Hi,
As the summer holidays are drawing to a close, I thought I'd email you all to remind you about the book we're reading and when we're going to meet up for the first time this academic year.
The book is What I Loved by Siri Hustvedt.
Note (for those who haven't started the book or might be struggling with it): After talking about this book with Michelle she was of the same opinion as I. For around the first 130 pages, prior to the "élément perturbateur*" on which the action turns, the book is rather hard going, the characters seem over-intellectualised and over-intellectualising, making this probably the most difficult book we've so far. However, tbook takes off from this point* and it becomes a real page-turner, so it's really worth persisting beyond the opening.
Date: Friday, 4th September. Same place, same time.
Enjoy the last 12 days before the new school year begins!
Oscar Wilde brings his enormous gifts for astute social observation and sparkling prose to The Picture of Dorian Gray, his dreamlike story of a young man who sells his soul for eternal youth and beauty. This dandy, who remains forever unchanged—petulant, hedonistic, vain, and amoral—while a painting of him ages and grows increasingly hideous with the years, has been an enchanting read for many years for myself, this story just doesn't grow old or become even the slightest bit dull with time.
Taking the reader in and out of London drawing rooms, to the heights of aestheticism, and to the depths of decadence, The Picture of Dorian Gray is not only a melodrama about moral corruption. Laced with bon mots and vivid depictions of upper-class refinement, it is also a fascinating look at the milieu of Wilde’s fin-de-siècle world and a manifesto of the creed “Art for Art’s Sake.”
The ever-quotable Wilde, who once delighted London with his scintillating plays, scandalized readers with this, his only novel. Upon publication, Dorian was condemned as dangerous, poisonous, stupid, vulgar, and immoral, and Wilde as a “driveling pedant.” The novel, in fact, was used against Wilde at his much-publicized trials for “gross indecency,” which led to his imprisonment and exile on the European continent. Even so, The Picture of Dorian Gray firmly established Wilde as one of the great voices of the Aesthetic movement, and endures as a classic that is as timeless as its hero.
Hi Everyone,Descriptions du produit
Byatt, one of the most distinguished contemporary British fiction writers, lends a definite knowledge of the field to her gathering of outstanding short stories from her native land, all written at some point between the mid-nineteenth century and the present. She includes necessary masters--Rudyard Kipling, Saki, D. H. Lawrence, and V. S. Pritchett, to name a few. But, bless her good taste and reading experience, she draws into the fold the work of several extremely talented writers of which few readers on this side of the Atlantic will have heard. Falling into this category are such writers as Malachi Whitaker, H. E. Bates, Sylvia Townsend Warner, and Charlotte Mew. The difference between a Charles Dickens story and one by the very contemporary Ian McEwan is no difference at all in terms of talent with the form. Fans of the short story will be delighted by what they discover here. Brad Hooper
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8 internautes sur 8 ont trouvé ce commentaire utile :
 Attention, chronophage en vadrouille., 8 février 2008 |
Maria Ledoux
Next chat is planned for Friday 20th February 2008.
A Picture of Dorian Gray. I'm sure everone will have plenty to say about this book.
To be updated shortly ( need to go shopping)
How could one sum up Roald Dahl's book Kiss Kiss using just a couple of words, maybe macabre and brilliant would fit the bill quite perfectly, what do you think?
In each story there's a quiet zaniness that runs through them, all are crisp, surprising and smoothly written at every turn. There's a common theme in most of these stories, one of the baddies getting their comeuppance in the end using great literary and psychological foreplay at the same time.
Which of his stories will leave the most lasting memories?
Perhaps William and Mary, this is one of perversity being turned on its head. Mrs Bixby and the Colonel's Coat was enjoyed by all, poor old Mrs Bixby, should we feel sorry for her, or not?
On another note, we didn't get the peanuts, however we did welcome two new members, Shirley and Gilberte to our group which was wonderful, thank you for joining us!
I'm posting here again for those who can't get the new Blogger blog to show on their computer.
Despite the threatening weather, most of us managed to meet up at the Hotel des Bains, unfortunately, the bar had been hijacked by a large group, thus leaving no place for us to chat. Notwithstanding this hindrance, we decided to try and find somewhere else to chat. Thankfully, we didn't have to go far, in fact the first bar we stumbled across fitted the bill perfectly, so much so, we'll be going there for now on.
First up, Anne presented the brand new ciné club that will be showing its first film, A Room with a View, Saturday 18th October, at 15hr, in the Mediathèque in Sanary. A friendly bilingual debate will follow.
The Indian Runner will be the second film to be shown on Saturday 15th November.
Now back to books and beer. Take six people (normally nine), all with different views and tastes and get them to agree in less than an hour on a reading list albeit till February, impossible you would think, well not us, we're an accommodating bunch of folks. To prove it, these books such keep you company through the dark winter months.
Kiss Kiss by Roald Dahl 7th November
Deaf Sentence by David Lodge 12th December (thanks Alain)
The Historian by Elisabeth Kostova 16 January 2009
The Girl with the Pearl Earing by Tracey Chevalier ? February
See you then, the more the merrier and maybe we'll have more peanuts!
Summer's over for most of us, now is time to get back to our old routines, including our monthly chat around a book and a beer. The next date is listed below, and shortly I will be able to give you the dates for the whole year that will coincide (nearly) with the dates for our brand new film club. What am I talking about?
The film club was initially Anne's idea ( or was it Jacques...), anyway, the idea is that five or six times during the year, an English language film ( classic or modern, British, American et cetera...) would be shown here in the Mediathèque in Sanary, followed by a debate (in English) about the film.
The films would always be shown on a Saturday afternoon and we already have a list of films which we're allowed to show. Further information will be posted here, watch this space!
Our Literature club would always be on a Friday and the following day the film club (a part from one exception), this keeps things nice and simple.
Now down to the nitty gritty, as we're so organized this year, wouldn't it be great to choose our five books for the season 2008/2009? For our first meeting, I know we're all going to talk about our summer reads and that should be that should be fun, but lets put our thinking caps with regards to the other books that we might all enjoy. Maybe everyone could choose a couple of books, email to me and I'll print the titles out and we'll just do a lucky dip and the first five drawn would be the ones we'd read.
NEXT CHAT: Friday 26th September 2008
Place: L'Hotel des Bains, Sanary
Time: 19hrs
To finish off our first year on a high note, we have decided to picnic on Portissol beach and discuss everything American while eating good food and enjoying good company.
Friday 4th July
Portissol Beach
18h30
Don't go tonight(Friday), otherwise you will be stood-up and you won't have interesting people to chat with.
Next Chat is Sunday, this Sunday, the 1st June.
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