Post by The Yak Emperor on Mar 7, 2023 16:43:34 GMT
Thought I'd jump on the bandwagon and start my own "___ you've been ___" thread, and, seeing as I haven't watched very many films lately, combined with the fact that I am something of an aficionado/boffin/nerd when it comes to literature, this seemed to me a good idea for a thread, whether it receives contribution or not. Literary fiction, poetry, sci-fi, fantasy, comics, whatever; post it here, I'll be interested at least if no one else is. I suppose I should start, so here's what I've read in the last month or so:
Harry Hill's Bumper Book of Bloopers: 6/10 — Ok I'll admit I pretty much skim-read this at the book shop I work in, but when there's literally 5-10 words per page, that's not exactly an arduous task. The jokes are decently funny, if quite out-of-touch (which is one of Harry Hill's mainstays these days, unfortunately); the main strength is probably the art design and the zaniness of the whole thing. Get it for a mate/parent/child for Christmas—it's cheap and they probably won't be disappointed because at the end of the day, you can't go wrong with a £2 joke book.
The Sound and the Fury: 8/10 — I didn't enjoy it too much on my first read-through, but looking back on it opened an entire world of interpretation. You really just have to read this if you want to get into it, because pitching it to someone just won't work: it's not a novel that fits well with any sort of elevator pitch that I can devise. It's strange, fantastical, at times funny, and of course very moving. Perhaps it is the elusive Great American Novel, perhaps it isn't. Perhaps it doesn't matter either way. All I know is it's bloody good.
The Canterbury Tales: 9/10 — If you want to read this, get the original Middle English version, it can't be beaten. Chaucer represents both the end of the "Matter of Britain" period of literature and the commencement of what we might call "modern literature". He certainly had an indubitable influence on all authors who came after him, even if they don't realise it. The literary sense of character doesn't reach its apotheosis until Shakespeare, of course, but there is an undeniable personality brimming from this work. I would additionally recommend his "Troilus and Criseyde", as well as the anonymously written "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", if you want other works of Middle English to accompany this one in your bookcase.
Assorted ancient literature: the Odyssey; the Theban plays; Aeschylus' Oresteia; some dialogues of Plato; the works of Hesiod — I can't give ancient literature a number-rating because it just exists in a completely different framework to that whose supposed quality might be numeralised, as such. The influence these works had on our culture is immeasurable and infinite; therefore I can't put a number to it, because that would only ground it and strip it of all the magic it possesses.
Harry Hill's Bumper Book of Bloopers: 6/10 — Ok I'll admit I pretty much skim-read this at the book shop I work in, but when there's literally 5-10 words per page, that's not exactly an arduous task. The jokes are decently funny, if quite out-of-touch (which is one of Harry Hill's mainstays these days, unfortunately); the main strength is probably the art design and the zaniness of the whole thing. Get it for a mate/parent/child for Christmas—it's cheap and they probably won't be disappointed because at the end of the day, you can't go wrong with a £2 joke book.
The Sound and the Fury: 8/10 — I didn't enjoy it too much on my first read-through, but looking back on it opened an entire world of interpretation. You really just have to read this if you want to get into it, because pitching it to someone just won't work: it's not a novel that fits well with any sort of elevator pitch that I can devise. It's strange, fantastical, at times funny, and of course very moving. Perhaps it is the elusive Great American Novel, perhaps it isn't. Perhaps it doesn't matter either way. All I know is it's bloody good.
The Canterbury Tales: 9/10 — If you want to read this, get the original Middle English version, it can't be beaten. Chaucer represents both the end of the "Matter of Britain" period of literature and the commencement of what we might call "modern literature". He certainly had an indubitable influence on all authors who came after him, even if they don't realise it. The literary sense of character doesn't reach its apotheosis until Shakespeare, of course, but there is an undeniable personality brimming from this work. I would additionally recommend his "Troilus and Criseyde", as well as the anonymously written "Sir Gawain and the Green Knight", if you want other works of Middle English to accompany this one in your bookcase.
Assorted ancient literature: the Odyssey; the Theban plays; Aeschylus' Oresteia; some dialogues of Plato; the works of Hesiod — I can't give ancient literature a number-rating because it just exists in a completely different framework to that whose supposed quality might be numeralised, as such. The influence these works had on our culture is immeasurable and infinite; therefore I can't put a number to it, because that would only ground it and strip it of all the magic it possesses.