Tag Archives: literature

“This World is not Conclusion” (373) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]

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This World is not Conclusion.
 A Species stands beyond --
 Invisible, as Music --
 But positive, as Sound --
 It beckons, and it baffles --
 Philosophy, dont know --
 And through a Riddle, at the last --
 Sagacity, must go --
 To guess it, puzzles scholars --
 To gain it, Men have borne
 Contempt of Generations
 And Crucifixion, shown --
 Faith slips - and laughs, and rallies --
 Blushes, if any see --
 Plucks at a twig of Evidence --
 And asks a Vane, the way --
 Much Gesture, from the Pulpit --
 Strong Hallelujahs roll --
 Narcotics cannot still the Tooth
 That nibbles at the soul --

BOOKS: “A Man Was Going Down the Road” by Otar Chiladze

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A Man Was Going Down the RoadA Man Was Going Down the Road by Otar Chiladze
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site

This is the English translation of a novel considered to be one of the most important literary works of Georgia (i.e. the country, not the state) in the twentieth century. The multigenerational tale adapts from Greek Mythology, most notably the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece and Daedalus and Icarus (the former taking place early in the book and the latter towards the end.)

Given its pacing, multigenerational sprawl, and the rambling ordinary life interactions between big events, this book isn’t of the highest readability, but that has its benefits. Supposedly, the author was taking digs at the Soviets and their invasions and operations in Georgia, but – apparently – the Soviet censors never made the connection due to the abstruse nature of the story. Otherwise, we might not have this book to read, today.

Regardless of my comments about readability, the book does have a number of positive things going for it. I found the translation to have some beautiful stretches of language. There was an opening paragraph of one of the latter chapters that floored me. Also, it’s not all soap opera, the more intensely plot-driven bits are compelling, most notably the Golden Fleece story.

I’d highly recommend this book for readers who don’t mind the challenge of literary fiction pacing and everyday minutiae.

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“The Chimney Sweeper” by William Blake [w/ Audio]

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A little black thing among the snow,
 Crying ''weep! 'weep!' in notes of woe!
 'Where are thy father & mother? say?'
 'They are both gone up to the church to pray.

'Because I was happy upon the heath,
 'And smil'd among the winter's snow,
 'They cloth'd me in the clothes of death,
 'And taught me to sing the notes of woe.

'And because I am happy & dance & sing,
 'They think they have done me no injury,
 'And are gone to praise God & his Priest & King,
 'Who make up a heaven of our misery.'

“Time” by Percy Bysshe Shelley [w/ Audio]

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Unfathomable Sea! whose waves are years,
 Ocean of Time, whose waters of deep woe
 Are brackish with the salt of human tears!
 Thou shoreless flood, which in thy ebb and flow
 Claspest the limits of mortality!

And sick of prey, yet howling on for more,
 Vomitest thy wrecks on its inhospitable shore;
 Treacherous in calm, and terrible in storm,
 Who shall put forth on thee,
 Unfathomable Sea?

“Spring Rain” by Natsume Sōseki

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Spring rain:
 a walk amid 
  wet willows.

PROMPT: Learned

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Daily writing prompt
What is the last thing you learned?
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I was just reading George Bernard Shaw: A Very Short Introduction and learning about how his philosophy informed his plays. In particular, I learned why the play Pygmalion, which I recently read and which is the origin of the popular musical My Fair Lady, has an odd appendix which tells of the main characters’ continued life stories after the events of the play — as Shaw imagined them. Apparently, audiences pined for a love story between Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle, and Shaw never wanted that. Apparently, when Shaw saw what actors and directors were doing to tilt the story toward that love affair, he felt the need to add a postscript to set things straight.

“Glass was the Street – in Tinsel Peril” (1518) by Emily Dickinson [w/ Audio]

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Glass was the Street - in Tinsel Peril
   Tree and Traveller stood.
 Filled was the Air with merry venture
   Hearty with Boys the Road.

Shot the lithe Sleds like Shod vibrations
   Emphacized and gone
 It is the Past's supreme italic
   Makes the Present mean --

“Night Mooring” by Zhang Ji [w/ Audio]

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The moon sets; crows caw below frosty skies.
 Boats, moored to maples -- lamps glow like cat eyes.
 Cold Mountain Temple, outside Gusu's bounds:
 The midnight bell cuts off soft water sounds.

BOOK: “The Short Story: A Very Short Introduction” by Andrew Kahn

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The Short Story: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)The Short Story: A Very Short Introduction by Andrew Kahn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher Site – OUP

This guide provides an overview of the short story, particularly literary short stories (though it’s not without mention of genre fiction.) The book is well organized and offers some fascinating food for thought, particularly regarding the psychology of character and the distinctions between short stories and novels. (The former are not to be thought of as pared down versions of the latter.)

I will say that, for a concise introduction, the book does occasionally get into the weeds on specific issues, potentially losing the non-specialist reader who this series is ostensibly geared toward.

I found the book’s organization to be logical and productive to its task. After an introduction that explores the advent and history of the short story, most of the chapters deal with structural or compositional aspects of story, including: openings, voice, setting, plot, irony / reversal, and endings. One chapter (Ch. 6) stands out as a bit different in that it zooms in on Chekhov and his influence on the short story as we’ve come to know it. While this could be said to demonstrate the author’s tendency to zoom in the specificity more than is usual for such a guide, I did find the chapter interesting and enlightening.

If one is interested in the short story (as a reader, writer, or both) one will find this guide worth one’s attention.

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“Daniel Boone” by Stephen Vincent Benét [w/ Audio]

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When Daniel Boone goes by, at night,
 The phantom deer arise
 And all is lost, wild America
 Is burning in their eyes.