The Runt of the Literature

Ayyy, get it? It’s like ‘runt of the litter’, but books and the written word, so literature.
…I’ll see myself out.

Having recently written about my favorite standout works from amazing authors, I decided it was time to do the opposite.  That is, rudely single out my least favorite works by some of my best-beloved authors. Blasphemy.

I think my greatest hope, when I write about books, is that people will be inspired to feel like the classics are less remote.  It’s logical that, looking at the whole of the history of writing and authorship, you can find better pieces than were published in the past five or ten years.  For me personally, writing styles from longer ago are more pleasing than current writing (again, speaking very generally).  But I do think that we have a tendency to venerate classic literature kind of excessively.  Which makes people hesitant to read it and interact with it.  They’re just books like any other, and books are there for people to read and enjoy.  A book should never make you feel bad, and you should never feel ‘unworthy’ of a book or guilty for having a negative opinion about one.  It’s like trying on clothes.  If you try on something that doesn’t fit, it’s the clothing that doesn’t fit you, not you who doesn’t fit the clothing.

Okay, rant over.  Here’s a collection of books from my favorite authors who can by and large do no wrong.  And these are examples of the doing wrong (again, by me).  Books that I am perfectly content to not like.

Irrational Fears

Do you know that feeling, when you’ve been getting enough sleep but nevertheless you feel so exhausted? I have it right now, and I think I’m going to blame it on the series of teeth nightmares my brain has been treating me to for the past week (ish).  It’s hard to feel well-rested when you wake up everyday simultaneously pleased and surprised to find that your two front teeth aren’t sticking out at opposing angles.

I did a little spurious googling about the meaning behind teeth nightmares, because from what I’ve heard they’re pretty universal (I mean, my parents and some of my friends have had them- that’s universal, right?), and came up with stress and/or vanity.  Pretty as I think I am, I think I’m inclined to blame stress given the deadly combination of music history midterm/Dad’s amputation/senior spring/graduation/what am I doing?/what is to become of me? anxiety.

But these teeth nightmares have gotten me thinking about other irrational fears.  Not senior year fears because those are fairly rational, what with big life changes upcoming.
Do you have any irrational fears? I think everyone does. Are any of yours the same as mine?

Literature: Family Secrets and Strange Happenings

 

I avoid posting short lists but these fit together in a way that intrigues and excites me, so I refuse to change it! It’s my blog.  As you may know (or not) I’m in my senior spring semester at university right now, which means I have pretty much the most carefree schedule I’ve known since preschool when we had scheduled nap time.
Only one of my classes is a necessity for my major and all the rest I’m taking just for funsies.
One of these classes is a super-basic English class called Female Sociopath, and it helps that I’ve read essentially all of the required reading already (except one, which is where this list comes in). That class basically tackles one of my favorite character types which I’ve been referring to in my head for years as ‘women who inspire me to be the devil incarnate.’ So it’s an excellent fit and, having given this scary female trope a disturbing amount of thought already, the class is very much a breeze.
But there was still that one book that I hadn’t read yet, and because it’s been my universal experience that reading a book for class absolutely ruins the experience, I made sure to read it about a week in advance.  That book was Toni Morrison’s Beloved, and I’m so glad I took the precaution, because it’s such an amazing and I’m proud to have rescued it from the insidious and pervasive interference of academics.

Links for Fun: Halloween Edition

Okay, firstly, I promise I’m not obsessed with Halloween.  Now that I’ve put that out there, let me completely convince you otherwise.

Anti-Virtue Names

Do you remember back in the day when almost everyone had a biblical or virtue name? me neither, I wasn’t alive during colonial times.  But I don’t know if it was the coming of Halloween or what- I’ve been thinking about what I would name my kids if I had my own little Addams-family style hive of demons. Which would be cute, no?

Now, please be aware, for those more literally-inclined, that I’m not planning on raising a hoard of demons- and if I did, I would give them much more kind names.  I imagine it’s hard enough being a young demon in this day and age without being saddled with a name like Sorrow.

And in terms of the color coding.  I’m dividing the names up a bit into what I imagine to be feminine, masculine, and unisex divisions.  Given that these aren’t legitimate names with a traditional gender and that the enforced sexual dichotomy of names is arbitrary and archaic, there’s nothing to stop you from naming your little boy Falsity. Though there are other reasons why I would not recommend it.