Awful, awful, awful books....

[Cassius]

Chaucer was ruined for me by 'doing' it at school. Ditto poetry (apart from the WW1 poems). I'd love to read some poetry but have no idea where to start - the only names I know are Ted Hughes and Sylvia Plath.

Any recommendations.

[Sarah J.]

Cassius Wrote:

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> Chaucer was ruined for me by 'doing' it at school.

> Ditto poetry (apart from the WW1 poems). I'd

> love to read some poetry but have no idea where to

> start - the only names I know are Ted Hughes and

> Sylvia Plath.

>

> Any recommendations.

Goodness! I am so sorry to hear that poetry was ruined for you...and I'm actually sad to read that Chaucer gives you no joy. I always loved all the books I got to read and study in English. I never hated any of them. 'Catch 22', 'Catcher in the Rye', 'To Kill A Mockingbird', 'Playing Beatie Beau', 'Of Mice and Men', to name but a few.

As for poets you should search out, I know of a few Australian Poets that are rather good. Mark O'Connor comes to mind.

Why not look into finding some Haiku or Tanka? Lovely forms of poety.

[indiepanda]

I know what Cassius means, I have to admit A level English Lit really put me off reading "proper" books. My GCSE teacher was brilliant, but my A level teacher was a mysogenist who delighted in trying to choose things he thought the girls in the class wouldn't like (not paranoia on my part, he openly admitted that when he picked Catch 22, which I didn't exactly hate, but it wasn't the kind of thing I was expecting to study when I chose to do it)

For our Shakespeare he made us do Henry IV part II, which I understand is one of the least performed of his plays, and it was pretty obvious why. And Chaucer, I think he chose one of the most vulgar ones - the Miller's Tale.

Oh and then for poetry, The Wasteland by T S Eliott, which from recollection if you didn't know Dante's Inferno, The Koran and The Bible inside out you wouldn't get most of the allusions he makes.

I have always loved reading, but I barely touched novels for nearly a year after A levels - got back into it when someone at university got me into reading Daphne Du Maurier.

Since then I can't say I have really read any classics other than re-reading all of Jane Austen a couple of times. Probably like her because my great GCSE teacher did Pride and Prejudice with us - plus they are pretty light reading compared to most classics.

[shambles]

Congreve's Way of the World had me running out of my 6th form college gates. Dreadful book (ok...dreadful play...do they count on this thread?). Anyway...full of boring, insufferable Dandys who argued constantly about who had the best wig. Learnt the meaning of the word cuckold though.

[Sarah J.]

shambles Wrote:

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> Congreve's Way of the World had me running out of

> my 6th form college gates. Dreadful book

> (ok...dreadful play...do they count on this

> thread?). Anyway...full of boring, insufferable

> Dandys who argued constantly about who had the

> best wig. Learnt the meaning of the word cuckold

> though.

What is the meaning of a cuckold then? I always thought the word Ha-ha was quite odd when I first read Mansfield Park at the age of 14. I had a Penguin edition of it and the notes were well used by the end of it!

[shambles]

well...in a nutshell...a man who is being made a fool of because his wife is cheating on him and everyone knows about it except him.

I think!

[????]

Indie, I can't agree - the Miller's Tale is vulgar, but class, easily the best tale....the prologue and the Millers tale is class the rest is rank..

"Whereuopon quids let flee a farte"

[Sarah J.]

shambles Wrote:

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> well...in a nutshell...a man who is being made a

> fool of because his wife is cheating on him and

> everyone knows about it except him.

> I think!

::o Oh dear I know of people that are cuckolds! If only I had have been aware at the time!

[indiepanda]

I did that Congreve play too... awful stuff.

Cuckold is a man whose wife is cheating on him and he doesn't know it.... hmm yes wikipedia agrees - was originally re a man raising another man's child - like cuckoos leaving their eggs in other birds nests.

[indiepanda]

???? Wrote:

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> Indie, I can't agree - the Miller's Tale is

> vulgar, but class, easily the best tale....the

> prologue and the Millers tale is class the rest is

> rank..

>

> "Whereuopon quids let flee a farte"

I never got into reading the others so I'll take you word for it. I just know our teacher chose it because he thought it would embarass the girls in front of the guys rather than for any literary merit. I don't really remember much about it other than him leaving us to read THAT passage (in that original old english) and being amused as we all gradually worked out what it meant.

[Sarah J.]

indiepanda Wrote:

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> I did that Congreve play too... awful stuff.

>

> Cuckold is a man whose wife is cheating on him and

> he doesn't know it.... hmm yes wikipedia agrees -

> was originally re a man raising another man's

> child - like cuckoos leaving their eggs in other

> birds nests.

Ah well that would make sense. I'm always fascinated by the words, terms and phrases that never survived the past to be included in everyday English these days. Very interesting.

[????]

Henry iv part ii for A level!!!.....now that is a crime. For A level I did:

Hamlet and 12th Night

The Millers Tale

the metphysical poets

Gerald manley Hopkins

Dombey & Son

Gawaian and the Green Night

All pukka stuff

[????]

F*ck, I only forgot Paradise Lost. book 9(?)..which was my second favourite to the Miller's Tale

[Sarah J.]

???? Wrote:

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> Henry iv part ii for A level!!!.....now that is a

> crime. For A level I did:

>

> Hamlet and 12th Night

>

> The Millers Tale

>

> the metphysical poets

>

> Gerald manley Hopkins

>

> Dombey & Son

>

> Gawaian and the Green Night

>

> All pukka stuff

You did get a load of gems there! A levels back in Australia are slightly different. Firstly, they are not called A levels; the last year is referred to as SACE Stage II or HSC Stage II. Secondly, they try to throw in Australian writers, of which, I am ashamed to admit, I do not remember any! Wait....I just thought, and no.... none! :( But, I remember everything I read in University, and the list is extensive. On which, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, resides somewhere near the top. As does Beowulf.

[????]

Yup...but I still can't use an apostrophe, spell Knight or capitalise properly :))

[Sarah J.]

???? Wrote:

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> Yup...but I still can't use an apostrophe, spell

> Knight or capitalise properly :))

LOL....yes, and I overuse acronyms! None of us are perfect!

I am always being pedantic with spelling etc as I have an English Literature degree; but I frequently make mistakes...I blame society and the technology age....machines are making us lazy...that's my story and I am sticking to it!

It's a battle of the times to fight off what I refer to as "The Dumb". A disease that starts with one innocent use of Spellcheck, and ends with mobile phone text English! this was a gr8 post.

L8r! (God, shoot me now!)

[shambles]

none of us is perfect. sorry :))

[Sarah J.]

shambles Wrote:

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> none of us is perfect. sorry :))

Actually, is refers to singular, Are refers to multiple. Apologies.

[shambles]

'I am not perfect' by shambles.

Sounds like the title of an awful book to me.

[RosieH]

Sarah J. Wrote:

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> shambles Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > none of us is perfect. sorry :))

>

>

> Actually, is refers to singular, Are refers to

> multiple. Apologies.

Sarah J, not sure I follow - are you correcting shambles?

[indiepanda]

???? Wrote:

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> Henry iv part ii for A level!!!.....now that is a

> crime.

I know, he was practically rubbing his hands together with glee when he was telling us it was one of the least frequently performed Shakespeare plays. I think he really wanted to put us off literature. I remember at school they always used to tell us to pick the subject not the teacher, and he was the perfect illustration why that was complete b******s. I don't really know why the college didn't sack him - he was quite obviously an alcoholic and we could tell he was drinking during college hours - could smell the drink on him, and on our essays when he handed them back.

[Sarah J.]

RosieH Wrote:

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> Sarah J. Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > shambles Wrote:

> >

> --------------------------------------------------

>

> > -----

> > > none of us is perfect. sorry :))

> >

> >

> > Actually, is refers to singular, Are refers to

> > multiple. Apologies.

>

>

> Sarah J, not sure I follow - are you correcting

> shambles?

I was replying to the earlier correction made to my post by Shambles. Though now I am too scared to write anything for fear of having the red marker applied to the screen! Sorry. :(

[Keef]

Fight fight fight!

[RosieH]

haha, no not at all - my understanding has always been that "none" can take either singular or plural so think you're both right (though if anyone knows different, feel free to correct me too!) - I just wasn't 100% on whether that's what you were doing

I just love grammar pedantry in all forms but I've always gone with George Orwell on the whole, break any grammar rule rather than say anything barbarous

[Sarah J.]

RosieH Wrote:

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> haha, no not at all - my understanding has always

> been that "none" can take either singular or

> plural so think you're both right (though if

> anyone knows different, feel free to correct me

> too!) - I just wasn't 100% on whether that's what

> you were doing

>

> I just love grammar pedantry in all forms but I've

> always gone with George Orwell on the whole, break

> any grammar rule rather than say anything

> barbarous

I'm a lover not a fighter...unless someone is trying to cheat me out of money...then it's all fists, nails and claws! OK, not really...

I think you might be right on the fact that we could both be correct. I have always been taught under the rule of singular and plural. I'm a stickler, but I am not a stubborn ass! So if someone can come back with an answer either way, I would be interested :)

God, I love Orwell....is there anyone better? Nay, me thinks not!