile to read, compare, and contrast these versions with George Thomson's elegant 1938 translation, which can be found in the Everyman's Library edition of The Oresteia: Agamemnon, Choephoroe & Eumenides.
Okay, on to my favorite works of Sophocles--
The new book I referenced above, in Post No. 285, is The Complete Plays of Sophocles: A New Translation, translated by Robert Bagg and James Scully. This set of translations was released in 2011, and I am very much enjoying them. I think my favorite version of "Oedipus Rex" is the translation by Robt. Bagg in this volume; although, the new translation by David Mulroy, Oedipus Rex is truly superb! My favorite renditions of "Antigone" must be, first and foremost, the sublime adaptation by the Irish Poet, Seamus Heaney, The Burial at Thebes: A Version of Sophocles' Antigone. I also highly recommend Diane J. Rayor's brand new translation/adaptation, Sophocles' Antigone: A New Translation.
I hope that this is helpful, and please do let me know what you think of these if you do take the time to read any of them. Cheers! Chris
Mod
By the bye, I completely agree with your comparison/contrasting of Vanity Fair and Middlemarch.
Mod
I hope you're enjoying Erikson's Gardens of the Moon! The 'Malazan' series is some of the most amazing stuff I've read in years, with links and relationships with classic literature from the ancient Greeks to the present. Truly the 'thinking person's' fantasy. Erikson throws the reader in the deep-end of the pool, and leaves you to figure out what's going on. It is really some sophisticated, intellectually challenging, but ever so elegantly written stuff. Cheers! Chris
Oh man, thanks a ton Christopher! I'm a total translation nerd; I could talk about this stuff all day. (Although I haven't personally read as many translations as I'd like to, so it's more about getting advice than properly debating.)You dug that Hughes translation, huh? I had this awful debate between his translation and Rawlings' for Racine's Phèdre. I went with Rawlings because Hughes seems awfully controversial (and because Rawlings has the original on facing pages, which I love), but I found Rawlings just functional; I'd like to check Hughes out sometime. Maybe I'll do it for The Oresteia.
No wait, I won't; I'd forgotten that I picked up Fagles' translation at a used book sale a couple months ago and still haven't gotten to it. Well, someday I swear I'll give Hughes a shot.
I read Bagg's Hippolytos and thought he did a terrific job, so he's on my Thumbs Up list.
Have you read Anne Carson's An Oresteia? I'm very intrigued by it.
I somehow had no idea Seamus Heaney adapted Antigone. Man, I gotta get on that right away. My cat Seamus is named after that guy.
And I might just send off for that new Sophocles translation too. It looks so...shiny and awesome. I'm pretty wrapped up in the Victorians right now, but it would be awfully fun to get back into the Greeks for a bit.
By the way, sorry to get off topic here, mods. I know this isn't the focus of RR. I'm just really excited about all these recommendations.
Mod
I have Anne Carson's An Oresteia: Agamemnon by Aiskhylos; Elektra by Sophokles; Orestes by Euripides, and that's a volume that I re-read at least once a year. Personally, I thought it brilliant her blending of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides--it really works, and her translations are modern, vibrant, and muscular. I have a Greek/Roman classics shelf on my GR bookshelf. You may find some other works that intrigue you there too.
Stalked it and bookmarked it for future reference. Hughes did some of Ovid too, huh? Have you read Martin's translation of Metamorphoses? Worth doing just so you can laugh at his horribly embarrassing attempt to translate the Pierides section into something he calls "modern rap idiom."
Christopher wrote: "Denae wrote: "I've hit a bit of a doldrums lately with reading, for some reason, so I'm cleansing my palate with Witches Abroad, which I am enjoying very much. Once I finish it, I'll be..."I've heard fantastic things about it, but I'm having a hard time getting into it. I think I need to readjust my expectations. I didn't go into it expecting a challenge and it just isn't holding my interest. It's pretty rough when I put down a fantasy for Pynchon!
I am currently reading The Hunger Games. I have heard nothing but good reviews on the series, so I decided to join the club and start reading it.
Lauri wrote: "Listening to The Way We Live Now in the car and The Children's Book is on the nightstand. But really posting to tell everyone about the great deal I found - The Annotated Huckleberry Finn from Dae..."Lauri - Love A.S. Byatt. There was a lot of criticism of the book, but I really enjoyed The Children's Book. Nothing like a sweeping, well researched saga.
Tana wrote: "I am currently reading The Hunger Games. I have heard nothing but good reviews on the series, so I decided to join the club and start reading it."I have The Hunger Games on my "to read" list. Let us know how you liked it.
Currently for fun I'm reading Richard Russo's That Old Cape Magic. Russo is one of my favorite writers - loved Nobody's Fool and Empire Falls.
Not reading anything Victorian right at this moment, but am reading one book that I recommend highly.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29...
Barnes centers this book on our ideas about death, memory, how one person's memories of an event may be completely different from that of another also present at the scene, and synthesizes ideas about death from other writers, philosophers, friends, and family members. Barnes' erudite style and tight writing really keeps me hooked. This is a book to be savored rather than quickly read; I'm even tempted to buy a copy. If you have read this book or decide to read it, I'd be interested in your thoughts. Thanks!
Mod
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29...
Barnes centers this bo..."
I'll have to add this one to my list. What's on my table: Oliver Twist, Daniel Deronda, Witness on the Run, and a nonfiction PD James about writing.
Deborah wrote: "Ellen wrote: "Not reading anything Victorian right at this moment, but am reading one book that I recommend highly.http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29...
Barnes c..."
That PD James book sounds really interesting, Deborah. What's the exact title of it? I'd like to add it to my to-read list. Are you enjoying Daniel Deronda? I was considering joining the group read but just haven't had time to keep up with all that I've got to read as it is! Thanks!
Mod
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29......"
The PD James book's title is "Talking about Detective Fiction". I haven't started it yet, but it looked very interesting to me. Re Daniel Deronda, I'm a bit behind with the reading. I am enjoying it, but find it takes some concentration to read most of Eliot's works so my time when my brain works that well is limited. So I'm bouncing between Oliver which I find an easier read, some junk food mystery, and the Eliot.
I found Middlemarch (my only Eliot to date) the same way, Deborah. Very rewarding, but not an easy read.
Mod
Me too Alex. I found the same of Middlemarch and The Mill on the Floss. For some reason, Silas Mariner was an easier read for me.
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The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910
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Well, isn't your middle name Horton?
[For those who don't get the reference, you either didn't grow u..."
Oh, Lordy, I LOVE Tessie. She just needed a stalwart and honorable man who loved her. Okay, you might want keep the household cutlery on the down-low too. ;-)