Books I read in December 2023 & January 2024
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- čas přidán 28. 07. 2024
- Here are the books I read in December 2023 and January 2024!
0:00 Intro
2:32 Mervyn Peake
6:00 Mary Webb
10:39 Virginia Woolf
15:54 Emily Dickinson
17:20 John Lithgow
20:09 John Clare
I’m so glad you enjoyed John’s book. Thanks for the shoutout! 😊❤
There is so much good stuff in this post! I’m going to have to watch it a few times. I love the poem you read by John Clare. Thanks for introducing him to us. Can’t wait to read him for myself.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Translating Chinese poems into English for us is a great idea. You are so good at analyzing and explaining literature in interesting ways. I’m sure your translations will be lovely!
Thank you for the encouragement! If I ever do translate any poems, I’ll definitely share :)
I thoroughly enjoyed this vlog. I'm rather an older fellow and realise that i am not going to read everything, but I'm often happy to just hear you talk about works, I do need to have read some of them to be engaged, but I won't be able to read them all and you filling us in on them is great.
It's interesting to think about Shakespeare's first folio, I suspect they had a great appreciation of his plays but had no idea how significant what they were doing was and what a shadow those plays would cast over English literature for the following centuries.
I think Gormenghast is the most important book of the series "Titus Alone" is quite different, shorter and I think Peake was starting to be significantly be effected by Parkinson's disease by then, so it's fantastic we got it at all. You avoided spoilers very well but I thought you could have mentioned the word "villainy".
I remain kind of equivocal about modernism and so Virginia Woolf, Jeanette Winterson's enthusiasm for her work keeps bringing me back and I do find her more interesting and engaging than Joyce, there is something very human about her work, I recently bought Mrs Dalloway but haven't yet read it, my guess is that you found it easier to read as you are getting used to her writing.
I loved your comments regarding Ezra Pound and his translation of a Chinese poem. He is the first major poet in the Western tradition that I can think of who was significantly influenced by Chinese literature. Arthur Waley had a significant impact in introducing through his translations. I loved his abridged translation of Monkey (Journey to the West) & I have a collection of his Chinese poems, I don't know how well he translated them but for myself and I think a lot of Westerners it was a wonderful thing to have this whole world of culture and sensibilities swim into view. Which reminds me of Keats' poem on First looking into Chapman's Homer:
Much have I travell'd in the realms of gold,
And many goodly states and kingdoms seen;
Round many western islands have I been
Which bards in fealty to Apollo hold.
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told
That deep-brow'd Homer ruled as his demesne;
Yet did I never breathe its pure serene
Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold:
Then felt I like some watcher of the skies
When a new planet swims into his ken;
Or like stout Cortez when with eagle eyes
He star'd at the Pacific-and all his men
Look'd at each other with a wild surmise-
Silent, upon a peak in Darien.
Thanks again.
Hello! I had no idea Peake started to be affected by Parkinson’s disease when he wrote Gormenghast - that’s even more impressive.
I haven’t heard of Arthur Waley - that’s very cool he translated Monkey and Chinese poems. Will be interested in comparing his translation with the original.
That’s a grand poem! Thanks for sharing!
You got me sold on Emily Dickinson. Will look her up.
Read To The Lighthouse in school days. Learned about stream of consciousness technique. But the book didn't make too much impression on me. Again, may be too young to appreciate.
The passage you read out from Mrs Dalloway, however, I find really depressing. Don't think I will try that book. But perhaps I should watch your in-depth video on the book first before deciding anything.
You certainly chose a very different variety of books, most of which sound pretty challenging. Sometimes, I just want to have something easier to read.
Always enjoy your videos.
Thank you!
Yes Mrs Dalloway is depressing at various places. It reminds me of her own life.
Yes I find them challenging too, there are often more things in them to talk about :)
Hope you like Emily Dickinson!
Hello Nicole,
Just downloaded The Poet’s corner, and audio - you made me do it…
Look forward so much to listening and watching again - there was/is so much.
If you do translate some poetry, perhaps soon, please share with us.
~S
Hope you enjoy it!
Yes if I ever did translate any poems, will definitely share :)
Thank you!
Precious Bane was on a syllabus for my college English novel class.
Cold Comfort Farm was a spot on parody of Webb and, I think, a much better book.
Both books have been filmed .
Did you say you were going to translate Chinese poetry to English? I hope so.
I only know non English literature through translation. A Chinese friend of my was so flabbergasted by Pound's version of Li Po that she said she didn't even recognize it.
Oh cool, that makes Precious Bane a more important book than I expected, if it made to the curriculum.
I’d like to, but I don’t think I’m able to yet!
Haha I need to investigate Ezra Pound a bit more to have an opinion. But I look forward to finding out more :)
Why do they shoot a canon once a day in Edinburgh?
It’s a time signal for ships, historically. I think now it’s mostly for the tourists?