Saturday 12 January 2013

Turn of Century Salon - January



This is the January post of Turn of the Century Salon event hosted by November's Autumn. In this event we'd like to focus on literatures published between 1880-1930. I don't read much from this era, but I'd like to learn more. So here we are.

What draws you to read the Classics?
It's hard to say. By the time I realised that I love them, I was already too much involved in classics stuff. And not jut literature. I come to love history, the clothings, the musics, and other things as well. But perhaps I love the classics because they are so deep and beautiful, both in plot and language. I also think that if a book can survive for decades, even centuries, there must be something in the book that makes it so special and long-lasting.

What era have you mainly read? Georgian? Victorian? Which authors?
I don't really know. I rarely check. Talking about Victorian books, I read Sherlock Holmes, all of them, because I simply love him. I also love Conan Doyle as the author.

What Classics have you read from the 1880s-1930s? What did you think of them?
  • Leroux, Gaston - Phantom of the Opera
  • Sabatini, Rafael - Captain Blood
  • Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan - Sherlock Holmes (all of them)
  • Rostand, Edmond - Cyrano de Bergerac

Name some books you're looking forward to read for the salon.
Hmm, I'm going to read these this year:
  • James, Henry – Portrait of A Lady
  • Conrad, Joseph – Secret Agent
Don't know yet if I'm going to read more. There are challenges I need to do as well.

Which authors do you hope to learn more about?
I'd like to read Henry James, because the book is in my list, and the title seems interesting. I also want to try Ernest Hemmingway, but later on, I think.

Which literary characters are you most akin to?
This one is also hard to answer. Captain Blood, perhaps.

Which authors do you love?
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Absolutely.

Is your preference prose? poetry? Both?
I love both.

8 comments:

  1. I'd forgotten Secret Agent and Phantom are turn-of-the-century! My list is so long, but I might have to add those. Good luck with the challenge!

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    1. Yay! I'm having a hard time with Secret Agent, though. Thanks. :D

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  2. I want to read Henry James but don't know whether I'll fit him into the Salon list - so many wonderful books to choose from.
    Enjoy your reading!

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    1. I can't wait to read Henry James, but I also have so many stuff on my list. Well, let's see.

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  3. I still haven't read any Sherlock Holmes but I will eventually.
    I'll have to google this Captain Blood character so I'll know what type of character your akin to. :)

    BTW, last week I saw your tweet on Verdi's Otello -- I'm almost finished watching the version with Placido Domingo as Otello. The staging is just beautiful and I'm loving the opera itself. :)

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    1. I cheer for your reading Sherlock Holmes. If you like detective story, SH is a logical choice. Wait, I start to talk like him.

      I'm happy that you like Otello, moreover, with Placido Domingo singing the role. He is my favourite singer.

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  4. I was looking at Secret Agent too as well as Lord Jim. I want to read something of Conrad especially because he was a friend of Ford Madox Ford, whose Parade's End series I loved. But I don't think I'd want to start with his more famous Heart of Darkness. Looking forward to reading what you think of it.

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  5. I LOVE Rafael Sabatini! I read both Captain Blood and Scaramouche last year and they were so much fun. Phantom of the Opera is also one of my favorite books of all time (I feel like I'm saying that a lot as I comment on these posts).

    I agree that a love of the classics has a connection with history. It's fascinating to me to see the continuity between the present and the past.

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