I earned a BA in English from an American university years ago. I recall being assigned parts of "Paradise Lost," and I have to agree that Lucifer is a fascinating character. If you've never read it, Mark Twain's "Letters from the Earth" is a kind of bitter and hilarious tribute to that particular Milton work. "Heart of Darkness" was assigned in some classes, and I liked it better the second or third time after digging deeper into the metaphors threaded throughout that story. What I mostly remember was getting lucky and having Shelley's "Frankenstein" assigned in three different classes. Enjoy your literary journey.
I don’t have a background in literature, and mainly read leisurely when time allows (engineering route). I would like to get more serious about literature and read it critically- in essence, as if I was studying literature. Could you provide some guidance on how I could go about that without actually pursuing a literature degree? I’ve seen how some people annotate their books (in a deeper, more analytical/critical way) and will dissect the book via papers (and presentations such as yours). I’d love to learn how to read a book in this manner. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, and thank you for taking the time from your studies to make and share these videos! Cheers!
I'm planning to make a video about this, but here are some tips that I use during summer whenever I want to study a text. 1. choose only books that you're really interested in studying. 2. engage with the material by focusing in one aspect: poetic devices, vocabulary, syntax, themes, etc.This would depend on your interest or in the type of work you want to study. Don't try to annotate or highlight everything. 3. secondary sources: you could read essays or listen to lectures on Spotify/RUclips. I recommend the podcast In Our Time by the BBC. 4. after reading a book, compare your ideas to other people's ideas. For this, you could listen to informal podcasts in which other readers discuss the book that you read. I hope this is useful. Thank you for watching and commenting. Good luck with your studies!❤
I'm curious as to your theory of what the elixir exactly does in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. I was told the Doctor had personality shifts BEFORE he created the elixir. One theory says he created it to suppress his dark side (Mr Hyde) but instead it started eating away at his lighter side. Another theory says that the elixir isolated his light and dark sides creating 2 completely different people (100% good and 100% bad). Yet another theory says that the elixir only lets his dark side emerge 100% so that when he is his normal self, he looks like an angel by comparison. This is so he can fulfill all his dark fantasies without being responsible for his actions. One theory I thought of was that the elixir did nothing and it was just an excuse for leading a double life. What do you think?
Ufff I've never given much thought to this to be honest. I like the freudian readings of this novel. The doctor might be repressing his (homo)sexuality, and takes the elixir to have an outlet, but it doesn't turn out well because the elixir shuts down his empathy and he becomes a psychopath. I might change my mind after I reread the novel. And sure! The double life is part of the problem. The doctor needs a physical and a mental space to act without moral restraints. He can use his second flat to do whatever he wants, but he needs the elixir to be free from his inhibitions.
@@evasliteraryparlour a question, its true that for someone to understand a book for an English literature class he needs to read other 5 books to have the correct context?
I'm curious if you 'll like "Heart of Darkness". It's pessimistic, portraying human nature in grim colours, but nevertheless it's an essential reading. Do you read also Spanish language literature books?
I understand! My first experience reading a French novel was a disaster. It's one of the worst books I've ever read. But now that I've read more French works, I think French lit is amazing. You just need to find the right book for yourself.❤
Hello, fellow students. Tell me, how is school life treating you these days?😊
I'm so excited to see your reviews of these books! So so so many good ones. This is the perfect time to dive into Beowulf-omg.
I want to buy a modern version of Beowulf. It looks like an interesting story, but I haven't found the right translation for me. 🥲
I earned a BA in English from an American university years ago. I recall being assigned parts of "Paradise Lost," and I have to agree that Lucifer is a fascinating character. If you've never read it, Mark Twain's "Letters from the Earth" is a kind of bitter and hilarious tribute to that particular Milton work.
"Heart of Darkness" was assigned in some classes, and I liked it better the second or third time after digging deeper into the metaphors threaded throughout that story.
What I mostly remember was getting lucky and having Shelley's "Frankenstein" assigned in three different classes.
Enjoy your literary journey.
Yes! I'm certainly from the Devil's party. I have never read anything from Twain, but I'm going to check "Letters from the Earth"👀. Thank you!!
I don’t have a background in literature, and mainly read leisurely when time allows (engineering route).
I would like to get more serious about literature and read it critically- in essence, as if I was studying literature.
Could you provide some guidance on how I could go about that without actually pursuing a literature degree?
I’ve seen how some people annotate their books (in a deeper, more analytical/critical way) and will dissect the book via papers (and presentations such as yours).
I’d love to learn how to read a book in this manner.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide, and thank you for taking the time from your studies to make and share these videos!
Cheers!
I'm planning to make a video about this, but here are some tips that I use during summer whenever I want to study a text.
1. choose only books that you're really interested in studying.
2. engage with the material by focusing in one aspect: poetic devices, vocabulary, syntax, themes, etc.This would depend on your interest or in the type of work you want to study. Don't try to annotate or highlight everything.
3. secondary sources: you could read essays or listen to lectures on Spotify/RUclips. I recommend the podcast In Our Time by the BBC.
4. after reading a book, compare your ideas to other people's ideas. For this, you could listen to informal podcasts in which other readers discuss the book that you read.
I hope this is useful. Thank you for watching and commenting. Good luck with your studies!❤
I'm curious as to your theory of what the elixir exactly does in 'Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'. I was told the Doctor had personality shifts BEFORE he created the elixir. One theory says he created it to suppress his dark side (Mr Hyde) but instead it started eating away at his lighter side. Another theory says that the elixir isolated his light and dark sides creating 2 completely different people (100% good and 100% bad). Yet another theory says that the elixir only lets his dark side emerge 100% so that when he is his normal self, he looks like an angel by comparison. This is so he can fulfill all his dark fantasies without being responsible for his actions. One theory I thought of was that the elixir did nothing and it was just an excuse for leading a double life. What do you think?
Ufff I've never given much thought to this to be honest. I like the freudian readings of this novel. The doctor might be repressing his (homo)sexuality, and takes the elixir to have an outlet, but it doesn't turn out well because the elixir shuts down his empathy and he becomes a psychopath. I might change my mind after I reread the novel.
And sure! The double life is part of the problem. The doctor needs a physical and a mental space to act without moral restraints. He can use his second flat to do whatever he wants, but he needs the elixir to be free from his inhibitions.
Saludos desde mexico, im impressed about how much yu read.
Thank you! Mucha gente aquí lee muchísimo más que yo y a veces me siento un poco insegura 😅.
@@evasliteraryparlour a question, its true that for someone to understand a book for an English literature class he needs to read other 5 books to have the correct context?
I'm curious if you 'll like "Heart of Darkness". It's pessimistic, portraying human nature in grim colours, but nevertheless it's an essential reading. Do you read also Spanish language literature books?
I feel very curious about Heart of Darkness. I'm gonna read it very soon. Yes. I also read Spanish lit, although not very often.
Do you remember what the podcasts were that you were listening to about Byron and Sade?
We are studying both French and English literature for the upcoming semester and still struggling to read the classics in French.
I understand! My first experience reading a French novel was a disaster. It's one of the worst books I've ever read. But now that I've read more French works, I think French lit is amazing. You just need to find the right book for yourself.❤
Condolences on being forced to read "Heart of Darkness." I read it for pleasure, and found it most unpleasing.