Wow, it is has been a long time since I have gone a week without posting something. Time just got away from me this time; I have no good reason for my absence other than school is taking up all of my time.
In the last month I have read all of Shakespeare’s sonnets, had to re-write one. Read the plays; Hamlet, A midsummer’s Night Dream, Richard III and watched movies based on all three. If you have not caught the 2000 remake of Hamlet staring Ethan Hawk I recommend you do so. It is set in modern day New York yet retains the language and style of the original.
In my German Lit class we have read excerpts from some great classics. We read:
The Nibelungenlied, by an anonymous author in 1200
Tristan and Isolde by Strassburg (1210)
Ship of Fools by Brant (1494)
Essays by Erasmus and Martin Luther
The Golden Thread by Wickram (1557). This is a great story and I am desperately looking for an inexpensive copy of it.
Last Saturday night my beau and I went to see Lewis Black. I have only seen one other comic in concert and that was back in the 1970s. I saw Bill Cosby right before he stopped touring. As much as I love Lewis, nobody beats Bill when it comes to facial expressions and timing. Still, we had a great time and it was exciting to see Lewis rant live. His opening act was very funny though sadly he had a couple of hecklers who were unhappy that Lewis did not come on right away. Sigh…even as I sit at a cultural event I am still reminded I live in Nevada.
I wish I could tell you I finished a great book this week, but sadly I have spent more time reading and writing about Shakespeare. I wanted to write a blog post the other night but because I was so immersed in the bard’s world I was afraid I would write in iambic pentameter or blank verse. I can tell you I am trying, bit by bit to read Lev Grossman’s The Magicians. I find I do better if I can just sit down and fall into a book but I am only able to read a little each day. I am enjoying it. Have any of you read it?
I saw the movie of Tristian and Isolde but didn't realise it was a book! I don't know that finishing a great book would be better than reading all the Shakespeare you have – to me that's pretty awesome! I'm afraid I can't comment on The Magicians as I've never heard of it.
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Mary DWelcome back, Sari :)BTW … ATTENTION Dear SariYou have NOW been bitten by a book blogger ZOMBIE! Should you desire to find a CURE before turning into one of the undead yourself, please visit the link below:http://vvb32reads.blogspot.com/2010/09/book-blogger-zombie-giveaway-2010.html
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@Charlie,Thanks. I am enjoying learning just how much Shakespeare has influenced our language and cultural. I learned he added almost 2000 words to the English language. At times this class is very hard to grasp, poetry is not my strong suite but I little by little I am getting it.@ Mary D. Thanks! i will check out the site, though I try very hard to keep Zombies at arms length. (wink)
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