Give A Hoot, Read A Book.

Whickwithy

I've read all of his poems. Mmmmm, I have all of his works but I never got through them all. I won't say I didn't like it. It just didn't enthrall me so much. Some of it did. Any in particular that you like?

I'll try Virginia Woolf someday but, I think I'm going to be busy with Tolstoy for quite awhile. I really like his style, so far. Funny you should mention Virginia Woolf. I read some quip by her not long ago. It annoyed me so much that I wrote a poem as a counter to her thoughts. Any recommendations would be appreciated. I've read a lot of gloomy, dark works of late. Really, really didn't like it. What's the point. I mean, I get it. There's a lot of misery in the world. So, why dose oneself further with it? It's like pouring salt in a wound. I hope Woolf is not of that category. Have you ever read any Vita Sackville-West? She was a contemporary of Woolf. Just as crazy as far as I can tell. I think her gardening kept her somewhat grounded. Not that grounded but, you know, able to make it work. Now, Simone de Beauvoir! That's a pretty amazing, insightful author, even though she was married to quite a pompous ass. Sartre.

Cambridge sounds pretty cool. What makes it so breath-taking?

When you say a 'literature thread', what exactly do you mean? Like read a book and discuss it? If so, why not Tolstoy? I would recommend War & Peace. Of the two I'm reading, it looks to hold the most promise. We could discuss it chapter by chapter or something, since it's so huge. If that doesn't work for you then I'm sure we could eventually find something to agree on. I'd be up for Shakespeare, if that works for you.

iuventus

Love Shakespeare. I've taught Romeo & Juliet, Julius Caesar, Macbeth, and Hamlet. Read a bunch of the others. Not too crazy about the Histories. Got in a little trouble, not much, for teaching Sonnet 1 to high-school seniors. LOL

Urban_Tribesman

Trouble with Shakespeare if you are my age is it was taught to you in senior school. At that age, it's a bit of a drudge and it puts a lot of kids off for life as they see it as stuffy. With age, you discover his works are full of more sex, violence, duplicitous behaviour and pathos than any modern soap opera you can name.
I saw Tamimg of the Shrew/Kiss Me Kate in Cambridge some years ago and A Midsummer Nights Dream in the open air theatre in Regents Oark, both with my old mate Toyah in them (playing Kate and Puck). She also played Miranda in Derek Jarman's film of The Tempest, which stuck broadly to the play. This pulled me back to Shakespeare.
I prefer it acted to reading it though.
Is't not the King?
Ay, every inch a King!
When I do stare, she how the subject quakes!

serenity52

When i suggested a literature thread, what i meant was compiling a list of essential reading and then having another list entitled modern literature.

If we are to do chapter by chapter, that will be very time consuming so maybe just a general summary of feeling about the novel/novella, sonnet or poem in general.

Well naturally I'm a big Romeo and Juliet fan. I've read that play inside out and back to front, but i was taught by some of the best English teachers who made us act out scenes. No alas i didn't get to play Juliet because we all had a go at reading the lines out.

I think these days the teaching of Shakespeare is a lot stronger as there are loads of resources from YouTube videos to film adaptations that are very strong.

I loved Hamlet too, the Kenneth Branagh version.

Vita Sackville West? Well yes... Her and Virginia were very close. More than close really. Vita was known for being very daring and confident which is what attracted Virginia to her. Was Orlando about Vita? Because i remember that angle being discussed once.

Was she part of The Bloomsbury Set? I've not read anything by Vita. She was not on the reading syllabus.

serenity52

Whickwithy- have you not been to Cambridge? It has this wonderful air about it, the old historic buildings and grounds, the wonderful river and amass of gardens. The grandeur of it all is what amazed me.

And its so different to built up city life. I went punting actually (well i didn't pint but i declined on the boat) with my flute of prosecco feeling tres posh.

And the little shops are divine.

Whickwithy

Urban_Tribesman said:
With age, you discover his works are full of violence, duplicitous behaviour and pathos than any modern soap opera you can name.

That is the trouble with a lot of Shakespeare.

Whickwithy · Post edited by Whickwithy at 2017-12-13 08:54:14

The only book I was recommending the chapter by chapter was Tolstoy's books since they are so big.

No, I've never visited Cambridge. I expect you are talking about the campus itself? I think I've driven through the town but not sure. Ha! Sounds like a perfectly posh day to me! Ahhh, god, I do adore perusing little shops.

Those are the ones I appreciate most, the romances (even dark, sad ones like Romeo and Juliet) and the comedies.

You know, Serenity, if you've never read War and Peace, I think you might enjoy it. It is an historical novel about the times of Napoleon. I'm just guessing on two fronts here. One, I've only just cracked the book but I like everything about it (even the need in the first chapter to translate short snippets from French - I need the practice). Secondly, I'm not sure if your interest in history goes much further than the borders of Britain, though, honestly, with Britain's history, I can't see how it wouldn't.

Yes, they were lovers. Mmmm, not sure about Orlando though I think I read the same. I first became interested after running across Sissinghurst and, then, visiting. Yes, I believe she was part of the Bloomsbury set. Somehow Simone was involved, though maybe only peripherally, as well.

Anyone else interested in discussing books? Iuv, it sounds like you might? UT? I'd be in for whatever you would like to attempt, Serenity. But, I would recommend that we discuss any book before we chose, so that it meets a few people's interest. I've just run into too many modern novels that don't do a thing for me. There was one with a blurb on the side of the page you linked to that looked pretty fascinating. The title was something about language.

Whickwithy

Iuv, it sounds like we have a ringer if we were to read a Shakespeare play.

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