I cannot believe how long it's been!!!!!

Seriously, this is really ridiculous, but in my defense I've not stopped reading, I've just stopped formally recording my musings on my readings.  There are legitimate reasons behind this lack of thought documentation, however I feel like I may be finally settled enough to resume my scribblings, or rather tappings.

So... since April, 2013, 19 months ago, I've covered a wide swath of literature.  So the last book I mentioned reading was Ford Maddox Ford's The Good Soldier.  Since my last writing I finished that piece, which I remember enjoying, though I do not remember specifics.  I have also read through the following titles, I do not remember the order.

I returned to Joseph Conrad at some point over the past 19 months reading The Secret Agent A Simple Tale.  I certainly liked this piece more than the first Conrad I read.  This novel was originally published in 1907 and was a well told tale of espionage and terrorism.

Returning to the ever popular high school reading list, I also picked up Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage.  I can see why it's a choice for summer reading for most high schoolers.  The presentation of both political commentary and historical fiction is compelling and would serve double duty in any English class.  This novel was originally published as a serial in newspapers in 1894 and then later published in it's entirety in 1895.

A novel that caused me to think about sailing again was Richard Henry Dana's Two Years Before the Mast.  Dana's description of life on a board a trade ship in the mid-1800's is based on his own actual two year voyage aboard two separate ships.  Dana captures the experiences of the sailor vividly and his style is pleasant to read while it oftentimes transports the reader to the deck of the ship with Dana himself.  I will certainly reread this book at some point.

Tackling Dickens is never easy, but it is always worth the time and effort.  While dense and sometimes a bit confusing, Nicholas Nickleby proved an entertaining read, one that I feel would adapt well to the screen.  I will most certainly search Netflix for some adaptation.  Originally published as a serial between 1838 and 1839, it became Dickens' third published novel.

An incredibly entertaining novel and one that made a terrific PBS minseries is The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.  I found this story to have terrific depth and thoroughly enjoyed the intertwining through-lines of each character.  In fact this novel was indeed heavily character driven. This piece was originally published as a collection of three novels in 1922.

I went on a bit of a Thomas Hardy binge, reading Jude the Obscure (1895 - originally a serial) and Far From the Madding Crowd (1874 - originally a serial).  I enjoyed Hardy's style but feel that for the most part these novels borrow heavily from Victorian literature's formula.

D.H. Lawrence's The Rainbow was a novel I completed a considerable number of months ago.  As such. I do not remember much about it except, like all of Lawrence's work, I relished each word.  I do remember visualizing the setting of this novel to be an easy task, thus leading me to believe this story would also make a fine film.  Published in 1915.

Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham is one I really don't remember well.  I do know that I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but cannot remember specifics.  This novel was originally published in 1919.

Like my Hardy binge, I also had a Twain binge.  I LOVE Mark Twain.  My husband had taken a Twain course just before I read The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson (serialized in The Century Magazine 1893-1894; published as a novel 1894) and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889).  I really think that today Twain would be writing for The Daily Show or something similar.  If you've never read any Twain, stop what you're doing and go read some now!

Finally there was Edith Wharton's House of Mirth.  Like other Wharton novels this piece of American Naturalism presents early 20th century life through the lens of various strata of society.  The novel was originally published in 1905 and is considered Wharton's first novel of importance.

I am now moving on Herman Melville's Moby Dick; or, The Whale.  So far I'm in love.  I feel like Ishmael has such a strong voice, I am eager to see what happens once the boat sets sail.  I'm anxious and nervous of these characters and can't wait to see what happens!  This piece was originally published  in 1851.

You know.....

It's been too long. My last post indicated that I was reading The Old Wives Tale, a really great read. I certainly would recommend it as it was truly a good story told through the lives of two different yet similar women. Their lives itersected in so many ways, that their eventual reunion became very tender and genuine. The next novel I read was originally published as a serial from 1899 to 1900 in Blackwood's Magazine and I must say I think it would have been more enjoyable had I read it in the fashion of a serial. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad is an adventure and treachery tale about sailors and seamen. While I did enjoy this tale I would not return to it, and to be honest can't call myself a fan of Conrad's style of narrative. I had a hard time telling who was speaking and from whose perspective the story was being told, frequently throughout my read. The next piece I'll be reading is The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford. Subtitled A Tale of Passion, this novel was published in 1915 and is set in pre-World War I France, at least at the beginning. The small bit of research I've done indicates that this novel is loosely based on Ford's own experience with adultery. This should be a good read and is my first experience with this author.

Finished with Zuleika now onto Constance and Sophia

Zuleika Dobson was an interesting if not disturbing read. I was fascinated by the ending and was very engaged in most of the story. There were times, in several areas of the novel where I found my mind wandering, where I was not completely following the story line, but was able to catch up later on. This novel was much like a soap opera or a crime drama, even if a few episodes are missed the viewer (or in this case reader) can easily catch right back up.

Beerbohm created characters that were believable to a point, however each character continuously towed the line and became at times, unsympathetic simply because he lacked realism. Overall I enjoyed this tale, however I think this was simply due to the twist of the narrator part way through the story. It seems almost as if Beerbohm recognized that his tale was spiraling out control and used his omnipresent narrator to make up for this chaos.

Regardless it was a fun read and one to which, while I won't return to it soon, I will indeed return someday.

The next tale I am conquering is The Old Wives' Tale by Arnold Bennett. Originally published in 1908, this novel is broken into four books. The first has it's focus on the early years of the girls of the story, Constance and Sophia Baines. It paints a clear picture of the personalities of these girls and speaks to the opposite nature of siblings. The second book focuses on Constance, the elder sister and the route her life takes. The third book on Sophia the younger sister. In fact I'm eager to see if Bennett decides to tell what Sophia has been up to throughout the time he tells us about Constance, as neither sister exists in the same location as the other. It is almost as if the absent sister does not exist at all, at least in book two. The fourth and final book is entitled "What Life Is;" I am eager to get to this book as well.

Bennett himself was born in 1867 and lived until 1931. He was of English heritage, and was both a novelist, serialist, and journalist. I am indeed curious to see how his experiences come through in this novel, especially considering that Bennett himself is a contemporary of the novel which takes place from around 1840 to 1900.

YIKES!!!!

I just realized that it's been two months since my last post. In that time I have been reading, I can assure you of that. But since I've not been keeping up with my blogging, I'll just provide a brief overview of what I've read since the beginning of December, 2011.

Edith Wharton's The Custom of the Country was a great read. She always manages to create a character that the reader really enjoys disliking, there were several of those characters in this novel. Certainly one I'd recommend and one I will return to.

George Douglas Brown's The House With the Green Shutters (first published in 1901) was also a great read. The ending of this novel is truly remarkable. While I had trouble getting through the Scottish language in the novel, after about 100 pages or so it became easier. Another one that I would read again.

Jane Austen's Persuasion, first published in 1817, her last novel was another good read. It seems that by the end of her career Austen was moving away from the neat and tidy Victorian novel and as a result, this is by far my favorite of her novels that I have read. I was pleased and surprised by the turns within this novel and again it is one to which I would return.

And finally, I am half way through Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford Love Story by Sir Max Beerbohm. Again, I really do enjoy this writer. In this novel, the narrator is one who is omnipotent because of the of the Greek muse Clio's desire to experience history as it is happening, rather than after it has occurred. The narrator is placed into this point in history to "report" on what happens with Dobson's character, however he can neither interfere or change what is going to happen. It is a fascinating sketch about love and destiny that I am eager to get back to. Originally published in 1911 this was Beerbohm's only novel and yet was named the 59th best English language novel of the 20th century by the Modern Library.

That is all for now, I hope to be a better chronicler of my readings as the months and books progress.

Next on my plate....

The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton. I so loved Ethan Frome that I decided to go back to Wharton for the early holiday season. Originally published in 1913, this is a tale of a mid-western girl trying to make it in New York City society. I'm curious to see what, if any, parallels there are between this story and The Age of Innocence. We shall see...

Something I really must read again...

...if only to truly understand the story and it's many, many elements. I finished James Joyce's The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (published 1916) last night and it touched me. I enjoyed the story and found the journey of Stephen Dedalus to be compelling. I have heard that this piece is a semi-autobiographical one and that through this story Joyce paints his experiences of becoming a writer. I can certainly believe this.

The part of the novel that I found most engaging was the struggle Dedalus had with his religion. His desire to be accepted, forgiven and ultimately saved was certainly realisitic, and his fall from these desires equally interesting. I think that without this struggle Dedalus would have been a far less intricate character, one that I would not have cared about or for and as a result would not have found this piece to be worth my time.

The imagery used by Joyce is also quite beautiful. His descriptions of heaven and hell and his ability to create a vivid image of a scene is something to which many novelists strive. I think the most striking aspect of his writing is its concise nature. Joyce says a lot with very little. Perhaps this observation is simply a result of my recent experience with the Victorian novel, and the inexperience Victorian novelists have with brevity, but Joyce is able to paint a detailed and visceral image with very few words, a talent I wish more authors possessed.

I will go back and reread this novel in the future, if only to delve deeper into it's imagery, but for now I will be happy to say that I enjoyed my first reading of Joyce and look forward to more.

Stein and Stream of Consciousness?

I finished Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons several weekends ago. At first I was confused and annoyed by this seeming babble of thought, but soon recognized that there really wasn't a thought present. What I mean to convey is that instead of creating a piece that is connected and sensical in plot, Stein instead creates a masterful poem of sorts, playing more on rhythms and sounds than content. This "novel" is more of a sketch of ideas and images presented not only through words that create a visual in one's mind, but also through language that presents auditory and tactile suggestions. I had to read through the piece several times, aloud, to truly take from it what I believe the author intended, that being an experience rather than a concrete idea.

Originally published in 1914, this exercise in experience is best read aloud by the reader. There were many times when I believe I would not have received what was being offered in the piece had I not read it aloud. It is for this reason that, while at times the work is confusing, I believe it would be an excellent piece of writing to use in a writer's workshop at the late high school or even early college level. Presenting students with a finalized example of poetic prose I believe could produce some excellent musings.

Sons and Lovers....

The first three chapters of this book present a highly wrought relationship between a woman of social standing and her lower class miner husband. Their relationship is fraught with violence and heat. The depth and complexity of the relationship between these two individuals cannot be overstated, she loves him and despises him. He cherishes her and resents her. From this chaos is born three sons and a daughter. At this point in the story it is the eldest son, William, who most cherishes and revers his mother. He stands for her and cannot survive without her. The other two sons are infants, however, even in their early years, their connection to their mother is undeniable. The husband is absent, in fact he is painted as a drunk who cares little for his family, expect when shamed into his feelings. When his second son is born he isn't even present. Instead he arrives home, greets his child briefly and retires to another part of the home. His small efforts at being a family man fail miserably and he seeks solace in his drink which further enrages his wife.

My plan for continuously posting about Sons and Lovers was a bust. I finished this novel weeks ago and really just wanted to say a couple of things about it. I loved this story. For the first time in my life, a depiction of death in a novel actually made me think about my own mortality. I found the relationships in this story to be compelling and thoughtfully presented. I had empathy for each character and grew to love most and dislike others. I would certainly reread this story and suggest to anyone who has not yet picked up this classic, go forth and drink up some D.H. Lawrence! I am remiss to write more, as I've got two more pieces to comment on whilst my Kindle charges.....

My next selection...

Is D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. Originally published in 1913, this novel is considered Lawrence's earliest masterpiece. This novel tells the tale of Paul Morel, and his struggles to escape the ties of his mother. While I'm only partway into this book, I am already enjoying it. The short amount of research I've done indicates that this may be a partially autobiographical tale and makes me want to know more of D.H. Lawrence and his life. I am specifically curious about his connection to his own mother, simply because of the complex relationships he is already creating between the matriarch of this family and the sons especially.

I'm assuming that this title will take some time to pour through, it is lengthy and is certainly not something that can be glossed through and appreciated. As such I am thinking that with the close of each chapter I may try to post some of my thoughts... I guess we'll see where that takes me.....

A great read...

Sir Max Beerbohm's Seven Men was a joy to read. It presented the reader with an interesting view of what writing does to a writer. Through the stories of these different writers and through his own story, Beerbohm explores the ego of the author and describes the great lengths to which a writer will go to further his career.

I especially enjoyed the tale of Enoch Soames who traded his soul to the devil to catch a glimpse of his own remembrances. The twist in this tale caused me to take pause and recognize with what ease one might live for the future and while doing so forsake the present. Soames left the realm of the living destroyed and dejected despite the efforts of his champion to change his will.

I also liked the tale of trickery that unfolded in Hilary Maltby and Stephen Braxton, that explored the guilty conscious of one of the writers. Beerbohm eloquently explored the effects of the guilty mind on the well-being and health of the human behind that mind.

Beerbohm creates with Seven Men a series of intricate tales of caution, of what to be wary of and of what not to become. With these stories he illustrates how one's passion can indeed overcome one's life, and that without moderation, the self actually becomes lost. His ability to infuse comedy into his writing made Seven Men a quick and easy read that really is a masterpiece. This is certainly a novel to which I will often return.

Next on the menu...

The next book I'll be tackling is Seven Men by Sir Max Beerbohm. This collection of short stories was originally published in Great Britain in 1919 and subsequently in the United States in 1920. The small amount of research I have done about this title indicates that it is a post-modern novel written before its time. That within its pages one finds commentary on the struggles of the 20th century citizen even before those struggles were defined. I am eager to begin this collection...

A sad tale of a poor soul...

Hamsun's Hunger was indeed a sad, sad story. It seemed that at every turn life was conspiring against the protagonist of this story. While starving, this character continues to pursue his literary career, however fails at each attempt. He goes days without food or lodging and is continuously writing, editing, revising, restarting his "article" without ever completing it. Speckled with some small successes, his life is endlessly tortured by the constraints of society and he eventually flees to escape his inability or refusal to become gainfully employed.

This novel is apparently based loosely on the author's own experiences prior to his success as an author. Hamsun does a fine job of painting a vivid image of the decay of the human psyche both as a result of solitude and starvation. He paints a gloomy and depressing picture of a man struggling to keep his integrity to the point of even his own demise.

I enjoyed this novel. I found it to be a far easier read than I intended it to be, and I cared for the protagonist, more than I have cared for other protagonists in similar novels. Hamsun presents us with the inner workings of the mind of an artist. He provides us with a glimpse inside the desires and motivations of the protagonist, and does not censor what we see. It is this honesty that makes Hunger a novel that I will reread in the future, just to continue to peel back the layers of its intricacies.

Forgot to mention... and what's next on the agenda...

I also read Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton since the last major update. By the way, I LOVED Ethan Frome, so heartfelt and tender, smoothly written and honestly I just didn't want to put it down, nor did I want the book to end.

Vanity Fair, on the other hand, which I finished just the other night, was a tedious, long-winded, tirade that simply could have been accomplished in about half as many pages as Thackeray used. I know that, at the time of publishing, this novel was considered a major form of entertainment and thus brevity was certainly not something that Thackeray would have paid attention to, but really, it should not take ten pages to describe a single moment in time. Well, let me rephrase, it should not take ten poorly written and tedious to read pages to describe a single moment in time.

I guess I just didn't care for the subject matter and the dueling story lines became tiresome at times. When I was reading about one of the characters and her troubles, I was thinking about what was happening with the other, and then when I'd get back to that other, I found her storyline to be boring and trite and wanted to get back to the first. I felt split and thus became disinterested in the whole thing. But, I got through it, all eight hundred some odd pages, which thoroughly impressed my first graders. They cannot believe that I read a book of over 800 pages, I'm kind of like a superhero now, a role I'll gladly accept.

Next on the Kindle is Knut Hamsun's Hunger. The beauty of using Bloom's canon to pick my books is that I'd never have stumbled upon some of these titles without his assistance. The Rise of David Levinsky is one example of this phenomenon as is my current encounter with Hamsun. Described as a Norwegian Dostoevsky (a comparison with which I am agreeing) by the scribe of the forward to the edition of Hunger that I am reading, Hamsun lived from 1859-1952.

Hunger was first published in 1890, and Hamsun won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1920. According to the Nobel Prize biographical sketch of Hamsun, he was an individual who rejected society and civilization and focused his writing around the experiences of individuals who were outcasts and vagabonds. He was a Nazi sympathizer and after the end of WWII lost his property and spent his remaining years in poverty, essentially living the life of his character in the novel I am currently reading, Hunger. Hunger is, according to the Nobel Prize site, "regarded as the first genuinely modern novel in Norwegian literature."

I must say after two evenings with this book, I'm enjoying it's imagery and the pace of the story. I am eager to see where this tale goes and each night I have reluctantly put the Kindle down to get some sleep, now I am off to read again!

School has taken over my life...

Thus I've not written lately, but I have still been reading. I've got to check my notes, but I am confident that since I last wrote I have read at least one novel and am nearly finished with another. After Babbitt, I read The Rise of David Levinsky by Abraham Cahan. This was a terrific book about the successes and failures of a German Jewish immigrant to America. The tale itself was well crafted and held my interest. It painted a portrait of a man who through perseverance and tenacity succeeded in life, despite the deck being stacked against him. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it not only as a good story but also as a study of the lives of immigrants to America during the industrial revolution.

I am now nearly finished with William Makepeace Thackeray's Vanity Fair. While this novel has been trying to get through I find it to be entertaining and witty. Originally published in 1848, this novel presents a satirical look at the aristocracy of Victorian London. I will have more to say about his novel by weeks end.

I've also picked up another Kindle and am eager to get back to reading on my e-reader. I love the feel and smell of a paper bound book, but also enjoy the comfort and ease of my e-reader. More later in the week...

Babbitt is finished...

I found Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt to be an interesting portrait of an upper middle class man and his successes, failures, and struggles. I think the most interesting part of this novel was the manner in which Lewis created Babbitt's relationships. His relationships were what fueled the action in the story. From his interactions with his wife and children, to his employees, to the boys at his various clubs, and finally to those people he interacted with to sooth his middle-aged desires, it was through these relationships that the reader was able to travel with Babbitt and discover his insecurities and strengths.

Another aspect of the novel that I enjoyed was Lewis' satirical portrayal of the middle class. The keeping up with the Jones' portrayal of the characters in the story was quite interesting and offers a nice reflection of the society of the time. I find that not much has changed between Babbitt's generation and the generation of today. We still have those individuals who think social standing is far more important than true relationships, and there are also those who enjoy watching the follies of the social climbers.

Babbitt's journey is a typical one, I believe. He grows tired of his day to day existence and wanders off the reservation so to speak. His desire to escape finds him experimenting in areas of society where he really doesn't belong and while he knows this to be the case, he still pursues this destructive path. It is only when tragedy nearly befalls his family that he is able to regain himself and reconnect with what is really important in his life, his family.

I found the conclusion of this novel to be one of hope in that Lewis portrayed Babbitt's reversal in what I think was the most sympathetic manner of the whole book. The passing of the torch from Babbitt to his son was kind and heartfelt and one of the more believable aspect of the story.

Babbitt

So I've picked up Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt as my next choice. Originally published in 1922, this novel presents a satirical look at middle class life in the 1920's. I am curious to see how a contemporary author describes the every day life of American's leading up to the Great Depression. I am equally curious to see if there are any correlations between the images painted of the middle classers of the 20's and the middle classers of today. We shall see...

A trip back home....

I really felt like The Country of the Pointed Firs was just that, a vacation home. Sarah Orne Jewett's descriptive ability drew fantastic images in my mind and made me want to take a trip to Maine for the summer. I could envision the fishermen pulling their lobster traps from their little dories, and sailing through the harbor collecting haddock and the like. I wanted to attend the family reunion and wanted to share time with Mr. Tilley. I really did enjoy this book.

My only complaint is that nothing much happened, which is I guess how a lazy Maine summer vacation should be. There was no plot except that of a woman's experience in a small fishing village throughout one summer. There was no exciting adventure, except those remembrances of old fishermen, and even then we're led to believe that many of those remembrances are simply figments of imagination. What there was in this novel was a fairly surface study of personality both human personality and the personality of a landscape.

I found The Country of the Pointed Firs to be a delightfully calm read, one that did not cause me to ponder too much, but one that brought the fresh sea air to my mind's eye and really took me back to a slow and uneventful Maine summer. I would certainly welcome those fresh crisp evenings, and dewy mornings compared to what we've had here in North Carolina this year. Bring on the warm days and cool nights of a New England summer any day, there's nothing I like better than wearing shorts and a sweater!

Now we travel back to New England...

For my next choice I have decided to take a look at a writer from New England, the area of the country from which I hail. The book is The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. Jewett was from South Berwick, Maine a small town on the Maine/New Hampshire border. During her time there this area was known as a fishing village, though was in it's decline.

The Country of the Pointed Firs was first published in 1896. I chose this book mostly because of the connection I have with the author. I have, many times, driven past the Sarah Orne Jewett house in South Berwick, Maine and have marveled at it's beauty and simplicity. I also have several friends whose last name is Jewett and when I came across this name in Bloom's canon list, I looked it up to see if perhaps I could add the book to my short list. The New England connection and the fact that I knew the house sealed the deal and I am about half way through the novel as of today. So far it's a terrific read, recalling a simpler time of summer's spent gathering herbs and writing on the Maine seacoast.

My Brilliant Career

A nice diversion from what I've been used to reading. I enjoyed this tale of a self-criticizing young girl and her search for a place in the world. I've really not much to say about this story and am struggling to see why Bloom chose to include it in his canon. While the age of the author is impressive, and it's autobiographical flair is intriguing, I did not find the novel itself to be much of a challenge.

Franklin presents us with a story of a young girl whose misfortune and native curiosity seem to get her into trouble with her parents and siblings. She is unwanted at home and finds herself sent back to a place of her early childhood, a place with fond memories where she flourishes. It is the culture of that childhood home that feeds her ability to evolve into a woman.

What I found most interesting with this novel was the commentary on the importance of the arts in the development of the individual. It seems that those individuals in the novel, that did not have regular discourse with music and literature were painted as dimwitted and useless at even the most mundane tasks. The example I think of here is the M'Swat family, the family the narrator is sent to, to act as a governess for their children. The depiction of the home and the lack of any culture in the home, is directly correlated to the dimwittedness of the adults as well as the children. Franklin also draws a correlation between lack of discipline and the lack of culture in the home. I find this to be a very interesting and quite accurate argument. While people may say that snobbish attachment to culture including fine art, music, literature and drama is not something that produces well disciplined and contributing members of society I, for one disagree. I find that involvement in the arts in general provides a foundation from which any individual can venture into success.

Overall My Brilliant Career was a good read. I especially enjoyed the ending to this book. I found the choices made by the narrator, while not the choices I wanted her to make, were the choices she had to make, in order to remain intellectually and emotionally honest with herself. The vivid descriptions of the landscape of Australia cause the reader to feel as if she is in fact a visitor at any of the stations illustrated in the novel. This ability to vividly describe the setting to the story is another reason I enjoyed this novel. I again am surprised by the depth of understanding and and breadth of emotion put forth by this young author.

And now for something completely different...

Next I've decided to venture out from what I've been reading in the past, mostly American and British literature and look instead at a completely different continent. I've chosen Australia and the novelist Miles Franklin. I have chosen her first novel, My Brilliant Career, originally published in 1901. The novel was written while Franklin was still a teenager and was published when she was just 22. The subject matter closely mimics the lives of her family and friends and apparently caused her much distress when originally published. As a result, she withdrew the novel from publication until after she passed.

I am excited to venture into uncharted, at least by me, territory. Hopefully I will not be disappointed and instead will be encouraged to continue to explore new and exciting avenues from which I can discover literature I may not have otherwise encountered.