I finished reading this book quite some time ago...but I just wanted to pass word along.
This book isn't classified as British Literature, but the subject matter is very much British...so it counts! Interred with their Bones is a novel based on the works of Shakespeare, specifically Hamlet. The main character is taken on a wurl-wind trip across the American West to find out the "true Shakespeare." What I love about this book is that the author, Jennifer Lee Carrell, doesn't really provide the answer to the question she poses to the characters. Was Shakespeare a single man or a group of people? I honestly don't know which is true...the "facts" they explore in this novel are pretty sound. ( I used quotation marks because I don't really know if they are facts that are researched, or made up...I didn't research this topic.) The pace of the novel never drags...I didn't want to put the book down! I liked how the murders in the book were based on character deaths that Shakespeare wrote...an intellectual criminal is always interesting to follow, though usually deadly!
The ending of the novel leaves the author room for a sequal...I don't neccessarily know if I want another one, but would most likely read it anyway. Carrell takes the reader through centuries of lore and history. As I read it I found a lot of similarities to Dan Brown's novels, which may add to why I enjoyed reading this novel! That's all for now! Soon I will have to come up with a personal sign off...for now I leave you with the farewell found in Cry! the Beloved Country.
Go well.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
A Spot of Bother
I finished this book by Mark Haddon and loved it. The ending was great just moving on like nothing happened. There were a few parts in the book that I had to go back and read again after reading them, because I was confused, but got the point the second time. I liked the happy ending and George is my favorite character in the book. He does what a lot of people want to do somedays and just check out of life. Jamie is another of my favorite characters because of his strength and ability to fix situations. Altogether a good read.
Mark Haddon's Homepage good infomation about him and his books.
Mark Haddon's Homepage good infomation about him and his books.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Mark Haddon
I was first introduced to the writing of Mark Haddon through a guest staying at the Lied Lodge and Conference Center last summer. It was the beginning of my shift, approxiamately 6:30 am, on a Sunday. An elderly gentleman was getting his morning coffee and asking me questions about my education, major, and plans for life. I ended up spilling my guts about my love for British Literature. This gentleman gave me two titles that I simply had to read, The Curious Incident of the Dog at Nighttime and A Spot of Bother, both of which written by Mark Haddon. I read The Curious Incident and absolutely enjoyed the novel.
While doing research for this blog I discovered the Mark Haddon is a man of many trades. He also writes children's books (ie: Gilbert's Gobbstopper, Ocean Star Express, etc. ), poetry ( The Talking Horse and The Sad Girl and The Village Under The Sea), and screenplays for both radio and television. Mark also has many art works, my favorite is "One Very Important Thought."
So far I find the novel, Spot of Bother, to be really fun. The humor is very much what I enjoy and I totally understand the underlying jokes.
While doing research for this blog I discovered the Mark Haddon is a man of many trades. He also writes children's books (ie: Gilbert's Gobbstopper, Ocean Star Express, etc. ), poetry ( The Talking Horse and The Sad Girl and The Village Under The Sea), and screenplays for both radio and television. Mark also has many art works, my favorite is "One Very Important Thought."
So far I find the novel, Spot of Bother, to be really fun. The humor is very much what I enjoy and I totally understand the underlying jokes.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Hobbit
I am about halfway through the book and am trying to keep it straight from the Lord of The Rings. It is confusing how Bilbo is the main character in the book. I think it is an easy read and I like how the author talks to you as you read the book either to clarify or make a point about something. I like how Bilbo thinks he is weak, but he is actually very clever and brave. Also, I think it is funny how he keeps referring to the fact that he wants to go back to his hobbit hole. Bilbo a websit about Bilbo Baggins.
Friday, April 17, 2009
JRR Tolkien
I just finished reading a biography of Tolkien that was posted on the Tolkien society website. It was an amazing story of a man that I thought I knew. His full name is John Ronald Reuel Tolkien and growing up most of his friends called him Ronald. Interestingly, the name "Tolkien" is German in origin and means "foolishly brave" or "stupidly clever". He was actually born in South Africa on January 3, 1892. His memories of South Africa are few, but there was an encounter with an enormous spider that would influence his writing later (such as the spiders in The Hobbit and the enormous spider at the end of the Lord of the Rings). When he was four his father died and they moved back to England. Then in 1904 his mother was diagnosed with diabetes and died (this being, of course, before insulin). He and his brother were taken care of by the family priest. His gift for languages was becoming readily apparent. At the time he was roughly twelve or thirteen he had already mastered Latin and Greek and was learning others including Gothic and Finnish. I can't imagine having mastered both Latin and Greek by the age of thirteen even if, as was the case with Tolkien, they were part of the curriculum!
At the age of 16 he met Edith Warton, 19, and they became very close. Father Francis, worried at this development, forbade Tolkien to have any contact with Edith until he was 21. He obeyed the Father's wish to the letter, immersing himself in his classes at Oxford. As soon as he turned 21 he sought out Edith and they picked up their relationship (although it probably wasn't that easy).
When war broke out Tolkien didn't enlist right away, preferring instead to work on the languages he was creating. In 1915 he enlisted as a second lieutenant, but did not leave immediately. In June of 1916, after being given orders that were to send him to France, he and Edith were married. He was sent to the Western front just in time for the Somme offensive. He spent four months in the trenches before succumbing to trench fever. He was in the hospital for a month before he was well enough to return home. While in the trenches he started The Book of Lost Tales, which wasn't published until after he had died. He wrote these stories " . .. in huts full of blasphemy and smut, or by candle light in bell-tents, even some down in dugouts under shell fire [ Letters 66]. "
In 1918 after several reoccurring bouts of his illness he was appointed the post of Reader (basically professor) in English Language at the University of Leeds. While there he and a friend developed the Viking Club for undergraduate students, where they basically sat around and read Norse sagas while drinking beer. He rarely wrote scholastically although his most famous is "Beowulf, the Monsters, and the Critics".
He had three sons, John, Michael, and Christopher, and one daughter Priscilla. He was one of the founding members of "The Inklings", a group of Oxford friends, that included C.S. Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's best friends. I thought it was interesting that though we ooh and aah over the religious symbolism in Lewis's novels, it was Tolkien that helped bring him back to Christianity after the war.
As for starting The Hobbit, "However, according to his own account, one day when he was engaged in the soul-destroying task of marking examination papers, he discovered that one candidate had left one page of an answer-book blank. On this page, moved by who knows what anarchic daemon, he wrote In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. In typical Tolkien fashion, he then decided he needed to find out what a Hobbit was, what sort of a hole it lived in, why it lived in a hole, etc." He then told the story to his children before deciding to send it to a publisher. The publisher, Stanely Unwin, presented the story to his ten-year-old son Rayner, to test it on. Rayner loved it and it was published in 1937. Incidentally, it was Rayner who, as an adult, helped with the editing and publication of the Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien was completely taken aback by the popularity of the books, and in fact was shocked to find that he had become very rich. He is in part, greatly responsible for the immense popularity of fantasy literature today.
Tolkien died on September 2, 1973, two years after Edith. The tombstone reads:
"Edith Mary Tolkien, Lúthien, 1889-1971
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Beren, 1892-1973
This refers to the great love poem that Tolkien wrote of the mortal man (Beren) falling in love with an elvish queen (Luthien). This poem is found in the Fellowship of the Ring and the Simirillion. He wrote it for Edith.
Forgive me for writing so much, I started reading the biography and I couldn't stop. I found his life and character fascinating. He was obviously a genius, but just as obviously quite the dreamer as well. The link for the full biography is:http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html
Enjoy!
At the age of 16 he met Edith Warton, 19, and they became very close. Father Francis, worried at this development, forbade Tolkien to have any contact with Edith until he was 21. He obeyed the Father's wish to the letter, immersing himself in his classes at Oxford. As soon as he turned 21 he sought out Edith and they picked up their relationship (although it probably wasn't that easy).
When war broke out Tolkien didn't enlist right away, preferring instead to work on the languages he was creating. In 1915 he enlisted as a second lieutenant, but did not leave immediately. In June of 1916, after being given orders that were to send him to France, he and Edith were married. He was sent to the Western front just in time for the Somme offensive. He spent four months in the trenches before succumbing to trench fever. He was in the hospital for a month before he was well enough to return home. While in the trenches he started The Book of Lost Tales, which wasn't published until after he had died. He wrote these stories " . .. in huts full of blasphemy and smut, or by candle light in bell-tents, even some down in dugouts under shell fire [ Letters 66]. "
In 1918 after several reoccurring bouts of his illness he was appointed the post of Reader (basically professor) in English Language at the University of Leeds. While there he and a friend developed the Viking Club for undergraduate students, where they basically sat around and read Norse sagas while drinking beer. He rarely wrote scholastically although his most famous is "Beowulf, the Monsters, and the Critics".
He had three sons, John, Michael, and Christopher, and one daughter Priscilla. He was one of the founding members of "The Inklings", a group of Oxford friends, that included C.S. Lewis, who became one of Tolkien's best friends. I thought it was interesting that though we ooh and aah over the religious symbolism in Lewis's novels, it was Tolkien that helped bring him back to Christianity after the war.
As for starting The Hobbit, "However, according to his own account, one day when he was engaged in the soul-destroying task of marking examination papers, he discovered that one candidate had left one page of an answer-book blank. On this page, moved by who knows what anarchic daemon, he wrote In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. In typical Tolkien fashion, he then decided he needed to find out what a Hobbit was, what sort of a hole it lived in, why it lived in a hole, etc." He then told the story to his children before deciding to send it to a publisher. The publisher, Stanely Unwin, presented the story to his ten-year-old son Rayner, to test it on. Rayner loved it and it was published in 1937. Incidentally, it was Rayner who, as an adult, helped with the editing and publication of the Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien was completely taken aback by the popularity of the books, and in fact was shocked to find that he had become very rich. He is in part, greatly responsible for the immense popularity of fantasy literature today.
Tolkien died on September 2, 1973, two years after Edith. The tombstone reads:
"Edith Mary Tolkien, Lúthien, 1889-1971
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, Beren, 1892-1973
This refers to the great love poem that Tolkien wrote of the mortal man (Beren) falling in love with an elvish queen (Luthien). This poem is found in the Fellowship of the Ring and the Simirillion. He wrote it for Edith.
Forgive me for writing so much, I started reading the biography and I couldn't stop. I found his life and character fascinating. He was obviously a genius, but just as obviously quite the dreamer as well. The link for the full biography is:http://www.tolkiensociety.org/tolkien/biography.html
Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Good Soldier
The Good Soldier, for me, was a bit of a bore to begin with, but once I got into it a little bit, I was hooked. It became sort of like a soap opera to me. I mean, seriously, when you break it down it really is like a chapter of the Young and The Restless. First of all, you have two boring, loveless marriages, and two adultering spouses. I hated how Edward almost became the victim in the story. "Good Soldier", my ass. I'm sorry, but I do not feel sorry for a guy who feels that he is bettering the world by sleeping with women who aren't his wife. I'm not falling for that. I also don't feel sorry for Leonora either, but maybe that's because I wanted her to embrace her "girl power." Hello!!! Dump the sorry bastard and make your own money! And Florence....I don't even know where to begin. All the characters are sorry excuses for people and the whole situation was just a mess. I really didn't like John's sarcastic, no big deal, way of telling the story. It was like he wasn't even involved, which clearly he was. He was very unattached from the story, which made all the deaths and betrayal seem like they weren't really a big deal, but in reality they should have been. Maybe I'm just a "happily ever after" kind of girl, but that is a sad way to live for half your life. And even in the end when he takes of "the girl" who is broken because of Edward, it's still a sorry way to live your life.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Good Soldier
I just finished the book and am actually pleased with the book. As I got more towards the middle of the book and everything started making sense it got interesting. Here are some of my thoughts on the book and characters. I have a mixed opinion on Leonora. She was cunning and deceitful, but she also seemed to have become this way, because of how Edward acted by cheating on her. I think she really did have feelings toward Edward in the beginning, but towards the end her marriage became a lost cause. She then decided to embrace her "evilness."
John is an interesting person to chose for the narrator. He told the story as if he wasn't really living the story, but observing through a window. He was so clouded by his love for Edward that he never really saw what kind of person Edward really was. I think he wanted to be Edward or like Edward in a sense. It was like the nerdy guy in school that fantasizes about what like would be like if he was the popular quarterback. Only the quarterback doesn't have the great life that the nerdy guys imagines that he has. Just my thoughts on the characters. Here is a website that has a review of the book.
John is an interesting person to chose for the narrator. He told the story as if he wasn't really living the story, but observing through a window. He was so clouded by his love for Edward that he never really saw what kind of person Edward really was. I think he wanted to be Edward or like Edward in a sense. It was like the nerdy guy in school that fantasizes about what like would be like if he was the popular quarterback. Only the quarterback doesn't have the great life that the nerdy guys imagines that he has. Just my thoughts on the characters. Here is a website that has a review of the book.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
The Good Soldier
Okay so before I start I just want to vent and say that I had this all written once and I went to copy a picture of Ford onto this blog and the internet stopped working. So this is my blog on The Good Soldier try two. As I attempted to post earlier, I am not a big fan of The Good Soldier. I think it's primarily because I cannot stand the narrator. John is boring and he just rolls over and takes that fact that his wife was cheating on him. He expresses next to no emotion over the incendent and still refers to his wife as "poor Florence". I find it ironic that though the book is called The Good Soldier, Captain Edward cheats on his wife which I would venture to say is most defiantely NOT good of him. I looked for a good character analysis and SparkNotes came to my aid. Here's the link: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/goodsoldier/canalysis.html
I googled Ford Madox Ford as well and thought that the Encyclopedia Britanica might have something interesting but all it said was, and I quote: "English novelist, editor, and critic, an international influence in early 20th-century literature". That was it. The Literary Encyclopedia had a great deal more to say. The link is here: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1584
I googled Ford Madox Ford as well and thought that the Encyclopedia Britanica might have something interesting but all it said was, and I quote: "English novelist, editor, and critic, an international influence in early 20th-century literature". That was it. The Literary Encyclopedia had a great deal more to say. The link is here: http://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1584
Monday, March 16, 2009
Great Expectations
I fell behind in my reading, so this is definately a later post than I intended.
I love the colorful language that Dickens uses in the novel. It helps to create an image of the characters and making them more realistic to the reader. I found myself going over passages again and again, just to try and correctly interpret the meanings behind the conversation. I poured over the phrase "raised by hand" with a lot of humor in mind. The play on words was absolutely perfectly played.
My favorite character in this novel in Joe. He is such a pure soul who has wonderfully good intentions for his wife and their charge. When Pip first works for Joe, Joe reiterates that his wife is a good woman. Pip won't repeat the phrase back to Joe, he just sits quietly. The comic of that scene sets the scene for Joe's future. After the "accident" with the wife, Joe continues to support her needs and, the reader assumes, stays faithful to her until her death. When Joe ends up with the nice, sweet girl the reader is satisfied that Joe got his just rewards.
I love the colorful language that Dickens uses in the novel. It helps to create an image of the characters and making them more realistic to the reader. I found myself going over passages again and again, just to try and correctly interpret the meanings behind the conversation. I poured over the phrase "raised by hand" with a lot of humor in mind. The play on words was absolutely perfectly played.
My favorite character in this novel in Joe. He is such a pure soul who has wonderfully good intentions for his wife and their charge. When Pip first works for Joe, Joe reiterates that his wife is a good woman. Pip won't repeat the phrase back to Joe, he just sits quietly. The comic of that scene sets the scene for Joe's future. After the "accident" with the wife, Joe continues to support her needs and, the reader assumes, stays faithful to her until her death. When Joe ends up with the nice, sweet girl the reader is satisfied that Joe got his just rewards.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Great Expectations
Not the ending I was expecting. The end of the book gets really confusing and has a lot of stuff going on in different directions. I was curious through the whole book who the benefactor would be and was surprised by who it ended up being. I think Pip was an interesting character. Overview this is an interesting website to go along with reading the book.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Austen Book Club
I noticed at Movie Gallery that the Jane Austen Book Club movie was there and thought about renting it. I think that would be fun to watch sometime with all of us. I wonder if Dr. Clemente could maybe set it up in the theater some night before Sci-Fi. I think it'd be cool. She intrigues me, and I really want to look into reading more of her work. Anyway, just thought it'd be fun....thumbs up or down??
HELP!
So, I know this is probably cheating, and the book is fairly easy to follow, but I get impatient if I can't get into a story enough to finish it quickly. This website has all kinds of study aids, including character lists, topic lists, chapter summaries, etc. I found it helpful and I always find it interesting to read study guides, because they point out things that I miss. I also like the qoute part, because some of Dickens's witty dialogue is lost in the story. I especially find it funny every time they mention Pip being "brought up by hand," as if it's his fault. You would think his sister would have some empathy, but noooo! Just found it helpful...hopefully it will help me answer some of Dr. Clemente's questions on Tuesday!
Monday, February 23, 2009
Austen and Dickens
Okay so I am really late in joining this, but in my defense technology hates me. Anyway as most people who know me can attest I am a huge Jane Austen fan. Pride and Prejudice is, naturally, my favorite, but Northanger Abbey is a close second. Her witty comments on the state of society and propriety are hilarious. One of my favorite lines from Northanger is, "A woman especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing any thing, should conceal it as well as she can." I find this especially amusing as Jane herself was of course quite intelligent and very clever. I also like the line, spoken by Catherine to Tilney when he is twisting words a bit to much and shows how she is increasing in her own wit, that says, "I cannot speak well enough to be unintelligable." Jane is probably my favorite author and I am a bit disappointed to be moving on, but am glad if we must that it would be Dickens. I love Tale of Two Cities and am excited to read more.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Charles Dickens
Currently Masterpiece Theater is showing Charles Dickens' pieces from now until May. This Sunday they are finishing the tale of Oliver Twist. The website breaks the tale down by chapters in the book, so one could watch their favorite chapters, or just parts of the tale. The next two weeks are devoted to David Copperfield, the version starring Dan Radcliff (of Harry Potter fame). The final two tales showing during this season of Masterpiece Theater are Little Dorrit and The Old Curiosity Shop.
I can't recall if I have ever read a Dickens novel or not. I might have read A Christmas Carol, or I just might have seen film interpretations enough to have a grasp on the jist of the story. A childhood favorite of mine pertaining to that story is A Muppet's Christmas Carol.
Just like Austen's novels, Dickens tales have been made into many different films. Disney used the names of characters in Oliver Twist to characters in one of my favorite cartoon movies, Oliver and Company. Another recent telling of the same story was adapted to New York City being the center of the story. August Rush had some similarities to Oliver Twist; for instance, Robin Williams' character is similar to that of Fagin. Though the ending of the movie was up to the audience, about whether or not the family got together and had their happy ending, the tale of a talented young boy left to live in an orphanage is classic Dickens.
I can't recall if I have ever read a Dickens novel or not. I might have read A Christmas Carol, or I just might have seen film interpretations enough to have a grasp on the jist of the story. A childhood favorite of mine pertaining to that story is A Muppet's Christmas Carol.
Just like Austen's novels, Dickens tales have been made into many different films. Disney used the names of characters in Oliver Twist to characters in one of my favorite cartoon movies, Oliver and Company. Another recent telling of the same story was adapted to New York City being the center of the story. August Rush had some similarities to Oliver Twist; for instance, Robin Williams' character is similar to that of Fagin. Though the ending of the movie was up to the audience, about whether or not the family got together and had their happy ending, the tale of a talented young boy left to live in an orphanage is classic Dickens.
Charles Dickens
This is a background and history of Charles Dickens I found online. Thought it would be useful to know a little something about the Author of our book Great Expectations while reading it.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
BBC's Interpretation
After finishing Northanger Abbey, I popped in the BBC film version of the novel. I had a feeling that this version would be very dry and to the point. It was infact...just that. It had the feel of a 1970s film, with the filming technique and the film used, the quality is not what I am use to. The BBC version did not follow the novel as I would have liked. Things were skipped over and the order kind of muddled. The filmmakers had the Allen's and Catherine drive by Northanger Abbey on the way to Bath, which isn't that big of a deal but it bothered me nonetheless!
I am eager to find and watch the Masterpiece version of this Austen classic. I may have the bar set high, but I am hardly ever disappointed by Masterpiece Theater. Currently they are running a Charles Dickens' set, which is the next author we will be studying! I am very excited.
I am eager to find and watch the Masterpiece version of this Austen classic. I may have the bar set high, but I am hardly ever disappointed by Masterpiece Theater. Currently they are running a Charles Dickens' set, which is the next author we will be studying! I am very excited.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Northanger Abbey
Movie This is the trailer for the movies on PBS I thought I might be interesting for people to watch.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Love for the Austen novels brings...
I was browsing the selection of fiction at Barnes and Noble on Sunday, trying to decide if I really needed to add to my pile for "To Read" books, when I noticed a large section dedicated to sequels of many of Jane Austen's classic tales. I knew that some sequels existed, because my mother collected a few. I have even read a sequel to Pride and Prejudice called Darcy's Daughters.
So far, 68 sequels were written at the time this site was last updated. I am certain there are more on the way. Every Jane Austen lover has their own interpretation of how certain characters go on after the happy wedding.
So far, 68 sequels were written at the time this site was last updated. I am certain there are more on the way. Every Jane Austen lover has their own interpretation of how certain characters go on after the happy wedding.
Qoute of the Day
Since Jane Austen has some pretty hilarious and insightful qoutes, I thought it would be fun to find a website that had quite a few of them. Not only does this website include qoutes, it has everything Jane Austen. This is a blog so I just had fun searching around on it, and I thought maybe someone else would so I'm sharing it.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Northanger Abbey and Jane Austen
The edition of Northanger Abbey that I am reading from gives about three different "About the Author"s along with the novel. The one from the publisher I found to be the most helpful in my research of Austen's life. Not all of her novels were published during her life; Northanger Abbey and Persuasion were published posthumously with help from her brother, Henry.
Though Northanger Abbey was one of the last published works from Austen, it was actually the first completed story she sent to be published. She sold the manuscript to a firm in London, Benjamin Crosby and Co., for ten pounds; the company advertised for the publication of the novel, but never published it. Austen wrote a "tough" letter to the firm six years later, under a psuedonym, inquiring why the novel 'Susan' had not been published and offering another copy, if the original had been lost. She also threatened to publish the story with another firm. To that the firm responded by stating they would take legal action against her; then offering to sell the novel back for the same price it was bought.
What caught my attention is that the titles we know and love were not the original ones sent to publishers. Pride and Prejudice was originally entitled 'First Impressions,' Sense and Sensibility was 'Elinor and Marianne,' 'Susan' became the novel we are reading, Northanger Abbey. Austen also had a few unfinished pieces of work that she dappled with while publishing all her classics, one of which being The Waltons.
Northanger Abbey was published as four different volumes including Persuasion, thus the two volumes of Northanger Abbey and two volumes of Persuasion. There is a lovely "Biographical Notice of the Author" at the begining of our novel, it gives her life story based on those who actually know her.
Though Northanger Abbey was one of the last published works from Austen, it was actually the first completed story she sent to be published. She sold the manuscript to a firm in London, Benjamin Crosby and Co., for ten pounds; the company advertised for the publication of the novel, but never published it. Austen wrote a "tough" letter to the firm six years later, under a psuedonym, inquiring why the novel 'Susan' had not been published and offering another copy, if the original had been lost. She also threatened to publish the story with another firm. To that the firm responded by stating they would take legal action against her; then offering to sell the novel back for the same price it was bought.
What caught my attention is that the titles we know and love were not the original ones sent to publishers. Pride and Prejudice was originally entitled 'First Impressions,' Sense and Sensibility was 'Elinor and Marianne,' 'Susan' became the novel we are reading, Northanger Abbey. Austen also had a few unfinished pieces of work that she dappled with while publishing all her classics, one of which being The Waltons.
Northanger Abbey was published as four different volumes including Persuasion, thus the two volumes of Northanger Abbey and two volumes of Persuasion. There is a lovely "Biographical Notice of the Author" at the begining of our novel, it gives her life story based on those who actually know her.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Utopian Musings
While reading this classic literary work, I have found it to be a bit more that difficult. I credit this to the fact that I am not use to the form and usage of some word. I find myself grabbing my dictionary to fully understand some of the "new" words.
Though I have not completed Book I yet, I am thinking about what I know of the time period. During my late-elementary years, I was obsessed with anything relating to the Elizabethan age. I know that Utopia was written during the reign of Henry VIII, this however does nothing to stop me from thinking the connection that can be found between Sir Thomas More's most popular writing to Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I was an educated woman, which was a rarity during the times, as was More's own daughters. Whether that education benefited his daughters or not is a mystery to me. I will have to look into that subject more. I do know that Elizabeth's education helped her to rule England as long as she did. She was able to fend off invasions from many nations by never showing a real interest in marrying. She was know as the Virgin Queen, though if you want to believe the film Elizabeth she wasn't, and a state in the United States owes their name to her.
Back to Utopia, I loved the conversation about what causes thievery in a kingdom. One of the causes Raphael states is the poor education allowed to the masses. If society fails to provide for the people, then they have nothing to do but steal to provide for themselves and family. This idea of a lack of education leading to breaking laws is still tossed around today. Many inner city schools have created many different after-school programs to educate the students and keep them "off the streets." Though this can be a problem if the government, at both state and national levels, continues to cut funding to schools and the education departments. My own school suffered from one such budget cut and closed its doors after my sophmore year in high school. The classic line used for comical effect, "Think of the children! Will somebody please! think of the children!" should be shouted at the doors of politicians when states are considering budget cuts to education.
I'm now finished with that little rant. That is all I have on this Utopian Musing. Until next time!
Though I have not completed Book I yet, I am thinking about what I know of the time period. During my late-elementary years, I was obsessed with anything relating to the Elizabethan age. I know that Utopia was written during the reign of Henry VIII, this however does nothing to stop me from thinking the connection that can be found between Sir Thomas More's most popular writing to Queen Elizabeth I. Queen Elizabeth I was an educated woman, which was a rarity during the times, as was More's own daughters. Whether that education benefited his daughters or not is a mystery to me. I will have to look into that subject more. I do know that Elizabeth's education helped her to rule England as long as she did. She was able to fend off invasions from many nations by never showing a real interest in marrying. She was know as the Virgin Queen, though if you want to believe the film Elizabeth she wasn't, and a state in the United States owes their name to her.
Back to Utopia, I loved the conversation about what causes thievery in a kingdom. One of the causes Raphael states is the poor education allowed to the masses. If society fails to provide for the people, then they have nothing to do but steal to provide for themselves and family. This idea of a lack of education leading to breaking laws is still tossed around today. Many inner city schools have created many different after-school programs to educate the students and keep them "off the streets." Though this can be a problem if the government, at both state and national levels, continues to cut funding to schools and the education departments. My own school suffered from one such budget cut and closed its doors after my sophmore year in high school. The classic line used for comical effect, "Think of the children! Will somebody please! think of the children!" should be shouted at the doors of politicians when states are considering budget cuts to education.
I'm now finished with that little rant. That is all I have on this Utopian Musing. Until next time!
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