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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 1904 Views
Lolita *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:13:10 PM 783 Views
Have you read Pale Fire? *NM* - 03/07/2010 12:14:56 AM 737 Views
No, I haven't. I have, however, been meaning to read The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov... - 03/07/2010 12:36:39 AM 1366 Views
Pale Fire is an excellent novel, particularly if you like making fun of Robert Frost. - 03/07/2010 06:39:29 PM 1379 Views
I've always planned on reading it. - 04/07/2010 06:30:31 PM 1377 Views
Paradise Lost *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:23:22 PM 843 Views
I have the most beautiful copy of Paradise Lost. - 03/07/2010 12:11:40 AM 1413 Views
I only have the cheap paperback from my grad school years - 03/07/2010 12:19:07 AM 1371 Views
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. - 01/07/2010 11:31:52 PM 1413 Views
What is it about? - 03/07/2010 12:14:27 AM 1428 Views
Zen and maintaining motorcycles. *NM* - 03/07/2010 03:44:44 AM 738 Views
*NM* - 03/07/2010 09:39:43 AM 689 Views
The Aeneid, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Macbeth come to mind. *NM* - 02/07/2010 02:29:13 AM 774 Views
I really didn't like Macbeth. - 03/07/2010 12:12:15 AM 1396 Views
It's so wonderfully quotable. - 03/07/2010 12:32:39 AM 1318 Views
I'm amazed by these responses. - 02/07/2010 07:10:31 PM 1569 Views
I spent most of my time trying to decide... - 02/07/2010 07:22:26 PM 1505 Views
Same *NM* - 05/07/2010 10:36:59 AM 736 Views
I was a bit too. - 02/07/2010 08:03:29 PM 1478 Views
Well, I know you are, dear. - 05/07/2010 07:45:29 AM 1493 Views
I'm usually in your camp. - 02/07/2010 11:13:35 PM 1393 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:45:51 AM 704 Views
Then you need to read more. *shrug* - 02/07/2010 11:23:24 PM 1471 Views
RE: insecure - 05/07/2010 07:49:42 AM 1515 Views
You are not excused. - 02/07/2010 11:40:16 PM 1606 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 739 Views
Yeah, it did kinda read like that - 03/07/2010 12:00:17 AM 1527 Views
I take that as a compliment and concur completely with Larry's statement. - 03/07/2010 06:48:05 PM 1400 Views
Heh. I suspected you would. Nice quote. *NM* - 03/07/2010 09:50:55 PM 747 Views
Asking me who I am? Are you kidding? *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:50:53 AM 740 Views
Were you above? - 05/07/2010 08:21:15 AM 1470 Views
You make me want to sing - 05/07/2010 02:32:37 PM 1835 Views
And you make me want to cover my ears - 05/07/2010 07:57:12 PM 1405 Views
Not sure why you're saying that.. - 05/07/2010 08:16:05 PM 1715 Views
I just don't ever want to hear you sing - 05/07/2010 08:36:51 PM 1378 Views
I'm a literary snob? Really? Cool! - 03/07/2010 12:23:55 AM 1374 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:51:21 AM 670 Views
What is yours? - 05/07/2010 05:19:23 AM 1816 Views
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine is mine. - 05/07/2010 07:51:59 AM 1498 Views
I will read that one day. When I can find it. *NM* - 05/07/2010 11:09:32 PM 698 Views
You should. It's excellent. *NM* - 07/07/2010 06:14:40 AM 664 Views
Re: I'm not excusing you. You're incredibly mean right now. - 09/07/2010 08:33:02 AM 1389 Views
There are many but - 02/07/2010 08:33:44 PM 1530 Views
Re: There are many but - 03/07/2010 12:12:33 AM 1255 Views
Easy. The Mahabharatha... - 02/07/2010 11:55:27 PM 1417 Views
Don't tell Roh. - 03/07/2010 12:13:57 AM 1374 Views
Which one? - 03/07/2010 12:59:43 AM 1378 Views
Re: Which one? - 05/07/2010 05:28:08 PM 1491 Views
There's a "proper one"? - 06/07/2010 06:03:55 PM 1326 Views
It is big. - 08/07/2010 12:14:24 AM 1390 Views
Re: I sent her Kamala Subramaniam's translation. - 09/07/2010 08:20:43 AM 1402 Views
Ahhh... One of my favorites... - 09/07/2010 05:24:55 PM 1751 Views
It's spelled "Mahabharata". - 03/07/2010 06:51:09 PM 1373 Views
That's not how it is pronounced though... - 03/07/2010 08:54:27 PM 1397 Views
Traditional pronunciation vs. modern pronunciation - 03/07/2010 09:47:52 PM 1401 Views
I learned Sanskrit for years... - 04/07/2010 01:28:34 AM 1299 Views
However... - 04/07/2010 02:31:00 AM 1308 Views
Re: Ew. *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:57:03 AM 703 Views
Re: I should have read the thread before bothering to give my skimpy response! - 09/07/2010 08:26:35 AM 1668 Views
Re: Actually, I think those two letter would get an "hh". *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:25:57 AM 706 Views
Re: Yes, but at no point is that war a good thing. - 09/07/2010 08:24:57 AM 1592 Views
American Gods. *NM* - 03/07/2010 04:49:18 AM 714 Views
I really wanted to enjoy that a lot. It was good, but not amazing, imo. - 05/07/2010 05:28:53 PM 1346 Views
Totally agree. Great concept that fell short. *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:46:55 AM 661 Views
Shogun - 03/07/2010 03:08:04 PM 1368 Views
I've been tempted a few times. - 05/07/2010 05:29:18 PM 1512 Views
huh. I always felt that... - 05/07/2010 10:00:29 PM 1287 Views
I really liked Tai Pan as well. - 06/07/2010 12:37:58 PM 1380 Views
I'd have to say Noble House is the most impressive of the three. - 06/07/2010 01:30:11 PM 1420 Views
A few that come to mind: Doctor Zhivago, Master & Margarita and Brothers Karamazov - 03/07/2010 06:53:25 PM 1387 Views
I've only read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. - 05/07/2010 05:30:45 PM 1406 Views
It's one of the weaker ones of his "famous" novels. - 06/07/2010 08:08:27 PM 1381 Views
I was somewhat disappointed by the Picture of Dorian Gray - 07/07/2010 05:33:31 AM 1332 Views
To Kill a Mockingbird - 05/07/2010 02:30:44 PM 1663 Views
It is excellent. - 05/07/2010 05:31:21 PM 1301 Views
Catch-22 *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:27:57 AM 928 Views
+1 *NM* - 06/07/2010 06:07:59 PM 651 Views
A few years ago I would have thought you crazy for this. - 08/07/2010 12:15:02 AM 1275 Views
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - 06/07/2010 06:09:12 PM 1335 Views
Hm. - 08/07/2010 12:15:27 AM 1417 Views

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