Weekend Quote #46

I hope I am not too late for this week's Weekend Quote. I should have posted mine yesterday, but, yesterday being all hectic and busy, I decided to write it today, late as it is.

So, here it is:

Now, my co-mates and brothers in exile,
Hath not old custom made this life more sweet
Than that of painted pomp? Are not these woods
More free from peril than the envious court?
Here feel we but the penalty of Adam,
The seasons' difference, as the icy fang
And churlish chiding of the winter's wind,
Which, when it bites and blows upon my body,
Even till I shrink with cold, I smile and say
'This is no flattery: these are counsellors
That feelingly persuade me what I am.'
Sweet are the uses of adversity,
Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous,
Wears yet a precious jewel in his head;
And this our life exempt from public haunt
Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks,
Sermons in stones and good in every thing.
I would not change it.

From Shakespeare's As You Like It, this is the words of Duke Senior, who was exiled by his brother, and whose dukedom was taken from him. He, and some of his followers, stayed in the forest of Arden, like Robin Hood and his merry men, happy and content with their new lives.

The quote above is full of expression of contentment, which I find very interesting and inspiring. In court, where they dwelt before, even with all the riches of the world, they had to deal with enmity, and worse, flattery. But in the forest, they feel like ordinary human beings again, They hunt for food, eat what they get, find recreation in nature, and feel happy about it. For philosophers, the Duke being one of them, he finds many things to think and meditate upon.

Living such life, I have no wonder that the Duke could rightly say, “I would not change it.”

That's my choice for this weekend. Don't be shy to share yours. 

Weekend Quote #45

"I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train."

Taken from Wilde's play The Importance of being Earnest. This quote attracts my attention because that's exactly what I do every single day. I always leave my house with my diary and a pencil case in my bag.

Well, I've been keeping diaries since I was 10 or so. I don't write everyday, unfortunately, but I always bring it anyway, because I love reading it over and over again. It's funny to see how time and experience form you.

Besides, by having a diary, I can always track people I fall in love with. (Want to guess who are on the list?)

That's the quote for this weekend. Want to share yours?

Daughter of Time: A Great King Wronged

I didn't know that it would be like this. When I picked the title for one of this year's challenge, I didn't think of history. When I later learned that it's about Richard, I was thinking about time travel, not bedtime analysis. Anyway, I gave 5 stars for it in Goodreads.

To make long story short, the book is about Richard III. The one with the withered arm and hunchback, the one who killed his two nephews in the tower then usurped their throne, the one who was killed in Bosworth by Henry Tudor? Exactly, except that most of the well-known story isn't true.

In the Daughter of Time, a Scotland Yard investigator and an amateur researcher looked up history to find whether Richard was truly the one to be accused for it. Their 'academic investigation' brought them back to the War of the Roses through pages and pages of contemporary sources. It was not in vain. They found out, not only that the king was 'more sinn'd against than sinning', but who the true culprit probably was.

I like the way this book narrates its story. Instead of making a serious essay with pages of references, Josephine Tey made it a novel, a digestible story, and at the same time carefully put sources and actual facts inside. It must have taken a lot of research to do so, and I appreciate such effort from an author.

Talking about accuracy, I sent an email to a member of Richard III Society and asked her how much of it to be trusted. Although she said that someone thought that it flawed, overall the novel is more accurate than not. Thus I recommend it to all who love history, and who want to know more about Richard III.

Oh, and for your information, I heard that people are proposing a petition to properly bury the remains of Richard III.  

Officially using Bloglovin

So, for various considerations, I have decided to join Bloglovin. Just consider this post as a brief announcement. Please follow my blog using the link below or the button somewhere around the blog. (I can't remember exactly where.)

Have a nice day...

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LRP July Meme: Let's Talk about Playwrights

“The play's the thing.” - Hamlet, Shakespeare

This month's theme is 'other author', which means we will read neither Shakespeare nor Wilde, and maybe not Greek either. So, one question: “Who is your playwright this month?”

Not everybody knows playwrights. I have a friend who didn't even know who Shakespeare was, not mentioning other less-known playwrights. To enhance our knowledge in this matter, this month's meme is simple: Tell us about your chosen playwright. Anything can go. You can give a summary of his life, is works, or, if you prefer, just what you like and dislike from him.

As usual, guiding questions. Again, this is NOT necessary. As I sadi before, anything can go.

• Give us his brief biography.
• Give us a tour through his plays.
• What you like or dislike from the playwright.
• Compare him with other playwrights you know.

Voila! Let's have fun with our chosen playwright this month. Oh, and if you happen to read more than 1 playwrights this month, feel free to share more than one also in the meme. Have a nice reading!

Weekend Quote #44

“Most people's first books are their best anyway; it's the one they wanted most to write.”

Taken from Josephine Tey's novel The Daughter of Time, this quote caught my eyes when I read it. It's not even the point of the story. In fact, it has nothing to do with the (brilliant, by the way) story. But I think it has some truth in it.

Well, not for all people, of course. Some people become a greater writer after a while. Ass Shakespeare says, 'custom lends us a kind of easiness'. But the first book is like the first born child. It's new experience. People put everything they have in that one first book.

That's the quote I want to share with you this weekend. I'm supposed to make it yesterday, but I think it's still weekend anyway. And if you haven't read Daughter of Time, I hugely recommend it to you. Will write a review in a couple of days. Meanwhile, have a nice weekend.

Captain Blood: Slavery vs. Piracy – Which One is Worse?

Perhaps firstly I need to say that this is a re-read. I read Captain Blood the first time when I was in high school. I found a simplified version of it approximately 6 years ago. After that, I tried to read the complete unsimplified novel – which was fun. And it's exactly my thought when I re-read it this time.

The story started when Peter Blood, a respectable, peaceful, quiet, and “humane” gentleman (as the man put himself), was captured and tried for attending to the wounds of a man who was a rebel. Blood himself was not, seeing how fruitless the rebellion would be, amongst them, but still he had to pay the price of being reckoned as one of their supporters. He was supposed to be hanged, but fortunately (or unfortunately, you choose) he was sold as a slave to Jamaica.

Thanks to his medical skills, however, he escaped the wretched condition of regular slaves. Instead, he served as doctor in the island, attending to the Governor himself, even. Still, the life of a slave was not endurable at all – even with the presence of Miss Arabella Bishop, the very niece of his “owner”. The lady's kindness was a great contrast to her uncle's, although I think they shared the same hard-headedness and folly. Blood found this lady fascinating, and liked her very much. However, this is not the story of Romeo and Juliet, or Othello even.

One day Colonel Bishop, Blood's owner, flogged one of his friends Jeremy Pitt. This action, followed by Blood's bold and sarcastic nature almost put him in the same situation, if it were not to the Spanish pirates who came unexpectedly. Being thus strangely rescued by Fate, he made his escape along with his fellow-slaves and took over the ship. They became pirates after that.

That was actually the beginning of a long naval adventure. Exciting indeed, profitable, maybe, thanks to Blood's various skills and good judgement, but alas, not pleasurable. In Blood's mind lies the very lady after whom he named his ship – Arabella. Worse still, upon one occasion, under misguiding information and out of her own jealousy, the lady herself rudely called him 'thief and pirate'. Blood was then impelled to find a way to be a respectable gentleman once more, without neglecting his loyal crew, of course, and if possible, regain the esteem – if not love – from Miss Arabella Bishop.

I have always loved sea-adventures. I have always loved sailors. I have always appreciated the had work needed to direct and command a fleet at the times when one must depend upon Nature and his ability with little help of fortune to cross the sea successfully. And I have always loved Captain Blood since the first time I read it. The book portrays beautifully the battles on the sea, the disputes between pirates, the sense of honour that people respect in that era, and the enmity between European nations carried as far as the Carribean Sea.

I also love the plot. It talks of how much hatred people can harbour inside their heart when they were treated unjustly. And yet, even with such hatred, one can always be merciful and honourable, instead of craving for vengeance. It is also a book of second chances. People can always change. Fate can always change. Therefore it is also story of hope – long though it may be until it arrives.