Because we recently had St. Patricks day a few days ago I thought I would review something different for a change. Irish Fairy and Folk Tales is not like a novel or a book that is read straight through. It is actually a collection of all sorts of Irish myths and legends compiled into one volume.
Almost all cultures have their stories about magical creatures and folk lore that have come to be a major part of their culture. Ireland is not unique in the amount of legends and stories, but it is unique in some of its characters. For example the leprechaun is an exclusively Ireland creation(although many other cultures have similar types of creatures, known elsewhere as wood sprites or elves).
This particular book is edited by William Butler Yeats and is a thorough compilation of all sorts of strange and fascinating Irish stories and old Irish folktales. Many of the stories involve various creatures, including: leprechauns, fairies, banshee's, and ghost stories. There are also quiet a few short stories about the Irish faith and stories where it overcomes negative omens and beings such as demons and the devil.
Stories and folktales are often the essence of literature and inspiration for other works of art. If you would like to learn about some of the interesting cultural origins of many of Ireland's beliefs and stories, I would greatly recommend this book.
Recommended Reading:
Actually, for once, I have nothing to put here. Before this book I knew very little about Irish culture, and it is not a topic that I have ever read much on. I also have not read any Irish literature. So if anyone out there has any recommendations they would like to give me, feel free.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday, March 5, 2007
Book Review 7: Wicked
Take a well known fictional story, a story that almost every American can recite by heart, that almost everyone cherishes as a popular culture icon, and then write a book that completely changes it. Write a book that warps the well known world that people have come to love into an strange and sometimes frightening place fraught with all the problems and social issues that we have here in the land of reality.
That's essentially what author Gregory MaGuire does in Wicked, a novel that takes the well known characters and events from The Wizard of Oz and tells it from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West. The point of this novel on the surface is to show that every story has two sides and history is written by the victors, it's just a quirky twist on a classic story. The deeper point of this novel is to show, through heavy symbolism, issues of social injustice and hypocrisy.
Caution: If you love The Wizard of Oz and the rose-colored glasses version that most Americans know, then you may want to avoid Wicked because it might taint your idealistic version of the story. Once read, there is no unreading it, you can't click your heels three times to go home. At times it's a difficult read, but its well worth it because it is also an example of an author who knows a lot about literature and has used that knowledge to weave a highly fascinating, if somewhat confusing, story.
This is book worth reading, if for nothing else but to see the strange twist on a classic story. The book was so popular that it has spawned a musical production (I have not seen it so I'm not able to tell how well it follows the book), and has consistently been on the best-sellers. I'm glad that people have enough interest in literature to read a story that makes use of a fictional place and characters from a classic story, but I'm not so sure that Judy Garland would have signed on to play the role of Dorothy in this land of Oz.
Recommended Reading: Son of a Witch
Also by Gregory MaGuire, Son of a Witch is the sequel to the best-selling Wicked. If you do read Wicked, and you enjoy it, then prepare to spend money to buy a copy of Son of a Witch because you will want to know what happens to the characters and the land of Oz. But also be prepared to be slightly unsatisfied. Son of a Witch is well-written and interesting, but it may just leave you with more questions then answers.
That's essentially what author Gregory MaGuire does in Wicked, a novel that takes the well known characters and events from The Wizard of Oz and tells it from the point of view of the Wicked Witch of the West. The point of this novel on the surface is to show that every story has two sides and history is written by the victors, it's just a quirky twist on a classic story. The deeper point of this novel is to show, through heavy symbolism, issues of social injustice and hypocrisy.
Caution: If you love The Wizard of Oz and the rose-colored glasses version that most Americans know, then you may want to avoid Wicked because it might taint your idealistic version of the story. Once read, there is no unreading it, you can't click your heels three times to go home. At times it's a difficult read, but its well worth it because it is also an example of an author who knows a lot about literature and has used that knowledge to weave a highly fascinating, if somewhat confusing, story.
This is book worth reading, if for nothing else but to see the strange twist on a classic story. The book was so popular that it has spawned a musical production (I have not seen it so I'm not able to tell how well it follows the book), and has consistently been on the best-sellers. I'm glad that people have enough interest in literature to read a story that makes use of a fictional place and characters from a classic story, but I'm not so sure that Judy Garland would have signed on to play the role of Dorothy in this land of Oz.
Recommended Reading: Son of a Witch
Also by Gregory MaGuire, Son of a Witch is the sequel to the best-selling Wicked. If you do read Wicked, and you enjoy it, then prepare to spend money to buy a copy of Son of a Witch because you will want to know what happens to the characters and the land of Oz. But also be prepared to be slightly unsatisfied. Son of a Witch is well-written and interesting, but it may just leave you with more questions then answers.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Book Review 6: In The Heart of the Sea
This a historical book about the whale ship Essex, a US whale ship that during the early 1800's was attacked by a sperm whale and destroyed. The crew that survived were forced to abandon ship, were crammed into little life boats, and left adrift on the ocean.
In The Heart of the Sea is the true account, written years later by surviving crew members of the disaster. The tragedy was so terrible that the crew mates who were cast adrift had to eat the bodies of the crew mates who died of thirst, in order to avoid starvation.
Years later, Herman Melville would read about this tragedy and be inspired to write Moby Dick, a book that would become an American classic.
My problem with history has always been this: it's usually written in a boring and heavily prosaic style. I like history, and so often I pick up history books and think about buying them because they have an interesting premise. For the most part, I don't buy them though, because I've found that no matter how interesting a history book sounds I usually can't bring myself to finish it because an interesting idea is written about in a dull fashion.
Heart of the Sea won the 'National Book Award' and was recommended to me by a friend, so I figured I would give it a shot. The first few chapters were not very interesting and I struggled to stay with it. I'm glad I did though because the book got better as it went along and turned out to be an interesting read. It narrowly avoided falling into the dust like so many other history books I start, but it didn't and I'm glad because it turned out to be pretty good.
Recommended Reading: Chased by Sea Monsters
This is a really cool non-fiction book about prehistoric sea monsters, many of which are ancestors of today's modern sea monsters. Nigel Marven and his co-authors are the same people who worked on the "Walking with Dinosaurs" documentary aired by National Geographic. This book is really fascinating because its both informative and has a lot of great pictures of prehistoric sea monsters.
In The Heart of the Sea is the true account, written years later by surviving crew members of the disaster. The tragedy was so terrible that the crew mates who were cast adrift had to eat the bodies of the crew mates who died of thirst, in order to avoid starvation.
Years later, Herman Melville would read about this tragedy and be inspired to write Moby Dick, a book that would become an American classic.
My problem with history has always been this: it's usually written in a boring and heavily prosaic style. I like history, and so often I pick up history books and think about buying them because they have an interesting premise. For the most part, I don't buy them though, because I've found that no matter how interesting a history book sounds I usually can't bring myself to finish it because an interesting idea is written about in a dull fashion.
Heart of the Sea won the 'National Book Award' and was recommended to me by a friend, so I figured I would give it a shot. The first few chapters were not very interesting and I struggled to stay with it. I'm glad I did though because the book got better as it went along and turned out to be an interesting read. It narrowly avoided falling into the dust like so many other history books I start, but it didn't and I'm glad because it turned out to be pretty good.
Recommended Reading: Chased by Sea Monsters
This is a really cool non-fiction book about prehistoric sea monsters, many of which are ancestors of today's modern sea monsters. Nigel Marven and his co-authors are the same people who worked on the "Walking with Dinosaurs" documentary aired by National Geographic. This book is really fascinating because its both informative and has a lot of great pictures of prehistoric sea monsters.
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