New Read

In an effort to post more regularly, I may resort to posting on my current reads... tonight for instance:

I have completed Plato's Symposium and thought I would be continuing Plato to read The Apology... but when I started reading it, I realized that I had already read it for my undergrad*, yay! So since I know the basic plot, I am going to put off reviewing for the details until its turn during the course. So as of last night, I have begun reading Pale Fire by Nabokov.

Whoah.

I am really glad that I have read Nabokov before and feel that he is worth reading - Mary was one of my fave books of undergrad - because this book is craaazy! If I didn't know how brilliant Nabokov was, I would probably be irritated, but I'm going into it with an open mind...

Basically (if I understand correctly), it's a completely fictional book written entirely by Nabokov which includes a foreward; a 4 Canto, 999 line poem; and over 100pp in commentary. The foreward and the commentary are 'written' by a fictional character, who is a self-proclaimed friend to the "poet". So as far as I can tell, there are 3 authors in this book: Nabokov, the Poet and the Commentator. Keeps life interesting, I guess! :)

I am over halfway through the novel and it is really tough to get through the commentary portion, but I am pretty excited to see how class discussions go next semester, haha!

PS
The course is named "irony & truth"... I am really looking forward to this class!!! (that is not sarcasm, fyi - I fully embrace my nerddom... and reserve the right to make up words in the process)


*Things I have learned about myself since beginning my MA: names and I are not compatible. I usually know books and characters by the actions performed. Sometimes, I feel like I am discussing literature from a kindergartener's perspective... "you know, the tall guy whose dad made gravestones and mom was obsessed with property... the one who thought his whole family hated him?" (also known as Eugene Gant from Look Homeward Angel) or "the story that involved a magic ring the lady stole and put under her tongue to become invisible and decided that she no longer needed help from a heroic man who slays sea monsters" (aka Orlando's Furioso - right?) --- all of this to explain how I didn't realize that I had previously read The Apology. The title did nothing for me. But once I realized that it was the defence of Socrates, all was well!