falstaff

I never took the subject test. I was all signed up for it. I had been preparing for months. I was poised for success! Then the girl I had been dating/living with for a year and a half decided she was gay and kicked me out ten days before the test. It kind of crushed me at the time. I ended up skipping the test. On the bright side I found out (something I should probably have been more aware of in thhe first place) that all of the schools I was most interested in didn't even require the subject test for their MA programs. Eventually I changed my mind completely about going back to school.

You're a fan of Wheelock too? I have the Latin book, the workbook and the reader all sitting on my floor here mocking me. I keep meaning to dive in and I just cannot bring myself to do it with any sort of regularity. I'll be good for a week or two and get through some, then I get sidetracked and never get back to it.

Speaking of Tolstoy, I think I may move Anna Karenina up on my to read list. I was thinking the other night that it is just wrong that I haven't read it. I love War and Peace, I love all of the shorter stuff I have read by him. I just never got around to reading AK.

Beowulf makes me happy. In about 55 days or so (after the test is over and you go on a few day long bender), you should check out some Icelandic Sagas if you haven't. If you love Beowulf, you're bound to love stuff like Njal's Saga and Egil's Saga.

I have the same huge book of Sagas on my shelf, actually.

Tell you what....after you've finished the GRE and can read non-English stuff, we'll tackle Anna Karenina concurrently so we have someone to discuss it with.

Which GRE are you taking? The actual subject test or the general one? What degree are you going for?

It's so much nicer than reading things like, "Oooooo, have you read the new Dan Brown novel?" I appreciate the recommendations. I haven't read any Balzac....mostly because I had no idea where to begin. A lot of times I start with the most highly praised one or I try to go chronologically. But I had no idea with him. Next time I am at the used book store I will have to try to pick some up. Fielding is someone I could probably get into if your description does him justice.

I'd offer some suggestions in return, but you seem like the very rare person who is actually more widely and well read than I.....crazy, you're type are few and far between.

Holy shit was that a long response.....I appreciate the length. It's rather fitting considering what you were writing about. As far as 18th century writing goes....I love Swift and Voltaire. I hate what I have read of Defoe so far. I like Diderot. I've a soft spot for Wordsworth and Coleridge. Other than than that, I'm not well read for that century. I've read a lot of the philosophy of the 1700's, but I am not as well versed in the literature. Most of what I read is either classical Greek/Roman or from about 1850-1950. I don't know when I'll get to Richardson. However, the thought of being able to say I have read two of the longest (if not the longest) novels ever is quite tempting. Traditionally I enjoy long novels. I find myself asking, "Well, what happened next?" too much in shorter works. My biggest concern is that I have never been a fan of the epistle style. That worries me far more than the length.

Thanks again for the lengthy response.

Hey, I saw in the Lit group that you actually have read Clarissa and Pamela. I've been wanting to read them for awhile just because they're so long. But I've been staying away from them for the same reason. Are they worth it then? I don't just mean are they readable, but are they actually worth the time that would be required?

Happy birthday, by the way.