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Favorite Quotes

If I might move away from debate about what they might mean, and back to quotations themselves, here's one I remember.

Nelson Muntz, replying to Lisa, she reading the NUKE THE WHALES poster on his wall ("Do you really want to nuke the whales?")

"Dhuu … gotta nuke somethin'…"
 
When I am dead, I hope it may be said:
"His sins were scarlet, but his books were read." –Hilaire Belloc
 
Having finished To the Lighthouse , I am conflicted in what I said earlier. On one hand, I definately think you can read this with no prior knowledge of Woolf. In fact, I think she may actually prefer this. However, my claim seems to be paradoxical in that I am able to make this statement based on my research of the things I previously mentioned. :eek:

I think I was able to raise a lot more interesting questions having done a bit of research, however I wish that I was able to read the book uncorrupted by that research as well. Because of this, my conclusion is that you should read it the first time without looking at anything else, and if it really interests you, then go back and do some research while reading it again, and open up new possibilities on a different level of questions. :)

I have come to the belief that it is co-creation is a viable and valuable method of writing for extensive reasons I will not bore people with here. However, if anyone wishes to know more or start up a thread I would be more than happy to talk about it.

On a side note, I found myself wondering how many books are corrupted by our previous habits of how we analyze them. Certainly, a twelve year old would see this book in a different way than I, because I would seemingly habitually think about the narrator and try to pick out symbols and such. With the effect of such writing as Woolf's effecting the subconcious a great deal, I can't help but wondering if it is tainted somewhat by these analytical tools. :rolleyes: Just a concern.....G'day all!

~True
 
True@1stLight said:
Having finished To the Lighthouse , I am conflicted in what I said earlier. On one hand, I definately think you can read this with no prior knowledge of Woolf. In fact, I think she may actually prefer this. However, my claim seems to be paradoxical in that I am able to make this statement based on my research of the things I previously mentioned. :eek:

I think I was able to raise a lot more interesting questions having done a bit of research, however I wish that I was able to read the book uncorrupted by that research as well. Because of this, my conclusion is that you should read it the first time without looking at anything else, and if it really interests you, then go back and do some research while reading it again, and open up new possibilities on a different level of questions. :)

I have come to the belief that it is co-creation is a viable and valuable method of writing for extensive reasons I will not bore people with here. However, if anyone wishes to know more or start up a thread I would be more than happy to talk about it.

On a side note, I found myself wondering how many books are corrupted by our previous habits of how we analyze them. Certainly, a twelve year old would see this book in a different way than I, because I would seemingly habitually think about the narrator and try to pick out symbols and such. With the effect of such writing as Woolf's effecting the subconcious a great deal, I can't help but wondering if it is tainted somewhat by these analytical tools. :rolleyes: Just a concern.....G'day all!

~True
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True,

I've read To the Lighthouse several times. First years ago for a Modern lit class, reading it straight through and then discussing it. I read it maybe a year later for pleasure. I then read it recently (eons later) and enjoyed it even more.

My feeling is that "research" is not necessary to fully enjoying what she's up to, but a reasonably sophisticated, mature reading of it is necessary. I think an immature reader might not understand the big themes of faulty communication and emotional frustration that are on every page, but be distracted by the "lack" of plot and action--which to me have always been beside the point with this book.

Aside from that, it is deeply psychological, with many ideas turned round inside the imperfect human mind, which is a real pleasure to read. Even the incommunicative manage to communicate everything, a real feat.
 
True@1stLight said:
Having finished To the Lighthouse , I am conflicted in what I said earlier. On one hand, I definitely think you can read this with no prior knowledge of Woolf. In fact, I think she may actually prefer this. However, my claim seems to be paradoxical in that I am able to make this statement based on my research of the things I previously mentioned. :eek:

I do plan to read this without any research first. I much prefer it that way! And as you rightly said, I can always do some research afterwards!

I think I was able to raise a lot more interesting questions having done a bit of research, however I wish that I was able to read the book uncorrupted by that research as well. Because of this, my conclusion is that you should read it the first time without looking at anything else, and if it really interests you, then go back and do some research while reading it again, and open up new possibilities on a different level of questions. :)
Click to expand...

I have come to the belief that it is co-creation is a viable and valuable method of writing for extensive reasons I will not bore people with here. However, if anyone wishes to know more or start up a thread I would be more than happy to talk about it.
Click to expand...

Indeed! Tell me more!

On a side note, I found myself wondering how many books are corrupted by our previous habits of how we analyse them. Certainly, a twelve year old would see this book in a different way than I, because I would seemingly habitually think about the narrator and try to pick out symbols and such. With the effect of such writing as Woolf's effecting the subconscious a great deal, I can't help but wondering if it is tainted somewhat by these analytical tools. :rolleyes: Just a concern.....G'day all!

~True
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We all see the world in a totally different way. If I give the same poem to 1oo people it will always mean 100 different things each person. I really get a little tired of experts claiming to know what so and so book is about. I read a couple of days ago something regarding this.

The first, an author comes to a school to give a talk on their book. The teacher stands and tells the class all about this famous book and what it means. The author gets up and says no, actually it means this and this. The second regards Azimov going into a lecture where they are talking about his book and noting that nothing of what they say his work was about was correct. I think it's arrogant to assume you know what the author intended with his work unless the author actually stated it

Anyway, for me, it's not really that important. Just as with song lyrics. I don't really care what the author intended. I just care what it means to me and how it makes me feel.
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novella said:
My feeling is that "research" is not necessary to fully enjoying what she's up to, but a reasonably sophisticated, mature reading of it is necessary.
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Agreed, I don't think it's necessary , but the literature leads to questions that you might not be able to address yourself without looking further. I think it just adds to the basis of knowledge. Enjoyment is really a side point though, whether I enjoy what she's up to or not is really arbtrary to me when addressing whether it's valuable (which is what I was struggling with).

I definately agree that it isn't necessary to do so though.
 
SillyWabbit said:
I think it's arrogant to assume you know what the author intended with his work unless the author actually stated it
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This isn't about the author's intent at all.

Language has intent. Language has meaning; it speaks for itself.

Knowing that meaning thoroughlyl is important, IMO. To speak in defense of ignorance as if it is equal to and even better than knowledge is insupportable.

Sure, it is easier to go through life ignorant. But you do miss meaning and beauty that is there for the educated. This has nothing to do with the intent of the writer.
 
novella said:
This isn't about the author's intent at all.

Language has intent. Language has meaning; it speaks for itself.

Knowing that meaning thoroughlyl is important, IMO. To speak in defense of ignorance as if it is equal to and even better than knowledge is insupportable.

Sure, it is easier to go through life ignorant. But you do miss meaning and beauty that is there for the educated. This has nothing to do with the intent of the writer.
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I don't agree with you and I don't think you get my point.

How do you know the authors meaning and intent? You say language is clear but it isn't at all clear. Freedom fighter or insurgent? And a book is more than just language. It's a complex soup of ideas, feelings, thoughts, emotions, concepts, characters and ideals.

And is it really so important to know? We all interpret the world in our own personal way.

If I show you the painting Guernica by Picasso and you know nothing about art will it not be beautiful still? Beauty is in of itself. It doesn't require you to "know" anything at all.
 
You would have to know beauty......but anyway, sounds very Platonic...the idea anyway, Plato actually hated fiction, damned corruptable stories.... :D
 
in high school I first tried to read ulysses for its story alone.

if you don't know how that turned out, I'm failing even more than I did then.
 
My quote of the day:

"I need a crowd of people,
but I can't face them day to day.
Though my problems are meaningless,
that don't make them go away."
 
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