Tag Archives: literature
What’s New in Austenland
“One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other.”– Jane Austen, Emma (1813) In an age when (for whatever reason) admitting you admire Jane Austen is akin to saying you loved the Twilight series, I’m proud to be … Continue reading
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Why I Read “Depressing” Literature: A Defense
As a new intern at the library, I must say I LOVE this environment—we’re always talking about books! But as the days wear on, I have slowly realized something: very few of my co-workers share my odd taste in books. The reason? I mostly … Continue reading
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Loads of Lovely Love
I’m a sucker for a good love story, most likely thanks to my parents. Forty years ago this weekend they tied the knot after a long and spirited courtship that nobody really believed would end in marriage, given how independent … Continue reading
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Proust’s Overcoat: Obsession About Obsession
Collection is obsession. It is a perfect illustration of the 2nd of the 4 Noble truths of Buddhism: the origin of all suffering is attachment. Following, as it does, the 1st Noble truth – all life is suffering - possession doesn’t portend well when … Continue reading
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Literary Dustup: Twain vs Cooper, Cather vs Twain
The year 2010 marks the 175th anniversary of the birth of Mark Twain, the 125th anniversary of Twain’s most famous work, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and the 100th anniversary of his death. Rather than highlight the same old hoary chestnuts, I thought … Continue reading
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Acceptable Classic Literature
Here’s a companion piece to my Annoying Classic Literature post, written at the suggestion of the very same delightful 12th grade English teacher who inspired my earlier ranting. Austen, Jane – Pride and Prejudice It wasn’t very funny when I … Continue reading
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Annoying Classic Literature
In honor of a chance reunion with my 12th grade English teacher, I offer our gentle readers a short list of so-called classic literature that I despise. Dickens, Charles – Great Expectations Random kid makes good by helping a convict and … Continue reading
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An Irish Literary Sampler
If you were so inclined, you could probably spend the rest of your life reading nothing but Irish literature. Quite frankly, I’m half-tempted: as I read and researched for this post, I found enough literary leads to keep even the … Continue reading
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Every Month Could Be Black History Month…
LAV has declared that 2010 is ”The Year of the Database.” This is the first in a series of posts about the extensive suite of electronic resources available to Carnegie Library cardholders. We hope the resources explored in this series will … Continue reading
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