The world of books and art, 1789 – 1914
Can you identify these famous opening lines? [Answers below] Answers: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1850) Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1864) Middlemarch by George Eliot (1871) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878) Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy (1895) Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (1911) Ethan Frome... Continue Reading →
Can you identify the famous opening lines above? [Warning - clue below] To help you here is a list of titles from which the lines were extracted, in order of date published: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (1847) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (1850) Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1864) Middlemarch by George Eliot... Continue Reading →
At some point most of us take stock of our life, and maybe draw up a life list to get us where we want to go. I've written a few myself! Here is such a list from one of the greatest writers in history - Leo Tolstoy. Here is a list from the great Russian... Continue Reading →
Ralph Waldo Emerson died 134 years ago today (b. 25 May 1803 - d. 27 April 1882). Emerson was an American poet, essayist and lecturer. If you've become cynical and dejected about life, his little books may help reawaken your sense of wonder. Here are 10 of my favourite Emerson quotes: 10. “I dream of... Continue Reading →
Mark Twain died 106 years ago todayHere are 10 of my favourite quotes attributed to the great man. 10. “Substitute ‘damn’ every time you’re inclined to write 'very;’ your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be.” 9. “I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” 8.... Continue Reading →
“Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them at all.” ― Henry David Thoreau, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. Good advice. I'm doin' my best, Henry ol' chap - but there's a lot of 'em and only one of me. To put it crudely, wanting... Continue Reading →
Wilkie Collins (1824 – 1889) was an English novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He is best known for two books - The Woman in White (1859) and The Moonstone (1868). I recommend them both. Followed by No Name (1862) and Armadale (1866), if you have the appetite. Talking of appetite, that is the topic... Continue Reading →
I am currently reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. A writer of thumping good reads. I don't expect Great Literature from him, but I do expect to thoroughly enjoy myself between the pages. I also expect many references to food, drink and meals, like the one above. And here is a quote from The Woman... Continue Reading →
It's odd that while most people recognise the truth in this sentence, it changes nothing and we keep chasing. If only we could always be happy in the present. But perhaps that insatiable impulse for another condition is a requirement from evolution (or God/gods) to get us off our b-hinds. https://uk.pinterest.com/longvictorian2/leo-tolstoy/
That beside the futility of attempting to change somebody, if it is not in their nature to change in that way. https://uk.pinterest.com/longvictorian2/leo-tolstoy/
The Long Victorian 