- Lorna Doone failed to arrive over interlibrary loan in time. (All our library had was an abridged edition...::grumble grumble grumble ::) Yes, I'm well aware that it's available online. But having an actual book in hand is half the pleasure of reading.
- The Everlasting Man: in progress.
- Dürrenmatt: impossible to find.
- Martin has lost his plot in a morass of sex and violence. Revised verdict: not recommendable to ANYONE. Yes, I can back this up if you want me to.
- Theonomy. Right. I'm...um...procrastinating?
- Schedule readjustments include dropping History of Spain.
Other reading (aka...PROCRASTINATION):
Aristotle's Rhetoric is profoundly interesting. Partly because it's a fascinating look at ancient Greek society and values, and partly because it's a very telling look at human nature in general. It also makes me feel like a fuzzy-headed idiot. Favorite Aristotle quote of the moment: "With regard to the element of moral character: there are assertions which, if made about yourself, may excite dislike, appear tedious, or expose you to the risk of contradiction; and other things which you cannot say about your opponent without seeming abusive or ill-bred. Put such remarks, therefore, into the mouth of some third person."
Cramming the entirity of Indroductory Logic into my head in one afternoon was NOT a good idea. But I at least remember the square of opposition. And I'll never again throw inductive logic at someone who's trying to be deductive. Hahaha! Yay for whamming people upside the head with syllogisms!
Margaret Atwood...probably a neat person to talk to. People who read The Handmaid's Tale, then assume they know everything there is to know about Christian fundamentalism and theonomic ideas...NOT neat people to talk to. At least sort through the mishmash of Gilead to find the demi-applicable parallels, people.
My littlest sister's new favorite book is Firebringer. Condensed verdict: The author unabashedly rips off Watership Down. He's got some neat solutions to many problems that arise in anthropomorphic stories, though (carnivores vs. herbivores; communication between species, etc.) And he's much more subtle than I expected when dealing with themes of peace, war, violence, revenge, justice, and pacifism.
How to Read a Book is awesome. I can't believe I've never read this before...articulately and eloquently lays out a TON of stuff I've been stumbling around trying to say.
I really want to find a copy of How to Read Literature Like a Professor. One of my sister's teacher's gave the class a sheet summarizing the contents, and it's amazingly helpful. And quite humorous. How can you not like section headings such as "Every Trip is a Quest (Except When It's Not)", "When in Doubt, It's from Shakespeare...Or the Bible", "It's All About Sex...Except Sex", and "Yes, She's a Christ Figure Too!"
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