Tried and true

[flemmings]

Let's see. I'm reading Jane and the Barque of Frailty, The Ionian Mission, and Thief of Time. That's three separate series simultaneously, which strikes me as a form of laziness. Series, especially consistently good series- which all of these are at differing levels- provide guaranteed pleasure and guaranteed lack of difficulty and thus no need to expend effort. It's pleasant and untaxing. Now I'm glad not to be taxed as I inch back into work and also come down with a cold. But. But. Waiting in the wings are at least two heavy cumbersome works, The Remains of the Day and Possession. Neither of these deals with the kind of people I know or want to know, both (as far as I've got with them) seem to demonstrate what someone said about the protagonists in genre literature being people who not only cope but accomplish, and the protagonists in high literature being (I paraphrase wildly) useless neurotics. Still, high lit works the brain. I shall get to them eventually.

Only if I want my brain worked I'd rather read Japanese, to hit the language centres, or nonfiction, which provides information. Maybe life is indeed too short to read Great Books.

I'd rent the Master and Commander DVD- yes, really, a film in *English*- except that now my image of Stephen, physically, is Wen Zhong with a big nose, and I don't think I want that idea disturbed.

Comments

[feliciter.livejournal.com]

The Remains of the Day and Possession

Which have been turned into (shorter than three hours, thankfully) films set in unhappy periods rather limited by their navel-gazing unhappy protagonists. Except that I can fast-forward through a book.

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Oddly, I can't. I must read every word. But it's still easier to wade through a book than a film, and nothing could persuade me to see either of these novels on a screen.

[i-am-zan.livejournal.com]

Usually I can but I completely failed with 'English Patient' I struggled through it right up till the last chapter and then I stopped caring...and just stopped. >.<

I've seen "Remains of the Day" not the other one. whilst I thought that it was a good film. I don't think I could survive reading it. ...


... and the nice postlady ..she left me something in the box to find today.

^_____________________^

... So I am able to enjoy a cup of wonderfully scented, absolutely heavenly (pardon the pun in the light of the brand name) The Noir, Erable Vanille (i don't know how to do accent-ty type things on the pc.

Thank you! Much Love! Much mmmmm - i - ness!

[flemmings.livejournal.com]

Ah good. I was thinking Surely it's been a month since I sent that off, it must have arrived by now...

The Remains of the Day actually reads not badly, after a week of Aubrey/ Maturin. Same vocab and culture, you know.