Please Crosspost to alt.fan.tolkien
Öjevind Lång
Öjevind
Raven
news:717prvF...@mid.individual.net...
> The sister group needs every good post it can get.
Then why didn't *you* cross-post? :-)
Korpen.
Steve Hayes
wrote:
>The sister group needs every good post it can get.
As does alt.books.inklings.
--
Steve Hayes
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/litmain.htm
http://www.librarything.com/catalog/hayesstw
http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius
Öjevind Lång
news:qkmuq4t9jmv4sqlnh...@4ax.com...
> On Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:51:05 +0100, Öjevind Lång
> <bredba...@ojevind.lang>
> wrote:
>
>>The sister group needs every good post it can get.
>
> As does alt.books.inklings.
That's worth to keep in mind.
Öjevind
Steve Hayes
wrote:
>"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandet
>news:qkmuq4t9jmv4sqlnh...@4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:51:05 +0100, Öjevind Lång
>> <bredba...@ojevind.lang>
>> wrote:
>>
>>>The sister group needs every good post it can get.
>>
>> As does alt.books.inklings.
>
>That's worth to keep in mind.
It is indeed.
alt.book.inklings is very underused, but it is a good newsgroup for comparing
the works of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield and the
other Inklings.
Steve Morrison
> On Sat, 7 Mar 2009 13:57:07 +0100, Öjevind Lång <bredba...@ojevind.lang>
> wrote:
>
>> "Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> skrev i meddelandet
>> news:qkmuq4t9jmv4sqlnh...@4ax.com...
>>> On Wed, 4 Mar 2009 17:51:05 +0100, Öjevind Lång
>>> <bredba...@ojevind.lang>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> The sister group needs every good post it can get.
>>> As does alt.books.inklings.
>> That's worth to keep in mind.
>
> It is indeed.
>
> alt.book.inklings is very underused, but it is a good newsgroup for comparing
> the works of Tolkien, C.S. Lewis, Charles Williams, Owen Barfield and the
> other Inklings.
>
>
For me, the problem is that I've hardly read anything by
Inklings other than JRRT and CSL; I did read WIlliams's
/All Hallows' Eve/ years ago, but that's it. Do you have
any recommendations for books by the other Inklings?
Steve Hayes
>For me, the problem is that I've hardly read anything by
>Inklings other than JRRT and CSL; I did read WIlliams's
>/All Hallows' Eve/ years ago, but that's it. Do you have
>any recommendations for books by the other Inklings?
I'd recommend Williams's other novels.
My favourites are "War in heaven", "The place of the lion" and "The greater
trumps"
The only thing I've read by Barfield is "History in English words"
John W Kennedy
> On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:09:31 -0400, Steve Morrison<rim...@toast.net> wrote:
>
>> For me, the problem is that I've hardly read anything by
>> Inklings other than JRRT and CSL; I did read WIlliams's
>> /All Hallows' Eve/ years ago, but that's it. Do you have
>> any recommendations for books by the other Inklings?
>
> I'd recommend Williams's other novels.
>
> My favourites are "War in heaven", "The place of the lion" and "The greater
> trumps"
Might as well include "Descent into Hell" and "Many Dimensions".
"Shadows of Ecstasy" is somewhat more dated than the others.
The Arthuriad is also rewarding, though difficult: "Taliessin Through
Logres" and "The Region of the Summer Stars". But you'd better have a
copy of "Arthurian Torso" on hand to follow Lewis's commentary.
"The English Poetic Mind" is vital. And "The Figure of Beatrice" is one
of the leading books of all time on Dante.
Steve Hayes
wrote:
>On 3/21/09 2:41 AM, Steve Hayes wrote:
>> On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:09:31 -0400, Steve Morrison<rim...@toast.net> wrote:
>>
>>> For me, the problem is that I've hardly read anything by
>>> Inklings other than JRRT and CSL; I did read WIlliams's
>>> /All Hallows' Eve/ years ago, but that's it. Do you have
>>> any recommendations for books by the other Inklings?
>>
>> I'd recommend Williams's other novels.
>>
>> My favourites are "War in heaven", "The place of the lion" and "The greater
>> trumps"
>
>Might as well include "Descent into Hell" and "Many Dimensions".
>"Shadows of Ecstasy" is somewhat more dated than the others.
"Shadows of ecstasy" was also Williams's first novel, and while it starts off
OK, at the end the plot tends to dissolve into abstract philosophical
dialogue.
It, and "Descent into hell" have always been the ones I've liked least partly
for that reason, but recently I've read a couple of novels that have made me
want to re-read "Descent itno hell".
I found a book in the library with the title "Four Gothic novels", and I took
it out because I'd read about them, but hadn't read any of them and thought
I'd familiarise myself with the genre.
It has "The castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole, the progenitor of the genre,
and "Vathek" by William Beckford - both moral tales about wicked and unjust
rulers who got their come-uppance.
I had just read a modern fantasy novel, "Neverwhere" by Neil Gaiman, which
provided a linking theme:
All Hallows Eve
Neverwhere
Vathek
Descent into hell
"All Hallows Eve" is about two dead girls wandering around wartime London, one
drifting towards damnation adn the other to wards redemption.
"Neverwhere" has a similar setting, of a "London above" and a "London below".
"Vathek" has the progression of an unjust ruler to damnation, a kind of
descent into hell.
And "Descent into hell" is, of course, what the title suggests.
I don't want to say too much, for fear of introducing spoilers for those who
haven't read them, but I was struck by the common themes that run through all
four novels.
And I suppose in C.S. Lewis there is "The great divorce", and in Tolkien there
is Gollum.
>
>The Arthuriad is also rewarding, though difficult: "Taliessin Through
>Logres" and "The Region of the Summer Stars". But you'd better have a
>copy of "Arthurian Torso" on hand to follow Lewis's commentary.
>
>"The English Poetic Mind" is vital. And "The Figure of Beatrice" is one
>of the leading books of all time on Dante.
--
Steve Morrison
> On Sat, 21 Mar 2009 19:48:01 -0400, John W Kennedy <jwk...@attglobal.net>
> wrote:
>
>> On 3/21/09 2:41 AM, Steve Hayes wrote:
>>> On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:09:31 -0400, Steve Morrison<rim...@toast.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>> For me, the problem is that I've hardly read anything by
>>>> Inklings other than JRRT and CSL; I did read WIlliams's
>>>> /All Hallows' Eve/ years ago, but that's it. Do you have
>>>> any recommendations for books by the other Inklings?
>>> I'd recommend Williams's other novels.
>>>
>>> My favourites are "War in heaven", "The place of the lion" and "The greater
>>> trumps"
>> Might as well include "Descent into Hell" and "Many Dimensions".
>> "Shadows of Ecstasy" is somewhat more dated than the others.
>
> "Shadows of ecstasy" was also Williams's first novel, and while it starts off
> OK, at the end the plot tends to dissolve into abstract philosophical
> dialogue.
>
> It, and "Descent into hell" have always been the ones I've liked least partly
> for that reason, but recently I've read a couple of novels that have made me
> want to re-read "Descent itno hell".
Thanks for the suggestions; I've put some of Williams' novels on my
shopping list.
> I found a book in the library with the title "Four Gothic novels", and I took
> it out because I'd read about them, but hadn't read any of them and thought
> I'd familiarise myself with the genre.
>
> It has "The castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole, the progenitor of the genre,
> and "Vathek" by William Beckford - both moral tales about wicked and unjust
> rulers who got their come-uppance.
I've never read any of those; however, I am reading /Northanger Abbey/
at the moment. It might have been better to have read Walpole first,
since it's one of the novels which Catherine and Isabella read, before
Catherine has learned that Real Life Is Not Like A Gothic Novel!
John W Kennedy
There is also the quasi-Inkling, Dorothy L. Sayers, who wrote the Lord
Peter Wimsey mysteries, then wrote several religious dramas ("The Zeal
of Thy House" and "The Man Born to be King" are the best known), and
wound up translating and commenting on Dante.
Steve Hayes
>Steve Hayes wrote:
>Thanks for the suggestions; I've put some of Williams' novels on my
>shopping list.
>
>> I found a book in the library with the title "Four Gothic novels", and I took
>> it out because I'd read about them, but hadn't read any of them and thought
>> I'd familiarise myself with the genre.
>>
>> It has "The castle of Otranto" by Horace Walpole, the progenitor of the genre,
>> and "Vathek" by William Beckford - both moral tales about wicked and unjust
>> rulers who got their come-uppance.
>
>I've never read any of those; however, I am reading /Northanger Abbey/
>at the moment. It might have been better to have read Walpole first,
>since it's one of the novels which Catherine and Isabella read, before
>Catherine has learned that Real Life Is Not Like A Gothic Novel!
It probably doesn't matter -- reading Walpole's novel after Austin can give an
idea of contemporary reaction to the genre.
Something I did not realise when I started was that the "Gothic" genre
originally meant set in medieval times, though it has since become a synonym
for horror novels. So Eco's "The name of the rose" is a Gothic novel as well
as being a whodunit.
I'm now reading Neil Gaiman's "American gods". It's not Gothic, but has echoes
of Charles Williams's "The place of the lion". There's an interesting blog
comment on one aspect of it here:
http://asinusspinasmasticans.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/neil-gaiman-nails-the-neo-pagans/
Öjevind Lång
news:49caec28$0$27776$607e...@cv.net...
[snip]
> There is also the quasi-Inkling, Dorothy L. Sayers, who wrote the Lord
> Peter Wimsey mysteries, then wrote several religious dramas ("The Zeal of
> Thy House" and "The Man Born to be King" are the best known), and wound up
> translating and commenting on Dante.
I prefer "The Man Who Would be King" by you-know-who.
Öjevind
AJA
"Steve Hayes" <haye...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:ve0ms49ug6kcclog9...@4ax.com...
>
> I'm now reading Neil Gaiman's "American gods". It's not Gothic, but has
> echoes
> of Charles Williams's "The place of the lion". There's an interesting blog
> comment on one aspect of it here:
>
> http://asinusspinasmasticans.wordpress.com/2009/03/06/neil-gaiman-nails-the-neo-pagans/
>
A "recently minted Christian Orthodox"?
AJA
Steve Hayes
Someone nameless, but an Inklings fan, evidently.
Öjevind Lång
[snip]
> I'm now reading Neil Gaiman's "American gods". It's not Gothic, but has
> echoes
> of Charles Williams's "The place of the lion". There's an interesting blog
> comment on one aspect of it here:
I prefer "Omens", the book he wrote together with terry Pratchett. And
"Stardust", of course.
�jevind
Steve Hayes
wrote:
I'll have to look out for those, then.
--
Steve Hayes
Web: http://hayesfam.bravehost.com/litmain.htm
http://www.goodreads.com/hayesstw
http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/Methodius
Odysseus
�jevind L�ng <bredba...@ojevind.lang> wrote:
You mean _Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter,
Witch_?
--
Odysseus
Öjevind Lång
news:odysseus1479-at-A1...@news.telus.net...
[snip]
> You mean _Good Omens: the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter,
> Witch_?
Yes, that's the correct title. Sorry.
�jevind