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Posted by Dawne Peterson on July 21, 2009, 1:22 pm
"Lucille" wrote .
show/hide quoted text
> I admit I'm not in love with Trollope or the "so called" classics. For
> me, reading them once was quite enough and watching the various movies
> keep me happy.
> My favorite read is a good detective story, followed by a mystery or
> sometmes something about international intrigue/espionage. I used to read
> a lot of science fiction when my DDH was alive, maybe because that was his
> first love, but I've kind of dropped them.
> Now, if it doesn't catch me after 50 pages, I can happily give it up.
> Years ago I was compelled to finish it, even when I thought it was drivel.
I am a major Victorian lit fan--Middlemarch is my favourite, but I love
Wuthering Heights, and much of Dickens. I think it is the richness of the
the books--in more recent writers, I tend to be drawn to people like Salman
Rushdie who revel in words and who spin complicated plots with lots of
characters. I cannot read Mill on the Floss or Tess of the D'Ubervilles
without a box of tissues at hand--and the classic Laurence Olivier Wuthering
Heights lends itself to a very satisfying weep. Have you seen the BBC
dramatisation of Cranford??? A lovely little story of female friendship.
I can reread Sherlock Holmes any time. I like detective stories and even
true crime accounts set in the Victorian era, when there was no CSI and no
random gunfire.
I think it is harder today to "get into" books like Jane Eyre because the
social conditions have changed so much; it is hard to appreciate the life of
a governess, or the constraints a woman might be under. We can be amused by
the desire of the girls in Jane Austen's books to get married --seems very
much like current chick lit--but it is harder now to appreciate the
devastating consequences of not being married on a woman's life (Anne Elliot
in Persuasion) and so understand why anyone would marry an idiot like Mr.
Collings.
Now I am determined to dig out one of the classic movies, my teapot and a
box of tissues tonight. Thanks for the inspirations everyone.
Dawne
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Posted by Trish Brown on July 21, 2009, 8:06 pm
Dawne Peterson wrote:
show/hide quoted text
> I am a major Victorian lit fan--Middlemarch is my favourite, but I love
> Wuthering Heights, and much of Dickens. I think it is the richness of the
> the books--in more recent writers, I tend to be drawn to people like Salman
> Rushdie who revel in words and who spin complicated plots with lots of
> characters. I cannot read Mill on the Floss or Tess of the D'Ubervilles
> without a box of tissues at hand--and the classic Laurence Olivier Wuthering
> Heights lends itself to a very satisfying weep. Have you seen the BBC
> dramatisation of Cranford??? A lovely little story of female friendship.
>
> I can reread Sherlock Holmes any time. I like detective stories and even
> true crime accounts set in the Victorian era, when there was no CSI and no
> random gunfire.
>
> I think it is harder today to "get into" books like Jane Eyre because the
> social conditions have changed so much; it is hard to appreciate the life of
> a governess, or the constraints a woman might be under. We can be amused by
> the desire of the girls in Jane Austen's books to get married --seems very
> much like current chick lit--but it is harder now to appreciate the
> devastating consequences of not being married on a woman's life (Anne Elliot
> in Persuasion) and so understand why anyone would marry an idiot like Mr.
> Collings.
>
> Now I am determined to dig out one of the classic movies, my teapot and a
> box of tissues tonight. Thanks for the inspirations everyone.
>
> Dawne
>
>
Oh, I'm with you, Dawne! I collect the works of an Australian children's
author called Ethel Turner. She wrote around the turn of the (last)
century and her books are wonderful insights into family life, the
social climate of the times and the ways in which our society worked (or
didn't work) back then. I imagine her books fill a similar niche to the
'Little House' books of Laura Ingalls Wilder or the 'Anne of Green
Gables' series by LM Montgomery: just charming gentle stories of other
times when life was slower and crises were solved without the internet. :-D
I was given 'David Copperfield' when I was seven and thought it was
wonderful! It took me many years to realise the copy I'd been given was
a special edition for children and that was why I'd found myself
completely unable to cope with Dickens until much, much later.
I've always enjoyed Jane Austen, especially for the ways in which she
examines social customs and the ways in which women slotted into a man's
world. 'Emma' would be my favourite, probably because she (Emma) is such
a dill and doesn't know it.
--
Trish Brown
Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Posted by Dawne Peterson on July 21, 2009, 11:29 pm
"Trish Brown" wrote
show/hide quoted text
>> I am a major Victorian lit fan--Middlemarch is my favourite, but I love
>> Wuthering Heights, and much of Dickens. I think it is the richness of
>> the the books--in more recent writers, I tend to be drawn to people like
>> Salman Rushdie who revel in words and who spin complicated plots with
>> lots of characters. I cannot read Mill on the Floss or Tess of the
>> D'Ubervilles without a box of tissues at hand--and the classic Laurence
>> Olivier Wuthering Heights lends itself to a very satisfying weep. Have
>> you seen the BBC dramatisation of Cranford??? A lovely little story of
>> female friendship.
>> I can reread Sherlock Holmes any time. I like detective stories and even
>> true crime accounts set in the Victorian era, when there was no CSI and
>> no random gunfire.
>> I think it is harder today to "get into" books like Jane Eyre because the
>> social conditions have changed so much; it is hard to appreciate the life
>> of a governess, or the constraints a woman might be under. We can be
>> amused by the desire of the girls in Jane Austen's books to get
>> married --seems very much like current chick lit--but it is harder now to
>> appreciate the devastating consequences of not being married on a woman's
>> life (Anne Elliot in Persuasion) and so understand why anyone would marry
>> an idiot like Mr. Collings.
>> Now I am determined to dig out one of the classic movies, my teapot and a
>> box of tissues tonight. Thanks for the inspirations everyone.
>> Dawne
> Oh, I'm with you, Dawne! I collect the works of an Australian children's
> author called Ethel Turner. She wrote around the turn of the (last)
> century and her books are wonderful insights into family life, the social
> climate of the times and the ways in which our society worked (or didn't
> work) back then. I imagine her books fill a similar niche to the 'Little
> House' books of Laura Ingalls Wilder or the 'Anne of Green Gables' series
> by LM Montgomery: just charming gentle stories of other times when life
> was slower and crises were solved without the internet. :-D
> I was given 'David Copperfield' when I was seven and thought it was
> wonderful! It took me many years to realise the copy I'd been given was a
> special edition for children and that was why I'd found myself completely
> unable to cope with Dickens until much, much later.
> I've always enjoyed Jane Austen, especially for the ways in which she
> examines social customs and the ways in which women slotted into a man's
> world. 'Emma' would be my favourite, probably because she (Emma) is such a
> dill and doesn't know it.
I will check out Ethel Turner. I loved loved loved the Anne books when I
was a girl. A friend of my mum's gave me Anne of Green Gables for Christmas
when I was 7, and then a new one in the series every year until I was a
teenager, when she began to donate to charity in my name. I owe this woman
(Lavinia--there's a name you don't hear these days!) a great deal for
opening those doors for me. (My mum didn't "get" either of Lavinia's
presents, but they made a lasting impression on me). Just to bring this
round to needlework, I have an Anne of Green Gables alphabet sampler
somewhere in my stash.
Emma is a great character, and very true to life, as I think we all when we
were young go through spells of thinking we know everything and no one else
before us ever figured it all out, but my favourite Jane is Sense and
Sensibility. I think I was pretty much Marianne when I was young, and she
might break out again at any time. I did enjoy the movie very much.
Dawne
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Posted by Cheryl Isaak on July 21, 2009, 1:38 pm
On 7/21/09 12:18 PM, in article h44q5s$37n$1@news.eternal-september.org,
show/hide quoted text
>
>> On 7/21/09 9:44 AM, in article 7clv2kF26fjntU2@mid.individual.net, "Karen
>> C
>>
>>> Susan Hartman wrote:
>>>> She's still a huge reader, but never got into Victorian lit.
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Me, neither.
>> Ah -but I love Conan Doyle and Trollope was ok...
>>
>> C
>
> I admit I'm not in love with Trollope or the "so called" classics. For me,
> reading them once was quite enough and watching the various movies keep me
> happy.
>
> My favorite read is a good detective story, followed by a mystery or
> sometmes something about international intrigue/espionage. I used to read a
> lot of science fiction when my DDH was alive, maybe because that was his
> first love, but I've kind of dropped them.
>
> Now, if it doesn't catch me after 50 pages, I can happily give it up.
> Years ago I was compelled to finish it, even when I thought it was drivel.
>
> Lucille
>
Have you tried any of the modern fantasy stories?
Cheryl
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Posted by Lucille on July 21, 2009, 3:00 pm
show/hide quoted text
> On 7/21/09 12:18 PM, in article h44q5s$37n$1@news.eternal-september.org,
>>> On 7/21/09 9:44 AM, in article 7clv2kF26fjntU2@mid.individual.net,
>>> "Karen
>>> C
>>>> Susan Hartman wrote:
>>>>> She's still a huge reader, but never got into Victorian lit.
>>>> Me, neither.
>>> Ah -but I love Conan Doyle and Trollope was ok...
>>> C
>> I admit I'm not in love with Trollope or the "so called" classics. For
>> me,
>> reading them once was quite enough and watching the various movies keep
>> me
>> happy.
>> My favorite read is a good detective story, followed by a mystery or
>> sometmes something about international intrigue/espionage. I used to
>> read a
>> lot of science fiction when my DDH was alive, maybe because that was his
>> first love, but I've kind of dropped them.
>> Now, if it doesn't catch me after 50 pages, I can happily give it up.
>> Years ago I was compelled to finish it, even when I thought it was
>> drivel.
>> Lucille
> Have you tried any of the modern fantasy stories?
> Cheryl
I'm not sure what a modern fantasy story is. If it's anything like an
updated fairy tale I probably would like it. I would welcome your
recommendationss.
Lucille
show/hide quoted text
>
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> me, reading them once was quite enough and watching the various movies
> keep me happy.
> My favorite read is a good detective story, followed by a mystery or
> sometmes something about international intrigue/espionage. I used to read
> a lot of science fiction when my DDH was alive, maybe because that was his
> first love, but I've kind of dropped them.
> Now, if it doesn't catch me after 50 pages, I can happily give it up.
> Years ago I was compelled to finish it, even when I thought it was drivel.