Oh, hell. Go ahead. I despair of anyone else coming to play this game with us anymore!

Wahoo. Brave New World.

I'll actually post one!

"It was a queer, sultry summer, the summer they electrocuted the Rosenbergs, and I didn't know what I was doing in New York."

DING! DING! DING! I know one! I'm pretty sure I've never read anything that left me feeling as hopeless and empty as The Bell Jar. I'll post another one later, but I don't have time right now.

quote:

Originally posted by MajorNougat:
DING! DING! DING! I know one! I'm pretty sure I've never read anything that left me feeling as hopeless and empty as The Bell Jar. I'll post another one later, but I don't have time right now.

Well done, Nougie! Whodathunk it would be Sylvia Plath who brought (somewhat) new blood to the thread?

quote:

Wahoo. Brave New World.

Why the hell didn't I check up on Metacritic? Brave New World is my favorite book. Ever.

Well, bending the "book" rules a tad, here's an easy one.

O O O O that Shakespeherian Rag -
It's so elegant
So intelligent

The rest of the guys must be too, er, wasted to guess.

One of my faves. And a protegee of Ezra Pound!
Still, I like the Hollow Men better. Anybody else?

Oh, OK. It's the Wasteland by TS Eliot, of Practical Cats fame, and others.

Here's another easy one:

"When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
The veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings about the engendering of the flower.
When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages..."

quote:

Originally posted by kendocubano:
"When in April the sweet showers fall
And pierce the drought of March to the root, and all
The veins are bathed in liquor of such power
As brings about the engendering of the flower.
When also Zephyrus with his sweet breath
Exhales an air in every grove and heath
Upon the tender shoots, and the young sun
His half-course in the sign of the Ram has run,
And the small fowl are making melody
That sleep away the night with open eye
(So nature pricks them and their heart engages)
Then people long to go on pilgrimages..."

Don't you mean:

"Whan that Aprill, with his shoures soote
The droghte of March hath perced to the roote
And bathed every veyne in swich licour,
Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
Hath in the Ram his halfe cours yronne,
And smale foweles maken melodye,
That slepen al the nyght with open eye-
(So priketh hem Nature in hir corages);
Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages"

Yes, well, I was going to do Beowulf, originally, but I don't have a rune plug in, so I thought middle english in translation might be better!

quote:

Originally posted by kendocubano:
but I don't have a rune plug in,

Dude, call the Geek Squad; they can totally hook that up!

I'm about 90% certain that's The Canterbury Tales. I'm not certain it would've occurred to me without PRG's massive hint though. After all, I haven't read it since I was about 14.

Ding Ding Ding!

You got it!
Your turn MN!

Yay! One of my very favorites! L'etranger
by Camus. I love it because it is absurd!


Ok, keeping with French week in the guess the book thread, here is the original, avec translation:

Un faldestoed i unt fait tut d'or mer,
La siet li reis ki dulce France tient.
Blanche ad la barbe e tut flurit le chef,
Gent ad le cors e le cuntenant fier;
S'est k·il demandet, ne l'estoet enseigner.

Upon a faldstool wrought in purest gold
Sits Charlemagne, the king who rules all France.
White is his beard and hoary is his head,
His stature noble and his countenance proud –
No need to point him out to any man.

Is it time for a hint? My book is newer than Beowulf, but older than the Cantebury Tales.

And it's in French.

Does that help?

I've just crawled in the door from a certain southern continent, and my head is with Gawain and the Green Knight. Other European lit is coming through blurry right now...hi lads! Good to be back with the page-boys.
wait...it's 1:30am, but ...Song of Roland, right? i'm off to bed....i missed you fellas.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ninny Gooptz,

G'Bless Ye, Ishmael! It's great to have you back. And, bien sur, c'est Le Chanson de Roland!

Hiya K/C! Thrilled to see yer still here.

Staying with a French theme, perhaps too easy for this crowd, but, hey, c'est la vie as we say in the colonies.

'There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide.'