I'd like to become familiar with the basics of the Narrative Theory/Narratology. Can anyone in the know recommend a primer, or other key reading(s) -- either seminal books or articles?
Assume I next to nothing about the field (so seemingly obvious citiations are welcomed); also assume that I won't be put off by thick tomes or dense prose. Thanks!
posted by .kobayashi.
on Aug 4, 2005 -
19 answers
Online literature: I am trying to find the first paraghraphs from novels by Steinbeck and Hemingway. Online and for free. Or any means of retrieving excerpts from their novels.
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posted by snsranch
on Aug 1, 2005 -
9 answers
Can anyone recommend a dictionary or guide to 17th-century English that would help my teenage daughter understand the words she comes across when reading Milton and the boys?
posted by GoatCactus
on Jul 20, 2005 -
10 answers
What's your favourite work of trashy fiction? I'm looking for some good, fun, trashy yet smart reads in which I can unabashedly wallow.
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posted by orange swan
on Jul 19, 2005 -
47 answers
JewishHistoryFilter : Can anybody recommend a good book that dissects the common Jewish conspiracy theories and discusses their history? Extra points for readability.
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posted by afroblanca
on Jul 16, 2005 -
21 answers
What non-standard texts would you recommend for a community reading group on Existentialism? I am hoping to volunteer as a coordinator of a discussion group on Existentialism, part of a program in the humanities for people without higher education. I would like to hear your suggestions for readings, aside from the obvious canon of excerpts from Kierkegaard, Sartre, Pascal, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, Jaspers &co. The readings should not be too technical, be literature or philosophy, and ideally 50 pages or less. They don't even have to represent "Existentialism" proper (whatever that is!); anything that explores themes of subjectivity is welcome.
posted by ori
on Jul 11, 2005 -
21 answers
Someone (evil) lately introduced me to Sue Grafton... No, no, her books, I mean. But what else?
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posted by carmina
on Jul 9, 2005 -
27 answers
Help me find a new author in the style of Patricia Cornwell, Iain Banks, Christopher Brookmyre, Ian Rankin etc.
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posted by Leud
on Jun 28, 2005 -
13 answers
I'm looking for suggestions for Young Adult literature (of all levels, from upper-elementary to adult-for-young-adults) that would appeal to the different "intelligences" of
Gardner's theory.
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posted by dagnyscott
on Jun 10, 2005 -
8 answers
Who is the originator of the familiar literary trope that human beings are half lofty/angelic, half base?
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posted by ori
on Jun 7, 2005 -
12 answers
I've got a couple of friends that are getting married shortly and then taking off to Morocco for a couple of years early this Fall. Given the unique nature of the first few years of their marraige, they don't have a conventional registry. I'd like to get them a couple of books that are either set in Morocco or deal with Moroccan people elsewhere.
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posted by Ufez Jones
on Jun 6, 2005 -
8 answers
There's certainly no shortage of books written about the 2004 Red Sox season, but are any of them any good? I do love some baseball reading in the summer, but don't want to waste my time with schlock. What's the
"Boys of Summer," or
"Summer of '49" for the 2004 Sox? Or are we still waiting for one to be published?
posted by .kobayashi.
on Jun 1, 2005 -
9 answers
There was a book I read in Jr. High about a shy, awkward teenage boy named Fex. Not Tex, "Fex." I am fuzzy on the details but I seem to recall he wore unfashionable cowboy shirts and/or cowboy boots -- I could be wrong on that -- and that he gets embarrassed at a party; that I'm sure of. Anyone else remember this?
posted by britain
on May 31, 2005 -
2 answers
StoryFinderFilter: Please help me find a short story that describes the homecoming of an older Shakespeare to Anne Hathaway's house. Only Shakespeare isn't Shakespeare, and the wife notices . . .
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posted by amber_dale
on May 9, 2005 -
2 answers
Grad students unite! Calling all Ph.D. students, but especially those in the humanities, literature, languages, or history departments. How do you stay healthy (mentally and physically), keep sane, be positive, get work finished in a timely manner, stay happy?
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posted by fionab
on May 1, 2005 -
35 answers
Are there any precursors to the science-fiction genre that appear earlier than
Frankenstein? Essentially, I want to know: what is the first ever appearance of science-fiction?
posted by monsterhero
on Apr 26, 2005 -
30 answers
I am looking for literature on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict...
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posted by tcp
on Apr 17, 2005 -
15 answers
Sorry to bug, but this is driving me crazy: I recently read a passage (in a novel, I think) where the narrator or one of the characters says that you can tell a lot about a culture based on what they drank to avoid dehydration before the advent of reliably potable water. (mi)
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posted by audrey the bug
on Mar 30, 2005 -
17 answers
Have perceptions of time changed in the last few hundred years? Did people used to speak more casually about periods of time? I'm reading Jane Eyre, and Charlotte Bronte uses "ten minutes" in an odd way. I suspect she means (by today's standards) 30 seconds. Is this sloppy writing, cultural difference or what?
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posted by grumblebee
on Mar 28, 2005 -
20 answers
Well, one might be Cultural Studies, at least. I've had a couple of ideas for papers in the last couple days but I am having trouble digging up some preliminary research sources on them and the offerings at my university library are a bit meagre.
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posted by synecdoche
on Mar 28, 2005 -
16 answers
I'm trying to get into reading again, and am looking for fiction authors who write well-defined characters and seem genuinely to like people.
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posted by Tuwa
on Mar 26, 2005 -
55 answers
A friend has asked me to find out if a particular title she wants to use for a short story has ever previously been used in published story. I have no idea how to find this out, or if it's even possible to find out, so I am asking you guys. If you wanted to title a story, say, "Mr. Jones Learns to Pogo," and you wanted to absolutely sure that title hadn't been used before, what would you do? (Personally, I could care less if my titles have been used before, but my friend is a bit obsessive--and quite brilliant.)
Thanks.
Lustra
posted by lustra
on Mar 25, 2005 -
6 answers
Does anyone have some good info on writer Langston Hughes, aside from obvious Google sources? Any information gotten off the beaten path? I'd love to get some relatively unknown info on him, if anyone has it, or some particulary good access sites/books. Writing a paper and am tired of following everyone elses footsteps with information access.
posted by codeofconduct
on Mar 12, 2005 -
15 answers
A cohort and I are starting an online literary magazine with a very specific vibe and mission. We have experience in writing and editing, but we've never actually
run one of these crazy things before. What would be the best resources for us to learn the ins and outs before we jump right in? Does anyone have any informed advice or dire warnings?
posted by Sticherbeast
on Mar 8, 2005 -
5 answers
I can graduate in a year with a BA in literature. That would make it 2.5 years start-to-finish. Should I double major and stick around longer, or can I move onto grad school with just this?
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posted by rfordh
on Mar 8, 2005 -
27 answers
Solve This! I love mystery novels and have a hard time finding some that I like. What do you recommend?
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posted by orange swan
on Mar 8, 2005 -
35 answers
I love Raymond Carver's short stories because they're complete and perfect without much happening in them, in terms of action and plot development. What I'd like to find is some novels that are similarly "plotless"? Do they exist?
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posted by bunglin jones
on Mar 8, 2005 -
38 answers
I'm trying to learn about the Edwardian era especially (but not exclusively) in England, Ireland, and Canada. What excellent materials (fiction and non-fiction books, movies, websites, etc.) have you read and seen about this period?
posted by orange swan
on Mar 1, 2005 -
17 answers
The book was probably published in the 1970s or 1980s, with green on the cover, black-and-white photographs throughout, and talked about the death of a bird. I vaguely recall a photo or two of the bird being buried in a shoebox. What is the name of this book, and who is the writer/photographer?
posted by itchie
on Feb 28, 2005 -
10 answers
While some of us as children were reading
Life is Hell and
Mad Magazine, Marjane Satrapi was reading comic books on Marxist theory. In her book
Persepolis she mentions her favorite comic book as being titled
Dialectic Materialism. I've also seen this book referred to as
Dialectic Materialism for Children but can't find it anywhere. Has anyone heard of it or know where I can find a copy?
posted by rokabiri
on Feb 16, 2005 -
6 answers
How did people learn how to write poetry back in the days when rhyme and meter were standard? [mi]
posted by nebulawindphone
on Feb 1, 2005 -
15 answers
Portuguese authors for the learner. I am teaching myself Portuguese and want some enjoyable fiction to read for exercise. Any recommendations for authors with a simple prose style (a la Hemingway or Steinbeck)? Bonus points for Brazilian setting.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen
on Jan 24, 2005 -
14 answers
What are some good websites that review children's literature? Bonus if the focus is on preschool or early elementary.
posted by dagnyscott
on Jan 20, 2005 -
6 answers
I'm looking for fresh examples from literature (short stories, poems, or parts of larger works) that involve characters who stick to a set of good principles and are admired, even though sticking to the principles may involve some sacrifice for everyone else. A good example would be Le Guin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas". I'm also looking for examples in which people stubbornly stand by good principles when they are clearly getting in the way of some greater good. [MI]
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posted by ontic
on Jan 17, 2005 -
28 answers
I should be able to find this, but google isn't treating me well. There is this quote which I thought was by Emerson, but now I'm not sure... It goes something like "I will say one thing today and say the opposite thing tomorrow and defend it strongly." (Obviously I'm no quote expert, but that's the gist of it). Any help appreciated.
posted by pissfactory
on Jan 13, 2005 -
6 answers
Some time in the 80's one of the American publishing houses put out a series of horror novels for young adult readers, called "Twilight." I assume they're out-of-print, but am having an impossible time finding them in secondhand stores or on the internet. Does anyone remember them and have more information about them which might help me track some down? [+]
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posted by crush-onastick
on Jan 11, 2005 -
5 answers
Children's SF-Fantasy: For years, I have been trying to remember the name of a book I read as a child, in the mid-1980s. It is a novel, appropriate for 8-12 year olds, in a vaguely medieval/fantasy setting. The main character (I think) is a boy who goes into a forest (on a journey? a quest?) - he meets a girl there who is a firewitch, with really bright orange hair. Sorry for the vagueness, but I was about eight at the time, and haven't been able to find it since.
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posted by jb
on Jan 10, 2005 -
7 answers
What with the Archbishop of Canterbury on the point of being vanquished by plain old
Doubt (not that it was much of a contest in Rowan Williams's case) I was reminded of a drama I once read as a book and later saw as a TV screenplay. An abbot of a particular monastery has secretly lost his faith, and so does not wish to lead the brothers in prayer; he always gets someone else to do this, to avoid a personal spiritual crisis caused by having to pray publicly to, as he sees it, nothing. The Catholic hierarchy of that future time, unbeknownst to him, has become entirely atheist. An agent of the curia is sent to force the abbot to the point of a self-destroying confrontation with his unbelief. The agent achieves this by manipulating him into a situation where he can't avoid being the one to lead the assembled brothers in a public prayer.
Can anyone tell me what this thing is that I remember? Title and author are entirely gone. Thanks!
posted by jfuller
on Jan 6, 2005 -
4 answers
I read Edwin A. Abbott's Flatland this weekend and really enjoyed its fiction and speculative geometry/mathematics. I guess the logical next step would be to read the unofficial sequel, Flatterland, but can any of you recommend other books that similarly twist math and fiction, or just books that explain mathematical concepts or theories to laymen such as myself in ways that are entertaining to read?
posted by Evstar
on Jan 3, 2005 -
28 answers
In the book The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, is there a rose in the book? I think I might have missed that reference. What name and what rose is the title referring to?
posted by timyang
on Jan 2, 2005 -
11 answers
