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Reading Roundup
Dec. 1st, 2006 10:35 pmA Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens- Precisely what I expected. Good to have read.
Key of Gold- 23 Czech folk tales
I would like to think that I have a better-than-average appreciation for oral literary tradition. I understand the rhythms and repetitions that come from the poetic memorization, for instance. I appreciate the slightly nonsensical plots and the simple acceptance of the supernatural that so often goes along with oral tradition.
But these sucked. Plotless, full of arbitrary and meaningless macguffins, laying on morality lessons that are rather offensive, full to overflowing of the overwhelming device of "hero receives bizarre, impossible, ridiculous instructions, and then is praised for following them blindly or punished when they are impossible." There's no coherent background to the supernatural parts- the next magical character just leaps into being with no particular place in a cosmology. It's all incredibly pointless to read.
I obviously don't have the appreciation I thought I did, hey?
Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll - Delightful. Rather more surreal than I remembered. I think I missed a good deal of the funny. That's all.
Key of Gold- 23 Czech folk tales
I would like to think that I have a better-than-average appreciation for oral literary tradition. I understand the rhythms and repetitions that come from the poetic memorization, for instance. I appreciate the slightly nonsensical plots and the simple acceptance of the supernatural that so often goes along with oral tradition.
But these sucked. Plotless, full of arbitrary and meaningless macguffins, laying on morality lessons that are rather offensive, full to overflowing of the overwhelming device of "hero receives bizarre, impossible, ridiculous instructions, and then is praised for following them blindly or punished when they are impossible." There's no coherent background to the supernatural parts- the next magical character just leaps into being with no particular place in a cosmology. It's all incredibly pointless to read.
I obviously don't have the appreciation I thought I did, hey?
Through the Looking Glass, Lewis Carroll - Delightful. Rather more surreal than I remembered. I think I missed a good deal of the funny. That's all.