@paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange @Caiotekit@convo.casa @kimlockhartga@beige.party @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
a novel (novella) in which Dickens wasn't paid by the word was A Christmas Carol.
it's the only one I'm able to read for fun.
@rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @kimlockhartga@beige.party @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
slight hijack of the discussion.
i do enjoy Dickens but i usually binge a few at a go because it takes me a bit of time to get my brain into the style of language/usage. similarly for chaucer or others, where spelling in english hadn't formalized yet.
do other folks have to "acclimate" to read some of these works?
@paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange @rayckeith@techhub.social @kimlockhartga@beige.party @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
Yeah. I do. Old English. Sometimes the meaning of the words are different from today.
@paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe same. All the classics are an adjustment for me.
@kimlockhartga@beige.party @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
changing societal mores also take me a bit to get back into. regency romances are definitely something i need to be in the mood for.
in high school, i got into a big argument with a teacher about modern audience reactions to previous periods in history. i got a low grade on a paper where i argued that Antigone's huge conflict and risking death to sprinkle dirt on her brother's body was something that a modern audience wouldn't immediately relate to, since burial/afterlife beliefs from ancient greece to the 20th century weren't tightly aligned. while i could intellectually understand Antigone's belief, i wouldn't have the same visceral emotional connection. my teacher felt that all human reactions were timeless and context didn't matter.
i also have to put on my "that was the time/period" hat on when reading Huck Finn and some stuff, like ER Burroughs i just can't read any more at all.
@kimlockhartga@beige.party @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
changing societal mores also take me a bit to get back into. regency romances are definitely something i need to be in the mood for.
in high school, i got into a big argument with a teacher about modern audience reactions to previous periods in history. i got a low grade on a paper where i argued that Antigone's huge conflict and risking death to sprinkle dirt on her brother's body was something that a modern audience wouldn't immediately relate to, since burial/afterlife beliefs from ancient greece to the 20th century weren't tightly aligned. while i could intellectually understand Antigone's belief, i wouldn't have the same visceral emotional connection. my teacher felt that all human reactions were timeless and context didn't matter.
i also have to put on my "that was the time/period" hat on when reading Huck Finn and some stuff, like ER Burroughs i just can't read any more at all.
@paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange @kimlockhartga@beige.party @rayckeith@techhub.social @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
I get that. I can’t read R. F. Delderfield’s, The Adventures of Ben Gunn because of his constant usage of the N word. And I just want to slap some of the women in these old novels for swooning over everything. I know times were different, but it can still be uncomfortable reading.
@paul_ipv6@infosec.exchange @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe that was a salient insight. I can't believe your teacher didn't see what you were saying.
@kimlockhartga@beige.party @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
she was the AP english teacher for all the courses. we butted heads a number of times... ;)
@kimlockhartga@beige.party @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
personally, one of the reasons i read a wide range of books is exactly because i have to try to understand the context, moral grid, societal expectations. it's most noticable in SF but i love soaking in a period of world history via a compelling story.
@kimlockhartga@beige.party @rayckeith@techhub.social @Caiotekit@convo.casa @bookstodon@a.gup.pe
personally, one of the reasons i read a wide range of books is exactly because i have to try to understand the context, moral grid, societal expectations. it's most noticable in SF but i love soaking in a period of world history via a compelling story.
Third Foundation
Paul_IPv6
