What are you currently reading?

[doner24 | 1,197]

2 hours ago, avatar! said:

You got it

I'm a bit ashamed it took me so long to read this book (I'm not exactly a teen anymore) but it was a quick and wonderful read. Really made me feel I was part of The Greasers and I got an interesting insight into life in 1967 at Tulsa, Oklahoma!

Fun little read, it was part of our 7th grade curriculum back in 1992. 

[T-Pac | 7,560]

Finished reading Physics of the Future (2011) by Michio Kaku.

Spoiler

This is a neat look into how current science could shape the world over the next hundred years or so. And considering the book itself is more than 10 years old at this point, it’s interesting to see how the “near future” predictions have or haven’t come to fruition.

One of the most fascinating areas that Kaku’s book dives into is the future of energy. He sees us moving from the current age of electricity into the age of magnetism, given that we can find a solution for creating room-temperature superconductors. The result could revolutionize everyday experiences like travel and stimulate a positive effect against climate change. Although, I have my doubts about first-world willingness to scrap our current electrical infrastructure no matter how great the benefits of a new system would be. There's also a nuance look into nuclear energy - the benefits it proposes as an alternative to fossil fuels, as well as the dangers associated with it, which continue to make us shy away from its potential.

Another idea that struck me over the course of the book is that although someone as intelligent as Kaku can predict future scientific advancements, it’s not as straightforward to predict public sentiment concerning their adoption. For example, much of his vision for the future revolved around the shrinking physical footprint of most gadgets and paid little mind to public aversion against “personally” invasive technology (like proposed health sensors constantly sending data to your doctors). This reflects the mindset of the early 2010s where everyone was enamored with smaller and smaller cell-phones and hadn’t caught today’s “digital privacy” hysteria. There is also relatively little mention of artificial intelligence, which is shaping up to be the technological trademark of the generation now. (Kaku was also slightly dismissive of the extent to which AI could encroach on creative fields, an idea that hasn’t aged well as we now see computers writing and creating artwork much like humans do.)

And speaking of computers, Physics of the Future also imagines a world where 

computer chips become as ubiquitous a commodity as paper - something we are certainly trending toward as everything from TVs to appliances are “smart” gadgets and the rise of e-waste affirms the disposable nature of once precious and expensive computer chips. Kaku even envisions a step beyond today’s silicon chips into quantum computing at the atomic level - the smallest and most powerful computing we can achieve.

And small-scale technology seems to be the future of many other advancements as well. Self-assembling nanobots could make everything from furniture to buildings modular, as well as supplying a means to explore the solar system beyond the limits of today’s rockets and satellites.

Kaku sees a future of improved health, with access to personal MRI technology, gene augmentation, and less invasive surgery thanks to the aforementioned nanobots. But he also notes that such advancements could begin to blur the line between what is man or machine, and to what extent DNA modifications have gone too far.

Physics of the Future doesn’t directly address this, but through Kaku’s predictions of scientific development over the next hundred years, I see a forthcoming struggle of tradeoffs. Many technological benefits on the horizon come at the cost of personal freedoms and our current feelings toward manipulating nature and ourselves to “play God”. Who’s to say what balance we will strike in the coming century? But in any case, this book really does indicate that we’re living in an unparalleled age in the advancement of science and technology - and I’m left with a mix of caution and excitement over the developments yet to come in my lifetime.

[T-Pac]

[avatar! | 1,820]

Happy to say, I just started reading this beauty

There are a number of things that make this special --

1)Signed by Joe Abercrombie
2)Beautiful illustrations -- also signed by the illustrator
But, most importantly, this is a true "fine press" publication -- meaning it was printed letterpress
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Letterpress_printing

Fine press books are typically far more expensive than a traditional book. That said, people who purchase such books view them as art. The letterpress printing produces an impression in the paper which is tangible as well as visible. Since the ink is pressed into the paper, the paper has to be of very high quality otherwise it would bleed and be a mess. Likewise the ink is different than traditional ink found in a printer. Is it worth the cost? Heck yeah! This is like comparing a collector's edition or CIB NES/SNES/etc game to a digital copy. Nothing wrong with having a digital game if you just want to play, or a cheap copy of The Blade Itself if you just want to read it once. Myself, editions like this really allow me to delve and become part of the book and the art  

 

[Tabonga | 2,324]

This is a collection of short stories about a witch knight and a puppet sorcerer set in a fantasy world.  Not earth shaking but enjoyable to read.

[T-Pac | 7,560]

Finished reading For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) by Ernest Hemingway.

Spoiler

This novel takes place during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, and follows an American explosives technician, Robert Jordan, as he joins a Republican guerrilla unit to repel the fascist units out in the mountains. 

All I knew about Hemingway before picking up this book was that he’s known for a very straightforward writing style. And even still, I was intrigued at just how curtly everything was presented here. Rather than detailing or elaborating on an idea to emphasize it, Hemingway has a habit of just repeating it over and over. It was a challenge to acclimate to this as well as the dialogue, because the characters' words are dictated as more-or-less direct translations from the Spanish they were speaking. This had the effect of formalizing every exchange - not to mention almost all of the harsher language was literally substituted for the word “obscenity”.

Style aside, I found myself surprisingly captivated with the story, considering my general distaste for military-themed books and media. And I think I can attribute that mainly to the tense situations, like the impromptu pre-battle stakeout, the loss of Robert Jordan’s equipment from treachery within his own ranks, and the snow-storm threatening to dismantle the entire operation. Several of the characters were particularly engaging as well - namely Pablo, the untrustworthy leader of the guerilla unit, his wife Pilar, the sage rock of the Spanish contingent, and Anselmo, the old Republican soldier with an incongruous hatred for killing. However - I found the protagonist, Robert Jordan, a bit nebulous. To Hemingway’s credit, though, this renders the principal character as somewhat of an “everyman” blank slate for the reader to inhabit.

And the aspects of Robert Jordan that do, in fact, have a more fleshed-out presentation, give the novel it the greatest depth. These are mainly the conflicting thoughts that cloud Jordan’s mind as he engages in an assignment over which failure looms. He ponders whether someone can live a full life in only a few days, subject to the impending doom of his operation. And he plays out this fancy by engaging wholeheartedly in the short-lived relationship he finds with Maria, a former prisoner of the fascists who was rescued by Pablo’s band. Hemingway presents this relationship as a spontaneous, deep, lasting connection, but it felt more like Jordan and Maria’s blind attempt to turn lust into something more meaningful in order to stave off the fear of failure in battle. Jordan also reflects on his motivations as a soldier, which have little to do with any sort of fervor for the cause. Rather, he seems to lean most heavily on his duty to follow orders and a will to prove himself as a man of merit like his veteran grandfather. He’s compelled to redeem himself, in a way, from the weakness he saw in his father’s suicide - a sentiment that comes full-circle in the end where he feels that same pull and strains to overcome it through a sense of duty to his new, short-lived family (the Spanish guerilla unit and Maria).

To Whom the Bell Tolls, in spite of its stoic presentation, is a weighty depiction of the horrors and emptiness of war, and the mental struggles that accompany its combatants. It leaves me with a heightened distaste for military conflict, and an even greater respect for the soldiers that have had to live through it.

[T-Pac]

[avatar! | 1,820]

5 hours ago, T-Pac said:

Finished reading For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) by Ernest Hemingway.

  Hide contents

This novel takes place during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, and follows an American explosives technician, Robert Jordan, as he joins a Republican guerrilla unit to repel the fascist units out in the mountains. 

All I knew about Hemingway before picking up this book was that he’s known for a very straightforward writing style. And even still, I was intrigued at just how curtly everything was presented here. Rather than detailing or elaborating on an idea to emphasize it, Hemingway has a habit of just repeating it over and over. It was a challenge to acclimate to this as well as the dialogue, because the characters' words are dictated as more-or-less direct translations from the Spanish they were speaking. This had the effect of formalizing every exchange - not to mention almost all of the harsher language was literally substituted for the word “obscenity”.

Style aside, I found myself surprisingly captivated with the story, considering my general distaste for military-themed books and media. And I think I can attribute that mainly to the tense situations, like the impromptu pre-battle stakeout, the loss of Robert Jordan’s equipment from treachery within his own ranks, and the snow-storm threatening to dismantle the entire operation. Several of the characters were particularly engaging as well - namely Pablo, the untrustworthy leader of the guerilla unit, his wife Pilar, the sage rock of the Spanish contingent, and Anselmo, the old Republican soldier with an incongruous hatred for killing. However - I found the protagonist, Robert Jordan, a bit nebulous. To Hemingway’s credit, though, this renders the principal character as somewhat of an “everyman” blank slate for the reader to inhabit.

And the aspects of Robert Jordan that do, in fact, have a more fleshed-out presentation, give the novel it the greatest depth. These are mainly the conflicting thoughts that cloud Jordan’s mind as he engages in an assignment over which failure looms. He ponders whether someone can live a full life in only a few days, subject to the impending doom of his operation. And he plays out this fancy by engaging wholeheartedly in the short-lived relationship he finds with Maria, a former prisoner of the fascists who was rescued by Pablo’s band. Hemingway presents this relationship as a spontaneous, deep, lasting connection, but it felt more like Jordan and Maria’s blind attempt to turn lust into something more meaningful in order to stave off the fear of failure in battle. Jordan also reflects on his motivations as a soldier, which have little to do with any sort of fervor for the cause. Rather, he seems to lean most heavily on his duty to follow orders and a will to prove himself as a man of merit like his veteran grandfather. He’s compelled to redeem himself, in a way, from the weakness he saw in his father’s suicide - a sentiment that comes full-circle in the end where he feels that same pull and strains to overcome it through a sense of duty to his new, short-lived family (the Spanish guerilla unit and Maria).

To Whom the Bell Tolls, in spite of its stoic presentation, is a weighty depiction of the horrors and emptiness of war, and the mental struggles that accompany its combatants. It leaves me with a heightened distaste for military conflict, and an even greater respect for the soldiers that have had to live through it.

[T-Pac]

You may also want to look at A Farewell to Arms Hemingway's other great war novel. By the way, the title of the book is from John Donne, one of my favorite poets

No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend's were.
Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.

[Brickman | 3,995]

6 hours ago, T-Pac said:

Finished reading For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) by Ernest Hemingway.

  Reveal hidden contents

This novel takes place during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930s, and follows an American explosives technician, Robert Jordan, as he joins a Republican guerrilla unit to repel the fascist units out in the mountains. 

All I knew about Hemingway before picking up this book was that he’s known for a very straightforward writing style. And even still, I was intrigued at just how curtly everything was presented here. Rather than detailing or elaborating on an idea to emphasize it, Hemingway has a habit of just repeating it over and over. It was a challenge to acclimate to this as well as the dialogue, because the characters' words are dictated as more-or-less direct translations from the Spanish they were speaking. This had the effect of formalizing every exchange - not to mention almost all of the harsher language was literally substituted for the word “obscenity”.

Style aside, I found myself surprisingly captivated with the story, considering my general distaste for military-themed books and media. And I think I can attribute that mainly to the tense situations, like the impromptu pre-battle stakeout, the loss of Robert Jordan’s equipment from treachery within his own ranks, and the snow-storm threatening to dismantle the entire operation. Several of the characters were particularly engaging as well - namely Pablo, the untrustworthy leader of the guerilla unit, his wife Pilar, the sage rock of the Spanish contingent, and Anselmo, the old Republican soldier with an incongruous hatred for killing. However - I found the protagonist, Robert Jordan, a bit nebulous. To Hemingway’s credit, though, this renders the principal character as somewhat of an “everyman” blank slate for the reader to inhabit.

And the aspects of Robert Jordan that do, in fact, have a more fleshed-out presentation, give the novel it the greatest depth. These are mainly the conflicting thoughts that cloud Jordan’s mind as he engages in an assignment over which failure looms. He ponders whether someone can live a full life in only a few days, subject to the impending doom of his operation. And he plays out this fancy by engaging wholeheartedly in the short-lived relationship he finds with Maria, a former prisoner of the fascists who was rescued by Pablo’s band. Hemingway presents this relationship as a spontaneous, deep, lasting connection, but it felt more like Jordan and Maria’s blind attempt to turn lust into something more meaningful in order to stave off the fear of failure in battle. Jordan also reflects on his motivations as a soldier, which have little to do with any sort of fervor for the cause. Rather, he seems to lean most heavily on his duty to follow orders and a will to prove himself as a man of merit like his veteran grandfather. He’s compelled to redeem himself, in a way, from the weakness he saw in his father’s suicide - a sentiment that comes full-circle in the end where he feels that same pull and strains to overcome it through a sense of duty to his new, short-lived family (the Spanish guerilla unit and Maria).

To Whom the Bell Tolls, in spite of its stoic presentation, is a weighty depiction of the horrors and emptiness of war, and the mental struggles that accompany its combatants. It leaves me with a heightened distaste for military conflict, and an even greater respect for the soldiers that have had to live through it.

[T-Pac]

I agree with Avatar. Definitely check out A Farewell to Arms, fantastic book. I really need to read more Hemingway.

Have you read anything by Alexandre Dumas yet? I highly recommend you read The Count of Monte Cristo. That book instantly moved to the top of my favourite books after reading it.

[T-Pac | 7,560]

4 hours ago, Brickman said:

I agree with Avatar. Definitely check out A Farewell to Arms, fantastic book. I really need to read more Hemingway.

Have you read anything by Alexandre Dumas yet? I highly recommend you read The Count of Monte Cristo. That book instantly moved to the top of my favourite books after reading it.

I may have to try A Farewell to Arms on your and @avatar!'s recommendation. As I said in my post, war stories aren't really my thing (1900s war stories, at least), but I think classics like that are worth checking out anyway.

Dumas is definitely more my style. I read The Three Musketeers last year - but it looks like that was before I started my reading log with writeups. I loved it, though, so The Count of Monte Cristo might make my shortlist.

But next up for me is James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man if my library has it. A friend just recommended it to me and I told him I'd read it if I could find it.

[T-Pac]

[Brickman | 3,995]

I’m the same, not really into war stories but sometimes the right one can be a really good read. I think A Farewell to Arms does fall into that group but I don’t want to say too much  without giving it away.

Another good one is Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.

Oh yeah if you loved The Three Musketeers then you will love The Count of Monte Cristo. Look forward to your thoughts when you get to it.

[doner24 | 1,197]

9 hours ago, T-Pac said:

I may have to try A Farewell to Arms on your and @avatar!'s recommendation. As I said in my post, war stories aren't really my thing (1900s war stories, at least), but I think classics like that are worth checking out anyway.

Dumas is definitely more my style. I read The Three Musketeers last year - but it looks like that was before I started my reading log with writeups. I loved it, though, so The Count of Monte Cristo might make my shortlist.

But next up for me is James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man if my library has it. A friend just recommended it to me and I told him I'd read it if I could find it.

[T-Pac]

The Sun Also Rises is the one that I would give a read next of Hemingway. A Farewell to Arms is a good book, but The Sun Also Rises is a fun read, and captures a lot of how he and a lot of the Lost Generation looked at the world. It’s also a perfect segway to get into Kerouac. 
 

Oh and The Count of Monte Cristo is awesome. 

[avatar! | 1,820]

My favorite Hemingway novel is The Old Man and the Sea.

I need to reread it -- a universal classic.

[Gloves | 11,800]

1 minute ago, avatar! said:

My favorite Hemingway novel is The Old Man and the Sea.

I need to reread it -- a universal classic.

It's the only book from Hemingway I've read and I loved it!

[PII | 1,886]

I finished reading "Dune Messiah" recently, following a reread of "Dune."  I had been anticipating another fat glossary and another several appendixes extolling various histories that would accentuate the epic grandeur of the piece just like in "Dune" but alas that was not the case.  Never-the-less, I enjoyed this sequel immensely and I consider the overall quality of the work to be comparable to the first without really any reasonable case to be made for it being equal let alone better.  In a nutshell the book explored some interesting new avenues that fit in perfectly with the Universe established in "Dune" and I love the way it ended -makes me eager to read the following sequel, "Children Of Dune."  If you've read "Dune" then you'll know that it's size and scope allowed it to really 'take its time' in describing the rich detail of 'it's' unique Universe, whereas "Dune Messiah" is rather piggy-backing off of the previous work and so much detail isn't technically necessary, although that didn't stop me from wishing that it was there.  To give the idea a more personal touch: I think I could easily reread the Stately Dinner Scene in "Dune" with it's abundance of Characters and their many conversations and private thoughts another dozen times and it would not loose it's ability to inform and intrigue.  But as good as it is, ..and it is very good to say the absolute least, "Dune Messiah" didn't possess any such elongated moment with so much richness.  I'm unsure how long it'll be before I get to "Children Of Dune."  Not long ago I "got caught up" with my reading and another pile of books I've been meaning to get to has magically appeared, but then winter is nearly upon us and that can only mean more time reading...    

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by PII

[guillavoie | 1,210]

22 hours ago, T-Pac said:

 

Dumas is definitely more my style. I read The Three Musketeers last year - but it looks like that was before I started my reading log with writeups. I loved it, though, so The Count of Monte Cristo might make my shortlist.

 

Do you know which translation of The Three Musketeers you read?

For The Count of Monte Cristo, I would suggest you to read Robin Buss translation, which is considered to be a really good translation work of the Dumas novel.

If you read in French, I would even suggest the idea of reading it as it was originally published, as a 'roman-feuilleton' in Le Journal des Débats (first issue with Le Comte de Monte-Cristo : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k446668c/f1.item)

I know most prefer to have a physical book in hand when reading (I do, of course), but for novel that were serialized in newspaper, reading it in the newspaper form can really gives you an authentic experience of how the first readers got to read it, and also how the serialized form of the novel actually played a role in the way the author had to write it.

For instance, a lot of people say that something they adore about The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, is that they never have enough of it, when they pick up the book they have a hard time to stop reading it. Well, one big reason explaining this is that it was especially written so that the readers MUST crave for the next daily issue, as the serialized novel was a huge incentive for selling the newspaper.

But, again, only in French unfortunately...

 

[T-Pac | 7,560]

11 hours ago, guillavoie said:

Do you know which translation of The Three Musketeers you read?

For The Count of Monte Cristo, I would suggest you to read Robin Buss translation, which is considered to be a really good translation work of the Dumas novel.

If you read in French, I would even suggest the idea of reading it as it was originally published, as a 'roman-feuilleton' in Le Journal des Débats (first issue with Le Comte de Monte-Cristo : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k446668c/f1.item)

I know most prefer to have a physical book in hand when reading (I do, of course), but for novel that were serialized in newspaper, reading it in the newspaper form can really gives you an authentic experience of how the first readers got to read it, and also how the serialized form of the novel actually played a role in the way the author had to write it.

For instance, a lot of people say that something they adore about The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, is that they never have enough of it, when they pick up the book they have a hard time to stop reading it. Well, one big reason explaining this is that it was especially written so that the readers MUST crave for the next daily issue, as the serialized novel was a huge incentive for selling the newspaper.

But, again, only in French unfortunately...

 

I get that - when I first read Sherlock Holmes, part of me was curious about how I'd have liked it in serial installments as it was originally released.

And I'm not sure what translation of The Three Musketeers I read. I'm at the mercy of whatever my local library had/has.

Also - at the peak of my French skills I could hardly read Le Petit Prince, so ... uh ... I don't think The Count of Monte Cristo would go over too well for me untranslated haha.

[T-Pac]

[Brickman | 3,995]

15 hours ago, guillavoie said:

Do you know which translation of The Three Musketeers you read?

For The Count of Monte Cristo, I would suggest you to read Robin Buss translation, which is considered to be a really good translation work of the Dumas novel.

If you read in French, I would even suggest the idea of reading it as it was originally published, as a 'roman-feuilleton' in Le Journal des Débats (first issue with Le Comte de Monte-Cristo : https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k446668c/f1.item)

I know most prefer to have a physical book in hand when reading (I do, of course), but for novel that were serialized in newspaper, reading it in the newspaper form can really gives you an authentic experience of how the first readers got to read it, and also how the serialized form of the novel actually played a role in the way the author had to write it.

For instance, a lot of people say that something they adore about The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, is that they never have enough of it, when they pick up the book they have a hard time to stop reading it. Well, one big reason explaining this is that it was especially written so that the readers MUST crave for the next daily issue, as the serialized novel was a huge incentive for selling the newspaper.

But, again, only in French unfortunately...

 

Yeah I wish I could read it in French so I could have read it in the serialised format. That would be fun.

I don’t know if it’s true, but I read that he was paid per word for The Count of Monte Cristo. I honestly never felt like he extended it to get the word count up or drag things on if that is true.

[guillavoie | 1,210]

5 hours ago, Brickman said:

Yeah I wish I could read it in French so I could have read it in the serialised format. That would be fun.

I don’t know if it’s true, but I read that he was paid per word for The Count of Monte Cristo. I honestly never felt like he extended it to get the word count up or drag things on if that is true.

Indeed, I'm pretty sure he was paid per word (or newspaper installments, which comes pretty much to the same in the end) for The Count of Monte Cristo. Dumas saw Eugène Sue huge serial success with Les Mystères de Paris, and realized how much he could gain financially from serial novel. His Three Musketeers was an immense success in that form, and this ensued a fierce bidding war among newspaper to get the contract for his next serial novel, which was The Count.

It is a sure thing that he find ways to milk the most money out of his contract for The Count of Monte Cristo, but it wasn't a problem for the publisher either as he would rely on the popularity of the novel to sell more newspapers, and as long as the interest for the novel was high, so was the marketing scheme. Finding the right balance in writing very long and complex narratives that could still captivate the audience for long period of time was the game writer like Dumas mastered, so it is natural that the work stands as a whole as one and complete. So yes, it is long for financial reasons, but also for aesthetic reasons as it was already a major component of the best historical novels of the times.

[guillavoie | 1,210]

10 hours ago, T-Pac said:

 

And I'm not sure what translation of The Three Musketeers I read. I'm at the mercy of whatever my local library had/has

[T-Pac]

The main concern I would have on this for you, is that a LOT of translations of Dumas longest novels (namely the serialized novels) are abridged versions of the complete work, so it is something to be weary of when picking a Dumas translation. Though there's nothing wrong in reading abridged version on purpose.

[Tabonga | 2,324]

   I am reading through the Fae Wars series by James Copley and J.F. Holmes - about a modern day invasion by elves, orcs, dragons etc. - who were booted off earth by humans millennia ago.  Quite an enjoyable read.

[T-Pac | 7,560]

Finished reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) by James Joyce.

Spoiler

I picked this one up from the library on a recommendation from my friend Jay, and it was just as interesting as he said it would be. Portrait follows the early life of an aspiring poet, Stephen Dedalus, in a semi-autobiographical parallel to Joyce’s own childhood growing up in Dublin, Ireland.

Joyce’s writing style evolves with the character and really captures the way the mind works and develops from childhood through adolescence - especially the mind of someone as solitary and introspective as Stephen. I was fascinated at just how accurately Joyce channels the quirks of a young kid’s thought process into writing - the fixations on random ideas and the apparent lack of logic or coherence behind what a child accepts or questions, fancies or shies away from. And this cognitive accuracy carries into Stephen’s teenage years, too, where his over-sensitive, over-emotional inner monologue is translated into long, rambling, tense passages, building single ideas into a deluge of anxiety, or fear, or joy. And finally, the writing in Portrait transitions into a heavily critical light, as Stephen’s college days imbue him with the cynically philosophical mindset of a young adult questioning institutions and coming to terms with their place in the world.

Stephen’s place in the world, or more specifically his identity relative to himself and his surroundings, is a troubled aspect of his own perception throughout the whole novel. Stephen has a habit of dissociation that spans his early years. As a kid, he imagines his own death with an unaffected degree of removal when he falls ill at boarding school. As a teenager, there are times where he struggles just to stay grounded in reality at all - repeating his own name and location in an effort to keep from losing his grip on the concrete world around him. Yet as a young adult he starts to embrace this lack of presence - namely in his poetry, positing that the author of real art ceases to be part of it. This sentiment spills beyond Stephen’s artistic aspirations, though - as he ceases to be a part of the people and places that molded him as well. And for reasons beyond the scope of the storyline itself… 

I didn’t quite pick up on the political themes of Portrait until I dove into the introduction of the “Penguin Classics” edition I was reading, which analyzed the story’s underlying commentary on nationalism. Joyce voices his discontent with Ireland’s brand of nationalistic upheaval through Stephen, who rejects Ireland’s so-called identity as a borrowed culture - both from their Roman religion and their English customs. This commentary comes to a head with Stephen’s questionable decision to leave everything he knows in pursuit of his art. He takes an agnostic stance against the Catholic doctrine that shaped his morality, he runs from Dublin, which more or less comprised the entire scope of his physical upbringing, and he breaks ties with his family and friends, as social connections never seemed to hold firmly with his transient nature to begin with. It’s a melancholy end to a troubled narrative, which parallels the Irish plight of securing their own identity. But it’s not without a glimmer of hope - that in running away, Stephen (and his country) can realize a more genuine, revised appreciation for their faith, their relationships, their place, and their art.

[T-Pac]

[avatar! | 1,820]

On 12/6/2023 at 9:52 AM, T-Pac said:

Finished reading A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) by James Joyce.

  Hide contents

I picked this one up from the library on a recommendation from my friend Jay, and it was just as interesting as he said it would be. Portrait follows the early life of an aspiring poet, Stephen Dedalus, in a semi-autobiographical parallel to Joyce’s own childhood growing up in Dublin, Ireland.

Joyce’s writing style evolves with the character and really captures the way the mind works and develops from childhood through adolescence - especially the mind of someone as solitary and introspective as Stephen. I was fascinated at just how accurately Joyce channels the quirks of a young kid’s thought process into writing - the fixations on random ideas and the apparent lack of logic or coherence behind what a child accepts or questions, fancies or shies away from. And this cognitive accuracy carries into Stephen’s teenage years, too, where his over-sensitive, over-emotional inner monologue is translated into long, rambling, tense passages, building single ideas into a deluge of anxiety, or fear, or joy. And finally, the writing in Portrait transitions into a heavily critical light, as Stephen’s college days imbue him with the cynically philosophical mindset of a young adult questioning institutions and coming to terms with their place in the world.

Stephen’s place in the world, or more specifically his identity relative to himself and his surroundings, is a troubled aspect of his own perception throughout the whole novel. Stephen has a habit of dissociation that spans his early years. As a kid, he imagines his own death with an unaffected degree of removal when he falls ill at boarding school. As a teenager, there are times where he struggles just to stay grounded in reality at all - repeating his own name and location in an effort to keep from losing his grip on the concrete world around him. Yet as a young adult he starts to embrace this lack of presence - namely in his poetry, positing that the author of real art ceases to be part of it. This sentiment spills beyond Stephen’s artistic aspirations, though - as he ceases to be a part of the people and places that molded him as well. And for reasons beyond the scope of the storyline itself… 

I didn’t quite pick up on the political themes of Portrait until I dove into the introduction of the “Penguin Classics” edition I was reading, which analyzed the story’s underlying commentary on nationalism. Joyce voices his discontent with Ireland’s brand of nationalistic upheaval through Stephen, who rejects Ireland’s so-called identity as a borrowed culture - both from their Roman religion and their English customs. This commentary comes to a head with Stephen’s questionable decision to leave everything he knows in pursuit of his art. He takes an agnostic stance against the Catholic doctrine that shaped his morality, he runs from Dublin, which more or less comprised the entire scope of his physical upbringing, and he breaks ties with his family and friends, as social connections never seemed to hold firmly with his transient nature to begin with. It’s a melancholy end to a troubled narrative, which parallels the Irish plight of securing their own identity. But it’s not without a glimmer of hope - that in running away, Stephen (and his country) can realize a more genuine, revised appreciation for their faith, their relationships, their place, and their art.

[T-Pac]

I think it's awesome that you're reading all these classics

I really wonder how many classics people read in high school these days? I'd love to know, because periodically I see articles such as this --

Massachusetts teacher says she is “very proud” to have removed Homer’s classic from school curriculum

https://greekcitytimes.com/2020/12/31/teacher-proud-removing-homer/

“Be like Odysseus and embrace the long haul to liberation (and then take the Odyssey out of your curriculum because it’s trash).” Heather Levine, a ninth-grade English teacher at Lawrence High School in Massachusetts, replied: “Hahaha …. Very proud to say we got the Odyssey removed from the curriculum this year!”

That seems quite pathetic to me. Then again, that high school and school district made news in 2010 when they were ranked in the bottom 1 percent in the state based on math and English test scores. Me, I'm not surprised...

[Brickman | 3,995]

24 minutes ago, avatar! said:

I really wonder how many classics people read in high school these days?

Do many people even read these days? I find it harder and harder to strike up a conversation with someone about a book, let alone a classic 

That school banning The Odyssey is just sad, it's such a great read.

[avatar! | 1,820]

2 hours ago, Brickman said:

Do many people even read these days? I find it harder and harder to strike up a conversation with someone about a book, let alone a classic 

That school banning The Odyssey is just sad, it's such a great read.

People definitely still read, although not surprisingly with social media (which is a poison), video games (which we all love), movies, etc. it's much less than in the past --

https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/public-life/book-reading-behavior

The percentage of Americans adults who read at least one book of fiction or nonfiction in the previous 12 months (outside of work or school requirements) fell to the lowest level on record in 2017 (Indicator V-04a). In 1992, 61% of Americans had read a book for pleasure during the previous year, but by 2017 less than 53% had done so.

 

[Brickman | 3,995]

1 hour ago, avatar! said:

People definitely still read, although not surprisingly with social media (which is a poison), video games (which we all love), movies, etc. it's much less than in the past --

https://www.amacad.org/humanities-indicators/public-life/book-reading-behavior

The percentage of Americans adults who read at least one book of fiction or nonfiction in the previous 12 months (outside of work or school requirements) fell to the lowest level on record in 2017 (Indicator V-04a). In 1992, 61% of Americans had read a book for pleasure during the previous year, but by 2017 less than 53% had done so.

 

I was curious to see what it’s like for Australia and I’m actually quite surprised the results are pretty good (I must be hanging around the wrong people).

- 75% of the population read at least one book in 12 months with the number one format being physical paperback novels. With over 35% making an effort to read a classic.

 

https://australiareads.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Australia-Reads-National-Reading-Survey-2021-KEY-FINDINGS-SUMMARY-1.pdf

[T-Pac | 7,560]

On 12/7/2023 at 12:31 PM, avatar! said:

I think it's awesome that you're reading all these classics

I really wonder how many classics people read in high school these days? I'd love to know, because periodically I see articles such as this --

 

On 12/7/2023 at 12:59 PM, Brickman said:

Do many people even read these days? I find it harder and harder to strike up a conversation with someone about a book, let alone a classic 

That school banning The Odyssey is just sad, it's such a great read.

If I pick something up to read, I always feel like I can't go wrong with a classic - because even if it's not to my taste (like that Hemingway novel), I know that it'll be worthwhile.

I don't know how I feel about classic novels being cut from school curriculum, though. I didn't actually start to enjoy reading until I actually got to experience books outside of a school setting. So I can see both viewpoints, I guess.

[T-Pac]