literature
Geek literature from the New York Times or the recesses of online. Our favorite stories showcase geeks.
Ranking the 'Baker Street Irregulars: The Game Is Afoot' Stories About Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes has never been far from popular imagination. His evolution from being Arthur Conan Doyle’s most clever creation to becoming synonymous with Benedict Cumberbatch is testament to his, and his creator’s, everlasting impact. What makes Holmes, and by extension, the cast of Doyle’s series, so enduring is the rounded ways they are written — intelligent, witty, stubborn, loyal and compelling.
By Monita Roy Mohan5 years ago in Geeks
4 Things I Learned about Jane Austen
Jane Austen: A Literary Life by Jan Fergusis a great look at Austen's life through her work and the publishing industry at the time. As an Austen fan (Austenian? Austen-head?) I've done my fair share of researching her life, and of course reading a lot of her work. But I had never picked up a biography, until now. Although this is only the first bio I've read, I already feel like it's one of the best and will probably continue to be my favourite. Why? Because no other words can describe it like 'interesting' and 'informative'.
By The Austen Shelf5 years ago in Geeks
Fanny Burney
Frances (or Fanny) Burney was born on 13th June 1752 at King’s Lynn in Norfolk, the third child of Charles Burney, a well-known musician who wrote a celebrated “History of Music”. Although she was a slow starter, she became a voracious reader and an early writer of stories, plays and much else. However, on her 15th birthday she burnt everything she had written up to that date.
By John Welford5 years ago in Geeks
10 Great Scenes from "The Brothers Karamazov"
This is basically one of the best novels ever written. Published in 1879-1880 in "The Russian Messenger" and then made into a separate book the same year, this is basically Fyodor Dostoevsky's seminal work, his magnum opus (I can already hear the "Crime and Punishment" fans rising up against me). But this book is a classic example of how Dostoevsky can create a situation so incriminating and yet, have the lessons of morals and philosophies to go along with it that the character has to use to get themselves out of an impossible situation and avert tragedy. This is definitely true in "The Brothers Karamazov" in which Dmitri is under arrest for the murder of his father, Fyodor Pavlovich Karamazov and yet is adamant that he did not do it even though the whole town seems to know about the fact that he has told his father on ocassion that he will kill him eventually.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Story of Alice" by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
I have read many spin-offs, sequels, art books, historical fictions, horror novels, comic books and nonfiction biographies and autobiographies based on the world of wonderland, those who inhabit it and its creator - Lewis Carroll. In all that time I have probably come across about five books that I can say are basically the best to read if you want to get to know the main text “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” better: ‘The Chronicles of Alice’ by Christina Henry, ‘After Alice’ by Gregory Maguire, ‘The Looking Glass Wars’ by Frank Beddor, ‘Lewis Carroll: A Biography’ by Morton Cohen and finally this one right here - ‘The Story of Alice’ by Robert Douglas-Fairhurst.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
The Monk's Tale, by Geoffrey Chaucer
The Monk’s Tale is unusual among Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales in several respects. For one thing, it is interrupted by another pilgrim before it can be completed, something it shares with Chaucer’s own Tale of Sir Thopas, which had been told not long before.
By John Welford5 years ago in Geeks
Nancy, in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
“Oliver Twist” is the most melodramatic of Charles Dickens’s novels and is peopled by stock characters who would have been familiar to those acquainted with the popular theatre of the day, Dickens being a lifelong enthusiast of drama and the theatre.
By John Welford5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "Goodbye to All That" by Robert Graves
Robert Graves is possibly one of the most recognisable names in British fiction, especially when it comes to writing about the ancient empires and their increasingly disturbing stories. Graves’ novels are often compounded with writing excellence and metaphor whilst being embodied in a lengthy, yet stunningly beautiful narrative. Many people like myself often recall the first time we read any novel by Robert Graves, mine was “I, Claudius” and I have to say at fourteen years’ old, I had no bloody idea what was happening. I had to look up everything in another book and then I had a dictionary for all these archaic words. It was hell and took me just about a month to make it through, but by the end - I was able to write an essay on it. It was quite a wonderful book but I had no idea that Graves had written an autobiography until I was about twenty-one. Yes, before you ask, the autobiography “Goodbye to All That” has been on my ‘to be read’ list for four years, don’t tag me in your post, don’t blog about this incident, just know that I’m sorry. But it was well worth the wait, let me tell you why.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
Chaucer's Tale of Sir Thopas
Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1340-1400) was not only the greatest writer of the Middle English period, but also English Literature’s first humourist of note. It is therefore not surprising that his “Canterbury Tales” should contain a joke at his own expense.
By John Welford5 years ago in Geeks
Book Review: "The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock" by Edward White
When I read about film - as someone who has a Master’s Degree in the subject, I like to read very specific things. The first type of book I enjoy is a critical analysis of the era or type of movie I have been watching. Books such as “The Big Goodbye” by Sam Wasson have normally done some good in my life. The next type of book I love to read about film are the ones about specific films and their directors, the analysis surrounding them and what they did for film. These are probably the most common film books people read and for this the most famous one I can think of from the top of my head is possibly “Stephen King at the Movies” by Ian Nathan. Finally, there are the books about filmmakers that are slightly different - they are a mix between the life of the filmmaker and the things they have made - no, they may not be those large books that come in cardboard covers about Tarantino, PTA and Wes Anderson, but they are just as good, if not far more detailed. One of the best books I have read in this category includes Simon Callow’s “One Man Band” and the current review on this book on Alfred Hitchcock is no different.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Geeks
