‘Meshes of the web of destiny’

GailLeave a comment

I find myself checked constantly by thoughts of "but what about so-and-so? wouldn't they have something to say about it? what about my responsibilities?" These considerations are my "fetters of duty" and and "regulations of honour."

A Dark Comedy of Bright Young People: Vile Bodies Review

Gail1 Comment

It impressed me at times as a dark mirror to some of P.G. Wodehouse's writings, for its comedy and caricature, though Wodehouse tends to be more forgiving in outlook, whereas Waugh does not shy away from brutal consequences.

Titles on Trend: Another Seven or Eight (or Nine) Books of Lives and Deaths and Full Names

Gail1 Comment

As much as I’m treating this as a title “trend,” having found a clustering of similarly titled works throughout the last couple decades or so, it is by no means an exclusively modern phenomenon. The titling of classic works frequently followed a similar formula—for instance, the full title of the Dickens novel commonly called Nicholas… Continue reading Titles on Trend: Another Seven or Eight (or Nine) Books of Lives and Deaths and Full Names

Trading on Social Currency: The House of Mirth Review

Gail4 Comments

The House of Mirth is a multi-faceted, in-depth novelization of the difficulty of unmarried young women without a fortune who are nevertheless members of a certain upper-class social circle, and the lengths they must go to maintain their position...

Classics Club Spin #34

Gail5 Comments

After not completing the last spin on time, due to feeling a bit behind and swamped with books, I'm actually in a place where I'm feeling ready for the next one. (We're overlooking the fact that I'm still behind on reviews.) So here goes! I took all of the titles I have left (minus one… Continue reading Classics Club Spin #34

‘Absent from everything most densely real’

GailLeave a comment

Recently, I recognized a pattern of thought and behaviour in myself: I am long past mentally finished with a position or situation in life by the time I actually change it. I'm currently in that mental space of being prepared to be somewhere else, while still showing up where I'm currently committed to. I can… Continue reading ‘Absent from everything most densely real’

Taking the Temperature of a Society: Fahrenheit 451 Review

Gail1 Comment

A philosophic aside If something is not untrue, is that the same as saying it is true? Let me provide a parallel example: if someone is not wrong, does that mean they are right? I'm fairly confident anyone with the slightest degree of ability to grasp nuance of language would instinctively, if not confidently, say… Continue reading Taking the Temperature of a Society: Fahrenheit 451 Review

6 More Shows: The Two-Hit Wonders

GailLeave a comment

New TV shows are coming out and getting cancelled faster than anyone can watch them, it seems. Or, on the flip side, you hear of some show that you forgot existed ever since you heard about the plot twist ending of season two that fans were up in arms about however many years ago, now… Continue reading 6 More Shows: The Two-Hit Wonders