"We trust to novels to train us in the practice of great indignations and great generosities." (Henry James)
"Literature has other aims than that of harmlessly amusing indolent languid men: or if Literature have them not, then Literature is a very poor affair." (Thomas Carlyle)
"it spread ever so far, her life, herself" (Virginia Woolf, Mrs Dalloway)
Donations to the Samantha Li Memorial Fund can be made through External Relations, Dalhousie University, 1-800-565-9969.
Currently Reading
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteridge
George Eliot, Middlemarch
Ellen Wood, East Lynne
Hermione Lee, Virginia Woolf
Recent Reading: In Brief
Elizabeth Strout, Olive Kitteredge. Yeah, OK, this was nice, sharp at moments, sometimes touching. But it struck me as small throughout--small in scale, small in scope, small in insight. Also, I wasn't convinced about the success of the 'short story collection as unified whole' approach. For instance, the repetition of details in individual stories (telling us things we already knew) was awkward. Finally, I thought the language was wooden, even cliched, at times, and though I struggled to blame the characters (trying to read the flat parts as free indirect discourse), I wasn't sure--and in that doubt lies trouble. A really good writer might take risks with using unoriginal language for unoriginal minds, but she would make sure I knew who was responsible for it. Oh, and another thing: the Q&A with Strout and "Olive Kitteredge" in the Reader's Guide materials was just too, too precious.
Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall. I hope to do a full review of this book soon. For now, I'll just say that I've never read another historical novel like it, and that if I am often inclined to say 'no' to modern historical fiction, Wolf Hall definitely gets a 'yes' from me.
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