Novel Quiz 2
Lynn Johannesen
the title and author. Please don't post answers that you found by
mechanical searches, and put spoiler warnings on answers that you post.
(Something like "spoilers for 1,2,5,6" would be ideal.)
Some of these were not originally in English; your translation may
vary. Two are shorter than most novels, and are often called
novelettes or even short stories.
1. A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned
hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was
assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily
timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
2. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru
broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.
3. It was three hundred forty-eight years, six months, and nineteen days ago
today that the citizens of Paris were awakened by the pealing of all the
bells in the triple precincts of the City, the University, and the Town.
4. The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and
began to pick his way towards the lagoon.
5. To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains
came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.
6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
thirteen.
7. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found
himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
8. riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of
bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth
Castle and Environs.
9. He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream
and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
10. No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth
century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by
intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as
men busied themselves about their various concerns they were
scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a
microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and
multiply in a drop of water.
Geoff Bailey
In article <lynnjF7...@netcom.com>,
Lynn Johannesen <ly...@netcom.com> wrote:
> Once again, here are the first sentences of 10 novels. For each, give
> the title and author. Please don't post answers that you found by
> mechanical searches, and put spoiler warnings on answers that you post.
> (Something like "spoilers for 1,2,5,6" would be ideal.)
Possible SPOILERS for 4,6,7,9,10 follow.
> 4. The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock
> and began to pick his way towards the lagoon.
Memory says that this is _Lord of the Flies_, by William Golding, but it's
been a long time since I read it.
> 6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
> thirteen.
I've definitely read this. Is it _1984_ by George Orwell (aka Eric
Arthur Blair)?
> 7. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found
> himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
_Metamorphosis_ by Franz Kafka.
> 9. He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream
> and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
_The Old Man and the Sea_ by Ernest Hemingway
> 10. No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth
> century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by
> intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as
> men busied themselves about their various concerns they were
> scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a
> microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and
> multiply in a drop of water.
_War of the Worlds_ by H. G. Wells.
Cheers,
Geoff.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Bailey (Fred the Wonder Worm) | Programmer by trade --
ft...@cs.usyd.edu.au | Gameplayer by vocation.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Runhavefun
>
>
>
>
>5. To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last
>rains
>came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.
>
John Steinbeck, _Grapes of Wrath_
>7. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself
transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
>
Franz Kafka, _Metamorphosis_
>9. He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream
>and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
>
Earnest Hemingway, _The Old Man In The Sea_
>10. No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth
>century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by
>intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as
>men busied themselves about their various concerns they were
>scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a
>microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and
>multiply in a drop of water.
H.G. Wells, _War Of The Worlds_
Jamie Dreier
> 8. riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of
> bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth
> Castle and Environs.
_Finnegans Wake_.
--
SpamGard: For real return address replace "DOT" with "."
Matthew T. Russotto
Lynn Johannesen <ly...@netcom.com> wrote:
}Once again, here are the first sentences of 10 novels. For each, give
}the title and author. Please don't post answers that you found by
}mechanical searches, and put spoiler warnings on answers that you post.
}(Something like "spoilers for 1,2,5,6" would be ideal.)
Spoilers, but mostly wrong answers
}1. A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned
}hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was
}assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily
}timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
_The Odyssey_
}3. It was three hundred forty-eight years, six months, and nineteen days ago
}today that the citizens of Paris were awakened by the pealing of all the
}bells in the triple precincts of the City, the University, and the Town.
_The Hunchback of Notre Dame_
}4. The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of rock and
}began to pick his way towards the lagoon.
_It's a Wonderful Day_
}6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
}thirteen.
_1984_, George Orwell_
}9. He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream
}and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
_The Old Man and The Sea_ (OK, probably not..)
}10. No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth
}century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by
}intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as
}men busied themselves about their various concerns they were
}scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a
}microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and
}multiply in a drop of water.
War of The Worlds, H.G. Wells
--
Matthew T. Russotto russ...@pond.com
"Extremism in defense of liberty is no vice, and moderation in pursuit
of justice is no virtue."
Prashant Murti
Possible SPOILERS for 4,5,6,7,8,9,10
On Tue, 23 Feb 1999, Lynn Johannesen wrote:
> 4. The boy with fair hair lowered himself down the last few feet of
> rock and began to pick his way towards the lagoon.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
> 5. To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the
> last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth.
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
> 6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
> thirteen.
A Clockwork Orange
> 7. As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found
> himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.
Metamorphosis by Kafka ??
> 8. riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bend of
> bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back to Howth
> Castle and Environs.
Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce
> 9. He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream
> and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
> 10. No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth
> century that this world was being watched keenly and closely by
> intelligences greater than man's and yet as mortal as his own; that as
> men busied themselves about their various concerns they were
> scrutinised and studied, perhaps almost as narrowly as a man with a
> microscope might scrutinise the transient creatures that swarm and
> multiply in a drop of water.
War of the Worlds by HG Wells ???
Jim Ferry
Lynn Johannesen wrote:
>
> 1. A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned
> hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was
> assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily
> timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
_The Scarlet Letter_ ? Sound like Puritans preparing to judge 'n'
grudge.
> 2. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru
> broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.
_Gulliver's Travels_ ? A local radio show asks "The impossible
question"
each morning. This morning's was more possible than usual: in what
year
did Gulliver embark on his travels? The answer (first caller): 1699.
So
the year above sounds about right for him to be in an exotic but known
land,
where he is found. I don't know if that's what happened: I saw only
the
second part of the TV series (starring Ted Danson). Kulchur.
(Note: the best "impossible" question recently asked for Donald Duck's
middle
name. The answer: Fauntleroy (sp?). The source: Donald's draft card.)
> 6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
> thirteen.
1984 sounds right to me. I seriously doubt it could be "Clockwork
Orange." I think the first sentence of that was, "What's it going to
be then, eh?" Besides, the clock symbolism was about turning people
into clockwork, rather than clockwork being screwy. It would make a
great first sentence for 1984, however: believe what your told.
| Jim Ferry | Center for Simulation |
+------------------------------------+ of Advanced Rockets |
| http://www.uiuc.edu/ph/www/jferry/ +------------------------+
| jferry@expunge_this_field.uiuc.edu | University of Illinois |
dti...@my-dejanews.com
ly...@netcom.com (Lynn Johannesen) wrote:
>
spoiler for number 2, which none of the four replies I've seen so far
have answered.
.
.
.
v
.
.
.
v
.
.
.
v
> 2. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru
> broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.
The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thorton Wilder
--
Dan Tilque
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Daniel Hildebrandt
> Spoilers, but mostly wrong answers
>
> }1. A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments and gray, steeple-crowned
> }hats, intermixed with women, some wearing hoods, and others bareheaded, was
> }assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily
> }timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.
>
> _The Odyssey_
IIRC, this is actually _The_Scarlet_Letter_.
--
Daniel Hildebrandt
Member of the society to turn Wesley into a Little Styrofoam Dodecahedron.
Jamie Dreier
> I seriously doubt it could be "Clockwork
> Orange." I think the first sentence of that was, "What's it going to
> be then, eh?" Besides, the clock symbolism was about turning people
> into clockwork, rather than clockwork being screwy.
That was the symbolism, I guess you're right; but the title, I believe,
comes from the (Br.) expression, "Queer as a clockwork orange."
-Jamie
mumford
>(Spoiling references snipped)
>
>> I seriously doubt it could be "Clockwork
>> Orange." I think the first sentence of that was, "What's it going to
>> be then, eh?" Besides, the clock symbolism was about turning people
>> into clockwork, rather than clockwork being screwy.
>
>That was the symbolism, I guess you're right; but the title, I believe,
>comes from the (Br.) expression, "Queer as a clockwork orange."
Or...
---
The book that Frank Alexander is working on when Alex and his droogs
break into is home is called "A Clockwork Orange". Author Anthony Burgess
uses a pun on the Malay word "Ourang". Burgess lived for several years in
Malaya. The attack on his wife was based on an attack on Burgess' wife by
four American GIs during WWII, which caused her to miscarry.
--
(from the internet movie database).
Btw, in case you're curious, the Malay word "ourang" is "man" in English.
--
Glenn Lamb - mum...@netcom.com. Finger for my PGP Key.
Email to me must have my address in either the To: or Cc: field. All other
mail will be bounced automatically as spam.
PGPprint = E3 0F DE CC 94 72 D1 1A 2D 2E A9 08 6B A0 CD 82
Lynn Johannesen
is the authoritative list.
[spoiler space]
1. The Scarlet Letter, Nathaniel Hawthorne (and somebody even inferred
it, the way I had in mind)
2. The Bridge of San Luis Rey, Thorton Wilder. I thought this was
better known that it apparently is. If you don't know, at least,
that such a book exists, it's tough to deduce.
3. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Victor Hugo. (another educated guess
scored, apparently)
4. Lord of the Flies, William Golding
5. The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
6. 1984, George Orwell (I agree with Wei-Hwa's high opinion of this
sentence, BTW)
7. Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka
8. Finnegan's Wake, James Joyce. Again, you either know it or you
don't, but I was sure somebody would. The whole book reads like
this, and there are people who devote their lives to figuring out
what it all means.
9. The Old Man and the Sea, Ernest Hemingway
10. The War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells
And to the person who suggested Gulliver's Travels, I wanted to use
it. Unfortunately its first line is:
My Father had a small Estate in Nottinghamshire; I was the Third of
five Sons.
Hopeless for puzzle purposes.
I hope you all enjoyed this. From here I'd have to go to obscure
novels or obscure lines (like Gulliver), so I'll try something else.
Dragan Milosevic
news:36D2DB80.14DC@delete_this_field.uiuc.edu...
>> 6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
>> thirteen.
>
>1984 sounds right to me. I seriously doubt it could be "Clockwork
>Orange."
Interestingly enough, Burgess wrote a book 1985 (the first part of the
book is his commentary on 1984, the second his own distopian novel),
and above quote is one of the first sentences in this book, too.
ObTrivia: If anybody makes Novel Quiz 3, with the last sentence
instead of the first, Clockwork Orange should not be in it, since the
last chapter is missing in many editions.
Patrick Hamlyn
>I hope you all enjoyed this. From here I'd have to go to obscure
>novels or obscure lines (like Gulliver), so I'll try something else.
I certainly did. How about closing sentences, as suggested elsewhere in this
thread?
Lynn Johannesen
: ly...@netcom.com (Lynn Johannesen) wrote:
As a matter of fact, I'm working on it. It's harder to find good
closing sentences than opening ones for some reason.
Kaberi Chakrabarty
first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
dti...@my-dejanews.com
> better known that it apparently is. If you don't know, at least,
> that such a book exists, it's tough to deduce.
I was the one who answered this one right, and I must confess that I
have not read this book. I knew the title and had a rough idea of the
plot and so immediately recognized it from the first line. However, I
had to do a quick search on the web for the author.
Here's one that many people should at least get the author of.
"It was a dark and stormy night and the rain fell in torrents--except at
occasional intervals, when it was checked by a violent gust of wind which
swept up the streets (for it is in London that our scene lies), rattling
along the housetops, and fiercely agitating the scanty flame of the lamps
that struggled against the darkness."
See http://www.bulwer-lytton.com/ for the answer.
bu...@pac2.berkeley.edu
Kaberi Chakrabarty <kabe...@mail.idt.net> wrote:
>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
There are probably quite a few in which a main character is mentioned
in both sentences. One example is Nabokov's "Lolita."
(This one works whether or not you count the preface as part of the
novel. Normally, it wouldn't occur to me to count a preface as part
of a novel, but in this case, the preface is itself a work of fiction,
written from the point of view of a fictitious editor who has
supposedly received the manuscript of the novel proper from the
narrator. Typical Nabokov.)
-Ted
Matthew T. Russotto
Kaberi Chakrabarty <kabe...@mail.idt.net> wrote:
}Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
}first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
Orwell's _1984_ has memorable first and last sentences. The first has been
mentioned, about the clocks striking 13. The last is "He loved Big
Brother."
Dickens's _A Tale of Two Cities_ begins with a very, very long
and memorable sentence: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times...", and ends with "It is a far, far better thing that I do,
than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I
have ever known."
Glenn Channell
>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
What do you mean by easily identified? There are tons.
Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times..."
Moby Dick: "Call me Ishmael."
Fahrenheit 451: "It was a pleasure to burn."
Here's one that anyone who heard of the book in question should be
able to figure out:
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."
Carl G.
Kaberi Chakrabarty wrote in message ...
>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
The book _Treasure Island_ would easily be recognized by either its first or
last sentence. I believe it would be recognized even by people who have
never read the novel, but have seen movies based on the book. The first
sentence has the words "Treasure Island" in it, and the last sentence
mentions the island and Captain Flint saying "Pieces of eight!".
Carl G.
Jamie Dreier
> >That was the symbolism, I guess you're right; but the title, I believe,
> >comes from the (Br.) expression, "Queer as a clockwork orange."
>
> Or...
> ---
> The book that Frank Alexander is working on when Alex and his droogs
> break into is home is called "A Clockwork Orange". Author Anthony Burgess
> uses a pun on the Malay word "Ourang". Burgess lived for several years in
> Malaya. The attack on his wife was based on an attack on Burgess' wife by
> four American GIs during WWII, which caused her to miscarry.
> --
> (from the internet movie database).
>
> Btw, in case you're curious, the Malay word "ourang" is "man" in English.
Right, as in 'ourang-utan'.
Huh.
Well, that doesn't seem like a coincidence!
My source is Salmon Rushdie, from an article of his in the NY Times
Magazine, or possibly Book Review, a couple of years ago. The article was
about deliberately obscure titles, esp. of movies and plays. Others
mentioned included "Reservoir Dogs", "Trainspotting", and "------ is Not
the Rat Boy" (the blank is not part of the title, I just can't remember
the name that's in the title of the play). And several others I've
forgotten.
Anyway, Rushdie said that the Burgess title was taken from the (according
to Rushdie) common British expression, "he's as queer as a clockwork
orange."
So, is this really a recognizable expression in the Britain?
And is the title really a pun on 'ourang'? Or does the expression itself
derive from some corruption of 'ourang'?
Virgil
kabe...@mail.idt.net (Kaberi Chakrabarty) wrote:
>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
He was born with a gift for laughter and a sense that the world was mad,
and that was all his patrimony.
--
Virgil
vm...@frii.com
Matthew T. Russotto
Glenn Channell <chan...@aries.scs.uiuc.edu> wrote:
}kabe...@mail.idt.net (Kaberi Chakrabarty) writes:
}
}>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
}>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
}
}
}
I think he a novel which is easily identifiable from its first sentence,
AND easily identifiable from its last sentence.
}Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of
} times..."
Works, as the last is "It is a far, far better thing..."
}Moby Dick: "Call me Ishmael."
The last line isn't nearly as recognizable.
Ronald Osher
How would you rate this one:
First line: "Who is John Galt?"
Last line: He raised his hand and over the desolate earth he traced in
space the sign of the dollar.
Matthew T. Russotto
Ronald Osher <RONO...@worldnet.att.net> wrote:
}Matthew T. Russotto wrote:
}>
}> I think he a novel which is easily identifiable from its first sentence,
}> AND easily identifiable from its last sentence.
}>
}> }Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of
}> } times..."
}>
}> Works, as the last is "It is a far, far better thing..."
}>
}> }Moby Dick: "Call me Ishmael."
}>
}> The last line isn't nearly as recognizable.
}>
}
}First line: "Who is John Galt?"
}Last line: He raised his hand and over the desolate earth he traced in
}space the sign of the dollar.
The first is extremely recognizable, the last would probably be
familiar to many readers of the novel (for the "sign of the dollar"
reference), but I wouldn't consider it recognizable enough.
Glenn Channell
>In article <7b21e3$nff$1...@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>,
>Glenn Channell <chan...@aries.scs.uiuc.edu> wrote:
>}kabe...@mail.idt.net (Kaberi Chakrabarty) writes:
>}
>}>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>}>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
>}
>}
>}
>} What do you mean by easily identified? There are tons.
>I think he a novel which is easily identifiable from its first sentence,
>AND easily identifiable from its last sentence.
OK. I apologize--I guess I just misread it.
>}Tale of Two Cities: "It was the best of times, it was the worst of
>} times..."
>Works, as the last is "It is a far, far better thing..."
A couple more from my collection might qualify, in general
because they name major characters. Two that would work might, however,
depend on how you define the first line. In _Dune_ by Frank Herbert,
there is a short "quote" from the Manual of Muad'Dib. If that is taken
as the first line, the book isn't recognizable. However, if we take the
first line from the main text, we get:
"In the week before their departure to Arrakis, ..."
which is clearly recognizable to anyone who's read Dune. The last line
mentions Chani, so it too is fairly recognizable.
My all-time favorite opening line from a book is:
"This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it."
mumford
>
>> >That was the symbolism, I guess you're right; but the title, I believe,
>> >comes from the (Br.) expression, "Queer as a clockwork orange."
>>
>> Or...
>> ---
>> The book that Frank Alexander is working on when Alex and his droogs
>> break into is home is called "A Clockwork Orange". Author Anthony Burgess
>> uses a pun on the Malay word "Ourang". Burgess lived for several years in
>> Malaya. The attack on his wife was based on an attack on Burgess' wife by
>> four American GIs during WWII, which caused her to miscarry.
>> --
>> (from the internet movie database).
>>
>> Btw, in case you're curious, the Malay word "ourang" is "man" in English.
>
>Right, as in 'ourang-utan'.
yes.
>Huh.
>Well, that doesn't seem like a coincidence!
[snip]
>Anyway, Rushdie said that the Burgess title was taken from the (according
>to Rushdie) common British expression, "he's as queer as a clockwork
>orange."
>
>So, is this really a recognizable expression in the Britain?
>
>And is the title really a pun on 'ourang'? Or does the expression itself
>derive from some corruption of 'ourang'?
orangutan is obviously derived from ourang, and that's completely
logical to me, since orangutans are considered one of the apes closer
in relation to man (same number of ribs).
Just for the curious, the etymology of orangutan is indeed orang (man)
+ hutan (forest)
Runhavefun
>From: kabe...@mail.idt.net (Kaberi Chakrabarty)
>Date: 2/24/99 3:46 PM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: <kaberi19-240...@ppp-19.ts-1.chi.idt.net>
>
>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
>
1st sentence: "It was love at first sight."
Last sentence: "The knife came down, missing him by inches, and he took off."
SPOILER BELOW
>
>
>
>
Catch-22
Runhavefun
>From: kabe...@mail.idt.net (Kaberi Chakrabarty)
>Date: 2/24/99 3:46 PM Central Standard Time
>Message-id: <kaberi19-240...@ppp-19.ts-1.chi.idt.net>
>
>Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
>first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
>
>
1st sentence: "A destiny that lwads the English to the Danish is strange
enough; but one that leads from Epson into Pennsylvania, and thence into the
hills that shut in Altamont over the proud coral cry of the cock, and the soft
stone smile of an angel, is touched by that dark miracle of chance which makes
new magic in a dusty world."
Last sentence: "Yet, as he stood for the last time by the angels of his
father's porch, it seemed as if the Square already were far and lost; or, I
should say, he was like a man who stands upon a hill above the town he has
left, yet does not say 'The town is near,' but turns his eyes upon the distant
soaring ranges."
SPOILER BELOW
>
>
>
Look Homeward Angel, Thomas Wolfe
Gareth Owen
> "Reservoir Dogs",
The villains are like the reserve Dogs Of War. Hence: Reservoir Dogs. I
don't really follow this, but its what I heard.
> "Trainspotting",
Heroin addiction being an enormously time wasting thing only practised by
saddoes, like trainspotting. Does trainspotting even exist outside Britain?
> and "------ is Not the Rat Boy"
Don't know this one.
--
Gareth Owen
Somebody's boring me.
I think it's me.
Lynn Johannesen
: In article <kaberi19-240...@ppp-19.ts-1.chi.idt.net>,
: kabe...@mail.idt.net (Kaberi Chakrabarty) wrote:
: >Anybody care to suggest a novel that is easily identified by either its
: >first or its last sentence? I can only think of one.
: He was born with a gift for laughter and a sense that the world was mad,
: and that was all his patrimony.
Good one. I had to look it up, and it is a book I have not read.
Nevertheless the quote is quite familiar; I wonder why?
tuppence
>(Clockwork Orange)
>Anyway, Rushdie said that the Burgess title was taken from the
(according
>to Rushdie) common British expression, "he's as queer as a clockwork
>orange."
>
>So, is this really a recognizable expression in the Britain?
It's not one I've ever come across and it does not appear in any of my
slang dictionaries.
2d
John B
<tupp...@pTHEUSUALmail.net> wrote:
It's a recognizable saying, or at least was in the late '40s, '50s, '60s,
and first half of the '70s. I think it was originally a London saying which
came into usage across most of the country and then departed back to the
South. Also seen as 'queer as a wind up orange.' Replaced 'Queer as a 5
bob note'. No idea where it comes from.
John
Jamie Dreier
> > "Reservoir Dogs",
>
> The villains are like the reserve Dogs Of War. Hence: Reservoir Dogs. I
> don't really follow this, but its what I heard.
Well, Rushdie says the origin is like this.
Tarantino generally despises sophisticated foreign films, and in
particular he couldn't stand "Au revoir, les enfantes". He used to call it
"the Oh, Reservoir" movie, and then later "the Oh Reservoir Dogs" movie.
> > "Trainspotting",
>
> Heroin addiction being an enormously time wasting thing only practised by
> saddoes, like trainspotting. Does trainspotting even exist outside Britain?
Yeah, but still, it does seem like a self-conciously obscure title.
David Brain
Channell) wrote:
> Here's one that anyone who heard of the book in question should be
> able to figure out:
>
>
> "In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."
I was at an SF convention this weekend where we had a first lines quiz, and I had a
lengthy argument with a fellow competitor about the line "This is a book largely
concerning Hobbits" (or something similar). He was insistent that it was the first line of
The Hobbit, but I was equally adamant that the line quoted above was the first line of
The Hobbit, and our question was the first line of The Fellowship of the Ring.
In this case I was right ;-)
(Oh, and the first line of 20,000 Leagues... was in the quiz too, and I only got it because it
had been on here a couple of weeks ago!)
--
David Brain
London, UK
Wei-Hwa Huang
>> 2. On Friday noon, July the twentieth, 1714, the finest bridge in all Peru
>> broke and precipitated five travelers into the gulf below.
>_Gulliver's Travels_ ? A local radio show asks "The impossible
Nope. _The Bridge of San Luis Rey_, by Thornton Wilder.
(To quote Ogden Nash, "Oscar was Wilde, but Thornton was Wilder.")
>> 6. It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking
>> thirteen.
>1984 sounds right to me. I seriously doubt it could be "Clockwork
>Orange." I think the first sentence of that was, "What's it going to
>be then, eh?" Besides, the clock symbolism was about turning people
>into clockwork, rather than clockwork being screwy. It would make a
>great first sentence for 1984, however: believe what your told.
It's a great first sentence, but the actual meaning in the story is
quite complacent -- in the "future" of 1984, everyone uses twenty-four
hour clocks, so the time is simply what we might call 1 P.M.
But the sinister feeling one gets from "the clocks striking thirteen"
is delicious.
--
Wei-Hwa Huang, whu...@ugcs.caltech.edu, http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~whuang/
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