Aesop's Fables by Aesop

Aesop's Fables came free on my Kobo with 100 Classics and since each one is short and sweet, I read most of it while traveling at the beginning of 2013. It's a hard book to review in retrospect, but I do have some notes on ones I liked or found particularly memorable.

I recorded these as being "memorable":
The Father and his Sons
The Cock and the Jewel
The Woolf and the Crane: In serving the wicked, expect no reward, and be thankful if you escape injury for your pains.
The Traveler and His Dog: The loiterer often blames delay on his more active friend.
The Dog and the Shadow
The Bear and the Fox
The Tortoise and the Eagle: If men had all they wished, they would be often ruined.
The Bear and the Two Travelers: Misfortune tests the sincerity of friends.
The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Harm seek, harm find.
The Man and His Two Sweethearts: Those who seek to please everybody please nobody.
The Shepherd's Boy and the Wolf: There is no believing a liar, even when he speaks the truth.

However, there are definitely some whose messages don't quite stand the test of time. For example, "The Ass and the Lapdog" in which the ass laments, "I have brought it all on myself! Why could I not have been contented to labor with my companions, and not wish to be idle all day like that useless little Lapdog."

"The Aethiop" is just one of them that has become offensive, ending with the message "What's bred in the bone will stick to the flesh."

There are also some that are very similar, for example "The Wolf and the Lamb" and "The Cat and the Cock" both revolve around animals looking for excuses to eat their dinner– but not needing them.

However despite some obvious misses, overall it was fun to read Aesop's Fables. There are so many in here, and while many are ones I have heard repeated in various ways, there are also plenty that are new and fun to discover. I had a vague plan in 2013 to read more classics, and while that failed miserably, at least I started the year off right. I have no such plan in 2014, so that seems even less promising, but perhaps the year will surprise me.

Let me know if you have read this book, or have another, easy-to-read classic you recommend I add to my list.

Translator: George Fyler Townsend
The Project Gutenberg EBook of Aesop's Fables, by Aesop

Lysistrata by Aristophanes

"Yes, we’re going to save you, whether you like it or not."

Lysistrata is a classic play written in 411 BC by Aristophanes which centres around a woman named Lysistrata who frustrated by an ongoing civil war organizes the women of Athens to take matters into their own hands. Lysistrata persuades the female population not to have sex with their husbands until a treaty has been signed and the war is over. Faced-paced and filled with shocking behaviour and comments this sex comedy has managed to stay both relevant and humorous over the years.

Lysistrata definitely managed to shock me, at times I could hardly believe I was reading a classic Greek play. Not only do men walk around with large, painful erections on stage but there are references to masturbation, sex toys, and all sorts of other sexual humour that honestly made me blush a little at times.

What I particularly loved about the play was the cleverness of it, the characters are constantly making puns, sexual and otherwise, like when Lysistrata says she has summoned the women regarding something larger and another character looks intrigued and asks her if it is thick also. As outlandish as the play is at times, it is also intelligently written and the dialogue flows smoothly and enjoyably. Even though sex is the first thing that comes to mind when discussing the play, it's also not just about sex. Here's one example of a conversation that is both clever and still relevant:

Lysistrata: If only you had common sense, you would always do in politics the same as we do with our yarn.

Magistrate: Come, how is that, eh?

Lysistrata: First we wash the yarn to separate the grease and filth; do the same with all bad citizens, sort them out and drive them forth with rods — they're the refuse of the city. Then for all such as come crowding up in search of employments and offices, we must card them thoroughly; then, to bring them all to the same standard, pitch them pell-mell into the same basket, resident aliens or no, allies, debtors to the State, all mixed up together. Then as for our Colonies,you must think of them as so many isolated hanks; find the ends of the separate threads, draw them to a centre here, wind them into one, make one great hank of the lot, out of which the public can weave itself a good, stout tunic.

Clearly, there are many reasons why Lysistrata has lasted so long as a play. The only issue I had reading it was that it felt rushed and came to a resolution too quickly. I do think if I ever saw it performed live that the pacing would probably be better, but I read the entire thing at a similar speed (I'm pretty sure that's how everyone reads?) and so the play felt heavy on the beginning and light in the middle, with some odd pacing going on near the end. I'm also perpetually skeptical of the use of a chorus in a play but that's a personal preference and I realize that traditionally they have been very popular.

Overall, Lysistrata is both a shocking and humorous play. In addition to some lewd behaviour and clever innuendo, Aristophanes makes an interesting comment on politics and Lysistrata certainly leaves a lot of possibility for discussion when it comes to the role of the females. Ultimately, this is one easy to read and easy to recommend classic play and while it may make you blush, it will certainly make you laugh as well.

Release Date: 411 BC
Pages: 64
Source: Free Ebook
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Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

"Oliver cried lustily. If he could have known that he was an orphan, left to the tender mercies of church-wardens and overseers, perhaps he would have cried the louder."

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is the classic story of an orphan, Oliver Twist, who becomes involved with a gang of criminals in Victorian London after he runs away from an abusive situation. These criminals include Fagin who runs the organization of young pickpocketers, the Artful Dodger, and Bill Sikes.

Before discussing the novel as a classic work of literature, I wanted to note something that really bothered me from a personal standpoint. I was extremely offended by Dickens' totally anti-Semitic portrayal of Jews through the character of Fagin. Fagin cheats others and gets them to steal for him while he hoards away his wealth, and is constantly referred not by his name but rather as "the Jew", implying he is a representation of all Jews. I realize Oliver Twist was written almost two centuries ago but I don't think that is an excuse for the stereotype and close-mindedness it portrays. Reading books like this only serve as a powerful reminder of the persecution Jews have faced, which certainly wasn't helped by novels that normalized it.

Bigotry aside, one aspect of Oliver Twist I particularly enjoyed was the narration voice of the story. The narrator is omniscient and omnipresent, strategically letting  the reader in on certain situations while keeping particular information, like what one person whispers to another, secret. In general, I was surprised by how easy to read this novel was as I have previously attempted Dickens' David Copperfield and enjoyed it about as much as pulling teeth. Although the story is more fully developed, I think Oliver Twist is more akin to A Christmas Carol, the only other book by Dickens I have completed, than some of his other works. 

The story was quite different from what I can remember of the musical adaptation which was nice because I could still be surprised by how events turned out and managed to read the book without too many songs going through my head. As a villain I thought that Bill Sikes, the man who leads Oliver in an attempt to rob a house, was particularly well done and his ultimate fate was deliciously dramatic. I found myself most heartbroken over the outcome of his dog. Overall, I thought the novel provided interesting commentary on 19th century London as Fagin attempts to corrupt Oliver:

"Having prepared his mind, by solitude and gloom, to prefer any society to the companionship of his own sad thoughts in such a dreary place, he was now slowly instilling into his soul the poison which he hoped would blacken it, and change its hue forever."

Oliver Twist contains a lot of evil characters who do not seek redemption for their actions and end the book just as corrupted as when they started which surprised me slightly in the sense that there wasn't a lot of character growth going on. Characters who started the book evil like Fagin, mostly stayed evil and those who began the book good, like Oliver, didn't really show temptation to change either.  There was one or two minor characters who didn't fit this norm, but overall it was the case. Ultimately Oliver Twist was a thrilling and exciting book to read because of the adventure that goes on, but lacked the emotional connection I craved because so many of the characters showed no growth throughout the novel.

Release Date: 1837
Pages: 554
Overall: 3.5/5
Source: Ebook (Free Online)
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The Tempest by William Shakespeare

"like one
Who having into truth, by telling of it,
Made such a sinner of his memory
To credit his own lie—he did believe"

The Tempest by William Shakespeare is just one of the many classic plays I know the basic premise of but have never actually read. When it turned out a book I was planning read, The Dream of Perpetual Motion, drew inspiration from The Tempest, I knew it was the excuse I'd been waiting for. For those unfamiliar with what is thought to have been Shakespeare's last play, The Tempest is the story of a powerful magician, Prospero, who is abandoned on an island with his beautiful daughter Miranda when his brother, Antonio, takes over his rightful place as Duke of Milan. When a ship carrying his brother, as well as his complicit Alonso, King of Naples, is traveling nearby Prospero has the perfect opportunity to regain his rightful place. Prospero creates a storm, resulting in his enemies arriving shipwrecked at the island where Prospero uses his magic to manipulate them. Helping Prospero with his plan is Ariel, a spirit, and Caliban, a man enslaved to Prospero after his witch mother gave birth to him on the island.

Although I have never seen a live performance of The Tempest, I found myself enjoying the play a surprising amount. The storyline was easy to follow, and the magical tint worked perfectly. I also found myself really involved with the characters, in particular Ariel who Prospero has promised to free if only he will perform these last tasks on his behalf. Prospero himself felt larger than life, and I had vivid images of him as I was reading. Overall, I felt I was really able to get into the play and enjoy it, with some help translating some of what was being said using "No Fear Shakespeare" of course. Like many of Shakespeares' plays, The Tempest also features a couple quickly falling in love when they are basically still strangers, but somehow it worked better for me in this instance than it has in the past (for example, Romeo and Juliet). I think that is mostly due to the sweet and naive exchanges between Miranda and Ferdinand, who is the son of Alonso, which felt charming rather than creepy.

Probably the weakest character of the play for me was Caliban, whose motivations I never really quite understand and who sometimes came across evil, for example trying to rape Miranda, but other times really just felt like a confused and abandoned child. Prospero was so cruel to Caliban, I felt difficulty hating him even if he was a bad person, and in the end I was unsure how I really felt about him.

Although the play itself is not a comedy, there were certainly a few comedic moments, especially when it came to exchanges between the shipcrew. For example:

ANTONIO: He misses not much.
SEBASTIAN: No; he doth but mistake the truth totally.

Conversations like that made me laugh, but overall it was the dark aspects of the play that stuck with me the most. I'm pretty sure The Tempest is the first Shakespeare I have read since graduating highschool almost half a decade ago, and I was honestly surprised how easy a read it was. Perhaps I've gotten a little smarter, but I think the key was just sitting down and enjoying the play without having to worry about over-analyzing every sentence. I'm sure there are plenty of subtleties I didn't pick up on, but I'm not getting graded on this and it didn't bother me. In the end I just relaxed and enjoyed The Tempest, a great piece of classic drama filled with Shakespeare's dark magic and a sensational story. 

Release Date: 1609
Pages: 218
Overall: 5/5
Source: Online Ebook
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The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins (Post #2)

This is the second of two posts on The Woman in White. To read the first post written halfway through the novel click here. Also, this post is more of a discussion of the book than a strict review and therefore contains SPOILERS. I have included a final paragraph which summarizes without any spoilers, the start of which is indicated. 

Although I had enjoyed the first half of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, I was particularly excited going into the second half as that is where the action appears to pick up and I was definitely right. Even though the second half of the novel contains more action than the first, it is still told carefully and not at all rushed. However the reader is so drawn into the novel that even though there may be three hundred pages left, it becomes near-impossible to put down.

One aspect I particularly appreciated about the second half of The Woman in White was the fact that Collins made mention of the characters who had seemingly disappeared from the narrative, in particular Walter's sister, mother and friend. Walter explains that he has only included individuals when they are directly relevant to the story at hand, much like in a courtroom where only the necessary facts are presented. This both explained their absence, which had been bothering me, and emphasized the unique manner in which Collins tells the story of The Woman in White.

My initial impressions of most of the characters in the novel were not altered by the end of it. Overall I found Walter particularly bland, and lacked sympathy for Laura. I was disappointed that there were no more sections told from the perspective of Marian, given how much I enjoyed her narration style, but that was compensated for by one of my favourite portions of the novel- that written in the voice of Frederick Fairlie, Laura's anxious uncle. After previously introducing the reader to Frederick, it was both entertaining and enjoyable to hear the story told from his perspective. Frederick's section re-enforces whiny nature and includes such gems as:  

"Except when the refining process of Art judiciously removes from them all resemblance to Nature, I distinctly object to tears. Tears are scientifically described as a Secretion. I can understand that a secretion may be healthy or unhealthy, but I cannot see the interest of a secretion from a sentimental point of view."

At first I had been conflicted over Count Fosco, although he was clearly quite creepy I wasn't sure if he was going to be the villain in the story. However he most definitely is, and his under your skin type of evil is expertly captured by Collins. A memorable moment for me was when explaining his role in the hoax, he repeatedly says that he only used chemicals twice despite the fact that he could have easily murdered Laura based on his knowledge. The straightforward way he goes about stating this makes it seem as if he believes he should be commended for his kindhearted gesture in not murdering the girl. I absolutely adored his arrogance.

One of the most impressive aspects of The Woman in White is the fact that despite so many first person narrations being used Collins gives each character its own unique and distinct voice. The writing style alone makes it evident which person is speaking. When it comes to the story itself,  all the elements of the mystery all fell perfectly into place towards the ending of the novel, and although they may have fit slightly too perfectly, it only seemed fitting giving the amount of time Collins spent developing them. Also, even though the fate of the Count is probably the most convenient of these, I didn't find it bothered me because it was just so perfect for things to turn out that way for him.

SPOILER-FREE CONCLUSION:

Ultimately, I found The Woman in White to be a remarkably easy to read classic despite its length. The language flows easily, and while Collins is often wordy it allows for his biting sense of humour to come through. The novel certainly takes awhile to get started, but the result is that the reader really gets to know the characters involved. The characters themselves are well developed and believable, even if there two of the major ones, specifically Walter and Laura, got on my nerves at times. Overall, The Woman in White is an intricate and engaging novel and I certainly have plans to read more by Collins in the future.

Release Date: 1860
Pages: 672
Overall: 4/5
Source: Ebook (dailylit.com)
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The Woman In White by Wilkie Collins (Post #1)

Although I definitely have a large stack of contemporary books to read, I still wanted to spend 2011 making at least a small dent in the massive amount of classics I have yet to read. Classics are naturally a bit intimidating for me, so my first readalong was the perfect opportunity to knock one off the list. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is being hosted as a readalong by Allie at A Literary Odyssey for the month of January and involves two blog posts- one halfway through the novel and one at the end of the book. I am reading The Woman in White as an ebook, available online through Dailylit.com, because of the convenience.  

The Woman in White is a mystery thriller which begins with an encounter between Walter Hartright and a strange woman dressed all in white. When Walter begins his job as a drawing master to the beautiful Laura Fairlie and her half-sister, the mannish but clever Marion Halcombe, he shares tells them what has happened and the three become determined to learn all they can about the woman in white, a task more dangerous than they could have imagined.

I admit I was hooked from the first sentence of this novel, which begins:

"This is the story of what a Woman’s patience can endure, and what a Man’s resolution can achieve."

In addition, the idea of unfolding a mystery like a courtroom drama, all the various voices which have their say, is extremely intriguing and original. Unfortunately so far I have found myself a bit impatient with the rate at which the mystery is unfolding, as enjoyable as Wilkie's rambles are, I often find myself wondering when the reader will finally begin to learn something more about the identity of the woman in white. That said, I have really been loving Wilkie's quirky comments and observations. For example:

"Women can resist a man’s love, a man’s fame, a man’s personal appearance, and a man’s money, but they cannot resist a man’s tongue when he knows how to talk to them."

Having made it just over halfway through The Woman in White I feel like the real action is just about to begin, and I am definitely excited for it. So far, I am finding myself indifferent to Laura who is repeatedly described as lovely and innocent but which basically just means she is boring. Similarly, Walter seems to be a pretty flat character, wanting to travel to the other side of the world if he can't be with Laura, but refusing to fight for her or even tell her how he feels. Marion on the other hand, is quite adamant that she is more like a man than a woman, which in this case actually means that she is a strong and stubborn character. Sir Percival Glyde has been expertly creepy from the beginning, and although I am conflicted over Count and Countess Fosco at the moment, I am certainly interested in what Collins has in store for them for the remainder of the novel.

Personally, I find Marion getting ill very suspicious and wonder if one of the other characters had a role in her sickness... Overall, The Woman in White has been off to a slow start but managed to keep my interest all the same and I am definitely anxious to see what the second half has in store, and especially curious about what exactly Sir Percival's terrible secret is and when the woman in white will show up again!