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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 1867 Views
Lolita *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:13:10 PM 759 Views
Have you read Pale Fire? *NM* - 03/07/2010 12:14:56 AM 714 Views
No, I haven't. I have, however, been meaning to read The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov... - 03/07/2010 12:36:39 AM 1254 Views
Pale Fire is an excellent novel, particularly if you like making fun of Robert Frost. - 03/07/2010 06:39:29 PM 1343 Views
I've always planned on reading it. - 04/07/2010 06:30:31 PM 1272 Views
Paradise Lost *NM* - 01/07/2010 11:23:22 PM 823 Views
I have the most beautiful copy of Paradise Lost. - 03/07/2010 12:11:40 AM 1368 Views
I only have the cheap paperback from my grad school years - 03/07/2010 12:19:07 AM 1332 Views
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. - 01/07/2010 11:31:52 PM 1374 Views
What is it about? - 03/07/2010 12:14:27 AM 1385 Views
Zen and maintaining motorcycles. *NM* - 03/07/2010 03:44:44 AM 717 Views
*NM* - 03/07/2010 09:39:43 AM 664 Views
The Aeneid, the Iliad, the Odyssey, and Macbeth come to mind. *NM* - 02/07/2010 02:29:13 AM 753 Views
I really didn't like Macbeth. - 03/07/2010 12:12:15 AM 1355 Views
It's so wonderfully quotable. - 03/07/2010 12:32:39 AM 1278 Views
I'm amazed by these responses. - 02/07/2010 07:10:31 PM 1531 Views
I spent most of my time trying to decide... - 02/07/2010 07:22:26 PM 1456 Views
Same *NM* - 05/07/2010 10:36:59 AM 716 Views
I was a bit too. - 02/07/2010 08:03:29 PM 1426 Views
Well, I know you are, dear. - 05/07/2010 07:45:29 AM 1456 Views
I'm usually in your camp. - 02/07/2010 11:13:35 PM 1351 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:45:51 AM 680 Views
Then you need to read more. *shrug* - 02/07/2010 11:23:24 PM 1426 Views
RE: insecure - 05/07/2010 07:49:42 AM 1477 Views
You are not excused. - 02/07/2010 11:40:16 PM 1570 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 719 Views
Yeah, it did kinda read like that - 03/07/2010 12:00:17 AM 1483 Views
I take that as a compliment and concur completely with Larry's statement. - 03/07/2010 06:48:05 PM 1356 Views
Heh. I suspected you would. Nice quote. *NM* - 03/07/2010 09:50:55 PM 728 Views
Asking me who I am? Are you kidding? *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:50:53 AM 715 Views
Were you above? - 05/07/2010 08:21:15 AM 1434 Views
You make me want to sing - 05/07/2010 02:32:37 PM 1805 Views
And you make me want to cover my ears - 05/07/2010 07:57:12 PM 1365 Views
Not sure why you're saying that.. - 05/07/2010 08:16:05 PM 1682 Views
I just don't ever want to hear you sing - 05/07/2010 08:36:51 PM 1341 Views
I'm a literary snob? Really? Cool! - 03/07/2010 12:23:55 AM 1336 Views
Fair enough. *NM* - 05/07/2010 07:51:21 AM 649 Views
What is yours? - 05/07/2010 05:19:23 AM 1790 Views
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine is mine. - 05/07/2010 07:51:59 AM 1458 Views
I will read that one day. When I can find it. *NM* - 05/07/2010 11:09:32 PM 676 Views
You should. It's excellent. *NM* - 07/07/2010 06:14:40 AM 635 Views
Re: I'm not excusing you. You're incredibly mean right now. - 09/07/2010 08:33:02 AM 1346 Views
There are many but - 02/07/2010 08:33:44 PM 1494 Views
Re: There are many but - 03/07/2010 12:12:33 AM 1225 Views
Easy. The Mahabharatha... - 02/07/2010 11:55:27 PM 1370 Views
Don't tell Roh. - 03/07/2010 12:13:57 AM 1332 Views
Which one? - 03/07/2010 12:59:43 AM 1339 Views
Re: Which one? - 05/07/2010 05:28:08 PM 1455 Views
There's a "proper one"? - 06/07/2010 06:03:55 PM 1290 Views
It is big. - 08/07/2010 12:14:24 AM 1345 Views
Re: I sent her Kamala Subramaniam's translation. - 09/07/2010 08:20:43 AM 1367 Views
Ahhh... One of my favorites... - 09/07/2010 05:24:55 PM 1707 Views
It's spelled "Mahabharata". - 03/07/2010 06:51:09 PM 1330 Views
That's not how it is pronounced though... - 03/07/2010 08:54:27 PM 1352 Views
Traditional pronunciation vs. modern pronunciation - 03/07/2010 09:47:52 PM 1361 Views
I learned Sanskrit for years... - 04/07/2010 01:28:34 AM 1254 Views
However... - 04/07/2010 02:31:00 AM 1263 Views
Re: Ew. *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:57:03 AM 681 Views
Re: I should have read the thread before bothering to give my skimpy response! - 09/07/2010 08:26:35 AM 1627 Views
Re: Actually, I think those two letter would get an "hh". *NM* - 09/07/2010 08:25:57 AM 685 Views
Re: Yes, but at no point is that war a good thing. - 09/07/2010 08:24:57 AM 1550 Views
American Gods. *NM* - 03/07/2010 04:49:18 AM 692 Views
I really wanted to enjoy that a lot. It was good, but not amazing, imo. - 05/07/2010 05:28:53 PM 1304 Views
Totally agree. Great concept that fell short. *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:46:55 AM 637 Views
Shogun - 03/07/2010 03:08:04 PM 1334 Views
I've been tempted a few times. - 05/07/2010 05:29:18 PM 1472 Views
huh. I always felt that... - 05/07/2010 10:00:29 PM 1245 Views
I really liked Tai Pan as well. - 06/07/2010 12:37:58 PM 1342 Views
I'd have to say Noble House is the most impressive of the three. - 06/07/2010 01:30:11 PM 1371 Views
A few that come to mind: Doctor Zhivago, Master & Margarita and Brothers Karamazov - 03/07/2010 06:53:25 PM 1346 Views
I've only read Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky. - 05/07/2010 05:30:45 PM 1333 Views
It's one of the weaker ones of his "famous" novels. - 06/07/2010 08:08:27 PM 1339 Views
I was somewhat disappointed by the Picture of Dorian Gray - 07/07/2010 05:33:31 AM 1297 Views
To Kill a Mockingbird - 05/07/2010 02:30:44 PM 1634 Views
It is excellent. - 05/07/2010 05:31:21 PM 1261 Views
Catch-22 *NM* - 06/07/2010 02:27:57 AM 907 Views
+1 *NM* - 06/07/2010 06:07:59 PM 628 Views
A few years ago I would have thought you crazy for this. - 08/07/2010 12:15:02 AM 1232 Views
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius - 06/07/2010 06:09:12 PM 1296 Views
Hm. - 08/07/2010 12:15:27 AM 1382 Views

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