Showing posts with label CLASSIC LITERATURE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CLASSIC LITERATURE. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Friday, December 12, 2014
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA - This month’s comic book, “The Instrument of Death”, reminds me fondly of my favorite musical, “The Phantom of the Opera”. This vid clip is taken from the Lon Chaney black and white version dated 1925. The musical and movie are based on the French novel entitled Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. Enjoy!
https://www.chadschimke.com/2014/06/ghosts-feat-instrument-of-death-73-pdf.html
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Monday, December 24, 2012
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI SHORT STORY REVIEW
THE GIFT OF THE MAGI SHORT STORY REVIEW - His
most famous story was published in 1906. This is a holiday story about what
happens to a modest couple on Christmas Eve. O Henry employs several literary
techniques including situational irony and the number three, an allusion to the
magi. The title is a reference to wise men offering gold, frankincense and
myrrh to Christ. He was prolific and considered to be amongst the top classic American
writers. Yet, he wasn’t able to produce works of long form fiction (novels), other
than collections of short works, such as The Four Million. The style of The
Gift of the Magi is out of fashion, but I really appreciate the simplicity and
a great twist ending. Since Christmas is a time of traditions spend a bit of
time with a classic. Happy Holidays!
Thursday, December 13, 2012
Monday, October 8, 2012
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
LITERARY CRITICISM ON WHARTON
LITERARY CRITICISM ON WHARTON - This post contains a
snippet from a particularly scathing and somewhat humorous review. It comes from
the New Yorker’s website; on the topic Edith Wharton’s 150th
birthday.
NOBODY LIKES EDITH WHARTON by Elizabeth
Minkel - If a book is good, does it matter how we feel about the author?
Likeable writers regularly create abhorrent characters, but can the same be
said of the opposite? In this week’s Anniversary Issue, Jonathan Franzen tackles
the question. “To be rich like Wharton may be what all of us secretly or not so
secretly want, but privilege like hers isn’t easy to like; it puts her at a
moral disadvantage…She was the kind of lady who fired off a high-toned letter
of complaint to the owner of a shop where a clerk had refused to lend her an
umbrella. Her biographers…supply this signal image of the artist at work:
writing in bed after breakfast and tossing the completed pages on the floor, to be sorted and typed
up by her secretary. We can’t write her off as completely awful, because she did
have one potentially redeeming disadvantage: she wasn’t pretty. A one-percenter
like Wharton invariably reads as the product of a long-dead era, one in which
conspicuous wealth could pass without judgment.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Sunday, March 18, 2012
STUDY GUIDE WHARTON FREE PDF DOWNLOAD
This post contains a free study guide for the novel Ethan Frome by
Edith Wharton. With a synopsis,
character list and map.
Ethan Frome Edith Warton Study Guide PDF
Friday, March 16, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
ETHAN FROME BY EDITH WHARTON
Ethan Frome & Summer by Edith WhartonMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
ETHAN FROME - Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton is a compact and highly effective novella. Wharton describes a tragically dysfunctional love triangle with deeply developed characters. The mood is starkly austere and bitterly cold; exploring the themes of morals and values. It’s a frame story; where the prologue and epilogue, written in first person, constitute a frame around the main story, written in third person. A key turning point in the novel is a “mash-up” that has enduring effects on the main characters. These individuals try to break away and then fall back into smothering frustration and despair. This story is in the public domain, as are all of Wharton’s works. Eathon Frome is her best known work and in my opinion a personal favorite.
View all my reviews
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Saturday, February 18, 2012
WHARTON’s 150th BIRTHDAY
WHARTON’s 150th BIRTHDAY - This post is dedicated to
Edith Wharton, who was recently honored on her 150th birthday. Topics this
writer studied often centered around upper-class old New York society near the
turn of the century.
She wrote
numerous short stories, but most notably collected works titled, The Ghost
Stories, featuring The Lady's Maid's Bell. Her best novels include:
1.
Ethan Frome (my favorite)
2. The House of Mirth
3.
The Age of Innocence
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
DICKENS BIRTHDAY
DICKENS BIRTHDAY - This post is in honor
of Charles Dickens, on his 200th birthday. There’s a great article
on the author, in the current issue of Smithsonian (smithsonian.com/dickens). Years
later, he’s an author as popular as ever. Did you know about Dickens World, a
theme park in Chatham England? It’s purported to be an “1800’s immersion
experience”. A film version of Great
Expectations is currently in production. It’s scheduled for fall release,
starring Ralph Fiennes and Helena Bonham Carter. There are events around the world,
notably the NYC Morgan Library’s offering, titled Charles Dickens at 200. Dickens
captured the squalid misery of Victorian London with masterfully turned phrases
and visceral reactions. It was a world of urchin pickpockets, bloody butchers, prisoners
of debt and seedy tenements. Since all
of his writing is public domain, why not spend a little time, read this author
and transport yourself into his world. Here is a list of some of his literary
highlights.
1. OLIVER
TWIST
2. DAVID
COPPERFIELD
3. BLEAK
HOUSE
4. A TALE
OF TWO CITIES
5. GREAT
EXPECTATIONS
6. CHRISTMAS
CAROL
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - Ebenezer Scrooge encounters visits by spirits- Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come- with his own moral transformation, set in Victorian England’s classic holiday traditions. The classic has never been out of print and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media.
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