Archive for the ‘Literature’ Category
It’s March 17 already. St. Patrick’s Day. In one respect, it’s hard for me to believe that a lot of time has passed since I was in grad school (9 months), since my sister had her daughter (8 months), and since I got married (20 months). But at the same time, considering that so much has happened in my life in the past few years since I left San Diego, I’m surprised that it’s only March 17.
I have a standard set of things I always do: work, eat, sleep, play video games, ride my bike, and hang out with Christine. I also read when I get the chance (although lately I’ve just been reading about cycling). I am really enjoying my life, but lately I’m trying to do things that don’t necessarily fall in that set (in addition to continuing to do those things in the set).
For instance, I now have tangible fitness goals when I ride my bike, whereas for the past six months or so, I’ve just been riding for recreation (not that this is a bad thing, I just think I need a goal to keep myself motivated to ride more often). I want to become a stronger and faster cyclist, and I eventually want to enter local races. I’ve even gone as far as isolating an event in which I intend to compete (a time trial), and I’m training specifically to be at my peak when that even comes around.
I’ve also decided to learn a new language (I know, this is something that I should wait to do until my mid-life crisis, but I like to get things done before they become a problem). Right now I’m learning Russian, mostly because I’ve always loved the way it sounds. I’d also like to visit Russia someday, so it might come in handy to know some of the language.
I’ve mentioned in previous posts that it is a goal of mine to read more actively, and I’ve been doing that. I know I promised a couple of reviews for The Three Musketeers and Dracula, so maybe I’ll post them soon. I’m going to start reading Wilkie Collins’ Woman in White before the end of the month.
I went snowboarding this weekend for the first time in about 10 years, and I rediscovered how much I enjoy it. I enjoyed the trip so much that (unfortunately for my pocketbook), I want to go again before the end of the season, and get some gear so I can go frequently next year (I know I have at least one reader who goes to Mammoth fairly regularly).
I’ve been playing electric guitar in church for the past few months. Every other Sunday, I get up before dawn to meet the worship team for practice at 7:00 a.m. (this is earlier than I get up for work). I’m not complaining though; I love the experience and it is great to be able to play music with other musicians, as opposed to sitting in a room alone with my guitar, playing rhythm through a loop and playing lead over the top of it (although I believe spending time alone with my guitar is also necessary and good).
There’s not a real focus to this post, and I realize that. I don’t think I have much hope of salvaging this writing, so I suppose I’ll just conclude by wishing all of you a Happy St. Patrick’s Day. Don’t forget to read the wikipedia article about the history of the holiday!
So, about a year ago, I wrote that I wanted to start reading through this list of classic and influential novels. A few months ago, I finally started by reading The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.*
I’m a big fan of TV crime shows like CSI and Psych (and of the mystery genre in general), and The Hound of the Baskervilles fits into the detective niche perfectly. Some say that the Sherlock Holmes novels really invigorated the detective genre to become what it is today (although the Sherlock Holmes novels were not the first of their kind; Edgar Allen Poe wrote the first detective fiction story featuring a character named C. Auguste Dupin).
If one were to read through a list of legendary creatures, one would find that the spectral hound (or the Black Dog) features heavily in British folklore. It is upon that myth that the story-within-the-story of The Hound of the Baskervilles is based. The legend told in The Hound sets the scene for the mysterious events that happen upon the moor, which Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. Watson are sent to investigate. The description of the events (as told by Dr. Watson) is written to be suspenseful and thrilling but with enough foreshadowing that a clever reader may infer the truth behind the mystery.
It is Doyle’s character of Holmes that really makes this novel great. Holmes’ attention to even the tiniest detail and his steadfast determination to understand the truth of the strange events happening in the moorland are traits seldom found in other fictional characters (even other fictional detectives). As a mathematician, I appreciated Holmes’ logical prowess and ability to make significant conclusions based on seemingly insignificant information. In addition to a thrilling storyline, Doyle writes compelling characters in Holmes and Watson, and I found myself reading more Holmes stories after The Hound in a desire to experience more of the quirky crime-solving capacity of this seemingly mismatched duo.
All things considered, I am surprised that The Hound of the Baskervilles isn’t higher on the top 100 list from which I’m reading, because it really is an influential novel, and it tells a great story. Most importantly, it was a great way to get me motivated to continue my goal of reading the books on the list. When I get around to it, I’ll let you know what I thought of The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas.
*Note that The Hound of the Baskervilles is number 99 on the list of books, and I said I’d read them all in descending order. I decided that perhaps that was a lot of wishful thinking on my part, because looking back, there are probably several books on that list that I really won’t enjoy. Mostly, I didn’t start with Gone With the Wind because I didn’t want to pay $20 for a decent copy, and every copy that I found at any library looked like a cheap romance novel (granted, it is a romance novel, but it’s supposed to be a classic). So I do hope to really read everything on the list someday, but I may not be doing it in the exact order that I originally stated.
I was recently told about a great website called Librivox. This is a site where volunteers record themselves reading chapters of books in the public domain and post these recordings for others to enjoy, with the eventual goal “to record all books in the public domain.” While it is kind of a grab-bag of readers (some young, some old, some who do voices for characters, some who have monotone voices), it is great to be able to listen to classic literature for free. If you browse the catalog, you’ll see that they have a pretty large collection of works already, and their library is growing by the day.
Currently, I’m listening to The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, and it is making my slow days at work much more entertaining.
I guess as sort of a New Year’s resolution (in which I don’t really believe), I’ve decided to read more books. Novels, in particular. I realized that during my undergrad years I was focused entirely on completing my majors and spending my free time with friends. Since I didn’t take any literature courses, I now feel like I missed out on some of the breadth of my education. So my goal is to make myself, in some small way, a better individual.
Now, since I live in Irvine (which is a pretty uneventful place), and most of my friends have lives outside of school and families and such, I spend my time a lot differently than I did in undergrad (not to mention the fact that I am married now). Anyways, in an effort to expand my literary palate, I’m going to (attempt to) read all of the novels on this list (in descending order). Granted, I wouldn’t accept this list as complete, as there are several books that I have enjoyed missing from it, but I do feel like it will give me a good range of reading experiences. I’ll also be keeping track of my progress on this site, mostly for myself, but also for anyone who cares to read it.
So, we shall see how it goes. Wish me luck.