Finishing "Huckleberry Finn," it struck me that there's no romance in the story, not even a steady female character. So in this respect the novel is somewhat similar to “Moby-Dick”, its main historical contender for the “title” of Great American Novel. But Huck doesn't quite go as far as Moby in casting off the ladies. … Continue reading Huck and the ladies
Tag: Moby Dick
Starting Huckleberry Finn
September 23, 2021 I’ve taken years to read "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn", because of its darn reputation. The back cover of my 1985 Penguin edition quotes Hemingway’s famous line, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn”. Further down we read that “Of all the contenders for the title … Continue reading Starting Huckleberry Finn
Pilgrim’s Progress
I picked up “Pilgrim’s Progress” only because I was reading “Little Women,” which I found made constant reference to Bunyan’s earlier novel. So I put down Alcott and started “Pilgrim,” and it was a mixed experience – riveting in many places, but often hard-going. As often happens when I pick up a new author, the … Continue reading Pilgrim’s Progress
Bible and books in “Little House” TV series
A few weeks ago I posted about how we've been watching "Little House On the Prairie" on a nightly basis since around the time that quarantine began. I knew from watching the series as a child that the episodes often quoted the Bible, but I noticed this time that sometimes the Bible was quoted in … Continue reading Bible and books in “Little House” TV series
Semicolon
I recently read a book that was a delight for me, a lifelong fan of a certain bit of punctuation. It covers a lot of territory, efficiently: the origins of the semicolon; historical debates about the "rules" of grammar and whether such rules even make sense; snobbery in punctuation, and snobbery in general; the critical … Continue reading Semicolon
62 chapters into Don Quixote
October 4, 2020 My son thinks I’m reading “Donkey Hotee”. The book has never been funnier than in the first 7 chapters of Vol. II. As always, it’s the dialogue that gets me the most, especially Sancho’s talks with his wife and with Don Quijote. Cervantes is getting more creative and trying new things, and … Continue reading 62 chapters into Don Quixote
41 chapters into Don Quixote
October 1, 2020 Dorotea’s unspooling of her story – while we, along with the anguished Cardenio, guess who she might be – is the most gripping thing in the book yet. (I read this rather than watch the first Trump/Biden debate, and I’m so glad.) Her speech when Fernando enters her room is stirring (“I … Continue reading 41 chapters into Don Quixote
My quarantine addiction
August 22, 2020 I saw the BBC's "War and Peace" on a Saturday and a Sunday. I spent the following week getting other books “out of the way,” so to speak. On Monday I did my Zoom reading on a “Moby-Dick” marathon, which finished the next day (in the middle of a tropical storm left … Continue reading My quarantine addiction
Natasha, Pierre, and that comet again
August 19, 2020 In my first searches for “War and Peace” on YouTube -- the day after I’d shown my kids some summaries of Moby-Dick, The Odyssey, and Frankenstein -- I learned that there had been a play in 2012-17, “Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812” . It played in New York (and … Continue reading Natasha, Pierre, and that comet again
