sirinrob

Rereading 1 v, the letter which Lady Macbeth is reading is interesting, in that there is no mention of Banquo, even though he is privy to the Wyrd sisters prophecies. This could be deliberate or an oversight on Macbeth's part. Also it's not clear if she is reading the whole letter or only part. To my mind this is part of the general ambiguity that seems to run through the first Act.

'Death in Venice' is one book I want to read - just need to find an edition in German:)

Just finished 'Blindness'. It is a powerful novel: the scenario is well thought out and plausible. As others have said the punctation, lake of dialogue markers, run on sentences, lack of paragraphs is annoying.

Picking up on a point made by bigwords re Macbeth, I'm not convinced he is insane, more highly distrustful due to his guilt.

Just finished 'The Logogryph' Thomas Wharton. this one is definitely about books, reading them, writing them and the writer/ reader relationship - excellent read. Review here

Halfway through 'Blindness' by Jos

sorry Frankie if I have upset you, but I'm being honest in my opinion. I dont like the novel, you do. You cant please everybody all the time.

The premise of this very promising - a library of forgotten books and the mystery surrounding the book selected by Daniel. By about 150 pages into the novel I was disillusioned. I had already guessed about the book-burner's identity and felt worn down by the purple prose. The florid descriptions detracted from the story. As to the story it read like a script for a film-noir, a not particularly good one at that. The characters I found 2 dimensional. I feel this a overrated, overblown work and I'm not reading the sequels

Possibly the Secret Island?

See my post above - should be finished this summer, according to Jasper's website.

Jasper is in the process of writing the sequel to First Amongst Sequels now . Received my copy of 'The Logogryph' by thomas Wharton today - just finished it review here

Received my copy of this today; it was worth the wait. As a book it is short, but its length belies its intricacy. The book opens with a straight forward narrative about a boy who becomes friends with a family. All runs smoothly till a tragedy alters the family's life and the boy's. As a result of the tradegy he receives a suitcase of books which have a major impact on the boy's life. The rest of the book consists of short stories and text fragments, which obscure for a time the main story arc, but also support it The author does complete the main story arc, but to understand the ending you have to read the book . The exercise is rewarding. I found that the boundary between the author and the reader became blurred, the further into the book I got. Also the difference between fact and fiction became fuzzy also. It stems from how the author has structured and written the text. Each section looks at first glance unrelated to the rest, but I found that by just reading links became apparant and also allusions to other books revealed themselves. If you love books, reading and writing then this is a must read. I would suggest for those who take this up and read it, the first read is just that. Trying to spot the links and allusions will frustrate, just let the book take you where your imagination wants to I'm going to put this aside for a few days , then re-read and savour it.

I totally agree, the Thursday Next series gets better the further you get into the series:)

My copy of 'The Logogryph' by Thomas Wharton arrived today. Already started it and its proving rather interesting.....

I had the very same problem 'The Quiet Girl' by Peter H

Giuila has touched on one of my favourite Shakespearian comedies 'Twelfth Night' and I agree with her sentiments

Which raises some interesting points to ponder. Shakespeare portrays Duncan as old and wise and by implication a strong king, but his main source Holinshed portrays Duncan as young and weak. Also Banquo in Shakespeare is on the surface shown as pillar of virtue in contrast to the malignant Macbeth, but even Banquo admits of dark dreams - possible murder of Macbeth? Shakespeare seems to have lifted Banquo from the holinshed, with adaptation, as in the holinshed account Banquo is a collaborator in Duncan's murder. In Macbeth Banquo isn't aware of the murder till after the deed has been done. The change was probably made to please Jame I, since at the time Banquo was considered an ancestor of James I There doesn't appear to be any historical evidence that Banquo existed, so that casts doubt on Holinshed's account. I treat Holinshed, as I do Geoffery of Monmouth, with a dose of healthy scepticism.

Good question I've checked my copy again and seems I got somewhat confused. The spurious scene involves Hecate and the other 3 witches, the double double toil and trouble is genuine. apolgies for the confusion. why the Hecate is still included seems to be a question of tradition more than anything from what I can make of it.

The only Wyrd sister scene not written by Shakespeare is the 'Double , double toiland trouble' one, the earlier scenes are by Shakespeare.

The point about it seeming to be cut is valid. 1 ii seems to suffer the most. From the notes to the Arden Shakespeare edition I'm reading the version performed at court in 1606 was a cut versionand this seems to be the version that has come down to us, with interpolations (The Hecat and subsequent scene with the Wyrd sisters being the main example)

synopsis from Amazon.co.uk Set in Denmark in the here and now, "The Quiet Girl" centres around Kaspar Krone, a world-renowned circus clown with a deep love for the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, and an even deeper gambling debt. Wanted for tax evasion and on the verge of extradition, Krone is drafted into the service of a mysterious order of nuns who promise him reprieve from the international authorities in return for his help safeguarding a group of children with mystical abilities. When one of the children goes missing a year later, Krone sets off to find the young girl and bring her back, making a shocking series of discoveries along the way about her identity and the true intentions of his young wards. "The Quiet Girl" pits art and spirituality against corporate interests and nothing less than the will to war by the industrialized world. This long-awaited novel from the author of "Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow" is a fast-paced philosophical thriller of rare quality. This was my first Peter H

The inclusion of the Wyrd sisters in the play has a political meaning. James 1 of England/James IV of Scotland wrote Daemonologie, In Forme of a Dialogie, Diuided into three Bookes. By James Rx. in that James I approved the practice of witch hunting. Shakespeare would have been aware of that, so the inclusion of the witches and showing them as an evil influence would curry favour with James I. The silliness comes in with the Hecat and subsequent scene. From the notes in the Arden Shakespeare those 2 scenes are considered to be an interpolation by an unknown hand. The meter of the verse is mechanical and regular unlike the rest of the play.

Given the time these were written, they are ahead of their time. Strindberg wrote in a modernist style, with great effect. Each story is self contained, with an often open end. the themes of reality versus unreality, life versus death, youth and age are strongly represented. If I have to select a favourite it would be the 'Pilot's Troubles': the sheer scope and the unexpected ending are a joy.

Since the dystopian theme has come up, I'll add a couple to the pile: 'The Quiet Girl' by Peter H