I'm taking coursera's Greek and Roman Mythology with Prof. Peter Struck. After just one week it looks like it will be amazing. We're going to spend the next three weeks reading The Odyssey, rereading in my case.

[Spoiler (click to open)]As in The Iliad, this poem opens with an invocation of the muse. According to Prof. Struck, in the original Greek the poem opens with the ( Read more... )

I experienced my typical Dickens trajectory - some amusing moments, some moving ones, passages worth quoting, at least one female character that makes me roll my eyes (in this case, the bland angel Lucie Manette), interesting plots, amazing coincidences, a little bit of exhaustion with the whole thing, and a rousing ending. It was definitely worth ( Read more... )

The coincidences in this book are unbelievable, but at this point I'm so engaged in the story I'll just roll with it.

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The Darnay/Manette family do several arguably stupid things. The revolution continues and increases in violence.

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Lucie and her family are mostly happy. The French Revolution erupts. The Defarges continue to be strong and compelling figures. Charles makes an unwise, but probably inevitable decision without consulting his family.

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Everyone loves Lucie, the Defarges are awesome, the revolution is fermenting and Dickens is much funnier than I remembered.

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I remember the infamous carriage scene from the last time I read this. *shudder*

Dickens wants the reader to know that no one is more miserable than the French poor and no one is more evil than the evil French noble. Also, everyone wants to marry Lucie Manette.

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Five years later, the treason trial of Charles Darnay
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I have unpleasant memories of A Christmas Carol (6th grade), Great Expectations (9th grade), this book (9th?), and maybe Hard Times (not sure). Last year I decided that any opinion formed at 12-14 is worth revisiting and read Our Mutual Friend. I was horrified to discover that I enjoyed its plot, characters, and messages in spite of the things I'd ( Read more... )

Well worth reading, not exactly subtle but an interesting story and a lot to mull over.

Disorganized thoughts under the cut.
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