Sarah J.

shambles Wrote:

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> none of us is perfect. sorry :))

Actually, is refers to singular, Are refers to multiple. Apologies.

???? Wrote:

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> Yup...but I still can't use an apostrophe, spell

> Knight or capitalise properly :))

LOL....yes, and I overuse acronyms! None of us are perfect!

I am always being pedantic with spelling etc as I have an English Literature degree; but I frequently make mistakes...I blame society and the technology age....machines are making us lazy...that's my story and I am sticking to it!

It's a battle of the times to fight off what I refer to as "The Dumb". A disease that starts with one innocent use of Spellcheck, and ends with mobile phone text English! this was a gr8 post.

L8r! (God, shoot me now!)

???? Wrote:

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> Henry iv part ii for A level!!!.....now that is a

> crime. For A level I did:

>

> Hamlet and 12th Night

>

> The Millers Tale

>

> the metphysical poets

>

> Gerald manley Hopkins

>

> Dombey & Son

>

> Gawaian and the Green Night

>

> All pukka stuff

You did get a load of gems there! A levels back in Australia are slightly different. Firstly, they are not called A levels; the last year is referred to as SACE Stage II or HSC Stage II. Secondly, they try to throw in Australian writers, of which, I am ashamed to admit, I do not remember any! Wait....I just thought, and no.... none! :( But, I remember everything I read in University, and the list is extensive. On which, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, resides somewhere near the top. As does Beowulf.

dukesdenver Wrote:

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> For something completely different, how about No

> Highway by Nevil Shute? Hark back to a time when

> men were 'chaps' and people saved up for things.

> You won't believe how gripping aeronautical

> engineering can be!

At this rate, I will be renting a storage hold somewhere with all these books. I've thought of joining a library, but I would want to keep the darlings after reading them. I get attached to books. :-$

indiepanda Wrote:

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> I did that Congreve play too... awful stuff.

>

> Cuckold is a man whose wife is cheating on him and

> he doesn't know it.... hmm yes wikipedia agrees -

> was originally re a man raising another man's

> child - like cuckoos leaving their eggs in other

> birds nests.

Ah well that would make sense. I'm always fascinated by the words, terms and phrases that never survived the past to be included in everyday English these days. Very interesting.

shambles Wrote:

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> well...in a nutshell...a man who is being made a

> fool of because his wife is cheating on him and

> everyone knows about it except him.

> I think!

::o Oh dear I know of people that are cuckolds! If only I had have been aware at the time!

shambles Wrote:

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> Congreve's Way of the World had me running out of

> my 6th form college gates. Dreadful book

> (ok...dreadful play...do they count on this

> thread?). Anyway...full of boring, insufferable

> Dandys who argued constantly about who had the

> best wig. Learnt the meaning of the word cuckold

> though.

What is the meaning of a cuckold then? I always thought the word Ha-ha was quite odd when I first read Mansfield Park at the age of 14. I had a Penguin edition of it and the notes were well used by the end of it!

Mick Mac Wrote:

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> Engelby - Sebastian Faulks

> I don't read many books sarah - but have recently

> read Engelby by Sebastian Faulks - I'd recommend

> this highly - an insight into a person with

> psychological issues, the implications of which

> are brought out gradually as the underlying story

> develops - some review said its his best book to

> date.

Thank you for the brief description. It sounds right along the lines of what would interest me. And I have heard of this author too.

:)

My week has been deplorable :( started on Sunday and has infected Monday (never a good day anyway), and now carried on into Tuesday.

The problem with bad weeks is that it makes me homesick quite easily....Oh....Blast, Wednesday is only tomorrow away and I am already detecting a negative pattern emerging that threatens to infect the rest of the working week: It's like a weed!

.....roll on Saturday!

jollybaby Wrote:

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> I'm an early nighter too - sometimes 9pm if telly

> crap or Mr JB annoying me! Have even been known

> to fall asleep in pubs/clubs/restaurants much to

> amusement of friends. now if I could only sleep

> on planes . . .. . .

Oh good! I am glad that I am not the only one that falls asleep in pubs/clubs!

Planes: not a problem. I'm a seasoned long-haul flier now. Slept for 11hours on my way from Singapore to London last time. Most people are envious of me, but I can tell you it makes no difference if you sleep well or not. You're still completely off kilter for days! Haven't quite ascertained why that is yet.

Cassius Wrote:

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> Chaucer was ruined for me by 'doing' it at school.

> Ditto poetry (apart from the WW1 poems). I'd

> love to read some poetry but have no idea where to

> start - the only names I know are Ted Hughes and

> Sylvia Plath.

>

> Any recommendations.

Goodness! I am so sorry to hear that poetry was ruined for you...and I'm actually sad to read that Chaucer gives you no joy. I always loved all the books I got to read and study in English. I never hated any of them. 'Catch 22', 'Catcher in the Rye', 'To Kill A Mockingbird', 'Playing Beatie Beau', 'Of Mice and Men', to name but a few.

As for poets you should search out, I know of a few Australian Poets that are rather good. Mark O'Connor comes to mind.

Why not look into finding some Haiku or Tanka? Lovely forms of poety.

bignumber5 Wrote:

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> I quite like Creative Non-Fiction (books based on

> real life events or themes)

>

> Haven't read it myself, but folks i know with

> similar tastes enjoyed Rabbit Proof Fence

I've read this one....a very important story in Australia; and being an Australian/Brit, it was a must read for me. :) thanks for the recommendation though, it is definitely a good one :)

PeckhamRose Wrote:

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> This is not a classic, and the author is still

> alive teaching literature at Canterbury.

> But I loved it so much I started reading it again

> immediately after.

> The Death of Mr Y by SCARLETT THOMAS

> I had NO idea what it was about but someone knew

> me recommended it and I dived right in.

I like the title.....not that titles are anything to go by, but I do like that one!

I've been reading a lot of Paulo Coehlo (spelling..I always get that mixed up!) lately. 'Witch of Portobello', Brida, and of course, 'The Alchemist'.

Someone recommended the latter title to me and I was about to read it when someone else also recommended it...and then another....and another..... I was worried that I would have high expectations which might ruin the book. So, I waited until I forgot all about it, and then found it quite by chance in a 2nd hand bookstore when I was back in Adelaide. I picked it up for a song at $10AUD! It literally changed my life.

Some authors touch your soul and leave an imprint upon your heart which lasts a lifetime.

Really? Hmm. I'll have to grab it if I see it in my travels :)

Thanks for the recommendation!

matthew123 Wrote:

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> When Fanny Trollope went to America with her

> children, that resulted in her

> famous(UK)/infamous(US) travel journal book, she

> left behind in London her son Anthony and "mad"

> husband... but she did also take along a young

> French artist... which of course raises the

> question whether there were some scandalous

> entries missing from her travel log..

>

> Someone has done some quite interesting research

> on Fanny...

> http://trollope.org/old/htmlarcs/msg00731.html

It seems that someone has indeed! Goodness; Fanny has become a hot topic of conversation! :))

Michael Palaeologus Wrote:

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> Porterhouse Blue is well worth a read.

>

> I finished it a few days ago .....

Right, another potential gem for my list of "literature to obtain" !!

grabot Wrote:

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> Richard Yates is fashionable at the moment with

> the hype around Revolutionary Road. The novel is

> very good, I do not know anyone who has not

> appreaciated his work.

Thank you! I'll have a new library of lovely books before I know it :)

SJ

Wow, well, you are industrious! I'm impressed!

Whenever I see the name, Trollope, I always think of shellfish; probably due to the fact it rhymes with scallop (Australian's say 'scallop' "scollop" strange, yes :) )

Hmm, that was off the point. Digressing again!

Jah Lush Wrote:

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> No, it's just an unfortunate name. Fanny was quite

> a common name in those days though. Is she any

> relation to Anthony Trollope?

An unfortunate name it is. And I do realise that is was a popular name in that day and age. Just as Sarah was a popular name in the late 70's and very early 80's; hence, why I ended up with it!

As for Anthony Trollope.....does the time line fit for dear old Fan being his blessed Mama?! :))

matthew123 Wrote:

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> How about "The Domestic Manners of the Americans"

> by Fanny Trollope - although it's a travel log

> from the 1830s, it is very entertaining.

Now that is worth a read....

And, in a slightly juvenile line of thinking; am I horrid to think the name, Fanny Trollope, is rather unfortunate? Or just not very lady like?!

Jah Lush Wrote:

> I do, or did, especially Russian and French stuff

> and then obviously Dickens, Hardy, Collins, Elliot

> etc.

Interesting.....I haven't got any of my books with me anymore. I had a fairly extensive library of canonical lit. but couldn't move it overseas with me! :( I'll need to start my collection again.

Read any Chaucer? I bought a lovely edition of Canterbury Tales that had a modern English translation mirroring the page in the original printed English of the time. The book even smells good! Hmm, is it sad and slightly pathetic to remember a book with such a fond recall?

I like your suggestions Jah Lush and matthew123 :)

The Prince and Candide. I'll head out to get them when I have a chance this weekend...in between moving etc etc....

I have read Crime & Puishment ;-)

To be honest; crime novels/series are not really my cup of tea.

I quite like Creative Non-Fiction (books based on real life events or themes), and have just gotten through 'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'

I got hooked on CNF through studying various ethnographic works; including George Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London', which has got to be one of my top 10 books of all time.

I really do try to stay open minded, so perhaps a visit back to crime novels might be in order...I'll have to take a deep breath and close my eyes...er, maybe I'll leave out the, 'closing the eyes' bit... might make reading a little difficult with my peepers shut!

SJ