chaliepud Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 I remember reading "Tess" in my teens and enjoying it, but I can't remember anything about it now, so obviously not particularly memorable?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 25, 2012 Author Share Posted June 25, 2012 (edited) I remember reading "Tess" in my teens and enjoying it, but I can't remember anything about it now, so obviously not particularly memorable?! The fact you enjoyed it sounds promising, but haha you're right that not remembering it is isn't the best of signs. Edited June 25, 2012 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted June 25, 2012 Share Posted June 25, 2012 In defence of Tess, I was forced to read it at school as part of my English Literature classes. At the time I had no interest in classics and forcing 14 year olds to read what they don't enjoy isn't the best way to go about things I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 26, 2012 Author Share Posted June 26, 2012 In defence of Tess, I was forced to read it at school as part of my English Literature classes. At the time I had no interest in classics and forcing 14 year olds to read what they don't enjoy isn't the best way to go about things I think. Ah being forced to read a book for class can ruin all enjoyment of it. I was rather lucky in that I enjoyed most of the texts I had to study, although I do think when I don't enjoy a book it's just because I don't like - not because I have to read it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 Long overdue Review for Fuminori Nakamura's The Thief, which was rather good in the end. 4/5. I'm having an awful reading month at the moment; it seems June was the time for the inevitable drop of pace in the amount of books I've read. I really have lost all sort of a mojo for the best part of this month so far, and it's really disappointing. I haven't had the motivation to do anything recently. I am still reading Crime and Punishment which I have practically read about twenty pages of. I've also got Sworn Secret by Amanda Jennings to start soon because it's a review book. *sigh* In any case, I made a start on A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin, the first book in the long series. I've just finished watch Season 2 of the television series and I thought to myself that waiting until next season to find out what happens next is going to be far too long. The answer: the books. I'm going to start with the first then see how I get on from there. It's perhaps a bit of a silly decision in light of my loss of mojo, but if a good epic fantasy isn't enough to get me out of my slump, I don't know what is. Synopsis: The first volume of George R R Martin's glorious high fantasy tells the tragic story of treachery, greed and war that threatens the unity of the Seven Kingdoms. Martin unfolds with astonishing skill a tale of truly epic dimensions, a story of treachery and ambition, love and magic. Set in a fabulous world scarred by battle and catastrophe over 8000 years of recorded history, it tells of the deeds of men and women locked in the deadliest of conflicts and of the terrible legacy they will leave their children. In the game of thrones, you win or you die. It's started great so far, and I know it's had a lot of love on here, which makes me even more excited to get cracking with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timstar Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 I'd loved the first book and went through it in no time at all, hope you enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 (edited) I'd loved the first book and went through it in no time at all, hope you enjoy it Thanks Timstar. I really enjoyed the television adaptation so it'll be fascinating to see how well they adapted it from the books; what they included and left out. I also want more of my favourite characters from the television series - Tyrion, Arya, etc. - so this is the ideal solution. Edited June 27, 2012 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Rhys, Jean (1966; 2001) The Wide Sargasso Sea: Loved, loved, loved this - more than Jane Eyre itself! This is one of the one's I'm most looking forward to, I've heard it's fantastic. I hated Wide Sargasso Sea at least as much as chesilbeach loved it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 I hated Wide Sargasso Sea at least as much as chesilbeach loved it. Oh. Never mind, we'll see how I get on. Any others you've read/recognised on my new modules, Kylie? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I hated Wide Sargasso Sea at least as much as chesilbeach loved it. Excellent! Now you needn't worry whether you like it or not, Ben! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 Oh. Never mind, we'll see how I get on. Any others you've read/recognised on my new modules, Kylie? Oops, I got carried with evil thoughts of WSS and forget to comment on the rest...not that I can comment on much, I'm afraid. I have about half a dozen on my TBR pile or wish list, but the only other book I've read is Frankenstein, and you already know how awesome that is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 28, 2012 Author Share Posted June 28, 2012 Excellent! Now you needn't worry whether you like it or not, Ben! Haha you're right Claire, I can just say one of you was absolutely spot on. Win-win situation. Oops, I got carried with evil thoughts of WSS and forget to comment on the rest...not that I can comment on much, I'm afraid. I have about half a dozen on my TBR pile or wish list, but the only other book I've read is Frankenstein, and you already know how awesome that is. Ah, that's okay, I just wondered; it does seem an obscure list with virtually all the authors and novels unknown to me, but I guess it makes sense with the type of 'specialist' modules that I'm doing. I'm looking forward to studying Frankenstein again, it really was a book that I loved looking at for A Level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted June 29, 2012 Author Share Posted June 29, 2012 Ah, I thought they had done a good job with the television adaptation but I'm not even halfway though Martin's A Game of Thrones yet and once again the book outdoes the on-screen equivalent without much problem. I'm really enjoying the novel so far. It hasn't even seemed that long to me; there's always something happening, and I haven't come across any dull chapters so far. I think Tyrion is even more excellent in the novel, and I didn't think that would be possible after watching Peter Dinklage do an excellent job in the series. I also think the background information about the history of the different Houses and rulers is integrated exceptionally well into the plot of the text. As you can see I'm really enjoying it and although it's still reasonably slow going I'm at least getting somewhere and enjoying it immensely as I go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanananah Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 ENG211: Gothic Fictions Walpole, Horace (1764) The Castle of Otranto Radcliffe, Ann (1791) A Sicilian Romance Lewis, Matthew (1796) The Monk Dacre, Charlotte (1806) Zofloya, or The Moor Shelley, Mary (1818) Frankenstein Williams, Anne (ed.) (2002) Three Vampire Tales I did a gothic fiction module for my A-Level it was by far my favourite part of the course We didn't look at any of the books listed there. We did Bram Stoker's Dracula and Angela Carter's The Bloody Chamber (probably others but those were the main two) but Frankenstein was on a suggested reading list. I would be interested to see how you get on with studying the gothic at degree level May have to give them a read myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 Ah yes, Gothic fiction - we did that at A Level as well. From the list I only tackled Shelley's Frankenstein which was very good and still stands as one of my favourite classics. I'm not much of a typical horror fan so I'm hoping the texts bring something different to the genre; which I'm sure they will otherwise they probably wouldn't have been chosen for us to study. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanananah Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I'm sure each of them will offer a different view of the gothic genre. I do intend to read Frankenstein at some point, would like to make my way through a lot of the classics at some point. How are you finding A Game of Thrones? A few of my housemates bought the series as they fell in love with the show (I still need to watch series 2). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 3, 2012 Author Share Posted July 3, 2012 (edited) I'm sure each of them will offer a different view of the gothic genre. I do intend to read Frankenstein at some point, would like to make my way through a lot of the classics at some point. You should let me know how you get on with Frankenstein, I think it's superb. Ah, the classics. I've wanted to read more of them for years but haven't ever made much progress. I even made a 'classics challenge' thread at the start of summer and made a good start but I've stumbled to a bit of a halt with Crime and Punishment. How are you finding A Game of Thrones? A few of my housemates bought the series as they fell in love with the show (I still need to watch series 2). I finished it a couple of hours ago, and thought it was fantastic. When I first started it I thought it would get a bit lengthy but it didn't have a dull moment for me. I mean even Lord of the Rings can drag a little at times in my opinion, and as that probably set the bar for high fantasy texts, it's a good sign that I enjoyed every page of A Game of Thrones. I'm planning on writing a full review on it soon so I'll be back to add some more depth to my thoughts, but I would definitely recommend. Edited July 3, 2012 by Ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanananah Posted July 3, 2012 Share Posted July 3, 2012 I finished it a couple of hours ago, and thought it was fantastic. When I first started it I thought it would get a bit lengthy but it didn't have a dull moment for me. I mean even Lord of the Rings can drag a little at times in my opinion, and as that probably set the bar for high fantasy texts, it's a good sign that I enjoyed every page of A Game of Thrones. I'm planning on writing a full review on it soon so I'll be back to add some more depth to my thoughts, but I would definitely recommend. Oh cool, I've been put off it as i assume it would be lengthly and I would get bored of it or just struggle with it like I did with Lord of the Rings (I got to a quarter of the way through The Two Towers before it defeated me) but I'll definitely look out for your review for more I do want to read a lot of the classics just cos I feel it's necessary the next one I'm planning on reading is Jekyll and Hyde which I'm very much looking forward to. I've just finished the Vampire Rites Trilogy by Darren Shan by the way, loved it so much!!! I finally got my review for the Vampire Blood trilogy up started Vampire War trilogy today too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Oh cool, I've been put off it as i assume it would be lengthly and I would get bored of it or just struggle with it like I did with Lord of the Rings (I got to a quarter of the way through The Two Towers before it defeated me) but I'll definitely look out for your review for more There's always something happening and I didn't feel bored with it at any stage so hopefully it'll be the same for you. As for the review I'm very behind on some articles that need writing and then I'll get around to writing up my review. I do want to read a lot of the classics just cos I feel it's necessary the next one I'm planning on reading is Jekyll and Hyde which I'm very much looking forward to. I've just finished the Vampire Rites Trilogy by Darren Shan by the way, loved it so much!!! I finally got my review for the Vampire Blood trilogy up started Vampire War trilogy today too! That's the exact same reason I want to read them. Ah Jekyll & Hyde is great, I wrote about it for my English coursework along with The Picture of Dorian Gray. I'll pop by your reading thread a bit later and check out your Vampire Rites review - best of luck with the rest of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Books on the go! As well as Crime and Punishment which has pretty much been confined to the back-burner, I've got another couple of books on the go. Sworn Secret by Amanda Jennings. Synopsis: When Anna, Lizzie Thorne's charismatic sister, is killed in a tragic fall from the roof of her school, her family is plunged into shock and despair. One year on and grief still has a suffocating hold on them. Lizzie's mother, Kate, consumed by loss and desperate to find someone to blame for Anna's death, retreats from her family, locking herself away to paint Anna's portrait for hours on end. Jon, her father, is doing his best to care for his loved ones but the pressure of trying to stop his manage collapsing is pushing him to breaking point. Looking forward to this one, reminds me of Afterwards by Rosamond Lupon. In addition I've decided to say hell to it and I'm starting the second of George R. R. Martin's novels in the Song of Fire and Ice series - A Clash of Kings. I'm looking forward to getting stuck into it and once again seeing how it was transformed from book to screen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian. Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Did you stick 'Crime & Punishment' on the back burner because it was hard going? When I read it earlier this year I made sure I had something lighter to read when I needed a bit of a break from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Can you two (Ben and Hannah) give me a description (from an academic point of view) of what elements make a novel Gothic ? It is a word often misused I feel. What is the official line here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 4, 2012 Author Share Posted July 4, 2012 Did you stick 'Crime & Punishment' on the back burner because it was hard going? When I read it earlier this year I made sure I had something lighter to read when I needed a bit of a break from it. Yep, I haven't been in the right mind-state to read it recently, it requires concentration that I can't give right now. I'll go back to it, because it wasn't so difficult that I'd give it up entirely or anything, but just going to put it to one side for now. Can you two (Ben and Hannah) give me a description (from an academic point of view) of what elements make a novel Gothic ? It is a word often misused I feel. What is the official line here? It's an interesting question, and one which I wouldn't feel comfortable answering without insisting that by no way is my answer 'right'. I think a Gothic text offers different things for different people, and it's difficult to define it as a genre. For me it has to convey a sense of fear or terror, be eerie or mysterious, and have spooky and perhaps desolate settings; in the same vein that a 'horror' novel would. I have only looked at a few texts that could be described as Gothic though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hanananah Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Can you two (Ben and Hannah) give me a description (from an academic point of view) of what elements make a novel Gothic ? It is a word often misused I feel. What is the official line here? Like Ben said, I wouldn't say my view on this is right, just my opinion . Gothic texts, for me, are texts which show a darkness in a character (for example Dorian in the The Picture of Dorian Grey) which is picked up by the reader and therefore creates a 'creepy' atmosphere. Another element is the landscape and setting of the novel. Many gothic novels are set in castles or ancient buildings which, if the reader is fully immersed creates tension and suspense. The settings of the novels, as well as unsettling, are often beautiful which is often contrasted against the creepiness. There are also often references to the supernatural and sometimes religion but not always. I'm not an expert on the matter but that's what I think, hope it helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted July 4, 2012 Share Posted July 4, 2012 Aha. OK thanks for that. So does that mean in some ways you could for instance describe Wuthering Heights or Great Expectations as Gothic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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