Posts by Cecelia
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Habicht's Land of the Long White Cloud is gorgeous. Saw it in Kerikeri last night.
Just see it.
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My literary discovery of the holidays - years and years late - is William Golding.
Re Lord of the Flies ... I always loved the description of Simon floating out to sea in the phosphorescence. And the ending!
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Yeah. I found Wolf Hall so hard to read. The 'he' was disconcerting. It built up momentum towards the end but it wasn't my cup of tea. I've lent it to people who have loved it.
And also on matters of possible interest: Kate de Goldi in the latest Listener. An article about a NZ novel to be reissued (?) on 1 Feb, 'Sydney Bridge Upside Down'. Sounds fab. Her article is worth a read too. It starts with the theory that NZ lit is affected by the slaughterhouse basis of our national economy. Gawd.
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We are now running out of space to shelve books so any that are not worth the 2nd read go to the 2nd hand bookshop these days.
I just like looking at my favourite books - my uni books from the 60s now take up only a small section of shelf as I give up those of lesser value to me to save space as we move around the country.
Some of it is snobbery. 'Goethe's Werke' looks good on the shelf but I will need a bomb under me to read it again - if I can still read German.
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What about the enduring appeal of some books like The Great Gatsby and Jane Austen's works - which have been mentioned here. Will the Da Vinci Code last as long as Pride and Prejudice?
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Vaguely remember the discussion of quality in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. In my humble non-post-modern opinion there is such an idea. It's something to do with characterisation and writing style and dialogue and narrative structure and and point of view and the relationship between form and content. And ideas and insight and .... Why do people sing the praises of The Great Gatsby? Not just because they enjoyed it I would say but because they were inspired by it and admired the richness of the prose.
I also vaguely remember something called the uses and gratifications theory - we find certain media texts useful and gratifying in ways that are nothing to do with quality.
Even bloody so ...
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I'm probably one of them dastardly flickers and trollers but I'm passionate about books and I love arguing or hearing you guys arguing. I find it interesting because you are starting to touch on the notion of quality ...I didn't think anyone would be offended by crits of Sci Fi because (sob) people always put my interests down: from Coro to Shakespeare. I'm secure enough about my enjoyment of my genres not to be threatened. OTOH I should read some sci fi to see what y'all are talking about. Ballard here I come.
I've just finished Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Superb. Unusual. I feel enriched by it!
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Access Road - interesting, Tania, that you liked pg 53. I too liked the bits in the book where the narrator was describing her brothers and husband as old men (or middle aged men?) It was the going back into the past that got me. I feel I've read that story before so many times.
And then when I got to the bit where the bully figure from the past was going to return home. I gave up. Soooo The Fat Man and not a narrative path I wanted to go down again.
I feel mean though as I really like Maurice Gee and his contribution to NZ lit. I have fond memories of reading Under the Mountain to my kids.
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Dunedin, cool seas and hot furniture
That is sooo goood. Positively Shakespearean.
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I agree. I have great respect for Maurice Gee - I'm surprised he hasn't gone down a new path ... I'll remember him for Plumb and The Fat Man and some of his stories.