The Literary Corner.

[GodIsSalvation]

Gatsby is a very cool nickname! And the story itself really gives us an apt picture of the pleasures and depravity of this world.

Heh yes I enjoyed that nickname a lot indeed, and it has been an enduring one with some segments of my community still knowing me by this name. My friends gave me the nickname because they knew it was my favorite book, I was something of a party-man in highschool, and because being perpetually single I often quipped that I was merely waiting for my Daisy when the question arise lol.

And yes the story itself is a very good picture on American Culture and I feel it is very representative of our culture today (though we have a little more technology). Lots of common themes in the book I see in my society today, such as the divide between rich and poor, new money vs old money, the raucous party scene, the dramas in peoples lives like affairs and betrayls, and of course the issue of Identity (Gatsby vs James Gatz) is something that is extremely common among modern American Culture.

Also the rumors concerning Gatsby are very much reflective of modern American Culture. Like how people think Gatsby was a nazi spy when in fact they never even met Gatsby. Going back to myself, my insulting nickname was Shadow (because I am extremely pale lol). This name spread like wildfire and people be talking about Shadow in our school and all the crazy stuff he do, most of which was pure mythos. I remember some of my other very good friends from the more preppy clique of kids talking about "This Shadow kid" and all the stories true and false associated with the nickname and how they didn't like Shadow even though they never met him (not realizing they were in fact talking about me to my face.) They didn't realize I was even the same person as Shadow until another friend of mine addressed me as Shadow one day in front of them. Lol, it goes without saying their surprise was quite amusing.

 

[secularhermit]

What would happen when all those libraries be turned a virtual pack of links and servers holding the right you have to touch those papers you left a flower, the perfume of your loved one, those pictures you enjoyed or shared?...

You could note write notes on?

You would be allow to underline your own view or likes.

You could not read old versions, since these are too "updated", mixed or messed up.

You cannot read those you read when you were younger.

Those you have read now are not the fashion you enjoyed and, the ilustrations have changed, as your texts book you held, at the school.

Do they smell the same?

Don´t you miss those yellow pages you knew, when worn up and too used?

I do!

 

[secularhermit]

You coul not read those you´ve read, today, when you get older.

 

[Tintin]

I admit, I have not great love for The Great Gatsby book.

Jennymae, I received the book, 11/22/63 for Christmas. You mentioned that you enjoyed it. Is the book well-paced? I'm not too keen on chunky books that don't warrant so many pages. Thanks.

Grace, I enjoyed Ender's Game, both the book and the movie. I love The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, especially the last two, and I've read a few of Michael Crichton's science-fiction and really enjoyed them.

 

[jennymae]

I admit, I have not great love for The Great Gatsby book.

Jennymae, I received the book, 11/22/63 for Christmas. You mentioned that you enjoyed it. Is the book well-paced? I'm not too keen on chunky books that don't warrant so many pages. Thanks.

Grace, I enjoyed Ender's Game, both the book and the movie. I love The Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, especially the last two, and I've read a few of Michael Crichton's science-fiction and really enjoyed them.

If you enjoy time travelling, not that I have tried, it is a great book. I'm often dreaming of how incredibly fun it would be to time travel. Just enter my time machine and go...

There are, however, some lengthy passages which can be a little boring, but if you manage to keep on reading, the book, on the whole, is awesome. To me, an american, from the southern US, it is even more fun that most of the action takes place in the south, mainly in Texas. And the romance between the main charachters...I really wasnt aware of the fact that a fiction writer like Stephen King actually was able to picture a romance the way he does.

The book is exciting and it is developing well. I'd say it is mostly well paced, not all the time, but mostly. I enjoyed reading it. But you will need some Time.

 

[ww_21]

There have been quite a few references to "The Secret Garden" on this thread, I came across my copy today after a few years. I took pictures. This is what my copy looks like:





These little notes repeat themselves numerous times throughout the book. This is what happens when I get lost in books.

 

[Tintin]

If you enjoy time travelling, not that I have tried, it is a great book. I'm often dreaming of how incredibly fun it would be to time travel. Just enter my time machine and go...

There are, however, some lengthy passages which can be a little boring, but if you manage to keep on reading, the book, on the whole, is awesome. To me, an american, from the southern US, it is even more fun that most of the action takes place in the south, mainly in Texas. And the romance between the main charachters...I really wasnt aware of the fact that a fiction writer like Stephen King actually was able to picture a romance the way he does.

The book is exciting and it is developing well. I'd say it is mostly well paced, not all the time, but mostly. I enjoyed reading it. But you will need some Time.

Thanks so much for the recommendation. I love time-travel stories, even those that just use it as an interesting storytelling device. Stephen King, while best known for his horror stories, is a remarkably versatile writer.

 

[Tintin]

There have been quite a few references to "The Secret Garden" on this thread, I came across my copy today after a few years. I took pictures. This is what my copy looks like:

View attachment 72715

View attachment 72716

These little notes repeat themselves numerous times throughout the book. This is what happens when I get lost in books.

Panic caused by highlighter in a book!
Also, and I thought books were expensive in Australia. $31 for a classic paperback? Yikes!

 

[wwjd_kilden]

sadly a perfectly normal price for a book

Hmmmm. I've never used highlighte in anything else than schoolbooks

 

[ww_21]

Panic caused by highlighter in a book!
Also, and I thought books were expensive in Australia. $31 for a classic paperback? Yikes!

Hahah I feel the same way, at first I just lightly underlined it with a pencil but my professor caught wind of it and said highlighters only. It pained me to do this however from the point of view of a person who is dyslexic, the added color isn't so bad, it makes it a lot easier to read. Also, yes books are very expensive here, $31 is actually very cheap compared to the other books, if I wanted a novel I would have to be ready to pay at least $150 and up. Which is why I treat my books like treasure!!

 

[Tintin]

Hahah I feel the same way, at first I just lightly underlined it with a pencil but my professor caught wind of it and said highlighters only. It pained me to do this however from the point of view of a person who is dyslexic, the added color isn't so bad, it makes it a lot easier to read. Also, yes books are very expensive here, $31 is actually very cheap compared to the other books, if I wanted a novel I would have to be ready to pay at least $150 and up. Which is why I treat my books like treasure!!

What? $150 or more?! What form of currency do you have in your country? Because here in Australia, the average paperback is around $20.00 Australian and hardcovers around $35.00. Some books cost far more than that, some are a little cheaper but in comparison to America, we pay more for our books.

 

[Descyple]

I like reading the dictionary, because it helps me to understand all the other books I read.

 

[Desdichado]

Give Mark Helprin a try if you have not already. I've read a few of his short stories. Really good stuff.

My only question now is what to read as far as his full length novels are concerned. Winter's Tale is being made into a feature film, so that may be my first jaunt. But then I'm intrigued by Freddy and Fredericka. Mainly because I enjoy foreign perspectives on the U.S.

Any suggestions would be worthwhile.

 

[Desdichado]

Also, favorite poets=

T.S. Elliot

Robert Frost

GK Chesterton

Walt Whitman

Rudyard Kipling

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

William Shakespeare

 

[faroukfarouk]

one of my all time favorite quotes is by milton:

thou can not touch the freedom of my mind

it's from comus

Monica: I read Comus and Lycidas.

Here's a Milton quote I like:

"What boots it with incessant care,
To tend the homely, slighted shepherd's trade,
And fondly meditate the thankless muse?"



Blessings.

 

[Tintin]

I wish Milton and Shakespeare and King James (haw, haw) had written in comprehensible English.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I wish Milton and Shakespeare and King James (haw, haw) had written in comprehensible English.

U
mm...if you spent more time reading them, maybe you would be more accustomed to it...

 

[Tintin]

U
mm...if you spent more time reading them, maybe you would be more accustomed to it...

No. I read them in high school and hated their works. I'm dyslexic and try as I might, I could not get my head around them.

 

[Tintin]

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: GOD IN ANCIENT CHINA

An incredible book! Highly recommended.



"Faith of Our Fathers" by Chan Kei Thong is a fascinating collaboration of evidence to support the author's belief (and that of other Chinese and Western Christians) that Shang Di, the ancient monotheistic god of China and the one true God were one and the same. Chan believes the Chinese people were one of the faithful groups that left the Tower of Babel and travelled to what later became China, bringing their God-honouring ways with them. While each piece of evidence within this book on its own may not provide true credibility for this belief, taken as a whole, these seven signposts make a very strong case.

Here are the seven historical markers:
1. The composition of ancient Chinese characters suggests knowledge of the earliest events of human history as described in the Bible.

2. Historical texts point to the Supreme Being venerated in ancient China, as being the same God revealed in the Bible.

3. The Border Sacrifice ceremony performed by the emperor at the Tower (Altar) of Heaven for several thousand years shares amazing parallels with the sacrificial system prescribed in the books of Law in the Bible.

4. Some eminent scholars from the 16th and 19th centuries came to the conclusion that no.2 was true.

5. Striking similarities between the Hebrew and the Chinese approach to moral truth eg. man's responsibilities to society and his relationship to the Divine.

6. The ancient rulers of China understood and set forth a godly way of ruling the people. The rulers saw themselves as serving Heaven (the righteous Supreme Being) by serving the people.

7. Chinese historical records appear to confirm some key astral events spoken of in the Bible. Interpretations of these events are surprisingly consistent with the Bible.

I found this book to be a fascinating read. It's part history lesson, part theological study and part devotional. There's plenty of images and photos to satisfy the reader. I did find the book long-winded in places and the devotional sections were redundant for me (but they'll be useful for some readers). The book really helped me to better understand elements of Leviticus.

Discovering that the ancient Chinese believed in the one true God was incredible. Learning the story of how monotheism gave way to paganism was also intriguing but highly disturbing. In brief: Shang Di was worshipped for two millennia but then His worship became just a tradition and was corrupted and overtaken by competing beliefs like Daoism. The Chinese emperors began to identify themselves with the Dragon (Satan), which in ancient China had been feared and associated with sin, death etc. During the Late Middle Ages, there was a return to the worship of Shang Di but this drew to an end when China became a Republic, just prior to World War One.

"Faith of Our Fathers" is a must-read book for everyone.

8.5/10

 

[breno785au]

FAITH OF OUR FATHERS: GOD IN ANCIENT CHINA

An incredible book! Highly recommended.

View attachment 79098

"Faith of Our Fathers" by Chan Kei Thong is a fascinating collaboration of evidence to support the author's belief (and that of other Chinese and Western Christians) that Shang Di, the ancient monotheistic god of China and the one true God were one and the same. Chan believes the Chinese people were one of the faithful groups that left the Tower of Babel and travelled to what later became China, bringing their God-honouring ways with them. While each piece of evidence within this book on its own may not provide true credibility for this belief, taken as a whole, these seven signposts make a very strong case.

Here are the seven historical markers:
1. The composition of ancient Chinese characters suggests knowledge of the earliest events of human history as described in the Bible.

2. Historical texts point to the Supreme Being venerated in ancient China, as being the same God revealed in the Bible.

3. The Border Sacrifice ceremony performed by the emperor at the Tower (Altar) of Heaven for several thousand years shares amazing parallels with the sacrificial system prescribed in the books of Law in the Bible.

4. Some eminent scholars from the 16th and 19th centuries came to the conclusion that no.2 was true.

5. Striking similarities between the Hebrew and the Chinese approach to moral truth eg. man's responsibilities to society and his relationship to the Divine.

6. The ancient rulers of China understood and set forth a godly way of ruling the people. The rulers saw themselves as serving Heaven (the righteous Supreme Being) by serving the people.

7. Chinese historical records appear to confirm some key astral events spoken of in the Bible. Interpretations of these events are surprisingly consistent with the Bible.

I found this book to be a fascinating read. It's part history lesson, part theological study and part devotional. There's plenty of images and photos to satisfy the reader. I did find the book long-winded in places and the devotional sections were redundant for me (but they'll be useful for some readers). The book really helped me to better understand elements of Leviticus.

Discovering that the ancient Chinese believed in the one true God was incredible. Learning the story of how monotheism gave way to paganism was also intriguing but highly disturbing. In brief: Shang Di was worshipped for two millennia but then His worship became just a tradition and was corrupted and overtaken by competing beliefs like Daoism. The Chinese emperors began to identify themselves with the Dragon (Satan), which in ancient China had been feared and associated with sin, death etc. During the Late Middle Ages, there was a return to the worship of Shang Di but this drew to an end when China became a Republic, just prior to World War One.

"Faith of Our Fathers" is a must-read book for everyone.

8.5/10

hhmmff..sounds interesting man, i'll have to get my hands on that. thanks. You mentioned a few posts up ou have read a few of Michael Crichtons novels, any chance one of them was The Lost World?