So tomorrow we'll be starting again in the old place, which means new books for you to read. This term you can choose either a classic of English literature or two American short stories:Alice Adventures in Wonderland: What can I say about this marvellous book by L. Carroll? But I admit you must be comfortable with the bizarre -falling down a rabbit hole and finding yourself eating biscuits with strange effects, shrinking to the size of a mouse, talking to a caterpillar who is sitting on a mushroom smoking a hookah, being a guest at a mad tea party (nothing to do with the American republicans!), making friends with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, the Queen of Hearts, the Mock Turtle and the intriguing Cheshire Cat... wouldn't you like to have a Cheshire cat popping in and out of your life?
But if you prefer a more 'down-to-earth' sort of thing ... mmmh, I'm afraid we don't have anything remotely realistic this term ...just the following two short stories by American authors :
- The Strange Case of Benjamin Button (1922, by Scott Fitzgerald), the story of a man who is born old and ages backwards. The story was made into a film not so long ago starring Brad Pitt and Kate Blanchett. Here you can see some parts and the actor/actress comments:
The Swimmer (1964, John Cheever), also made into a fim, is the story of the man who "swims back home" using all private and public swimming pools in his affluent neighbourhood.
So which one are you going to choose?
2 comments:
I don't know which one. I consider Alice in Wonder a book for children despite knowing that it was written by Lewis Carroll, a maths expert. I know The curious case of Benjamin Button thanks to the movie so it's not a new story. Or it could be interesting reading a novel by Scott Fitzerald. I think he's a good writer, but I'd like to read The Great Gatsby instead. I don't know the other book so it can be a good reason to choose it.
Although L. Carroll is said to have dedicated the book to a girl called Alice Liddell, it's not necessarily a book for children. It has many different readings, but basically with this story the author rebels against the strict rules and regulations of the puritan Victorian-era Britain. The language is simple but at the same time very rich. However, of course, you should be willing and ready to get into somebody else's dream.
The language in the American short stories is a bit more challenging but it could be your first taste of S.F. before trying the Great Gatsby. And Benjamin Button is really worth reading, so I do think that's your book!
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