I started reading The Maias and quickly found myself lost during references to Portuguese history. I’m sure I will find more things I’m ignorant about, but for starters here are a few links that help make sense of the background events in the book: Portuguese history: Fourth Dynasty (1640 – 1910) at Wikipedia More detail […]
Month: 17 years ago
I decided I needed a break from the Modernism kick I’ve been on and decided to read The Maias by José Maria Eça de Queirós. I wanted to find some resources online to flesh out what little I know about the book and the author. Eça de Queirós Wikipedia entry The Maias was recently translated […]
Quick links to the posts on Dubliners: A few links to online resources about James Joyce Online text of Dubliners at Project Gutenberg Dubliners discussion: The Sisters, An Encounter, Araby, Eveline, After the Race, Two Gallants Dubliners discussion: The Boarding House, A Little Cloud, Counterparts, Clay, A Painful Case Dubliners discussion: Ivy Day in the […]
One of the best adaptations from page to screen I’ve seen. You definitely have to be in the mood for a period piece, but the acting is superb. There are a few minor changes from the story, mostly in the way of additions, but the movie stays true. In moving the story to the screen, […]
This was my first exposure to “The Dead” and I found it quite powerful and moving. So far in Dubliners there has been much bitterness and frustration with only glimpses of the humanity underneath. In “The Dead,” the emphasis has been reversed. Since it would be easy to write a piece as long as the […]
The Wikipedia entry on Parnell gives details on his life, accomplishments and failures, background information helpful for “Ivy Day in the Committee Room” and his inclusion in Joyce’s work. I did not really connect with “Ivy Day in the Committee Room” the first time I read it. Who cares about political banter a century later? […]
Continuing the summary at a clip that makes it difficult to write about everything (Joyce is especially rich on imagery and symbolism), I’ll carry on with major items from these stories. The average age of the main character(s) in each story increases as the novel unfolds. Many of the same themes that I mentioned in […]
The online text for Dubliners can be found at Project Gutenberg. More detail than almost anyone needs, but this page has a link to an online concordance for Dubliners. I just discovered The Modern Word site. Their resources for James Joyce can be found here. In addition to some useful links for the book, they include […]
There is a trove of resources about Joyce available online, yet most of them focus on Ulysses or Finnegans Wake. I’ve listed only a handful below: Texts available through Project Gutenberg Joyce’s Wikipedia entry Fordham University’s Joyce Studies Annual (formerly published by The University of Texas): The James Joyce Scholars’ Collection, through the University of […]
A place for all the Sons and Lovers posts: The text for Sons and Lovers can be found at Project Gutenberg. Some online DH Lawrence resources Sons and Lovers: Chapters 1 – 6 discussion Sons and Lovers: Chapters 7 – 10 discussion Sons and Lovers: Chapters 11 – 15 discussion Sons and Lovers (2003 TV […]
This movie might be a little harder to find for some since the DVD has not been released in the U.S. (or at least that regional format). Fortunately many inexpensive DVD players now can play any regional format. The casting for the movie was perfect: Trevor Howard as Walter Morel Dean Stockwell as Paul Morel […]
I generally liked the movie while I viewed it, yet as soon as it was over I began to feel disappointed. Unfortunately, this is the complete opposite my feelings about the book. First the good things—the scenery and music are beautiful. Since Lawrence was so focused on nature, I don’t think the movie could possibly […]
A few words on the last chapters as well as comments on themes and topics from the book: The relationship between mother and sons (particularly Paul and William) is unhealthy and troubling in a much different way than I was expecting from the reputation of the book. The dependence the sons have on her as […]
I’m beginning to like the book more, but it doesn’t mean I like the characters any better. This section covers the first half of Part II—Paul at work, his relationships with Miriam and Clara, and the declining health of his mother. There are two quotes in this section that seem to be a key to […]