Great Beginnings in Literature

We are beginning a new week on this beautiful Carolina-blue Monday morning. After a weekend of cool, rainy weather, I am ready to clear the slate and start over, all the while wishing for a dryer, sunnier week. These thoughts led me to think about the beginning lines of works of literature that I can easily recall, and I thought of several. These lines are easily recognized by students of great literature because they are at times poetic, meaningful, and easy to recite.


The first famous beginning quote that came to my mind was the opening line of Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. This lengthy novel begins with the famous words, "Call me Ishmael." Whenever I hear this line, I immediately know that it is a reference to the great novel about a fierce whale and Captain Ahab's quest to capture it. Interestingly, during Melville's lifetime, Moby-Dick was not well-known, but today it is considered to be a great work. I think this beginning line is well-known because it's so short and easy to remember - sometimes less is more. Another memorable beginning in literature is the first sentence of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,..."Whereas the opening line of Moby-Dick is very brief, the opening line of Dickens' novel is very, very lengthy, so lengthy that I don't want to copy it all here. As I examine the line, however, I see what Dickens is trying to achieve in his great work. He seems to be setting the atmosphere for his 1859 novel about the French Revolution by using poetic phrases that are opposites. For example, "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times," "...the age of wisdom, the age of foolishness,..." it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness." When I read these poetic phrases it causes me to wonder how any society can be so wonderful and yet so terrible at the same time. And when I wonder about such things, I may just want to keep reading to find out how this can be. Clearly, in the novel we find out that yes, societies have very good people AND very bad people, and people who are a mixture of both. The final great beginning that I'd like to discuss isn't really the beginning of a book, but it's the beginning of a great statement of faith and a prayer, the Shema of the Jewish faith. These beginning words of the Shema came to my mind immediately this morning when I began to think of famous beginnings:  "Hear, O Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One," Deuteronomy 6:4. These words begin a great affirmation of faith for the Jews and a declaration of their belief in only one God ("Adonai eloheinu Adonai ehad"). This declaration may be obvious to some of us, yet in Old Testament times the Hebrew people lived among people who worshiped idols and multiple gods. The Hebrew people felt the need to distinguish themselves from all of the other religions. As an editorial note, this isn't any different than the religious atmosphere of our world today. There are still many people who worship idols, the dead, nature, and religious leaders. Of course, there are also many who do not belong to any faith. I, myself,  strongly uphold the belief in the one true God, the God of Israel, the One who made Himself known through the gifts of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. There are many, many other great beginnings in literature that are memorable for various reasons, many which capture our attention and "hook the reader," but these are the beginnings that came to my mind today.

I'm still working my way through One Hundred Years of Solitude so I'll keep you posted on my progress through my reading. Meanwhile, here are the next ten books in my card catalog:

1. The Lord is My Shepherd by Harold Kushner (I heard him speak in 2003 and got autographs)
2. When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Kushner
3. I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
4. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb
5. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott
6. Bitter is the New Black by Jen Lancaster
7. Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
8. Such a Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster
9. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
10. Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

What great beginnings in literature are you thinking about today? Can you quote some that immediately come to mind? I would love to get your comments below.

 Happy reading,

Melissa

Reflections on a Rainy Day

"In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on."
-Robert Frost, Goodreads




Once we reach a certain age, many of us have a few sayings that we claim in order to express our views of life. We might say things such as "It's not a bed of roses," or "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade," and so on.  Frost's words here remind me of Ben Franklin's quote about the only two things that we can be certain of in this life, death and taxes. We see that sometimes something thought-provoking can be expressed in just two or three words. So, as Frost puts it, life definitely goes on, and it seems to be able to go on without our help. Think about that on this stormy Monday night. And hopefully you thought about taxes in a timely manner last week and met the April 15th deadline!

Have you read the little book by Maya Angelou that was published last year,  Rainbow in the Cloud: The Wisdom and Spirit of Maya Angelou?  I recommend this book for those times when you are meditating or when you have a specific topic for a group discussion. I especially like Angelou's chapter on Art and Literature. In this chapter, the author comments on many topics that affect life, art, and writing. I like what she says about the interpretation of poetry:

I've had people explain to me what one of my poems meant, and I've been surprised that it meant that to them. If a person can use a poem of mind to interpret her life or his life, good. I can't control that . Nor would I want to.

This quote by Angelou reminds me of one of my beloved college English professors at Georgetown College, Dr. Gwen Curry. I had Dr. Curry for an upper level English course, 20th Century Poetry, and I enjoyed it very much, even though much of the poetry was very depressing.  There were only about seven students in the class, so there was no way that I could just be a listener and "slide by" in this class. Participation was required, of course, so I chimed in even if I wasn't sure if my interpretation of a poem was correct. Yet Dr. Curry affirmed and applauded every single comment that was made about a poem. In other words, there was no wrong answer in her class, and whatever you said was greatly valued. This speaks to the kind of person and professor that Dr. Curry was, an educator who led us to learn but didn't close the doors on what we wanted to learn. I think that Angelou and Curry were on the right road to true learning.

As you read the list of the next ten books that I've read since 1984, you will note that I've read eight hilarious books by Sophie Kinsella, the British humorist. The eighth book was listed in last week's post.

1. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Kinsella
2. I've Got Your Number by Kinsella
3. Shopaholic and Baby by Kinsella
4. Shopaholic and Sister by Kinsella
5. Shopaholic Takes Manhattan by Kinsella
6. Shopaholic Ties the Knot by Kinsella
7. The Undomestic Goddess by Kinsella
8. Communication Theory for Christian Witness by Charles H. Kraft
9. Into the Wild by Jan Krakeuer
10. Salt by Mark Kurlansky

I'd love to hear your thoughts about short quotes that are meaningful, Maya Angelou, or a favorite professor that you remember. What's your favorite quote about the meaning of life? Do you agree/disagree that there is no wrong way to interpret a poem? Have you read any of the books on today's list, and if so, did you like or dislike them?

"A penny for your thoughts" today!

-Melissa

National Poetry Month and More

The beautiful village of Grasmere, Scotland

In honor of National Poetry Month, I begin today's post with a poem by William Wordsworth of Scotland, "Composed by The Side of Grasmere Lake, 1806."


CLOUDS, lingering yet, extend in solid bars
Through the grey west; and lo! these waters,
steeled
By breezeless air to smoothest polish, yield
A vivid repetition of the stars;
Jove, Venus, and the ruddy crest of Mars
Amid his fellows beauteously revealed
At happy distance from earth's groaning field,
Where ruthless mortals wage incessant wars,
Is it a mirror? --or the nether Sphere
Opening to view the abyss in which she feeds
Her own calm fires?--But list! a voice is near;
Great Pan himself low-whispering through the
reeds.
'Be thankful, thou, for, if unholy deeds
Rave the world, tranquility is here!"



We had the opportunity to visit Grasmere, a village in the Lake District of Scotland, last summer, the year that we took our survey tour of the United Kingdom. Although we didn't get to spend much time in the Grasmere area, we did get to see the graves of the Wordsworth family and heard many stories about them. We learned that Wordsworth became the poet laureate of Britain in 1843, but he did not write any more poetry after the death of his beloved daughter, Dora, in 1847. Wordsworth only lived three more years after the death of Dora. Incidentally, Beatrix Potter, the beloved children's author, was also from the Lake District area.

The past week has been full of memorable events for us, one a happy event, and one a difficult event. Our daughter became engaged on April 11, and my husband was in a wreck when a teenager pulled out in front of him. Fortunately, no one was injured but the incident totaled our 1997 Toyota Corolla, a reliable car that we've had for over 15 years. Now we have to figure out what we are going to do about getting another car. It's all going to work out. I'm trying to focus on the happy event and not the frustrating one.

A few days ago I finished reading the national bestseller, The Winter People, by Jennifer McMahon. This book was written last year, 2014, so it may be new to you. It was in one of the bags of books that I brought home from my parents' collection in Georgetown, Ky recently. I read the back of the book as I always do to get an idea of what the book was about, and I decided to read it based on what I read. Who wouldn't want to read a book set in Vermont with stories of "strange disappearances and old legends?" Who wouldn't want to read a good ghost story that will leave you feeling somewhat nervous and uncomfortable? This book is smoothly written and hooks the reader from the very beginning. It's a ghost story about people who come back alive after their deaths. I don' want to give too much away, but McMahon wisely crafts her characters as she tells various parts of the story that take place in 1908 and in the present time. In the present time you will meet Ruthie, Fawn, Alice, and Candace. In 1908 you will meet Sara Harrison Shea, Martin, and Gertie. As you read you will see how all of these characters are connected.

The book that I'm going to stat this weekend is One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Somewhere along the way I missed the memo on this classic, so I look forward to giving it some attention. This book was also in one of the bags from Kentucky, so again, I didn't spend any money on a book. My goal is to try to read a book that is free to me whenever possible.

I will now list the next ten books that I've read since 1984. You'll note that I've read quite a few of Barbara Kingsolver's books and I've enjoyed every one of these by this author from Kentucky. Kingsolver is one of the few authors that I've ever written a letter to, and I did get a response. It was a form letter stating that she didn't have time to respond to all of her mail, but her signature is her very own!

1. On Writing by Stephen King
2. Between Sundays by Karen Kingsburg
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
4. The Bean Trees by B. Kingsolver
5. Flight Behavior by B. Kingsolver
6. Pigs in Heaven by B. Kingsolver
7. Prodigal Summer by B. Kingsolver
8. The Poisonwood Bible by B. Kingsolver (on my top-ten list of novel)
9. The Lacuna by B. Kingsolver
10. Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella


I would love to get your feedback on today's post. Have you read any of the books that I've listed or discussed? If so, what did you think of them?

Happy Reading,
Melissa

A TIME TO BLEED

"There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed." -Ernest Hemingway (Brainy Quote)


Everyone seems to like to talk about the color of their blood, especially during basketball season. I often hear things like "I bleed Kentucky blue," or "I bleed Carolina blue." Even the shades of blue are distinct, and sports fans want everyone to know the EXACT shade of their team's blue. NO ONE wants their team to be confused with another team - so the fine shades of blue or some other color must be clearly defined. But we all know that real blood is reddish black, not blue. In the above quote, Hemingway compares writing to a cleansing of the mind and body, a sifting of feelings until they are poured out into words. One could also argue that he's saying that writing is very painful and causes injury to the writer, but I don't think that's what he means here. I prefer the interpretation that writing is a way that an author pours out what is inside his/her soul, mind, experiences, and life. I, myself, have found that when I sit down at the computer, I usually don't know what I want to write about until I start typing. At times I am dissatisfied with what I have written, so I "clean it up" and try to make it more cohesive. As I edit, I try to imagine myself as a reader who is looking at this blog for the first time. I want my thoughts to be unified, cohesive, and interesting, so I keep chiseling away until I am somewhat satisfied with what I see on the screen.

Now some thoughts on last week's NCAA basketball championship. After today, I won't talk about basketball for a good long while, so those of you who don't particularly enjoy sports, don't worry - I will get off of this soapbox after today! As you know my local team, the Duke Blue Devils, won the national title and we are all very proud. Honestly, I did not expect them to go that far because it was sort of a "rebuilding" year with so many young players. But throughout the season the players continued to improve, to find their game, and to get in a rhythm of winning. It was a great season. Of course, I was also pulling for the Kentucky Wildcats, since I am from Kentucky and have followed them since I was a teenager/ I was very disappointed that they were beaten by Wisconsin, but I can't imagine how the players themselves must be feeling after being undefeated all season until that loss. Still, they had a great run and they should be proud of themselves.

When I wrote my last entry I was thinking about starting to read To Kill a Mockingbird again, but since then I decided to read a book that I got from my parents during my spring break. I'm reading The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon. I'm almost finished with the national bestseller and I'm eager to see how the story concludes. If you like mysteries, strange happenings, or just plain old scary stories, you will like this book. There are several main characters in the story, and they live in various time periods. The first chapter begins during the time of Sara Harrison Shea, a farmer's wife who lived in 1908. The other characters are Martin, Gertie, Ruthie, Fawn, Candace, Kathleen, and Gary. The story takes place in West Hall, Vermont, a town that has many stories of strange disappearances and old legends. It's a fun book to read and I'm eager to see how everything turns out for the various characters, most of whom have lost a great deal and need resolutions.

The next ten books in my card catalog are as follows:

1. A New Song by Jan Karon
2. Out to Canaan by Jan Karon
3. Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon
4. These High, Green Hills by Jan Karon
5. Milk and Honey by Faye Kellerman
6. The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
7. A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel (a local author!)
8. She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel
9. The Solace of Leaving Early by Haven Kimmel 
10. Why We Can't Wait by Martin Luther King Jr.

Have a wonderful week,
Melissa