Hello all,
Thanks for a warm welcome. I'm afraid I'm here primarily to search for an old poem, but you never know what may develop. :)
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Hello all,
Thanks for a warm welcome. I'm afraid I'm here primarily to search for an old poem, but you never know what may develop. :)
Hi Phil. Welcome to the site. Hope you find what you're looking for. We get some poetry mavens here from time to time, so just be patient. Hope you stick around! :)
Good afternoon, friends, new guy here, completed my profile, feel free to have a look. General question to anyone who cares to respond regarding Emerson and I hope it is not considered 'sacrilegious' (!).....Emerson's writings are in such 'olde English' and I find myself spending a lot more time than would otherwise be necessary in understanding him and his work. Is there extant a 'translation' of his works into 'modern English', such as, for example, the New International Version (NIV) version of the Bible vs. the King James version? Thanks in advance for your kind courtesy in considering this and responding!
Welcome Tuck. Please enjoy the site. :)
I'm sure there must be such an abomination, and perhaps some evil spirit here can guide you to it. I urge you, though, to take the time to listen to Emerson's own voice. The NIV and the KJV are both translations; but what you are asking for--however convenient you may find it--is (in my opinion) a dumb down. Courage! You are better than that, I am sure! :)
Love the RWE quote, thanks for reminding me!
Yeah, you're right, it is a dumb down, I know.......one has to walk though before running.......
Hey guys!
So - nice to meet you all!
I'm 23, originally from Brazil - so English is not my first language, sorry in advance for any mistakes -, but I'll be staying a few months in UK. Since the time difference between here and basically all my family and friends is 4 hours, I was hoping to meet some new friends here, so I could not only train my written English, but also chat about books! And this is something I love :D
Some (not so) useful info about me: What I REALLY enjoy about reading is not only the story itself, but also how it's told. I really love to taste the words, to feel and input (when I'm writing) texture and scents. For books, as with music, I prefer dark, dense tones with ugly, sticky, smelly scenes. I love writing and experimenting with words. And with lines, while I'm drawing. And with food, while I'm cooking!
Not sure how to end this, so I'll send a Brazilian hug to everyone ;)
I like your "feast-for-the-senses" approach to everything. I foresee some fascinating posts. Welcome.
Maybe, but isn't this more like making the step up to a flexible flyer bicycle before moving on to the 10 speed? Emerson wrote in the 19th century. Use a crutch with him and you'll need one for Dickens, Austin, Thackary, Melville, Twain, Poe, and many others; Fielding, Defoe, and Swift are even harder; and then there are Skakespeare and Chaucer. I believe you are retired (me, too! :)) Do you really want to restrict yourself so much at this time of new and expansive freedom? So much of reading really is about hearing that distant voice right there in your noggin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Robert L Tucker
Good luck with it, whatever you decide. I hope you will stick around and talk with us about it either way. :)
Thanks a lot! I hope I don't sound too 'peculiar' with my opinions hahaha!Quote:
Originally Posted by Melanie
I have been persuaded not to waste any more time and have been re-reading ESSAY IV Spiritual Laws.......Quote:
Originally Posted by Pompey Bum
No man can learn what he has not preparation for learning, however near to his eyes is the object.
Now that I think of it, a flexible flyer is a sled, isn't it? Oh well. :)
I don't like audiobooks personally, but taste's differ, so I wondered if you would care for this. Whether you use it or not, I hope you enjoy "Ralphie boy."
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iyHEhVc_vrU
I created a thread introducing myself very briefly, however the very first few posts went in depth, therefore I think I will as well.
I am currently taking a break from the university life after having spent four years in it as a French major, switching to an Art History major, switching to a double-major in Art History and English-American Literature. When I return, I will strictly be studying American Literature.
I have a great passion for Edgar Allan Poe. I can't quite say what draws me to him without sounding sappy and cliché, but I can say that I began reading his works in 3rd grade. I thought his name sounded cool, so I did a report on him, and it was love ever since! I also greatly admire Jane Austen, whom I am DISTANTLY related to, and Thomas Lovell Beddoes. Beddoes' dark poetry is enchanting. I also have an immense adoration for pirates. If the museum of my dreams does not work out, I think I would like to work at a Maritime museum, as museum work was my concentration in Art History.
I have interned at a wonderful museum (you may privately ask if you wish to know further, I just hate publicly displaying in case it comes off as "bragging") and worked in a Special Collections department for a year. There, I found an even deeper love for literature and discovered so many books there, many of which I now own.
I love purchasing rare books and also have an ever growing collection of 19th century photographs. I have multiple tintypes, ambrotypes, CDVs, cabinet cards, yet no daguerreotypes yet. I also LOVE Post Mortem photography, however I have yet to purchase one.
So there's a bit about me. I am passionate about polar bears and wanted to be a zoologist as a child. Then I discovered that I succeed more in the art of creativity rather than science, not to mention that English and Art can be expanded outside of the lines and rules applied to it.
I hope this hasn't been too long-winded and has been a better introduction than before. I look greatly forward to getting to know many of you, as I have enjoyed the people I have met so far!
Did I mention I am a very wordy writer? You've been warned.
Welcome again, if I missed you the first time, Kelly. I saw an exhibit of post mortem photography at the Fogg Museum at Harvard, ah, many moons ago now. I found the photographs historically interesting: severed heads from the Taiping Rebellion, a monastery chapel made from the bones of former monks, the hamburger helper that was left of Mussolini and his moll after Salo fell, and so on. But it it didn't have a gothic "Poe-ish" feeling to me. It was more like hundreds of stories to speculate about, having only seen the last act: sometimes sad, sometimes upsetting, sometimes quite moving.
That is very interesting! I am not familiar with Post Mortem photos outside of deceased figures (animals or people), unless those other items were from a different exhibit within the Post-Mortem exhibit! Fascinating, nevertheless, and that sounds like a fortunate occasion to have attended to.Quote:
Originally Posted by Pompey Bum
Heh heh. Monastery chapel, right? Not monetary chapel. :)
There's also a headhunting museum in Taiwan that has some pretty unnerving photographs. It raises the question of what whether to preserve a historical legacy that most people would find upsetting, or to ignore it, or maybe to just sanitize it.
I was wondering. ;)
Oh, that sounds intriguing! What is that called?
I think it's called the Formosan Aborigines Museum. It's on the outskirts of Taipei.
Well, that is incredibly disturbing and yet also curious. Thank you for sharing!
Yeah, sorry. I should probably just delete it.
HAHA you're right, it IS a sled, pretty sure I had one, but I knew what you meant! And thanks for the link, I will definitely check it out and let you know.......
?????
Oh goodness, no! I meant it in a good way!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pompey Bum
Don't worry. But it would upset some, especially on an introductions thread. Let's lull them into a false sense of security and then show them the headhunter link. :)Quote:
Originally Posted by Kelly Keener
That's my favorite way of doing things!Quote:
Originally Posted by Pompey Bum
hi. I'm just some crazy guy who likes russians and writes a bit. nice to meet you all. a couple of my things are available on the forums. glad to be here.
OOH, I like conspiracies!
Lately, I've taken to calling Putin, RasPutin. What is your insight on him and/or Russians in general? It seems the general Russian population is getting tired of him, emigration is increasing, he is making them nervous I think.......this from a high plateau of popularity not that long ago.
i meant russian literature, actually... Gogol, Dostoevsky, Bely, Pushkin.. (and many others) i try to avoid the current world's politics, that is for more level headed minds than myself. i prefer to steep myself in the culture of those who have come and gone.
Have you read Krzhizhanovsky's works, Parfington? He was born in the 1880s, was a revolutionary writer of his time (i think) with bizarre, almost dark writing. I own a book of his, although there aren't many out so far because I believe he was banned for a long while and his works are finally being released to the public...I digress, I own a book of his called Autobiography of a Corpse. I think he's worth checking out.Quote:
Originally Posted by Parfington
yes, i have a copy of his autobiography of a corpse on my kindle, as well as letter killer's club. he looks very interesting. i've looked very extensively into russian literature, and have a list extending quite a ways, voinovich, dovlatov, erofeev, sologub, the strugatsky sci-fi, ilya ilf, so much to read, so little time to do it :P
Alright, very cool! I've read Dovlatov, but I can't say I've heard of the others you listed there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Parfington
RasPutin. Cute, Robert. :)
Welcome to the site, Parfington. You'll find plenty of Russian lit fans here.
My bad, that should have been obvious to me.......although I don't remember the last time anyone calle me level-headed!
Hi everyone! My name is Laurel and I look forward to sharing and helping you all with your works! :)
Hello Laurel. Welcome to the site. :)
Hello:)
I am curious , why Russian literature and culture? I know that maybe my question is stupid. I have started learning Russian and I like D. Glukhovsky very much. Have you heard about his novels?
I am somewhat familiar with the game with the same title of one of his novels, but as a writer, no. when it comes to more modern russian literature, I'm not quite interested, however, Russian literature simply feels steeped in deep meditation and the seeming dullness of their climate for most parts of the year affords to them the room to be clear and creative in ways that are lost to the modern world, with sensory overload at every turn. I just enjoy it, I suppose. it's hard to justify it in particular, perhaps I was a Russian in a past life. If I believed in any of that :P
I really enjoyed Dostoyevsky, especially "Crime and Punishment" and "The House of the death". Contemporary literature is something completely different. I have been looking for somnething new to read. "Futu.re" is worth reading. It`s a s-fi, set in distant future but referring to the present political world. By the way, I studied with many Russians and I taught them Polish.Quote:
Originally Posted by Parfington
Where to start - I am a friend of KathyCF I have known her for many years. I spend some of my time as a moderator with Kathy on a web site for a specific computer game. I like books that are either fantasy or science fiction. I worked in a book store that is now out of business (not because of me) and managed the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Mystery sections of the store. Currently I take care of two eldery relatives, I call it herding cats. Because they tend to never follow directions, scratch and bite just like cats you do not know do. When I have time I read or ride my bicycle. Like Samercury above I play the violin and love anime. The only Television I watch is Public Broadcasting for the English Mystery Shows and things like Doctor Who and Monty Python.