Introduce Yourself here and say Hi.

I am a teacher, a reader, a writer. I get the sense that I am much, much older than the rest of you. I am 69, and retired from a career much of which was teaching literature at the post-secondary (university) level. Of course I love to read. I miss teaching.

Although I love to read good light stuff, what I know is classic literature in English, French, and Latin.

I write friction, essays, and some poetry. I live in the country and do some light farming.

If I can be of help to any of the younger folks here--and that's what I've done all my adult life--please let me know.

Marlowe

hello everyone

iam ahmed from egypt

glad to be here..

Hi, I’m Rianti. I’m supposed to be graduated from university this semester but unfortunately I’m not. I got stuck in my thesis proposal and it was rejected once. Now, I’m trying hard to make it (again). I am Indonesian and certainly English is not my first language. But, I was always interested to learn English language. It is the reason that now I am an undergraduate student majoring in English Literature. I hope I can improve better understanding in literary works by joining this forum and the most important one is to get my undergraduate degree as soon as possible. Of course, I would like to say many thanks to everyone here for sharing their ideas and thoughts. It means a lot. Thank you. I think that’s all for my introduction. Hope u don’t mind with my ‘beautiful’ English. =)

Was seeking information regarding what constitutes good writing when I came across this site. I wanted to send information to a friend who questioned what is considered good writing, and he felt no one should judge. Of course if we don't make judgements, then we would have trouble deciding what or who to spend our time with. I love what I consider literary fiction, and have eclectic taste, and have few friends who share my reading interests. One guide for me is reading book jackets, and any recommendation by authors that I already admire is a good heads up, although no guarantee. I seldom like best sellers. I listen to public radio, and Selected Shorts is valuable to me, and gives me a heads up on authors. Ditto on such collections as The Best American Short Stories and O'Henry Awards, Grant, Ploughshare, and The New Yorker. Some short-story writers have written good novels. I can't think of any author that is consistently excellent. A few authors I enjoy reading every few years. I'm going to assemble a list of my favorite books and authors and post here later. I also love The New Yorker's Fiction Podcast, with discussions before and after the readings. I'm in my late 60s and have been an avid reader since age 10, and of course tastes and interests change over the years. Although I've mostly talked here about short stories, a taste I developed in childhood when good fiction was published in popular magazines, I relish getting absorbed in a good novel, and am hungry for one right now and starting to panic that I haven't come across anything interesting lately. The most recent was "The Wrestling Season" by Sharon Shehee Stark.

I just wrote a long babble, and it didn't go through, so this is a test.

Okay, I'm new here, so hi. *waves*

I've been on forums before et al, but I do wonder about the particular copyright statement used with respect to publishing work here. I'm assuming that means the site is freely allowed to post (and keep posted) any work, provided it remains inside this web domain?

Hello there. I live in Scotland, I'm a retired schoolmaster. I have opinions, some weird, some dense, many uninteresting, but a gem here and there. Always inquisitive.

Hi, I must admit that this is the first forum that I have ever joined. Well, I guess to introduce myself . . . I am a recently minted Ph.D. now teaching in a small community college in the MidWest. For my doctorate, I focused on early modern literature and feminist theory. My love for the Renaissance started back during my first survey of renaissance literature course when I was an undergrad. The professor was amazing, taking a new historist approach by interweaving the social and cultural upheaval of the period with literature that came out of it. For me, it was never that I really enjoyed the aesthetic experience of reading literature. Rather I loved the complexity and subtly of the poetry, prose, and plays of the English Renaissance. Anyway, I spent my doctoral studies exmaining the writing of Francis Bacon, hence my handle, and rejection of the new science by John Donne, Andrew Marvell, John Wilmot. To make a long story short, I moved from the East coast, started teaching, and have a book coming out with Palgrave MacMillan based on my dissertation.

With a work that I just devoted nearly five years of my life over with now, I am bit lost, trying to find a new direction and possibly a new writing project. Lately, I have been reading postmodern criticism of science and some random modern fiction. I just finished reading Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco - the Da Vinci Code for intelligent people.

My partner, who is incredibly active on another forum, suggest I get an "Internet life." So here I am. Can't wait to join in on the fun.

Hi all.

My name is Scribblette, and I'm a wordaholic :hurray:
Seriously, I cant think of anything I enjoy more than curling up with and getting lost in a good book. I've been prowling around this site for a while and finally decided to join in. Look forward to meeting many of you!

This happens to be one of the first forums I have ever joined and am willing to participate in. As the clichéd greeting goes, "Hi".

To someone who is very interested in literature, I myself am very ignorant with it. Not that I don't want to read, but I am just living in a world where dwelling in the company of books is not a very good option. I still need to deal with a lot of things-- especially keeping my mind productive, putting my mind at work, and learning to make money using my skills (since I feel clumsy when dealing with businesses and resources). But books have been in my company ever since I was a child, only that I am reluctant with embracing popular, classical, and canonical texts.

I am a Language and Literature major, undergraduate, and well, I am very weird. Weird not because I am eccentric or that I prefer unique things, but once again, it is because I am... just different. I don't easily embrace things, trust issues probably. My mind may not be as wacky and creative as most people are, but I am full of practical knowledge and insights that has proven useful in my survival.

The world outside is not a very warm place for minds like us to flourish. I may have not much of a social life, but the very important thing is that I still have not lost the knack for interacting with people. That skill, after all, is essential.

I am not a trivia-minded person, but I sure like insights and ideas. Hope that will help in this "discursive space"

Just discovered this forum today. I recently finished The Metamorphosis and wanted to know what other people thought of the novel, Googled it, and a response from this forum came up. Sounds like my kind of place. I'm currently reading A Tale of Two Cities and The Outline of History. I've always been an avid reader, but this year I've started reading a lot of the classics: 1984, War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, Common Sense, Anthem and The Fountainhead. Still, I have always been drawn to the works of Dean Koontz and Stephen King.

I'm 32, married, and a recent graduate of UCF with a Master's in Public Administration who works at a nonprofit. I love reading and video gaming.

G’day fellow-readers,
I’m an old codger, so old that I can see the end of the perch I’m supposed to drop off.
I like to keep in touch with young minds and join in discussions of controversial topics, and I’m doing a short course on English Literature so that’s what I’m doing in this forum.
I think a forum like this is a good place to talk about things honestly, without having to regurgitate the opinions of your senior lecturer or spout what all the guides and notes say about something. If you can’t take Chaucer at any price you should be able to say so, though you should be at least prepared to listen to somebody who thinks C. is the bee’s knees.
(Why is it that everyone I’ve met who hated Chaucer was a female?)
I’ll never forget the time long ago when I wrote a poem and the head of the English department analysed it in front of a huge room full of students. He read things into it that I wouldn’t have dreamed of, but of course I wasn’t about to embarrass the bloke –and risk getting lower grades! So, when asked about an interpretation I tended to nod weakly in assent. Tell me there are other devout cowards out there.
At the moment I’m reading "Tom Jones" and finding Henry Fielding a lot funnier that I’d realised.
Until next time, hooroo from Oz.

Nobody I know reads like I do. My sister haas a phd and reads James Patterson!? Geez! i am planning to start Infinite Jest by David Stewart Wallawe this week (waiting on Amazon), anybody read it? Any thoughts? The reviews are sort of confusing. It appears to ba a book that is hard to read but you just can't stop reading it. Sounds like my kind of thing.

Pardon my typos! How Freudian.

Hello! I just joined this forum yesterday in search of some interesting discussion as a book-lover and as a college sophomore majoring in English. I'm 19 years old and I live in Florida. :)

Well, I love pretty much all genres of literature and film, but I am extremely picky about what I read (I have high standards). It's a little disappointing to me that we can't discuss politics and other topics that could be interesting because it might "offend" someone else. I don't believe in censorship, especially if what you have to say is important and contributes to intellectual discussion. Always question authority, as well as the people around you. It's not as if everything in politics is completely vulgar. xD

Anyway, I'm still looking forward to being a part of this great forum, and getting better grades as well! Have a nice day.

Hey everyone, I'm ViolentDelights - 20/f/London and working on a BA in English literature and creative writing. I've been using this site for a while but I've only just joined the forum - nice to meet you all :)