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Pale Fire is an excellent novel, particularly if you like making fun of Robert Frost. Tom Send a noteboard - 03/07/2010 06:39:29 PM
If you find Frost to be melodramatic and ponderous, you will love Pale Fire. It's also an excellent send-up of academic analyses of literary works. The idea is that one man has the rights to publish a poet's last poem following his death and, by means of his annotations to the poem, turns the poem into something about himself. As a result, different people read the book in different ways. You can read the poem separately and then read the notes (as I did), or read each line and then flip back to the notes, or even just read the notes and reference back to the poem from time to time.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.

ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius

Ummaka qinnassa nīk!

*MySmiley*
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One simple question: - 01/07/2010 11:00:44 PM 1720 Views
Lolita *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:13:10 PM 685 Views
Have you read Pale Fire? *NM* - 03/07/2010 12:14:56 AM 638 Views
No, I haven't. I have, however, been meaning to read The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov... - 03/07/2010 12:36:39 AM 1108 Views
Pale Fire is an excellent novel, particularly if you like making fun of Robert Frost. - 03/07/2010 06:39:29 PM 1160 Views
I've always planned on reading it. - 04/07/2010 06:30:31 PM 1091 Views
Paradise Lost *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:23:22 PM 716 Views
I have the most beautiful copy of Paradise Lost. - 03/07/2010 12:11:40 AM 1196 Views
I only have the cheap paperback from my grad school years - 03/07/2010 12:19:07 AM 1142 Views
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. - 01/07/2010 11:31:52 PM 1211 Views
What is it about? - 03/07/2010 12:14:27 AM 1246 Views
Zen and maintaining motorcycles. *NM* - 03/07/2010 03:44:44 AM 633 Views
*NM* - 03/07/2010 09:39:43 AM 593 Views
The Aeneid, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Macbeth come to mind. *NM* - 02/07/2010 02:29:13 AM 682 Views
I really didn't like Macbeth. - 03/07/2010 12:12:15 AM 1216 Views
It's so wonderfully quotable. - 03/07/2010 12:32:39 AM 1117 Views
I'm amazed by these responses. - 02/07/2010 07:10:31 PM 1350 Views
I spent most of my time trying to decide... - 02/07/2010 07:22:26 PM 1293 Views
Same *NM* - 05/07/2010 10:36:59 AM 634 Views
I was a bit too. - 02/07/2010 08:03:29 PM 1276 Views
Well, I know you are, dear. - 05/07/2010 07:45:29 AM 1302 Views
I'm usually in your camp. - 02/07/2010 11:13:35 PM 1202 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:45:51 AM 616 Views
Then you need to read more. *shrug* - 02/07/2010 11:23:24 PM 1279 Views
RE: insecure - 05/07/2010 07:49:42 AM 1343 Views
You are not excused. - 02/07/2010 11:40:16 PM 1388 Views
Wow. That read enough like Tom that I had to check to make sure it was you. *NM* - 02/07/2010 11:57:26 PM 644 Views
Yeah, it did kinda read like that - 03/07/2010 12:00:17 AM 1301 Views
I take that as a compliment and concur completely with Larry's statement. - 03/07/2010 06:48:05 PM 1217 Views
Heh. I suspected you would. Nice quote. *NM* - 03/07/2010 09:50:55 PM 648 Views
Asking me who I am? Are you kidding? *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:50:53 AM 622 Views
Were you above? - 05/07/2010 08:21:15 AM 1261 Views
You make me want to sing - 05/07/2010 02:32:37 PM 1612 Views
And you make me want to cover my ears - 05/07/2010 07:57:12 PM 1202 Views
Not sure why you're saying that.. - 05/07/2010 08:16:05 PM 1533 Views
I just don't ever want to hear you sing - 05/07/2010 08:36:51 PM 1186 Views
I'm a literary snob? Really? Cool! - 03/07/2010 12:23:55 AM 1189 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:51:21 AM 575 Views
What is yours? - 05/07/2010 05:19:23 AM 1599 Views
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine is mine. - 05/07/2010 07:51:59 AM 1299 Views
I will read that one day. When I can find it. *NM* - 05/07/2010 11:09:32 PM 604 Views
You should. It's excellent. *NM* - 07/07/2010 06:14:40 AM 559 Views
Re: I'm not excusing you. You're incredibly mean right now. - 09/07/2010 08:33:02 AM 1202 Views
There are many but - 02/07/2010 08:33:44 PM 1281 Views
Re: There are many but - 03/07/2010 12:12:33 AM 1064 Views
Easy. The Mahabharatha... - 02/07/2010 11:55:27 PM 1185 Views
Don't tell Roh. - 03/07/2010 12:13:57 AM 1116 Views
Which one? - 03/07/2010 12:59:43 AM 1190 Views
Re: Which one? - 05/07/2010 05:28:08 PM 1272 Views
There's a "proper one"? - 06/07/2010 06:03:55 PM 1122 Views
It is big. - 08/07/2010 12:14:24 AM 1205 Views
Re: I sent her Kamala Subramaniam's translation. - 09/07/2010 08:20:43 AM 1225 Views
Ahhh... One of my favorites... - 09/07/2010 05:24:55 PM 1544 Views
It's spelled "Mahabharata". - 03/07/2010 06:51:09 PM 1155 Views
That's not how it is pronounced though... - 03/07/2010 08:54:27 PM 1191 Views
Traditional pronunciation vs. modern pronunciation - 03/07/2010 09:47:52 PM 1168 Views
I learned Sanskrit for years... - 04/07/2010 01:28:34 AM 1097 Views
However... - 04/07/2010 02:31:00 AM 1122 Views
Re: Ew. *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:57:03 AM 594 Views
Re: I should have read the thread before bothering to give my skimpy response! - 09/07/2010 08:26:35 AM 1426 Views
Re: Actually, I think those two letter would get an "hh". *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:25:57 AM 606 Views
Re: Yes, but at no point is that war a good thing. - 09/07/2010 08:24:57 AM 1410 Views
American Gods. *NM* - 03/07/2010 04:49:18 AM 616 Views
I really wanted to enjoy that a lot. It was good, but not amazing, imo. - 05/07/2010 05:28:53 PM 1168 Views
Totally agree. Great concept that fell short. *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:46:55 AM 574 Views
Shogun - 03/07/2010 03:08:04 PM 1176 Views
I've been tempted a few times. - 05/07/2010 05:29:18 PM 1318 Views
huh. I always felt that... - 05/07/2010 10:00:29 PM 1109 Views
I really liked Tai Pan as well. - 06/07/2010 12:37:58 PM 1201 Views
I'd have to say Noble House is the most impressive of the three. - 06/07/2010 01:30:11 PM 1201 Views
A few that come to mind: Doctor Zhivago, Master & Margarita and Brothers Karamazov - 03/07/2010 06:53:25 PM 1206 Views
I've only read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. - 05/07/2010 05:30:45 PM 1108 Views
It's one of the weaker ones of his "famous" novels. - 06/07/2010 08:08:27 PM 1157 Views
I was somewhat disappointed by the Picture of Dorian Gray - 07/07/2010 05:33:31 AM 1123 Views
To Kill a Mockingbird - 05/07/2010 02:30:44 PM 1474 Views
It is excellent. - 05/07/2010 05:31:21 PM 1111 Views
Catch-22 *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:27:57 AM 823 Views
+1 *NM* - 06/07/2010 06:07:59 PM 563 Views
A few years ago I would have thought you crazy for this. - 08/07/2010 12:15:02 AM 1087 Views
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - 06/07/2010 06:09:12 PM 1161 Views
Hm. - 08/07/2010 12:15:27 AM 1235 Views

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