A Preview of Middlemarch: It’s B-A-N-A-N-A-S!
When I went to Goodreads to mark Middlemarch (number 20 on the BBC book list, which I am working my way through) as “read” and to give it five stars (yes, it’s that… Continue reading
Tag Archive: British Literature
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Self-Interest and Cloud Atlas, The Strangest Book I’ve Ever Read
Cloud Atlas, number 82 on the BBC book list, is one of the strangest books I have ever read. My sister loaned it to me after she read it for a college class. … Continue reading
The Brilliant Comedy of Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice (1813) is the first book on the BBC book list. I think that is fitting, given the fact that it is a popular novel, even among young people… Continue reading
Killing the Book Club: The Woman in White
I killed the book club my sisters and I had by suggesting that we read The Woman in White (1860) by Wilkie Collins, number 45 on the BBC book list. It is a… Continue reading
Jude the Obscure and Sock Puppets
I spent the summer of 2007 in a graduate class studying the work of Thomas Hardy (1840-1928). At the time, I hadn’t yet read his work, besides the odd short story, so to… Continue reading
Thackeray’s Vanity Fair: A Fantastic Cure for Insomnia
I’m vain. Let’s face it. I always have been. I like to look nice, and when I’m done making myself look nice, I like to admire myself in the mirror. As a young… Continue reading
Alice in Wonderland and Puberty
I physically wrestled my husband for a copy of one of the Harry Potter books. It came in the mail the day of its release (I can’t remember which book it was), and… Continue reading
Rebecca: Not Really a Ghost Story
When I picked up a copy of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca (1938), number 15 on the BBC Book List, I couldn’t help but think, “Is this a romance novel?” You know, one of… Continue reading
My Favorite Canterbury Tale: The Sneaky, Feminist Wife
The shock on my students’ faces when I tell them that there is such a thing as self plagiarism always reminds me of The Wife of Bath. They don’t believe me. They try… Continue reading
Someone at a Distance: A Treasure from the Grave of Library Basement Obscurity
Someone at a Distance (1953) by Dorothy Whipple (1893-1966) is about a wife who is strong and smart in the face of her husband’s extreme stupidity. Sound familiar? If you’re married, it should. … Continue reading