This article was written by Anjali Amit. Twelfth Night is a play populated by confused characters. Orsino imagines himself in love with Olivia; what he really loves is the idea of being in love. Olivia thinks she cannot love because she is in mourning for her brother, yet falls head over heels in love with a [...]
ContinueSlow-Read Sunday: Pride and Prejudice, Volume III (to Ch. X)
Previously, we discussed Volume I and Volume II of Pride and Prejudice. When we left Elizabeth she was heading to Pemberley with the expectation that Darcy would not be present at his estate. Here are some points to ponder as you read the first part of Volume III: 1. Does Elizabeth’s opinion of Darcy shift [...]
ContinueHow to Read and Write Poetry
This article was written by Chris Ciolli. Too many readers (and writers) view poetry as a mystery, an oddity to be kept in a curio behind a locked glass door. We might look at it and think it’s pretty, but we’re loath to take it out, trace its shape with careful hands to try to [...]
ContinueSlow-Read Sunday: Pride and Prejudice, Volume II
Here are some areas to consider as you read, or after you read Volume II of Pride and Prejudice. The story is becoming more and more Elizabeth and Darcy’s story: 1. What is Elizabeth’s chief aim in the novel? What is Darcy’s? Characters can be motivated by any number of things, but I’ll throw out [...]
ContinueTips for Reading a Translated Novel
This article was written by Leslie Collins. Great literature crosses cultural and language barriers. Fortunately, you don’t have to learn German to enjoy German literature. Most great works of literature have not one, but dozens, or even hundreds of translations available. A translated novel is not without its pitfalls, however. A work of fiction is often [...]
ContinueSlow-Read Sunday: Pride and Prejudice, Volume I
This was due for discussion yesterday, but I got wrapped up in Easter activities. I hope you’ll accept my apologies for my tardiness. We’ll still have plenty of time to discuss the novel throughout April. Here’s a stab at some areas to consider from Volume I, to page 89: 1. What does the opening line set [...]
ContinueNew Ways We Tell Stories
This article was written by Joseph Dante. Independent bookstores are vanishing. Print magazines are going. Publishing itself is rapidly transforming and publishers are struggling to adapt to a very new and very strange literary culture: a hybrid beast that is finding itself trapped between the virtual world and the flesh-and-blood tactile one. Due to the strange [...]
ContinueSlow-Read Sunday: Hamlet, Final Thoughts
Previously, I proposed some questions to ponder as you read the play: Acts 1 and 2; Acts 3 and 4; Act 5. What follows are some final thoughts on the play. I recognize the exercise of saying something “final” about Hamlet is absurd because the play has been criticized every year since its creation, but for [...]
ContinueAre you a shallow or a deep reader?
This article was written by Andrew Blackman. When it comes to reading, are you shallow or deep? Don’t worry, I’m not making a value judgment here about the type of books you like to read. This is one situation where deep is not necessarily better than shallow. It’s just a different way of reading. I, [...]
ContinueSlow-Read Sunday: Hamlet, Act 5
If you missed the discussion of Acts 1 and 2 you can catch up here. If you missed the discussion of Acts 3 and 4 you can catch up here. I’ll have some final thoughts next week on Hamlet, but for now here are some questions you could ask as you read Act 5, the play’s [...]
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