Originally Posted by Virgil
Virgil = drug pusher.
Silvia, I'm glad you're enjoying your courses, but not taking them too seriously. There are lots of fine works of literature in English, so have fun!
Virgil = drug pusher.
Silvia, I'm glad you're enjoying your courses, but not taking them too seriously. There are lots of fine works of literature in English, so have fun!
Optima dies ... prima fugit
That is very funny.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
Actually, Virgil, I have already bought Emma (my teacher suggested that we should read it too), but I still have to finish Italo Svevo's "la coscienza di Zeno" for my Italian teacher and then I'll have to start reading something for my German one....But I hope I'll be able to read Jane Austen' book as soon as possible, since everyone is recommending it!!!!
I'm from Milan, in the northern part of Italy, but I'm sure you know where it is.
Have you ever been to Italy?
Thank you, Neo_Sephiroth! Do not doubt I'll ask you, in case I need some help!
what kind of books do you like?
I've been to Italy several times :P
my family even lives in the neighboorhood (1 hour away) from Milan....
Near Brechia....
well... English is also not my first language.... :P
Dutch is.... but I haven't got any problems at all anymore with reading English books or whatever
I have relatives who live in Brescia too!
I have never been to Holland, by the way....and to tell the truth I don't know anything about this country...but a friend of mine is presently attending the Hague MUN session, and I bet se'll come back with a lot of stories to tell!!
I have been studying English for about 4 years and I wish I could read every book in its original language and understand each word written on it, but it's not that easy!!!
What kind of books do I like? Hmm...Well...It may be too soon to jump to any firm conclusion...But I like anything that catches my interest...And some of my interests (When it comes to books) are...Um...Crap! I can't think right now.
Umm...Well, here's is what I've been reading and what I've read already that I've enjoyed.
George Orwell-1984
Dante Alighieri-Divine Comedy*Inferno**Purgatory**Paradise*
Of Mice & Men
Romeo & Juliet
The Crucible
The Bible *I'm talking the Bible, bible, you know?*
Fyodor Dostoevsky-The Brothers Karamazov
Macbeth
The Merchant of Venice
...Various poems, myths (Greek, Celtic, Japanese, etc.), and so many other stuff...
...If you want to know more you can send me a message. *Whew*
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. Christ changes men, who then changes their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." ~ Ezra Taft Benson
I'm reading Dante's Purgatorio right now and I'm enjoying it as much as Inferno. Did you read it on your own or at school? I have another question: did you buy a version with both English and Italian or just English?
It's really strange to me, because everybody has always told me that people from other countries, expecially Americans, don't even know who Dante is, and now I'm finding out that a lot of members of this site have read his Divine Comedy!
I tried to read Macbeth in English (I bought the bilingual version) but I always had to look at the Italian text. Shakespeare's language is too an ancient one!!!And I liked it, but I still prefer Richard 3.
I think it's quite difficult to find someone so interested in religion as to read the whole bible...I mean among young people.
Personally, religion is not appealing to me, but I really esteem those who take it seriously.
ok...I have to go. Tomorrow I have a test of Mathematics...
Nah...I don't think the schools over here goes that deep into english...Or anything other subject for that matter. They just teach you the basics.I'm reading Dante's Purgatorio right now and I'm enjoying it as much as Inferno. Did you read it on your own or at school? I have another question: did you buy a version with both English and Italian or just English?
It's really strange to me, because everybody has always told me that people from other countries, expecially Americans, don't even know who Dante is, and now I'm finding out that a lot of members of this site have read his Divine Comedy!
I tried to read Macbeth in English (I bought the bilingual version) but I always had to look at the Italian text. Shakespeare's language is too an ancient one!!!And I liked it, but I still prefer Richard 3.
I think it's quite difficult to find someone so interested in religion as to read the whole bible...I mean among young people.
Personally, religion is not appealing to me, but I really esteem those who take it seriously.
ok...I have to go. Tomorrow I have a test of Mathematics...
If you want to pursue a subject any further you'll have to grab a shovel, study, and look for the book yourself.
So...Yeah...I dove into Dante's Divine Comedy myself.
In fact, one of these days I'll learn how to read, write, and speak Italian! Why? It is all because of Dante's Divine Comedy. *And maybe some hot italian chicks*I want to read the original Comedy in it's original tongue. There's been a little too many translation on Dante's Divine Comedy.
Which is a wonderful thing by all means...That's how I came to find out about Dante...But now that I've grown to understand and comprehend the meanings behind the words of writers...I want to find out for myself. Dante is one such writer...And what better way to understand than read it in it's original tongue?
As for the Bible...Well, I want to see what's all the commotion is about. Which leads me to do some research on not only the Bible, but other religions as well. So I'm not "really" interested in religion as you might have thought...Just curious, that's all. It caught my interests.
Well, looks like I have to go too.Good luck with the math test!
Last edited by Neo_Sephiroth; 01-25-2007 at 08:51 PM.
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. Christ changes men, who then changes their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." ~ Ezra Taft Benson
You're right, Neo_Sephiroth.
As you said for Shakespeare, I think that reading Dante in English is not the same as reading it in Italian!
And it seems to me sort of heroic and romantic to decide to learn a language just because of a poem (and for those hot chicks, of course!)!!
To be honest, one of the reasons why I'm studying languages is very similar to yours.
It would be grateful if I could read Melville or Jane Austen or Goethe in their original tongue and understand everything the way they wanted you to understand it!
Well, good luck with your Italian!
silvia
Thank you Silvia!You're right, Neo_Sephiroth.
As you said for Shakespeare, I think that reading Dante in English is not the same as reading it in Italian!
And it seems to me sort of heroic and romantic to decide to learn a language just because of a poem (and for those hot chicks, of course!
To be honest, one of the reasons why I'm studying languages is very similar to yours.
It would be grateful if I could read Melville or Jane Austen or Goethe in their original tongue and understand everything the way they wanted you to understand it!
Well, good luck with your Italian!
silvia
But I would like to point out that the reason for wanting to learn Italian is...Uh...90% Dante...And 10% hot Italian chicks.
Well, hope you have fun here on Lit-Net and good luck on your english!
...Um...It is english, right?
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. Christ changes men, who then changes their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." ~ Ezra Taft Benson
Oh that is not true. Of course I'm talking about college graduates. Most liberal arts students will have been exposed to at least Inferno.
By the way Silvia, I've been reading Purgatorio also, but I've had to put it aside the past couple of months for other reading. I'm up to Canto Sixteen, and to be honest, Purgotorio might actually be more interesting than Inferno. I read it in English, but I do have Italian on the facing page, and do try to look at both.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
Hi Silvia. As you can see I'm from Italy, too. I study Amrican English and German at the University of Padua and I also like very much reading book in their original language.
I'd like to return for a second to the original theme of the topic, that is Moby Dick, just to say that I have read the original version in English two years ago. I found it really difficult (maybe the most difficult book I've read in English) but it was also a challenging experience and I have learned a lot from the book. I remember a lot of hard time with some sentences (the one in which Melville describes the whitness of the whale is almost two pages long...) but I've enjoyed so much the book and its deepness that now I've just begun reading it in italian to better capture all the meanings of it.
Just a question: in your first post you mention a Calvino's translation of Moby Dick. Are you sure about it? Because I've never heard of it, maybe you're confusing Calvino with Pavese.
All I want to tell you, however, is to keep reading books in english and never be afraid of them being too difficult. As I have discovered you can learn something from every book, even the most difficult. (and if you really don't understand anything you can always skip to something else)
Last edited by ranzy; 01-28-2007 at 06:33 PM.
yes...you're right!!
I checked it on my book and it's Pavese!!
Anyway, I tried to read Moby Dick in English, but I had to stop at the second page for, really, it was too much for me....but I agree with you when you say we always have to try!!
The latest book I read in English is Mark Haddon's A spot of bother. Of course I couldn't understand every single word (there were many slang constructions and idioms) but in the end, when I realised I had finished it, I felt so proud of myself!!
I study German too!! but I don't like it as much as English....Have you read "die Leiden des jungen Werthers"?
I liked it a lot (of course I read it with the help of the Italian text)!!!
Getting back to Moby Dick, I think I'll wait a couple of months and then start reading it again...let's hope I'll manage to!!
silvia
I used to dislike German but as I go on studying it and understanding a little bit more German culture (and literature) I begin to appreciate the language and now I'm happy I've chosen German as second language.
As regards Goethe, I know very well what you're talking about because last year's topic for the German literature course was Enlightenment and Sturm und Drang and in particular the young Goethe, from his first works to "die Leiden des jungen Werthers". I liked the book, but what I liked the most was a biography we had to read ("il giovane Goethe" di G. Baioni) which showed a lot of parallales between Goethe's works (above all the Werther) and his real life and helped me a lot understanding the genius of Goethe.
Getting back to Moby Dick, my high-school teacher used to tell us to open the first pages of a book (in english) and then see if we could understand at least the general meaning. If we couldn't we should give up, take another book and then come back later to that first book.
(By the way, it took me more than three months to finish Moby Dick in english)
Wait a couple of months to finish Moby Dick, huh? Well, I guess that's good news for me...It'll give me the chance to catch up! I just got myself a copy!yes...you're right!!
I checked it on my book and it's Pavese!!
Anyway, I tried to read Moby Dick in English, but I had to stop at the second page for, really, it was too much for me....but I agree with you when you say we always have to try!!
The latest book I read in English is Mark Haddon's A spot of bother. Of course I couldn't understand every single word (there were many slang constructions and idioms) but in the end, when I realised I had finished it, I felt so proud of myself!!
I study German too!! but I don't like it as much as English....Have you read "die Leiden des jungen Werthers"?
I liked it a lot (of course I read it with the help of the Italian text)!!!
Getting back to Moby Dick, I think I'll wait a couple of months and then start reading it again...let's hope I'll manage to!!
silvia
After reading the introduction to the book I've got one thing to say...I will finish this book!
"The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of the people and then they take themselves out of the slums. Christ changes men, who then changes their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature." ~ Ezra Taft Benson
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