You mentioned Crighton earlier, I think one of his books was a knock-off of Beowulf. I couldn't say which as I've not read any, but I remember someone bringing it up in a discussion about tropes repeating throughout history.
It's the one that was the basis for The 13th Warrior.
Eating the Dead, Eaters of the Dead, something necrophagic.
Fine I do care. The fact that I can't express myself about literature without the likes of you telling how I should feel is stupid. Last time I checked I live in America where I can say and do what I want without people telling me it's wrong. Just because you sell a bunch of stuff doesn't mean you're good. You can worship King if you please. Go ahead. I don't care. All I did was exercise my right and state my opinion. No need to whine about how "wrong" I am. Everyone else here got to say what they please. Why not blow up on them? You make me sick. Why not criticize someone else for a change since that's what your best at? Goodbye.
"I can't believe I did that. I just came out of the closet for real, didn't I? And I did it with a smile. 'Hello, Japan. I'm gay!'" - says Eiri Yuki from Gravitation.
I just got a whole strew of classics from the library. Lord Bryon, Edgar Allen Poe and even some modern classics such as Three Faces of Eve, and Anne of Green Gables. I just started reading Anne of Green Gables again. I had begun reading it before but had to return in to the library. I own a lot of classics thanks to both my father and my high school library giving away a ton of old books. So I have a mixture of American Classics and European Classics. I'm reading Jane Eyre with my dad right now. It's a lot of fun reading with someone else. Although it's a bit tough reading and writing my novel at the same time. Well since I haven't really read a lot this summer as much as I have been writing, I guess it doesn't matter.
"I can't believe I did that. I just came out of the closet for real, didn't I? And I did it with a smile. 'Hello, Japan. I'm gay!'" - says Eiri Yuki from Gravitation.
Classics give great insight into different writing styles which is why I read them in the first place.
~The air tastes just like you, it's the smell of June
A sensory shock that jolts my spirit, I slowly swallow you
A spray of little droplets, a fragrance so refined
The spirit of nostalgia is passing me by~
reading american psycho, almost done. What a book. After that it's the big monster epic i've been wanting to read for awhile, War and Peace, then it's Short Stories by Neil Gaiman
A few classics I read over the summer... (These are ridiculously old) was "Gilgamesh", "The Song of Roland", and "Beowulf". I was going through a bit of an epic poetry binge. Gilgamesh was interesting because it was one of the first known recorded texts. Not only that but it has probably the first recorded references to a zombie army! Lol.
"The Song of Roland" was one of the most violent stories I've read in a long time. I like it because it gave an idea of the mentality of the middle ages.
I know I've already posted a list of my favorite classics on here but I'd like to update it.
Anything and everything ever written by Oscar Wilde or Edgar Allan Poe. My favorites would have to be The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde, and The Tell-Tale Heart and The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe. Also, all of Jane Austen's novels are great, especially Pride and Prejudice. I also like Wuthering Heights, The Divine Comedy, The Scarlett Letter, and Romeo and Juliet. READ ON :P
I just finished The Monk a few days ago. I am currently reading The Mysteries of Udolpho. The Castle of Otranto, which some of you may want to check out since it is the first goth novel, wasn't that great.
I absolutely loved both Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. I also read Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey, which was a parody of goth novels, specifically Udolpho.
I plan on getting Vathek, The Picture of Dorian Grey, and possibly Zofloya in a week or two when I'm closer to the end of Udolpho.
A lesser known, but fun novel, is Lady Audley's secret.
I just want to add my 2 cents. Lol. I prefer the classics because they are more original and still are. Original in all ways. There's just more free styled thinking and descriptions compared to most novels, etc. I'm not a big reader but can realize the difference. I might be right or wrong.
I had to sit through English lessons where people moaned about the language used in classical books. Someone even said "who even reads nowadays?". My teacher, bless her, allowed me to sit outside by myself and read ahead. She even gives me examples of good books to read myself as she knows how much I love it. I love Austin & the Bronte's and Dickens. I also loved Lolita. I don't know if they're classified as but I also love the authors & poet Virginia Woolf and Sylvia Plath.
Its the dumbing down and spiral of laziness. They prefer reading less complex, less thinking books. I love it when I get confused and say, Oh now I get it. Also improves my vocabulary when getting to know new words -- in order to get through.
It frustrates me so much, I wouldn't handle being an English teacher, the majority of my class would end up out of the window :s Even if its a small paragraph they kick off. Thank god for public libraries!
To be fair, there are some very good books with simple language. The English translation of Battle Royale for example. And The Stand is really a great book if you want to look at it through the lenses of philosophy and sociology.
After Hunger Games, there was talk of an American version of Battle Royale, but with all the violence in schools it'll be a long process before we see a version of it I think.
-- Weird sense of humor. A bit quark-y and boson at times. --
It is, Battle Royale was already done as a manga and two Japanese movies (though Battle Royale 2 paled to the first one). It was the popularity of HG that some thought was given to an American version of BR.
-- Weird sense of humor. A bit quark-y and boson at times. --
Well, HG was written as young adult literature which meant the amount of violent content was lower when it came to the film. While BR was written to express a lot of brutality.
-- Weird sense of humor. A bit quark-y and boson at times. --
I read somewhere that the guy who wrote it was involved in a bomb blast where he worked and was trapped under the bodies of his dead friends, that's what inspired him to right his book.
I had never heard that. BR was essentially a statement about the injustice of high school in Japan. Not only do they have to deal with the typical drama that all young people face, as well as the problems Westerner's don't face as often like teen prostitution (which is rampant in Japan), the tyranny of the school system is absolutely horrible. There are rules about what students can do when they are away, some schools force kids to walk home while wearing helmets, and a few even ban dating.
But, what really stands out, in regards to the book, is the grading system. When I first read the book, I didn't know much about their school system, rather than the Utopian picture that the weabos paint. But, you generally aren't graded based on your ability alone, but rather on how you compare with your classmates. Grades are posted in public, showing the rankings of all the students, in order to shame the kids who can't do as well as the others. And getting into colleges in Japan requires even more competition than in the West.
Yeah I read it from an interview with the authors son.
Is that actual knowledge you know from visiting schools in Japan or just an opinion you gathered from reading the book?
Because the difference in getting into colleges and universities are that some high schools transfer their students straight into the University/College they are linked to if they want to attend, and others just apply. Upper Secondary school is not compulsory in Japan.
I absolutely adore classics. I am a large fan of Russian literature at this moment like Dostoevsky (short stories the brothers Karamazov, crime and punishment ect) and Tolstoy whom i have been reading alot by him working my way up to war and peace. I also reallly enjoy existentialist work such as voltaire or sartre. I can just devour there plays and essays. Some of my recent reads are Dracula, Frankenstien, Dorian Grey, Moby Dick, Great expectations, and Lorna Doone. I also love to read works from London and Shakespeare.
I read journey to the center of the earth last month and i enjoyed that book more then i thought i would. I highly recommend it.
And my favorite novel of all time has to be Jane Eyre i have read and re-read that book at least 10 times.
A couple of Dicken's books here. Love how detailed he can get in just a paragraph, sometimes they seem to be stories within stories. The Scarlet letter for narrative happiness and fell in love with what I'm sure we all read, Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.
Although it's a bit tough reading and writing my novel at the same time. Well since I haven't really read a lot this summer as much as I have been writing, I guess it doesn't matter. 
READ ON :P
