Alright, so just a recap here:
The point of this blog was to be an informational blog about classic lit. As I said previously, I find that many people tell me they don't read older literature on the basis that it is bland, boring, irrelevant, and slow. This blog was created to disprove that argument. I hoped to show any readers that classic lit can be exciting, thrilling, adventurous, humorous, and above all, relevant to every day life.
In so far as convincing you to read classic lit, my success is entirely up to the reader. If you feel the need to brush off an old book after reading something on this blog, yay! I've succeeded. If not, I'm not really surprised---I know that people don't like to change any habits, so why would they change their reading habits?
However, with regard to demonstrating that classic lit and poetry is relevant to every day life, I feel that I've done a good job; I've addressed numerous topics and discussed the potential relevancy for each (excluding this week's post, which was just about the beauty and expressiveness of English). There was so much more I could have done (and wanted to do) but being limited to 8 weeks and having an audience that I'm assuming has little to no background in literature greatly curtailed my content.
As for things I would have done differently, if I were to do this project again with the same topic, I would have done more research, and really searched for quotes that fit a particular topic. What I had been doing was reading, highlighting things I liked, and then on Fridays, scroll through my highlights and find a few quotes that worked together. I think it would've helped the audience more if I had planned my posts more thoroughly.
And that's about it! Thanks if you powered through this blog and my gushing about my favorite books. If you didn't, I don't blame you, I can understand that it's hard to get into, but please try to make an effort. Don't forget to check out the "Links" tab---I've posted a bunch of cool stuff there!!!!
Claire
Friday, April 17, 2015
Lesson #8
Last week guys! For these, I'm just going to give you the quote and let you form your own opinions of the language used. Maybe you could comment your favorite?
1) One of my favorite poems by Walt Whitman:
2) A snippet from William Wordsworth's poem, Louisa
3) Also, one that's not related but I just glanced over and thought was pretty funny:
(Keep in mind, divorce was either not allowed or caused one to be in disgrace afterward at this point in time)
That's it!
I'll be right back for the overview post!
Hope you enjoyed this
Claire
1) One of my favorite poems by Walt Whitman:
2) A snippet from William Wordsworth's poem, Louisa
can you read that?
That's it!
I'll be right back for the overview post!
Hope you enjoyed this
Claire
Friday, April 10, 2015
Lesson #7
So, quotes that apply to life in no particular category or order---just some notes for higher thinking
1) From the Napoleon of Notting Hill, by G.K. Chesterton:
More often than we would like, things we become attached to, whether it be people, animals, or an object, turn out to be different than we thought, so different that we can no longer look at them the same way. Think about a person that was close to you, a politician you believed in, a pet you loved, or a concept/belief that you held, that upon further inspection turned out to be much different than you thought. Its a terrible feeling (I know from experience) when this realizations hits you, a sort of coldness washes over you and you feel like sitting in a corner (or at least I do) and holding your head in your hands. You want to bang your head against the wall, cry, be comforted, or just be by yourself for a long time (I experience a confusing mixture of all these). It feels terrible. Everyone feels this at some point or another---its part of our humanity. So in this way, old books can be comforting, knowing that people hundreds of years ago felt the same pain, experienced the same disappointment, and struggled through the same problems that you are experiencing at that moment.
2) Also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill:
Again, very relatable to our current world: how often do we let someone rise in power or authority without really examining whether or not they deserve it? How many times has someone been given awards or honors without really earning it? We want those in power, who govern and direct us to be smart people, who make our entire population not only content, but informed and smarter. And yet we award those in power who have done little to this effect. Not exactly comforting to know that people had this problem back in the time of Chesterton, but at least we can say its not something our generation has done on its own.
3) Also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill (Chesterton was a genius, I can't help but include a bunch of his work):
I was going to explain a bit, but instead I think I'll just let this sit here and let you guys think about it quietly.
4) I'm gonna try to lighten this pessimistic mood....hold on while I dig a happy quote out of my pile of quotes:
From the Importance of Being Earnest, a play by Oscar Wilde:
Not completely humorous, but definitely made me chuckle a little to myself when I read it. We put a lot of thought into what people wear, how they do their hair, what car they arrive in, and while that's all great and has some importance, we often don't involve a lot of sincerity or honesty in a lot of our "matters of great importance".....
I'm spent. This week was really hard, what with our school's peculiar circumstances, a busy school week to begin with, and an unclear plan for the following week. Next week I'll be focusing on the beauty of the English language in old literature and poetry---cool words and phrases that make you feel nice inside.
Hope you enjoyed....
Claire
1) From the Napoleon of Notting Hill, by G.K. Chesterton:
More often than we would like, things we become attached to, whether it be people, animals, or an object, turn out to be different than we thought, so different that we can no longer look at them the same way. Think about a person that was close to you, a politician you believed in, a pet you loved, or a concept/belief that you held, that upon further inspection turned out to be much different than you thought. Its a terrible feeling (I know from experience) when this realizations hits you, a sort of coldness washes over you and you feel like sitting in a corner (or at least I do) and holding your head in your hands. You want to bang your head against the wall, cry, be comforted, or just be by yourself for a long time (I experience a confusing mixture of all these). It feels terrible. Everyone feels this at some point or another---its part of our humanity. So in this way, old books can be comforting, knowing that people hundreds of years ago felt the same pain, experienced the same disappointment, and struggled through the same problems that you are experiencing at that moment.
2) Also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill:
Again, very relatable to our current world: how often do we let someone rise in power or authority without really examining whether or not they deserve it? How many times has someone been given awards or honors without really earning it? We want those in power, who govern and direct us to be smart people, who make our entire population not only content, but informed and smarter. And yet we award those in power who have done little to this effect. Not exactly comforting to know that people had this problem back in the time of Chesterton, but at least we can say its not something our generation has done on its own.
3) Also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill (Chesterton was a genius, I can't help but include a bunch of his work):
I was going to explain a bit, but instead I think I'll just let this sit here and let you guys think about it quietly.
4) I'm gonna try to lighten this pessimistic mood....hold on while I dig a happy quote out of my pile of quotes:
From the Importance of Being Earnest, a play by Oscar Wilde:
Not completely humorous, but definitely made me chuckle a little to myself when I read it. We put a lot of thought into what people wear, how they do their hair, what car they arrive in, and while that's all great and has some importance, we often don't involve a lot of sincerity or honesty in a lot of our "matters of great importance".....
I'm spent. This week was really hard, what with our school's peculiar circumstances, a busy school week to begin with, and an unclear plan for the following week. Next week I'll be focusing on the beauty of the English language in old literature and poetry---cool words and phrases that make you feel nice inside.
Hope you enjoyed....
Claire
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Lesson #6
We're almost done with the project! And just as I was finding lots of great quotes for discussion.... We'll just have to continue after the project is over, just for fun :)
This week, I'm continuing the humor section, and if I have time, I'll put in a little bit of the other stuff I've been finding....Also, Happy April Fool's Day.
1) Once again, I find myself returning to the perfect humor of Jeeves and Wooster:
Wooster: "In handling the case of Augustus Fink-Nottle, we must keep always in mind the fact that we are dealing with a poop."
Jeeves: "A sensitive plant would, perhaps, be a kinder expression, sir."
Wooster: "No Jeeves, a poop. And with poops one has to employ the strong, forceful, straightforward policy."
2) Also comes from Wodehouse's genius, though this one is more of a chuckle to oneself:
This picture is really long, but hopefully it will make it more readable ( I personally don't like reading long quotes in Blogger text, its gross)---you'll probably have to click to enlarge the picture.
Yup. A grown man. In a bath. Enjoying shoving the duck underwater and watching it shoot up again. Good ol' fashioned humor :)
3) This one comes from "The Napoleon of Notting Hill", by G.K. Chesterton, the book I am currently reading, in which a crazy man is randomly selected to be King. In speaking to one of his courtiers, he replies:
"Rapid and symbolic movements of the left leg." Great stuff. :)
4) Also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill, after the King dictated an important proclamation he said to the secretary:
So, this proclamation is very important, he just dictated, and already he can't remember it. :) Also, could you send him some coffee and the kind of cigars we give to the people who are rich but probably don't deserve it? Thanks....
5) Finally, also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill, The King calls one of his favorite people into court, who happens to be his favorite person because of the way his beard looks.
Next week, I'm not sure how to categorize the quotes I want to include. They mainly are just relevant to our present world. They don't pertain to any particular part of current life, but I feel they still hold some relevance and could generate some stimulating discussion...
Enjoy,
Claire
This week, I'm continuing the humor section, and if I have time, I'll put in a little bit of the other stuff I've been finding....Also, Happy April Fool's Day.
1) Once again, I find myself returning to the perfect humor of Jeeves and Wooster:
Wooster: "In handling the case of Augustus Fink-Nottle, we must keep always in mind the fact that we are dealing with a poop."
Jeeves: "A sensitive plant would, perhaps, be a kinder expression, sir."
Wooster: "No Jeeves, a poop. And with poops one has to employ the strong, forceful, straightforward policy."
 |
| A nice disgusting color to address a nice disgusting comment. |
This picture is really long, but hopefully it will make it more readable ( I personally don't like reading long quotes in Blogger text, its gross)---you'll probably have to click to enlarge the picture.
3) This one comes from "The Napoleon of Notting Hill", by G.K. Chesterton, the book I am currently reading, in which a crazy man is randomly selected to be King. In speaking to one of his courtiers, he replies:
"Rapid and symbolic movements of the left leg." Great stuff. :)
4) Also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill, after the King dictated an important proclamation he said to the secretary:
So, this proclamation is very important, he just dictated, and already he can't remember it. :) Also, could you send him some coffee and the kind of cigars we give to the people who are rich but probably don't deserve it? Thanks....
5) Finally, also from the Napoleon of Notting Hill, The King calls one of his favorite people into court, who happens to be his favorite person because of the way his beard looks.
Next week, I'm not sure how to categorize the quotes I want to include. They mainly are just relevant to our present world. They don't pertain to any particular part of current life, but I feel they still hold some relevance and could generate some stimulating discussion...
Enjoy,
Claire
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