Day 2: The 30 Day Book Meme
And here we are, at day 2...
This is no surprise to anyone that has ever known me.
But the answer is....HAMLET(!!!!!!!!!) Which is a play rather than a novel (its novel counterparts would be The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, any of the first 3 Harry Potter books, and Ender's Game...)
So, what do I have to say about, arguably, the greatest piece of literature ever composed...? Something bound to be ineloquent and repetitive when compared to other accounts. So I will simply say this: I love it because every time I read it I find different things. And not just small things and turns of phrases that are illuminated due to some experience I've had or some other text I've read recently, but big whoppin' differences in world view.
Just how the ghost scene plays out says a lot. If you take it for granted, given the historical realities of the time it was written, that the ghost is imbedded within the framework of the Protestant religion, than he is a demon. No bones about that one. However, if you give credence to the fact Shakespeare was, indeed, a Catholic, then you can integrate in the concept of Purgatory.
Or even Hamlet's struggle to understand death and how, over the course of the play, his thinking evolves from a scholarly metaphysical viewpoint to one premised on the physical realities that the gravedigger presents in Act V.
Lastly, the plot is crap. Really, if you want an exercise in how not to do plot, you should go to Hamlet. I mean, at one point there is a plot ploy with pirates. Random ass pirates. And King Hamlet gets killed with ear poison. And Hamlet has a weird thing going on with his mother.
But you don't care. And usually, you don't think back and go "Well, that was certainly nonsensical!" Because, apparently, that is some sort of blasphemy that condemns you to English teacher hell. But, really, as cheesy as it sounds, it manages to transcend all that through the depth of thought and the unparalleled richness of its language.
Now I want to go read it again...
This is no surprise to anyone that has ever known me.
But the answer is....HAMLET(!!!!!!!!!) Which is a play rather than a novel (its novel counterparts would be The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, any of the first 3 Harry Potter books, and Ender's Game...)
So, what do I have to say about, arguably, the greatest piece of literature ever composed...? Something bound to be ineloquent and repetitive when compared to other accounts. So I will simply say this: I love it because every time I read it I find different things. And not just small things and turns of phrases that are illuminated due to some experience I've had or some other text I've read recently, but big whoppin' differences in world view.
Just how the ghost scene plays out says a lot. If you take it for granted, given the historical realities of the time it was written, that the ghost is imbedded within the framework of the Protestant religion, than he is a demon. No bones about that one. However, if you give credence to the fact Shakespeare was, indeed, a Catholic, then you can integrate in the concept of Purgatory.
Or even Hamlet's struggle to understand death and how, over the course of the play, his thinking evolves from a scholarly metaphysical viewpoint to one premised on the physical realities that the gravedigger presents in Act V.
Lastly, the plot is crap. Really, if you want an exercise in how not to do plot, you should go to Hamlet. I mean, at one point there is a plot ploy with pirates. Random ass pirates. And King Hamlet gets killed with ear poison. And Hamlet has a weird thing going on with his mother.
But you don't care. And usually, you don't think back and go "Well, that was certainly nonsensical!" Because, apparently, that is some sort of blasphemy that condemns you to English teacher hell. But, really, as cheesy as it sounds, it manages to transcend all that through the depth of thought and the unparalleled richness of its language.
Now I want to go read it again...