Taste's change

[carrie]

If anyone had asked me a few months ago which were the worst books I had ever read, Heart of Darkness (Conrad) Metamorphosis (Kafka) would have been high on the list. Couldn't get to grips with either of them but recently I have read them both again and really enjoyed them. Perhaps some books need a second reading before they are fully appreciated.

[newcastle]

If anyone had asked me a few months ago which were the worst books I had ever read, Heart of Darkness (Conrad) Metamorphosis (Kafka) would have been high on the list. Couldn't get to grips with either of them but recently I have read them both again and really enjoyed them. Perhaps some books need a second reading before they are fully appreciated.

Couldn't agree more.

I'm re-reading "Sapiens" at the moment and finding it much more stimulating than first time round.

I might even browse through my copies of the Bible and the Qur'an, although the fantasy/fiction genre has never been high on my reading list.

[Dusak]

I love reading, but haven't much time at the moment, but one thing that I could never do is re-read a book, no matter how good it was first time round. Course, thing may change if ever I develop Alzheimer's.

[Hafiz]

Poetry Carrie thanks.

Dusak – you win a prize for identifying the only possible benefit of Alzheimers.

Rereading for me tells me how I’ve changed – or at least how my responses/tastes have changed. The enthusiasms of youth replaced by something else. Some I’m a bit worried to re-read lest the new experience is disillusioning.

I’m about to go back to some books a wise librarian led me to when I was 14 years and which opened a door to a new world. My older responses should be interesting.

One litmus test of change for me is poetry. I used to worship Yeats but now think him a pompous old fantasist. My love of Elliot is slightly different but I remain attached to Auden the re-reading of whom ignites half forgotten emotions. Shakespeare taught in schools by illiterate teachers has destroyed him for most - but I survived my teachers and stuck with him – and it only gets better.

Newcastle – whether you agree with its content or not, the King James Bible is still a work of high literary merit – now replaced by boring modern translations written by people with few literary skills. Stay away from English language Catholic bibles – they are all poorly written. I’m not aware of any English translations of the Qu’ran which passes even low literary standards – but correct me if I’m wrong.

A related point. For those interested and who want to load YouTube onto their IPods/computers or other listening devices – YouTube has much free readings of poetry, novels and S. by major actors which is often a good alternative to listening to just music. There are various free softwares for getting such YouTube files onto an ITunes library (and therefore onto most listening devices) and the one I have used, which is simple, for several years and with no problems, is called MediaHuman YouTube to MP3. My state of the art proprietary and expensive security software gives no warnings about MediaHuman or the downloads it facilitates.

The MediaHuman software also works in the same way with YouTube music files (strips the video and transfers the ‘noise’) and offers options on the quality/size of the file you create in ITunes. It opens many opportunities for downloading historic and out of copyright music recordings not available in modern cd’s but available on YouTube.

I have no connection with the owners of this software and it works well for someone with limited IT skills (me) and who is typically wary about the internet and the risks it carries.

[carrie]

I have never read a book and then seen the film of the book and found it so interesting as the book itself.
Poetry Hafiz, I used to love the romantic poets now find them a little twee, Auden I love, Wilfred Owen I can always find something new in his verse, not too keen on Elliot a bit too "deep" for me.

[Brian Yare]

Why the greengrocer's apostrophe in the subject line? I thought that this was the literary corner.

[newcastle]

Why the greengrocer's apostrophe in the subject line? I thought that this was the literary corner.

Probably just Carrie's subtle way of checking you were still with us.....and that your early morning visit to Hatshepsut hadn't resulted in a fatal relapse.

[carrie]

Oh Brian your at it again.

[newcastle]

Oh Brian your at it again.

You little tease Carrie

You'll induce apoplexy in our resident grammar cop.

[Brian Yare]

Not a chance. :-)

[Dusak]

[quote="Hafiz"]Poetry Carrie thanks.

Dusak – you win a prize for identifying the only possible benefit of Alzheimers.

Rereading for me tells me how I’ve changed – or at least how my responses/tastes have changed. The enthusiasms of youth replaced by something else. Some I’m a bit worried to re-read lest the new experience is disillusioning.

I’m about to go back to some books a wise librarian led me to when I was 14 years and which opened a door to a new world. My older responses should be interesting.

One litmus test of change for me is poetry. I used to worship Yeats but now think him a pompous old fantasist. My love of Elliot is slightly different but I remain attached to Auden the re-reading of whom ignites half forgotten emotions. Shakespeare taught in schools by illiterate teachers has destroyed him for most - but I survived my teachers and stuck with him – and it only gets better.

Newcastle – whether you agree with its content or not, the King James Bible is still a work of high literary merit – now replaced by boring modern translations written by people with few literary skills. Stay away from English language Catholic bibles – they are all poorly written. I’m not aware of any English translations of the Qu’ran which passes even low literary standards – but correct me if I’m wrong.

A related point. For those interested and who want to load YouTube onto their IPods/computers or other listening devices – YouTube has much free readings of poetry, novels and S. by major actors which is often a good alternative to listening to just music. There are various free softwares for getting such YouTube files onto an ITunes library (and therefore onto most listening devices) and the one I have used, which is simple, for several years and with no problems, is called MediaHuman YouTube to MP3. My state of the art proprietary and expensive security software gives no warnings about MediaHuman or the downloads it facilitates.

The MediaHuman software also works in the same way with YouTube music files (strips the video and transfers the ‘noise’) and offers options on the quality/size of the file you create in ITunes. It opens many opportunities for downloading historic and out of copyright music recordings not available in modern cd’s but available on YouTube.

I have no connection with the owners of this software and it works well for someone with limited IT skills (me) and who is typically wary about the internet and the risks it carries.[/quote

...Why? What did I say.