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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 1945 Views
Lolita *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:13:10 PM 805 Views
Have you read Pale Fire? *NM* - 03/07/2010 12:14:56 AM 780 Views
No, I haven't. I have, however, been meaning to read The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov... - 03/07/2010 12:36:39 AM 1436 Views
Pale Fire is an excellent novel, particularly if you like making fun of Robert Frost. - 03/07/2010 06:39:29 PM 1424 Views
I've always planned on reading it. - 04/07/2010 06:30:31 PM 1464 Views
Paradise Lost *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:23:22 PM 873 Views
I have the most beautiful copy of Paradise Lost. - 03/07/2010 12:11:40 AM 1454 Views
I only have the cheap paperback from my grad school years - 03/07/2010 12:19:07 AM 1410 Views
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. - 01/07/2010 11:31:52 PM 1456 Views
What is it about? - 03/07/2010 12:14:27 AM 1457 Views
Zen and maintaining motorcycles. *NM* - 03/07/2010 03:44:44 AM 756 Views
*NM* - 03/07/2010 09:39:43 AM 716 Views
The Aeneid, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Macbeth come to mind. *NM* - 02/07/2010 02:29:13 AM 796 Views
I really didn't like Macbeth. - 03/07/2010 12:12:15 AM 1431 Views
It's so wonderfully quotable. - 03/07/2010 12:32:39 AM 1353 Views
I'm amazed by these responses. - 02/07/2010 07:10:31 PM 1600 Views
I spent most of my time trying to decide... - 02/07/2010 07:22:26 PM 1566 Views
Same *NM* - 05/07/2010 10:36:59 AM 760 Views
I was a bit too. - 02/07/2010 08:03:29 PM 1514 Views
Well, I know you are, dear. - 05/07/2010 07:45:29 AM 1536 Views
I'm usually in your camp. - 02/07/2010 11:13:35 PM 1432 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:45:51 AM 727 Views
Then you need to read more. *shrug* - 02/07/2010 11:23:24 PM 1507 Views
RE: insecure - 05/07/2010 07:49:42 AM 1555 Views
You are not excused. - 02/07/2010 11:40:16 PM 1646 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 775 Views
Yeah, it did kinda read like that - 03/07/2010 12:00:17 AM 1572 Views
I take that as a compliment and concur completely with Larry's statement. - 03/07/2010 06:48:05 PM 1455 Views
Heh. I suspected you would. Nice quote. *NM* - 03/07/2010 09:50:55 PM 771 Views
Asking me who I am? Are you kidding? *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:50:53 AM 763 Views
Were you above? - 05/07/2010 08:21:15 AM 1509 Views
You make me want to sing - 05/07/2010 02:32:37 PM 1870 Views
And you make me want to cover my ears - 05/07/2010 07:57:12 PM 1440 Views
Not sure why you're saying that.. - 05/07/2010 08:16:05 PM 1759 Views
I just don't ever want to hear you sing - 05/07/2010 08:36:51 PM 1423 Views
I'm a literary snob? Really? Cool! - 03/07/2010 12:23:55 AM 1411 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:51:21 AM 689 Views
What is yours? - 05/07/2010 05:19:23 AM 1854 Views
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine is mine. - 05/07/2010 07:51:59 AM 1536 Views
I will read that one day. When I can find it. *NM* - 05/07/2010 11:09:32 PM 718 Views
You should. It's excellent. *NM* - 07/07/2010 06:14:40 AM 683 Views
Re: I'm not excusing you. You're incredibly mean right now. - 09/07/2010 08:33:02 AM 1416 Views
There are many but - 02/07/2010 08:33:44 PM 1567 Views
Re: There are many but - 03/07/2010 12:12:33 AM 1287 Views
Easy. The Mahabharatha... - 02/07/2010 11:55:27 PM 1452 Views
Don't tell Roh. - 03/07/2010 12:13:57 AM 1408 Views
Which one? - 03/07/2010 12:59:43 AM 1411 Views
Re: Which one? - 05/07/2010 05:28:08 PM 1525 Views
There's a "proper one"? - 06/07/2010 06:03:55 PM 1362 Views
It is big. - 08/07/2010 12:14:24 AM 1431 Views
Re: I sent her Kamala Subramaniam's translation. - 09/07/2010 08:20:43 AM 1437 Views
Ahhh... One of my favorites... - 09/07/2010 05:24:55 PM 1800 Views
It's spelled "Mahabharata". - 03/07/2010 06:51:09 PM 1410 Views
That's not how it is pronounced though... - 03/07/2010 08:54:27 PM 1437 Views
Traditional pronunciation vs. modern pronunciation - 03/07/2010 09:47:52 PM 1432 Views
I learned Sanskrit for years... - 04/07/2010 01:28:34 AM 1347 Views
However... - 04/07/2010 02:31:00 AM 1348 Views
Re: Ew. *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:57:03 AM 724 Views
Re: I should have read the thread before bothering to give my skimpy response! - 09/07/2010 08:26:35 AM 1717 Views
Re: Actually, I think those two letter would get an "hh". *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:25:57 AM 730 Views
Re: Yes, but at no point is that war a good thing. - 09/07/2010 08:24:57 AM 1627 Views
American Gods. *NM* - 03/07/2010 04:49:18 AM 739 Views
I really wanted to enjoy that a lot. It was good, but not amazing, imo. - 05/07/2010 05:28:53 PM 1378 Views
Totally agree. Great concept that fell short. *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:46:55 AM 683 Views
Shogun - 03/07/2010 03:08:04 PM 1404 Views
I've been tempted a few times. - 05/07/2010 05:29:18 PM 1567 Views
huh. I always felt that... - 05/07/2010 10:00:29 PM 1326 Views
I really liked Tai Pan as well. - 06/07/2010 12:37:58 PM 1424 Views
I'd have to say Noble House is the most impressive of the three. - 06/07/2010 01:30:11 PM 1463 Views
A few that come to mind: Doctor Zhivago, Master & Margarita and Brothers Karamazov - 03/07/2010 06:53:25 PM 1429 Views
I've only read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. - 05/07/2010 05:30:45 PM 1451 Views
It's one of the weaker ones of his "famous" novels. - 06/07/2010 08:08:27 PM 1421 Views
I was somewhat disappointed by the Picture of Dorian Gray - 07/07/2010 05:33:31 AM 1382 Views
To Kill a Mockingbird - 05/07/2010 02:30:44 PM 1707 Views
It is excellent. - 05/07/2010 05:31:21 PM 1340 Views
Catch-22 *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:27:57 AM 951 Views
+1 *NM* - 06/07/2010 06:07:59 PM 671 Views
A few years ago I would have thought you crazy for this. - 08/07/2010 12:15:02 AM 1318 Views
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - 06/07/2010 06:09:12 PM 1386 Views
Hm. - 08/07/2010 12:15:27 AM 1465 Views

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