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[Stroggy]

I've just finished reading "War and Peace". It was a long read, but not nearly as difficult as people make it out to be. It is an epic book and well worth a read. It places the stories of 'ordinary' people through their ups and downs, against the backdrop of the Napoleonic War. At times the book reads more like a (rather biased) historical account of the battles and strategies adopted by the sides.

Next up: Bleak House

[A. J. Raffles]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stroggy @ Feb 12 2007, 09:22 AM) [snapback]278905[/snapback]</div>

Next up: Bleak House
[/b]

Ah, yes. Bleak House is fun - and I suppose it'll be of particular interest to a lawyer.:P

I last read Mundus et Infans, a 15th century(ish) play - not bad, but I've read better medieval plays. Unless you're into medieval drama I wouldn't really recommend it. If you want to give it a go, start with Mankind, Wisdom or The Castle of Perseverance (which is quite long, but a brilliant play). Whatever you do, though, don't start with Everyman. Everyman is not at all typical of medieval drama and will give you a wrong impression of what it's like; it's more fun than that - honest.

[Stroggy]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(A. J. Raffles @ Feb 12 2007, 06:26 PM) [snapback]278950[/snapback]</div>

Whatever you do, though, don't start with Everyman. Everyman is not at all typical of medieval drama and will give you a wrong impression of what it's like; it's more fun than that - honest. [/b]

I had to read Elckerlijc (the play which either translated Everyman, or the play on which Everyman is based) last year and translate sections into modern Dutch, which is no easy task as 15th century Dutch is a mixture of Dutch, German and Latin.

As for Bleak House, I've always wanted to read Dickens, and Bleak House seemed like a book I could connect with. It's very easy to visualise the book as I live a block away from Gray's Inn and pretty much every other inn, Fleet street is a 15 minutes walk from my apartment and every little street in between has at least a few shops selling special gowns (wigs, too) and practitioners' books. Moreover, I live around the corner of the Charles Dickens Museum in Doughty lane which is also the only surviving London home of Dickens (from 1837 until 1839) (according to the website).

[A. J. Raffles]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Stroggy @ Feb 12 2007, 07:16 PM) [snapback]278972[/snapback]</div>

I had to read Elckerlijc (the play which either translated Everyman, or the play on which Everyman is based) last year and translate sections into modern Dutch, which is no easy task as 15th century Dutch is a mixture of Dutch, German and Latin.[/b]

Indeed. I tried to read another late medieval Dutch play earlier this term (Mariken van Nieumeghen, if that rings a bell) because apparently it differs quite a bit from the English version - even more so than Elckerlijc does from Everyman, and it would have been interesting for me because I was looking at dramatic issues. But I failed miserably, of course.

It's been a few years since I read Bleak House, but I remember it was one of my favourite Dickens novels. Not a very "typical" Dickens novel, if there is such a thing (for example he plays with narrative modes a bit, which he doesn't usually do), but nicely structured and overall a good read in my opinion.