VI VERI VENIVERSUM VIVUS VICI
Tristran shouted his agreement. He tried to find an inn, in his mind, and failed. They sat together, getting wetter. Tristran thought about the star and the unicorn. She would be cold by now, and wet. He worried about her broken leg, and thought about how saddle-sore she must be. It was all his fault. He felt wretched.
"I am the most miserable person who ever lived," he said to the Lord Primus, when they stopped to feed the horses feed-bags of damp oats.
"You are young, and in love," said Primus. "Every young man in your position is the most miserable young man who ever lived."
I have just finished reading Stardust, being a Romance within the Realm of Faerie, and it was rather a pleasant read if not for the minor fact that it was a Neil Gaiman œuvre-and as such I kind of expected a little more. Stardust proved to be a rather straightforward, and in some places, predictable tale. Like the moment Tristran discovered that the star was, in fact, a woman, it was readily apparent to me that in the end he would forget all about Victoria Forrester and fall in love with her. As a result, from that point forth it was no longer an eagerness to discover what would happen next but rather an eagerness to discover when-and how-Tristran would fall in love with her and forget all about Victoria.
Nevertheless, Stardust was a good read, and it was particularly engaging, even if it was not really for plot development, so I guess in that aspect Neil succeeded. Some parts were really just beautiful to read, like when Tristran walked Victoria home in the early stages of the novel. I'm glad that I finished reading the book before watching the film, because I heard that the film made several departures from the novel- certain lines were added, for one. I would still want to watch it though, and Claire Danes as the star (pun not intended) is really a good choice.
TRIVIA:
Q: The Pope resides in Vatican City and his church is St Peter's Basilica, true or false?
A: FALSE. Although St Peter's is the largest, grandest, one of the oldest, and certainly the Pope's principal church (in the sense that most of his public ceremonies are conducted there), the Pope's own church is NOT St Peter's. By Catholic tradition, each of the four major basilicas, of which St Peter's is one, belong to a Patriarch of the Church. St Peter's is assigned to the Patriarch of Constantinople, a title which is now abolished, and therefore does not hold cathedral status.
The major basilica assigned to the Patriarch of Rome is the Archbasilica of St John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano) located to the east in Rome. Before the current St Peter's and the Vatican Palace were constructed in the 16th Century, the popes resided in the Lateran Palace next to St John Lateran. The Pope's throne (his cathedra, from which the term 'cathedral' is derived) is located in the apse of the Lateran Archbasilica. In comparison, the cathedra in the apse of St Peter's Basilica is the Cathedra Petri, or Seat of St Peter, and it is believed that a relic of Peter's own seat is enshrined within it.
Therefore, as Bishop of Rome, the Pope's own church is the Archbasilica of St John Lateran and accordingly, as an (or rather, the only) archbasilica, it ranks first and foremost amongst all the churches in Christendom-even above St Peter's.
Anyway, having finished with Stardust, the first book I attempted to read since coming here, I originally wanted to embark next on Good Omens (to revive my faith in Neil, haha) but since EL borrowed it, I chose to start next on a classic which I have wanted to read for a long time. Since GE2006, in fact:
Such a coincidence, the day after V Day, eh? Hehe.... David Lloyd's use of chiaroscuro certainly added to the dark theme of the graphic novel, and while reading it, I begin to appreciate why people said that the graphic novel was very different from the film. And now I wish I had read the graphic novel before watching the film, e.g. every time Evey Hammond appears, I keep picturing Natalie Portman's face. It is really brilliant, the number of associations to the letter 'V' there are in the novel, e.g. the first bars of Beethoven's Fifth, the 'da da da dum', actually spell 'V' in morse code, and even Evey's name-which is comprised of 'e', the fifth letter in the alphabet; 'v', the fifth letter from the end of the alphabet; and 'y', the 25th letter of the alphabet or 5 squared. Brilliant.
What I don't quite understand, though, is why it is printed on this rough-type paper, unlike the glossy type of paper which most graphic novels are printed on these days. Which means I have to be exceptionally careful whilst handling it.
vi veri veniversum vivus vici
By the power of truth, I, while living
have conquered the universe
§ Technorati tags:
reading;
trivia
"I am the most miserable person who ever lived," he said to the Lord Primus, when they stopped to feed the horses feed-bags of damp oats.
"You are young, and in love," said Primus. "Every young man in your position is the most miserable young man who ever lived."
I have just finished reading Stardust, being a Romance within the Realm of Faerie, and it was rather a pleasant read if not for the minor fact that it was a Neil Gaiman œuvre-and as such I kind of expected a little more. Stardust proved to be a rather straightforward, and in some places, predictable tale. Like the moment Tristran discovered that the star was, in fact, a woman, it was readily apparent to me that in the end he would forget all about Victoria Forrester and fall in love with her. As a result, from that point forth it was no longer an eagerness to discover what would happen next but rather an eagerness to discover when-and how-Tristran would fall in love with her and forget all about Victoria.
Nevertheless, Stardust was a good read, and it was particularly engaging, even if it was not really for plot development, so I guess in that aspect Neil succeeded. Some parts were really just beautiful to read, like when Tristran walked Victoria home in the early stages of the novel. I'm glad that I finished reading the book before watching the film, because I heard that the film made several departures from the novel- certain lines were added, for one. I would still want to watch it though, and Claire Danes as the star (pun not intended) is really a good choice.
TRIVIA:
Q: The Pope resides in Vatican City and his church is St Peter's Basilica, true or false?
A: FALSE. Although St Peter's is the largest, grandest, one of the oldest, and certainly the Pope's principal church (in the sense that most of his public ceremonies are conducted there), the Pope's own church is NOT St Peter's. By Catholic tradition, each of the four major basilicas, of which St Peter's is one, belong to a Patriarch of the Church. St Peter's is assigned to the Patriarch of Constantinople, a title which is now abolished, and therefore does not hold cathedral status.
The major basilica assigned to the Patriarch of Rome is the Archbasilica of St John Lateran (San Giovanni in Laterano) located to the east in Rome. Before the current St Peter's and the Vatican Palace were constructed in the 16th Century, the popes resided in the Lateran Palace next to St John Lateran. The Pope's throne (his cathedra, from which the term 'cathedral' is derived) is located in the apse of the Lateran Archbasilica. In comparison, the cathedra in the apse of St Peter's Basilica is the Cathedra Petri, or Seat of St Peter, and it is believed that a relic of Peter's own seat is enshrined within it.
Therefore, as Bishop of Rome, the Pope's own church is the Archbasilica of St John Lateran and accordingly, as an (or rather, the only) archbasilica, it ranks first and foremost amongst all the churches in Christendom-even above St Peter's.
Anyway, having finished with Stardust, the first book I attempted to read since coming here, I originally wanted to embark next on Good Omens (to revive my faith in Neil, haha) but since EL borrowed it, I chose to start next on a classic which I have wanted to read for a long time. Since GE2006, in fact:
Such a coincidence, the day after V Day, eh? Hehe.... David Lloyd's use of chiaroscuro certainly added to the dark theme of the graphic novel, and while reading it, I begin to appreciate why people said that the graphic novel was very different from the film. And now I wish I had read the graphic novel before watching the film, e.g. every time Evey Hammond appears, I keep picturing Natalie Portman's face. It is really brilliant, the number of associations to the letter 'V' there are in the novel, e.g. the first bars of Beethoven's Fifth, the 'da da da dum', actually spell 'V' in morse code, and even Evey's name-which is comprised of 'e', the fifth letter in the alphabet; 'v', the fifth letter from the end of the alphabet; and 'y', the 25th letter of the alphabet or 5 squared. Brilliant.
What I don't quite understand, though, is why it is printed on this rough-type paper, unlike the glossy type of paper which most graphic novels are printed on these days. Which means I have to be exceptionally careful whilst handling it.
vi veri veniversum vivus vici
By the power of truth, I, while living
have conquered the universe
§ Technorati tags:
reading;
trivia