Hero to Joey...Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Muse
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Hero to Joey...Quote:
Originally Posted by Dark Muse
Ahh yes, Joey was my favorite character in the story
:lol: Bien, that is really funny! I love your synopsis and you are right,.....Quote:
Originally Posted by BienvenuJDC
for heaven sakes Virgil, will you stop your whinning and read the story! It is a super short one this time. I picked a short one purposely; and with your full schedule in-mind. I read the story 3 times over, by now.
I am glad to see that you read it already, Bienvenu...and thanks for putting 'spoiler' in front of your synopsis. I agree with Dark Muse; don't think anyone is a true hero; but we can discuss that when we get to it. He did save little Joey. I agree, Dark Muse, I loved Joey the best; maybe, he is the hero and maybe, that is the point; the birds have more common sense than the people! :D haha....this should be a fun one to discuss; not so heavy and serious, as some of the others.
Bien, I also copy the text into my document file; sometimes change the type style, break up into more paragraphs for easy purusing.
:lol::lol:Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
Janine!!
You are showing your age. :p You said "Change the type style" as if it were type set in the old newspaper press. These days the youngins don't know what "type" is...;) It's called font now!!
No use denying it! Thanks for setting me straight, Bien....:lol: And, yes, I recall those antique 'type' drawers, too. I happen to own two! I was always going to hang them and display with small collectables; but who needs the dusting at my 'antique' age, right? :lol: And I should certainly know about 'fonts', since I am an artist, a graphic artist for many years.....but you are right; I date back to the dark ages, when I actually learned to type 'type' on a manual 'type'-writer; can you youngins imagine that?;) I still own one of those monsters machines, which I picked up at a yard-sale, thinking it was nostalgic. Afterall, what do you think these short stories of L's were written on? That's right, a manual type writer! I have an actual photo of Lawrence's typewriter. Of course, he didn't take kindly to it at first, rather liked handwriting the stories out on scrapes of paper, napkins, etc.; then he had a typist who got on his wife's nerves to the point of jealousy. One of the stories in this very thread was based on this person; and it was not kind to her image.Quote:
Originally Posted by BienvenuJDC
Glad you brought up my age and the matter of 'type' vs. 'font' so I could provide all of you with those little tidbits above! :D
I'll try to read it tonight. *drags his heals and mopes for being scolded* ;)
;) Works everytime............:lol:.....thanks V!Quote:
Originally Posted by Virgil
Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
It might not be serious, but I found it more irritating than amusing. Still haven't decided if I am going to particpate in the discussion or not, since I will probably just prove to be antagonistic.
I didn't find it that annoying. I think that one can get too caught up in there own perspective. It is good to listen to others' thoughts before getting too wound up. But we'll wait until the discussion begins...
Well I am a person who forms very strong opinions, I am often debating with someone about characters in these discussions.
First of all, thank you for your welcome message.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
You like my user name? Jin means soothing and Jang means generosity. My father made a mistake in my birth certificate: while he meant Jin with the meaning of truth, he added accidentally another block, which changed the meaning to soothing. I am a chamomile tea, henceforth.
I see you haven't started the discussion on the book?!?
Now that is so interesting, jinjang; I would love to have a name that means 'soothing and generosity'. Yes, chamomile tea is 'soothing' indeed, and you can drink 'generous' amounts of it, since it is decafeinated! How funny a story of your father's mixup at birth.Quote:
Originally Posted by jinjang
YES, discussion will officially begin tomorrow evening. I have to go out in the daytime tomorrow. I may decide to post tonight (after 12AM my time USA EST), just the first part of the text, so you all can start discussing it. I may decide to do so, since it is ready to go. This way, I can get your impressions of the first few paragraphs - the introduction of the setting and the peacocks; then I can comment on it later that evening; then post more for the next day.
Note: I noticed when downloading the text from Guttenburg, it did not break the text up into paragraphs; is anyone having problems with that? It may just be my own Works program which transposed it that way. I don't have Word on my new computer. They expect to make more money on you that way and have you buy it I guess. So far I am getting along just fine with Work, but Word is much better. Anywa, I did break it up manually by referring to my actual book. It makes it much easier to keep the dialogue/characters straight.
Posting the first paragraph, so we can get started discussions.
I thought of your first impressions while reading this; note how beautifully poetic, painterly, and rhythmic Lawrence's prose is and how he sets the scene for the story, introducing the wintery peacocks, and comparing them to the color of the sky in winter (blue). I like the way he describes the birds "their bodies moved with slow motion, like small, light, flat-bottomed boat"; then he adds this impression "Then a gust of wind caught them, heeled them over as if they were three frail boats opening their feathers like ragged sails." I love the way he compared them to boats with sails; clever. I also loved the use of the word filigree, to describe the snow. I find the word 'indifferent' stands out and makes me wonder about this scene with the wildlife; is he saying nature is indifferent? Are the birds symbolic in other ways? In their fraility maybe?
Quote:
WINTRY PEACOCK
There was thin, crisp snow on the ground, the sky was blue, the wind very cold, the air clear. Farmers were just turning out the cows for an hour or so in the midday, and the smell of cow-sheds was unendurable as I entered Tible. I noticed the ash-twigs up in the sky were pale and luminous, passing into the blue. And then I saw the peacocks. There they were in the road before me, three of them, and tailless, brown, speckled birds, with dark-blue necks and ragged crests. They stepped archly over the filigree snow, and their bodies moved with slow motion, like small, light, flat-bottomed boats. I admired them, they were curious. Then a gust of wind caught them, heeled them over as if they were three frail boats opening their feathers like ragged sails. They hopped and skipped with discomfort, to get out of the draught of the wind. And then, in the lee of the walls, they resumed their arch, wintry motion, light and unballasted now their tails were gone, indifferent. They were indifferent to my presence. I might have touched them. They turned off to the shelter of an open shed.
Edit: I meant to say last night, that I will post more of the text later on tonight, when I return home from my appointment, dinner and some errands out. I realise this is only a short bit of text, but still I think it is very well written and a good introduction to the story.
'Tis funny...my mother DID have a Type drawer, and USED it to display collectibles. It may still be up at the house. She mainly collected miniaturized items. I remember when I picked up a couple of wire nuts and commented on how they looked just like a set of salt-n-pepper shakers. She put them in there! In the Disney cartoon Ben & Me, Amos helped pick out the type letters. It must have been an interest job to work at the newspaper O so many years ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by Janine
My next post shall be directed to discussion of the story...;)
Let us read with our five senses:
(SHiFTS)
See it -
- There was thin, crisp snow on the ground, (There is not a lot of snow on the ground. Walking among the farms would not be overly difficult, even if the temperatures were colder)
- the sky was blue, (clear skies, no sign of precipitation)
- the ash-twigs up in the sky were pale and luminous (the term pale adds to the state of Europe and its lifelessness)
- then I saw the peacocks (the males in particular are known for their glorious majesty especially in the colorful fan of their tails)
- tailless, brown, speckled birds, (not a specimen of their typical glory)
- with dark-blue necks and ragged crests. (very much a symbol of post war Europe)
- three frail boats opening their feathers like ragged sails (the words frail and ragged again points to the current state of Europe)
- the filigree snow (a reference describing the artistic nature of the snow)
- slow motion, like small, light, flat-bottomed boats (author describes the smooth motions)
- They hopped and skipped with discomfort, to get out of the draught of the wind...(further note concerning the struggle that the peacocks were enduring, I believe is symbolic of the struggle for the recovery that Europe is beginning as the war is coming to a close and people are returning to their normal lives).
Hear it
- a gust of wind (listen to the sound of the wind)
Feel it
- the wind very cold, the air clear
- for an hour or so in the midday (why for such a short time…cold?)
Taste it
- The author gives no explicit reference to taste description
Smell it
- the smell of cow-sheds was unendurable