The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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What do you want from a book discussion?
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Yup. Gail had already cited that in another thread. But it's likely I already had enough food in the house and wasn't naked.
Everyman wrote: "Rochelle wrote: "I remember being extremely broke some years ago, and I went into a bookstore and spent the remainder of what was in my wallet on a book."You and Erasmus, who is purported to have..."
That's OK if you don't own a cat.
Well of course I wouldn't have done that if the cat food were out!
MadgeUK wrote: "That's OK if you don't own a cat. "Let 'em eat mice.
Now Everyman, you might have been able to catch mice in your younger days but I hope your partner isn't sending you out to catch them nowadays:D. Cleo is 21!
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I have been thinking about this a while and this is what I have come with:
1. Goodreads and Shelfari has been really good for me over the past few years because I have been able to read a lot of books that come highly recommended and that I probably wouldn't have encountered during my normal course of browsing and book-buying in stores or on-line. So, in essence, you guys have steered me to some really great works of literature over the past few years.
2. I tend to look for book discussions that address topics or subject matter that I am interested in. For example, I love British literature, and consider myself somewhat of an Anglophile. I have honestly tried to go back and read or re-read many of the great classic works of English literature. I find it immensely satisfying to discuss these books/authors with other like-minded individuals.
3. I enjoy book discussions that focus on the works of authors that I've previously read and enjoyed. I think it really helps me find out what it is that I especially like about this or that author. Is it the book's subject matter, the author's unique perspective, the author's writing style, etc.? These are all topics that interest me in any discussion.
4. I really enjoy reading books that address the human condition, and what makes that description relevant to readers today. A great example, was my first read of Dickens' Little Dorrit. I read it, for the first time, right during the midst of the financial crisis and near economic collapse of the banking system. It really seemed particularly pertinent and relevant.
5. Another thing I really enjoy about discussing these books is the ability to more fully explore new places, historical or current events (hence my love of historical fiction), experience new cultures, and the author's unique perspectives and points of view associated with people and places. A great example is gaining a much better understanding of the differences in the northern industrial portion of Britain versus the southern more agrarian lifestyle. Another example would be my recent immersion in the world of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic period with my reading of Patrick O'Brian's Aubry/Maturin series of historical novels. Reading Jane Austen was a remarkable and amazing connection to O'Brian's work as well.
6. I am really enjoying trying to discover and read and discuss new works and genres and look at the literary connections to the great works of prose and poetry in the various canons of literature that we all read. Prior to joining GR or Shelfari, I never gave much thought to the homage that many writers pay to previous authors and poets in the newer works. Having just spent several months reading the great classics of Greek literature, I now see these very visible connections throughout much of the work I am reading. Thomas Hardy's fiction is a great example of such a reliance and connection to the great classics of antiquity. Discussing these books with many of you has brought these points home to me; and I'm just not sure that I'd've stumbled upon those notions on my own.
Well said, Chris. I agree with everything you've said, although in point number six, I'm somewhat lacking in the Greek and other classics department. I don't seem to be quite able to keep up with the pace of everyone else's reading, partly because I'm always getting distracted by all the wonderful discussions going on all over the place! But one book that I did manage to finish was Far From The Madding Crowd, which I enjoyed very much. You can't imagine my delight when I recently chanced upon the film Tamara Drewe, to discover that it's absolutely loaded with Hardy allusions. Note her initials are the same as Tess Darbyfield(D'Urberville). The story is set in picturesque Dorset, where the protagonist inherits a farm. While ignoring a handsome young farmhand, she embarks on various romances...It's a modern take, and maybe not to everyone's taste.(Why do modern movie makers find it so necessary to include the bedroom scenes?) I had no expectations at all, as I was given tickets to the opening night of our summer outdoor movie season. As the story developed I began to cotton on to all the Hardy connections. I would recommend it( but don't say I didn't warn you about the bedroom activities). There's even a fake Valentine's note...but it's an email, of course. Getting back to your discussion Chris (sorry, you mentioned Hardy and I got distracted yet again), the main point is that working through these books in a group encourages us to familiarise ourselves with great books that we might not otherwise have read, and additionally provides marvellous insights that we would most likely have missed if reading solo.
Jan wrote: Getting back to your discussion Chris (sorry, you mentioned Hardy and I got distracted yet again), the main point is that working through these books in a group encourages us to familiarise ourselves with great books that we might not otherwise have read, and additionally provides marvellous insights that we would most likely have missed if reading soloThat's why I join these groups, too.
Sounds like Tamara Drewe is a modernization of Far without Hardy's beautiful writing.
My instinct was correct. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17...Stick with the gorgeous film of Far with Julie Christie.
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Stick with the gorgeous film of Far with Julie Christie."
Amen to that! I could watch that adaptation once a month I think!
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I changed my view of the characters in Emma entirely after participating in a group read on the book. The participants brought out different perspectives and it was very rewarding. Persuasion had been my favorite Austen book because of the depth of the characters, but I wonder if Emma does not surpass Persuasion. I guess an in-depth group read might flesh that out.
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Robin wrote: "It helps that we break down the reading into smaller chunks so that we can have specific comments and reactions. ."Yes, that's always been my argument for spread out discussions with specific sections for discussion. The discussions are almost always much richer than groups that have a single topic for a book, or that post all the topics up front and let people read at their own pace so some are done when others are still in the first chapters.
(From the Introduction to The Argument of Ulysses)"... it is a novel, and what is of permanent interest about it is what always interests us with the novel: it's imaginative illumination of the moral - and ultimately, spiritual - experience of representative human beings."
You and Erasmus, who is purported to have said "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes"