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Jennifer

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Jennifer is Currently Reading

Jennifer is currently reading

The Classics Reclassified

by Richard Willard Armour

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Reading for the 3rd time

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Jennifer said: " The Book Description
In this fun little book, English Professor Richard Armour offers up irreverent retellings of various classics, including The Iliad, Julius Caesar, Ivanhoe, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, Silas Marner and David Copperfield. He also The Book Description
In this fun little book, English Professor Richard Armour offers up irreverent retellings of various classics, including The Iliad, Julius Caesar, Ivanhoe, The Scarlet Letter, Moby Dick, Silas Marner and David Copperfield. He also includes brief biographies of the authors. At the end of each book description, he includes a short little quiz on what you’ve “learned.” The whole thing is 132 pages but averages at least 3.5 chuckles per page.

Why I Liked It
My copy (published in 1960) was my dad’s, and I remember reading it over and over again when I was younger. After he passed away in August, my mom asked us if we wanted any of my dad’s books to remember him by. When I saw this one on the shelves, it was like seeing an old friend. Not only did it remind me of my dad, it reminded me of my childhood. Upon rereading it recently, it was exactly as I remembered it and just as enjoyable.

I think this book is a great companion piece when reading any of these classic tales. Armour has a light touch, a wonderful sense of sarcasm, and a deft wit—skewering the classics in a way that is both educational and amusing. I suspect that reading this book is about 85.9% more fun than reading the actual classics it “reclassifies.”

I’ve been thinking of this book lately as I’ve watched Ti and her fellow readers struggle through Moby Dick. I thought it would be fun to excerpt some of the passages from the book related to Moby Dick as a little gift to Ti and the others (and to provide a feel for the tone of the book). This little gem of a book is a fine addition to any library and a great way to enjoy the classics in a light-hearted way.

SOME EXCERPTS:

We seem about to be introduced to this Captain Ahab in Chapter XXII, but Melville, not wanting to rush things, elects at this point to give an account of the history and literature of whaling. Of course you knew all along that Louis XIV outfitted several whaling ships at his own expense, that Alfred the Great wrote the first narrative of a whaling voyage, and that the grandmother of Benjamin Franklin was Mary Folger, who had something or other to do with the whaling industry. Nevertheless, you are grateful to be reminded of these facts, and the story can wait.

Unless you are interested in a catalogue of famous pictures of whales, the manufacture of rope lines, the anatomy of a whale’s eye, ear and tail, how to skin a whale and cook the blubber, and the history of whaling from Perseus to the present, you would do well to turn from Chapter XXXVI to Chapter CXXXIII without delay, thus saving nearly a hundred chapters without anybody’s knowing the different if you keep quiet. After all, Ahab isn’t the only one entitled to be a skipper.

It should be added that the whole story is full of allegory and symbolism. Ahab stands for something, the sea stands for something, and Moby Dick, as we have already pointed out, stands for something. The reader has to stand for quite a bit, too.

From Questions on Moby Dick:
3. How does a whaler demonstrate how big the one was that got away?
7. Do you realize how much information you have picked up about whales? Has this made you any happier and better adjusted? ...more "

Jan 07, 2022 05:12PM · see review

Jennifer is currently reading

Grief Is for People

by Sloane Crosley (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 10, 2024 03:31PM

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Watership Down

by Richard Adams

bookshelves: all-time-favorites, currently-reading

Reading for the 2nd time

read in January 2012

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Jennifer said: " THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION

BOOK DESCRIPTION
A small group of rabbits leave their warren in the English countryside when one of them (a small rabbit named Fiver who has the gift of prophecy) foresees bad things on the horizon. The book ch THIS IS A REVIEW OF THE AUDIOBOOK VERSION

BOOK DESCRIPTION
A small group of rabbits leave their warren in the English countryside when one of them (a small rabbit named Fiver who has the gift of prophecy) foresees bad things on the horizon. The book chronicles their adventures as they seek a place to build a new warren. Under the leadership of Hazel, the band of rabbits faces many obstacles—from how to cross a river to the lack of does to the penultimate battle with a warren run by the evil General Woundwart.

MY THOUGHTS
I cannot believe that I didn’t read this book until this year!! Originally published in 1972, Watership Down has been sitting out there my entire life and yet it took me until 2012 to read it. All I ever knew was that it was a book about rabbits. The simplistic book description is also deceiving. Yet it took only an hour of listening for me to realize that I was in the presence of greatness—a true 5 star read. Watership Down was an incredibly satisfying, rich and magical reading experience—the kind of book that transcends age and time. In my opinion, it deserves a place on the list of best books of all time, and it certainly has earned a place on my list of all-time favorite books.

What makes the book so satisfying is that it works on multiple levels and that Adams strikes the perfect balance between reality and magic. Not only will the book satisfy children looking for a gripping adventure tale and rabbit folklore (the book grew out of a series of stories that Adams told his daughters), it will also satisfy an adult reader, with the rich personalities of the rabbits (we all have a Big Wig in our lives, I’m sure) and how well the rabbits’ lives translate into our human lives. Although Adams talks in the introduction about how the book is not an allegory, it is not difficult to see the differences between the leadership approaches of Hazel and General Woundwart.

Perhaps the best choice that Adams made is that, although these are talking rabbits, he makes them grounded in reality. In the introduction, Adams talks about how he never has his rabbits do anything that a real rabbit wouldn’t do. These are not rabbits who build little houses and wear clothes like Peter Cottontail. They are wild and natural rabbits and they live as such. When faced with an obstacle such as how to cross a river, they come up with a solution that felt realistic, plausible and yet seemed like a huge leap of logic for a rabbit, which is why Blackberry (the “smart one”) had to come up with it.

Adams even gives the rabbits their own language (Lapine), which I found myself easily adopting. (Their word for tractor or car is hrududu, which, when pronounced by an awesome reader like Ralph Casham, sounds just like a vehicle engine as interpreted by an animal.) It became commonplace to hear words like silflay (going aboveground to feed) and know exactly what they meant.

Another wondrous touch was the rich folklore and mythology that Adams creates for the rabbits. One of the ways the rabbits keep their spirits up and adapt to their surroundings is by repeating the stories of El-Ahrairah, one of the first rabbits, whose exploits and trickery are woven throughout the book. I adored these stories about El-Ahrairah and enjoyed seeing how the rabbits would adapt the story to their present situation.

The other thing I loved about this book was that Adams doesn’t shy away from the harsh realities of life. The rabbits face real danger, including death and injury. Yet these moments are leavened by moments of triumph, peace and sweetness. There were also moments of comic relief (the pidgin talk of the gull Keehar and Big Wig’s take on the world just tickled me). In addition, Adams writes one of the most beautiful and satisfying death scenes I’ve ever read in literature.

Nothing I can write can really capture how wondrous and satisfying and pleasing this book was. If you’ve not read it yet, please get a copy (either in print or on audiobook) and read it as soon as possible. You don’t want to miss this book like I almost did. It is brilliant on so many levels, and I applaud Adams for creating such a wondrous work of literature that hits all the right notes.

ABOUT THE NARRATION
Ralph Cosham was the narrator I listened to, and he was pitch perfect. He captured the voices of each character perfectly—from Pipken’s timidity to Big Wig’s warm-hearted bluster. At 15+ hours, this was relatively long listen but I never once tired of it and could not wait to immerse myself in this world over and over again. It was with a real sense of loss that I finished this book.

RECOMMENDED FOR
This is as perfect as a book can get and I recommend it to everyone. If you haven’t read it yet, I strongly urge you to do so. I shall definitely be reading/listening to this one again, and I cannot wait for my son to be ready for it. ...more "

Oct 10, 2024 04:17PM · see review