The 'Currently reading' thread...

[Malia]

I will be reading Seamus Heaney's version of Beowulf for brushing up purposes, as I will be teaching it to my seniors here shortly. I'd better brush up mighty quick.

I've read it already. It is excellent.

Heaney is the greatest living poet in the world.

Good luck. I wish my English teacher had been as passionate as you Denise

I had to read Heaney in college and I enjoyed his works. One of our professors in the English department who teaches Irish literature is a friend of Heaney's and invited him to give a lecture at Whitman college (where I went to school) and I had the pleasure of being there and getting Heaney's autograph in my copy of the Haw Lantern I remember thinking at the time that to be able to see Heaney in my generation is like being able to see Wordsworth--Heaney is that "big" in my estimation.

[Saturn]

I remember thinking at the time that to be able to see Heaney in my generation is like being able to see Wordsworth--Heaney is that "big" in my estimation.

Pah much better than Wordsworth!!!

[dks]

I've read it already. It is excellent.

Heaney is the greatest living poet in the world.

Good luck. I wish my English teacher had been as passionate as you Denise

Yes, I agree that he's up there...no doubt. Thank you, Stephen. I will no doubt gag my poor students with my enthusiasm for the subject matter which I teach. I will tell them Monday (they start back to school then) that they can curse or swear all they want but they had better NOT write or mark on my Keats billboard, or there will be hell to pay.

I teach English IV which is all Brit lit--from Anglo-Saxon to 20th C.--I'll be teaching the Romantics in the Spring--yes, that means our man...I could wet my pants over that, you realize.

[Saturn]

I teach English IV which is all Brit lit--from Anglo-Saxon to 20th C.--I'll be teaching the Romantics in the Spring--yes, that means our man...I could wet my pants over that, you realize.

Anglo-Saxon to 20th century
That's a pretty long time-frame.

We could have some of your students come across the site when you teach the Romantics.







HELP.

[Saturn]

Back to the Hunt biography...

I just finished this today. Overall a pretty fair and sympathetic account of this giant of the Romantic movement [yes I DO think he was a giant].

This book is not very concerned with Hunt's actual writing - it's more of a strightforward 'life of...' but exhaustively researched of course. There is very little detailed analysis of his work but an enjoyable read nonetheless.

Also surprisingly there is relatively little about his relationship with Keats. The author sees the incident of the crowning as the critical moment when their friendship began to decline, that the events that bizarre afternoon were symbiotic of their two different personalities.
He also sees Hunt's friendship with Shelley more important than that with Keats, which is fair enough considering he knew Shelley for longer and was closer to him personally.

Regarding Keats, Hunt's feelings may be summed up by this letter he wrote to Severn while he was dying in Rome [unfortunately the letter arrived after Keats' death]:

[dks]

I teach English IV which is all Brit lit--from Anglo-Saxon to 20th C.--I'll be teaching the Romantics in the Spring--yes, that means our man...I could wet my pants over that, you realize.

Anglo-Saxon to 20th century
That's a pretty long time-frame.

We could have some of your students come across the site when you teach the Romantics.







HELP.

No. Then they'll have something on me...twisted, they are...

[Saturn]

You could temporarliy change your username and avatar

[Becky]

Tom Jones.

[Falina]

Hmmm - holidays are almost over... And I just found out today that I have to read Hermann Melville's "Moby Dick" for a course at university - till next Friday !
Anybody read it before?

[dks]

Hmmm - holidays are almost over... And I just found out today that I have to read Hermann Melville's "Moby Dick" for a course at university - till next Friday !
Anybody read it before?

Yep...love Melville...

[Malia]

I've read a large *part* of Moby Dick. It is the kind of book that you can easily jump around in--especially when he talks about the many different types of whales in the world . He certainly was ahead of his time in his technique--that "catch all" quality the book has is interesting. My favorite character is Quequeg

[Saturn]

Currently reading Gibbon's History Of The Decline And Fall Of The roman Empire - Chapter 50, which is the history of the prophet Mohamet and his impact on the world and the early growth of Islam.

[dks]

Currently reading Gibbon's History Of The Decline And Fall Of The roman Empire - Chapter 50, which is the history of the prophet Mohamet and his impact on the world and the early growth of Islam.

You and your light reading, Saturn.

[Malia]

I've been gorging myself on Leadership books--for obvious reasons--but also, as part of my program, I have to re-read Richard III. Boy, I didn't realize how I've missed Shakespeare Richard is probably the *nastiest* leader ever written. I've just finished the part where he and Buckingham put forth the propoganda that gets Richard the throne--and the bit where he prays with the prayer book under one arm and two clergymen--one on either side of him. Richard is a pious, religious man. . . hmmm. . .he's certainly not the *only* one who's used religion to get elected I suppose that's one of the things that makes Shakespeare stand the test of time--he writes about human attitudes that are slow to change.

[dks]

Yes, Richard is quite an example, isn't he?

I'm reading Frost for my MLA class and re-reading Canterbury Tales, for I'm teaching it right now.