CleanMan is not currently reading any books.
I’m 55 years old, male, from the United Kingdom. I’ve been a DailyLit member since June 09, 2009. My reading interests include classics, experimental, and poetry.
Books
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Across the Zodiac finished
- The Adventure of the Empty House finished
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The Adventure of the Abbey Grange finished
- Abbe Mouret's Transgression finished
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Middlemarch unread
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Les Miserables unread
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Le Morte d'Arthur Volume II unread
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Le Morte D'Arthur Volume I unread
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Hamlet unread
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Frankenstein unread
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The Canterbury Tales unread
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Byron's Poetical Works unread
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Beowulf unread
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All's Well That Ends Well unread
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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland unread
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Adam Bede unread
Posts
Question of the Week - Question of the Week #61: Joycean Challenges
If anyone thinks Joyce's Ulysses is hard going, you should try his Finnegans Wake. Ulysses is clear as glass in comparison.
Question of the Week - Question of the Week #61: Joycean Challenges
I tried Moby Dick twice, and failed miserably both times. What a turgid read! Also, for some reason, I have difficulty with Russian literature. I've tried several books by the likes of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky but just can't seem to get on with them. I think it is perhaps the Russian fondness for long-winded names. French authors like Hugo and Dumas can be difficult to get into. being rather prolix in style. It would be useful if the editors of such works could give the reader an idea of what parts could be missed, thus saving us time and perhaps stopping us putting down a good book.
Etc. - Question of the Week #19: Favorite Poems
My favourite poem is "To A Mouse" by Robert Burns. (And no, it's not just because I'm Scottish). Burns wrote the poem after accidentally destroying a mouse's home while ploughing. I love the way the poem develops, changing its approach from focussing on the particular (the mouse) to allegorising on the vagaries of life and the fickle finger of fate. Here are a few verses from the poem
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best laid schemes o' mice an' men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain,
For promis'd joy!
Still thou are blest, compared wi' me!
The present only toucheth thee:
But och! I backward cast my e'e,
On prospects drear!
An' forward, tho' I canna see,
I guess an' fear! :
Reader Challenges - Your Words That Matter
"Since we cannot get what we want, let us want what we get." is my favourite proverb. Wise words, much wiser than the "You can achieve/be/do anything if you really want to" nonsense that is often spouted.
The Adventure of the Abbey Grange - Abbey Grange
The usual fascinating fare from Conan Doyle. What I found most interesting abou this story was the way it was dealt with without the aid or knowledge of the regular police force or the judiciary - discovery, capture and sentencing all done by Holmes himself. The denouement revealed an interesting side of Holmes' character.
The Pickwick Papers - Pickwick Papers
It's one of my favourite Dickens books. Because of the novel's structure, he is able to alternate between different moods, and there is a wide range of personalities portrayed, as one might expect, in the inimitable Dickensian fashion.
Classics Books - for lovers of Tolkien
I love the Gormenghast books. I know exactly what you mean when you say that darkness is its very setting. The series has a real Gothic feel to it and Peake's descriptive abilities are excellent, enabling the reader to see and smell the castle and its environs.
Moby Dick - Is anyone else struggling with this?
I can sympathise. I've started the book a couple of times, and haven't been able to get through more than about 10 chapters without putting the book down in boredom. Maybe a carefully abridged version would help, one in which all the technical stuff that is irrelevant to the action is removed. Although in my case it was more Melville's writing style (rather than just the writing of that era, which Alexis referred to) that put me off.
Middlemarch - Read this before you die!
This is probably the best novel you'll ever read. It's action-packed - but all the action is psychological, and it is described in great detail by Eliot, so that we know exactly what motivates the character to act in the way they do. The power of this novel is in its gradual unfolding of the personalities and thoughts of the people whose stories Eliot tells, and in the gentle yet relentless increase in drama and tension, until the final climax when all is resolved. If you haven't read this, make it the next on your list.
Beowulf - let's discuss it!
I first read Beowulf many years ago. It was one of the things that sparked an interest in Anglo-Saxon culture and literature.
Etc. - Title has a color / colors in it!
The Golden Bough - James Frazer
Etc. - Title has a color / colors in it!
Oranges are Not the Only Fruit - Jeanette Winterson (sp?)
Etc. - Title has a color / colors in it!
Stupid boy! I should have written "matter" after "doesn't".
Etc. - Title has a color / colors in it!
lol It doesn't whether or not there's a colour in the book's title, as long as it's READ.