English Classics Books

It has been a long time since I first read The Case of the Gilded Fly and I'm really glad that I found some time to sit down and enjoy it again after all these years. That is one of the things I love so much about these old, classic mysteries. No matter how much time has passed the story always seems just as exciting as it was the first time around. Modern mystery writers could do themselves a huge favor by immersing themselves in writings of the 1930's, 40's and 50's.

Gervase Fen is an Oxford don who specializes in English literature but really wants to work on murder cases. His longtime friend, Sir Richard Freeman, Chief Constable of Oxford, really wanted to study and critique English literature. These two made wonderful counterpoints because they both wanted to concentrate most on the thing the other did for a living. These two characters are wonderfully written by Edmund Crispin. Mainly, for me, because we get to see the best of both professions but given to us from the point of view of the character we would not necessarily expect.

The book opens in a most clever way. All the characters make the railway journey from London to Oxford within days of each other. Each is described during the train trip in wonderful detail concerning their reasons for going to Oxford and the reader is thoroughly acquainted with the characters by the time they all arrive at their destination. Because of the abrasive nature of one character, it is pretty obvious who the murder victim will be but Crispin takes his time leading up to the murder. By the time it happens, you are very much in sympathy with whoever decided to do this person in and Fen's quandry about whether or not to prove the person guilty is rather easy to understand. Because, Fen does know immediately who the murderer is. I, on the other hand, was not so quick off the mark. I had someone else chosen and resolutely hung on to that person until the bitter end.

Crispin has the Gervase Fen character utilize his vast knowlege of English literature very extensively. Sometimes, it can be somewhat confusing to someone (such as myself) who has only a basic smattering of knowlege of the subject. Still, one of the references did prompt me to do a little research to seek out the quote and read it in its entirety. I must confess that I find myself still scratching my head to try to decide if I think the (first) murder could have taken place in just that way. Wow, what a marksman! and on the spur of the moment too! Also, the motive for the first murder seemed to be rather weak for my taste. I would have liked for a weightier matter to have been the catalyst from which this malevolence sprang.

I love these old mysteries. I think they contain huge doses of character and charm. I really like to set aside uninterrupted time to fully involve myself in the atmosphere of the story. If this sounds like something you enjoy also, then Edmund Crispin could be just the author you are looking for. If you've already met Fen, Mrs. Fen and the little Fen consider going back for another time to a world which probably never existed anyplace outside mystery fiction but which I sincerely wish I had inhabited, even if just for a short time.

Edmund Crispin (pseudonym for Bruce Montgomery) wrote "The Case of the Gilded Fly" in 1944 while he was still an undergraduate at St. John's College, Oxford. It features the advent of Gervase Fen, Professor of English Language and Literature, and amateur detective extraordinaire. Another of my favorite characters, the deaf and possibly senile Professor Wilkes also appears for the first time and tells a ghost story right before the first murder occurs. A story within a story. A mystery within a mystery.

Fen solves both the mystery of the Gilded Fly, and the mystery within the ghost story.

Crispin specialized in creating 'impossible' murders for his Oxford don to investigate. A murder usually acquires the label 'impossible' at the death scene, when someone blurts out, "No one could have gotten past the gate keeper (or into the locked room or through the sky light). This is impossible!"

In "The Case of the Gilded Fly," we have:

"...Accident practically impossible. And murder, apparently, quite impossible. So the only conclusion is---

"The only conclusion is," put in the Inspector, "that the thing never happened at all."

Now Fen is off and running! A whole troupe of actors and actresses had motives for killing their colleague, and all of them (of course) have alibis.

The story begins when playwright Robert Warner mounts his latest experimental drama at the Oxford Repertory Theatre. His previous play bombed in London and he wants to try out "Metromania" in the provinces before opening it on the West End. His current mistress accompanies him to Oxford, and he unwisely gives his former mistress a role in his new play. Both ladies have other admirers. Their admirers have admirers. In fact, it's hard to keep track of who loves whom without a score card---or in this case, a playbill.

Although its characters sometimes sound frivolous and superficial (and very funny), 'Gilded Fly' also concerns itself with the gap between outward, conventional appearances and the inner turmoil that triggered a murder. All of the suspects have valid, psychological reasons for wanting the victim to die, but Fen is skeptical about crimes committed for hate or love:

"I don't believe in the 'crime passionel,' particularly when the passion appears, as in this case, to be chiefly frustration. Money, vengeance, security: there are your plausible motives, and I shall look for one of them."

If you agree with Fen, then you will be able to eliminate ninety percent of the suspects. If you're like me, you'll keep blundering off after red herrings until All is Explained at novel's end. The author doesn't cheat---you'll get all of the clues ahead of the final denouement.

'Gilded Fly' is both a tightly constructed mystery and a literate, witty, British comedy of manners.

NOTE: "The Case of the Gilded Fly" was also published under the title, "Obsequies at Oxford."

I read Catch-22 in my first semester of college in '91. What inspired me was a "Life in Hell" cartoon by Matt Groening about the stages of growing up. There's one frame captioned, "realizing that everything you've ever believed is a lie," which shows the wide-eyed Bongo reading Catch-22. My english teacher had also listed it as one of the books we should read sometime in our lives. It put into words a lot of disillusionment that I felt, and also I laughed really hard.

Three new additions to Harold Bloom's 'Modern Critical Interpretations' ($36.95 each) series will reach high school into college levels, compiling critical articles from a variety of sources and offering the in-depth analysis students will need to assist on detailed reports of an author's single work. Joseph Heller's Catch 22 (0-7910-5927-8) provides articles which examine how the sane can survive under insane wartime circumstances; Elie Wiesel's Night (5924-3) gathers critical writings on his story of life in a Nazi concentration camp, and the focus on Tolkien's Lord Of The Rings (5665-1) considers the contents and impact of the three-volume epic fantasy. All include essays by notable critics who offer different interpretations and focus perfect for classroom discussion or essay pursuit.

Verga is one of the 19th Century's greatest writers, and it's a shame he isn't better known in the English-speaking world. Stories such as Jeli the Shepherd and the She-Wolf are dazzling, deeply moving stories that rank amongst the best stories Chekhov ever wrote. The translation itself is superb. It is easily the best version of Verga in English.

To paraphrase Lawrence Ferlinghetti, these stories by Giovanni Verga are "pictures of a gone world" by a masterful narrator whose manner is somewhat reminiscent of Turgenev. The title story (source for the opera "Cavalleria rusticana") is ironically the least interesting or remarkable in the collection and Verga should not be judged by it. Some contemporary readers might find the melodramatic turns of events and tragic endings heavy-handed, but Verga's close observation and realistic detail shine through and bring nineteenth-century rural Sicily to life. He presents his themes and characters without moralizing or sentimentality. While often tragic or sad, these memorable stories are not lacking in humor either ("War of the Saints" is hilarious) and have a way of getting under your skin. "Wolf-hunt" is a small masterpiece of suspense. Very much recommended for anyone interested in Sicily who wants to learn more about the Sicilian people, their history and culture.

"Jumping Frog" is a wonderful, hilarious story (among a group of several other great ones) that my father read to me as a kid. If you love Twain, get it.

Yes - they can. At Heights Elementary in Pittsburg California back 35 years ago or so we would have a jumping frog contest every year in the circles used for kick ball. All the kids would bring giant frogs and let them go from the center of the ring. OH MY! It was so much fun - all because of this book (I am still scared of frogs to this day) but I love the book and every kid should read it.

This book has short stories that relate to Irish folklore around the time when the Tuatha De Danaan ruled the land. Many of the stories have been rewritten by other authors, however, I feel that this author does a incredible job of weaving in more information about the tales and people involved. Also in the introduction the author gives background to the history of Ireland and how the folklore came about. I would recommend this book to anybody intrested in Irish folklore, old and young alike.

Finally, a book of Irish stories that truly captures my heart and does justice to my ancestry. A wonderful job by the author of providing background and such. My favorite legends are brought vividly and hauntingly to life; I couldn't have asked for more.

My son and his wife sing in a choir in Victoria, B.C., and during the time when his older sister was dying from cancer in Toronto, the choir sang for her at every choir practice the first verse of Be Thou A Smooth Way. An artist friend designed a memorial card for my daughter and it contained this verse, then my friend remembered she had a copy of The Celtic Vision, in which the complete prayer is printed. We both were touched by what we learned about the spirituality of the ancient Celts and loved some of the prayers. I purchased my own copy, which I use frequently and treasure, and then bought six other copies as gifts for family and friends.

This is a great collection of prayers showcasing real Celtic spirituality (aka, from real Celtic peoples, who wouldn't think of themselves as Celtic.) Amazon is mistaken in labeling it Irish though, as it's from the Carmina Gadelica, which deals with the Scottish folk living in the Outer Hebrides.

In any case, usable and interesting prayers straight from the source.

Dr. Lawrence Frank's exploration of the social, ethical, psychological, and philosophical diminsions of Dicken's work is utterly delightful and highly readable -- a must for any Dickens affcianado or burgeoning scholar! You'll find a whole new level of meaning to all of Dicken's most endearing characters like Mr. Dick (from David Copperfield) and Master Bates (from Oliver Twist).

Egad! It's a pitiful reflection of the almost savage intellectual torpor that has settled upon academia and our nation as a whole that this fine work is out of print. I suggest you try Amazon's execellent out of print books search and order yourself a copy today!

As far as I am concerned, there was ne'er a book on Dickens penned prior to Mr. Frank's superb treatise. I have never been so proud of Mr. Chas. Dickens, a fellow Brit (and, I might add, a fellow writer)--or of Engerland, my home and native land. A true boon to mankind, Mr. Dickens was, and likewise this blessed text. I weep for joy.

Who knew that Victorian science was populated with such unruly characters or that postmodernism could herald the convergence of the two cultures? Here is a critic who is unafraid to write with gusto about today's return to literature and who understands the ways of both novelists and hackers. I enjoyed the acount of Charles Babbage beside William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, Neal Stevenson with Charles Dickens.

This book shows such smarts and is such fun that I've been talking it up to every reader I know. Anyone interested in Cultural Studies or the nineteenth century novel will want this book (in fact, they might already have it, because the advance word on it has been good), but it will undoubtedly appeal to a larger audience, too. Jay Clayton demonstrates a familiarity with a wide array of further fields: communications technology, genetics, science fiction, film, and contemporary literature. Readers interested in any of these subjects will find that the historical parallels and hidden connections Clayton establishes between them are both unexpected and absorbing. What's more, Clayton can write. This is not a book choked by jargon or made ponderous by clumsy language. Here is a learned author who explains himself with gusto and grace.
Clayton's book combines several propositions. First, that contemporary studies of American culture are essentially amnesiac and could only benefit from some historical perspective. Second, that the tendency towards emotional affirmation and homemade mysticism which characterizes our multicultural age is in many ways analogous to the Romantic era's reaction against the hyper-rationality of the Enlightenment. Third, that the enormous divide between the Humanities and the Sciences, which originally opened in the early years of the Victorian era, is now closing again as today's Information Technology blurs disciplinary distinctions and promotes cross-pollination between discreet endeavors. Clayton argues convincingly on all three points, and he weaves his several theses together to reveal how our postmodern complexities have antecedents in an earlier age.
It is rare to find a thoroughly informed author who can anatomize an historical period in an accessible fashion. It's rarer still to find one with sufficient detachment to offer new analysis of his own times. Jay Clayton does both of these things, and he does them with an agreeable combination of persuasion and charm.
A pleasure. An education. Highly recommended.

Pride and Prejudice is a love story between Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy, an uptight man who has too much pride. Their first impressions gave a big start to this story that developed into the major conflicts and story line. My favorite chapter was the first one because it sets the tone for the story. It gives us the setting and the introduction to the characters. We really get to see Mrs. Bennett as an excruciatingly loud mother who lives only to search for husbands for her daughters. We can see Mrs. Bennett favors Jane as her first priority for finding a husband because she is the eldest and most beautiful one of all. One instance is when Mrs. Bennett found out Mr. Darcy was moving into a neighboring house. When she found out he was single, she automatically suggested/recommended Jane as a potential future wife. In contrast we start to see and understand Mr. Bennett's attitude towards his wife's plea and towards his defense of his daughters. He doesn't critique his daughters when it comes to men.
I would recommend this book mostly to women/girls between the ages of 17-50 because this story deals with the trouble girls go through and it deals with five girls living in the household, to which we can relate. The daughters were not that old, yet they were mature for their age. Teens will enjoy it because we all go through these teen stages of boys, and women can relate because of the maturity level that is in this story.
One literary device that was used in the story was analogy. It is used to describe two characters (Elizabeth and Darcy) that are alike by comparing them. We are able to see their differences, but along with it their common interests start to show. For example, they both come from a different social background and yet are both intelligent, and have a tendency to judge harshly.
Overall I can say that I liked this book, Pride and Prejudice, because it was an interesting story. Nowadays we read about homicide detectives and mysteries happening with murder, but this story is nothing like this. It builds its own suspense through character's personalities. It's based on feeling rather than action so we can all relate to this story psychologically. It captivates us in an imaginary world in the early 19th century that reminds us of their rules and regulations that were used back then. For example women were just expected to marry wealth and make a family. They played no other role whatsoever, so since we don't live in that type of environment anymore, we can just picture how life was back then and see what they went through, and their approach through these situations.

I give this book a rating of 10 because it is my personal favorite. I first read this book over 10 years ago and must have reread it 30 times since. Each time I read Jane Eyre, I find a new meaning to the words or find a small detail that I had missed before. It makes for an enjoyable read every single time. Jane Eyre has it all for me. Romance. Drama. Separation. And Renewed Love. This book has become a part of my life over the years. It has shaped the way that I think and whenever I feel down or lonely, I pick my copy up, open to any page and start to read. I don't need to even start at the beginning or read the whole way through. It is like flipping through an old photo album. I am comforted just knowing it is there and always will be

Lucian was the George Bernard Shaw of the ancient world. In his stories, philosophers get drunk and argue to no purpose, just like today's TV pundits. A mother accuses her daughter of not loving her, because the daughter refuses to sleep with a rich man who will ensure the mother's retirement income. A king threatens to execute someone who made fun of him for waxing his chest (a philosopher convinces the king to be lenient, and when the king asks him, "Well, I have to punish him somehow. What should I do?" the philosopher says, "Why don't you make him get his chest waxed?").

Lucian wrote about middle-class Romans in the 3rd century AD -- he uses humor to expose their hypocrisy, vanity and general silliness, but you get the feeling that he loved people for those very weaknesses -- he's sardonic, but he's also sympathetic.

This book contains a variety of pieces by Lucian, the premier Greek-language satirist of the ancient word. You get a pretty big range of syles here. There's some old comedy, some new comedy, some prose, some dialogues, some longer pieces, some shorter pieces; pretty much a bit of everything. Of special interest is True Histories, which contains the first description of a space battle in the cannon of western literature, along with many other bizarre yet charmingly amusing episodes.

I personally recommend this as an introduction to Lucian becuase the translation completely rocks. It's kind of a daunting task to translate any form of comedy that is more subtle than over-the-top (you can think of this as pretty much the opposite of Petronius) and Keith Sidwell definately rises to the challenge. He adds a distinctively Irish sense of wit to the text and makes it a real pleasure to read. Plus, the footnotes explain any witty references that require a knowledge of Greek to understand, which is really helpful for the lay read.

If you love classical authors and have never read Lucian, you're really missing out! He is a hillareous literary innovator and stands as one of the gems of the classical cannon Just make sure to read most of the "essentials" (Homer, Plato, Lucretius, Seneca, etc...) before tackling this; like any good humorist, Lucian is overwhelmingly fluent in the cultural canon and references just about everything he possibly can.