A Heap in Woolf's Clothing

Please read/follow my second blog if you have time. Thanks! http://discovertheadventure.blogspot.com/2010/09/oh-fall.html

I am really enjoying reading old works of literature and learning about amazing women writers, some with such tortured souls.

Book #16: My Antonia by Willa Cather: Maybe I'll write about this later. lol

Book #17: A Room of One's Own by Virgina Woolf

As I read this new seeds of thought were constantly being planted in my head and they grew into ideas that challenged and excited me. There are many things I would like to write about but one that I can't seem to stop thinking about is anger's place in literature, in writing. Woolf seems to take the stance that anger negatively affects a work. That it makes women, people in general “...write in a rage where she should write calmly. She will write foolishly where she should write wisely. She will write of herself where she should write of her characters” (Woolf, 70). I'm struggling with how I feel about this. There are many reasons to write; to inform, to persuade, for self indulgence, but I feel like nobody writes unless they are a little restless in their own lives. It is when someone is suffering, or confused, or seeking change that they are driven to write. This makes me feel like writing is driven by passion. It makes me feel like it is when someone is angry and puts themselves in their writing that good writing gets down on paper because they are motivated. Then I truly thought of the craft of writing, how if you do want social reform, or to get people thinking, you cannot shove it in their face because the rebellious human nature will make sure they do not digest it. Writing needs to be done in a way that is strategic and clever, that circles around the idea so the reader can stumble across it themselves. This is how anger can ruin writing. It gets in the way of a person's ability to plan, and choose their words carefully. But I am still not sure if taking yourself out of a work of writing is a good idea. I am not convinced it can be done at all, but once again I ask, “Why write if not to express yourself? Why write if not for a healthy outlet to release your anger and to direct your passion?” I write because I am restless, because I am angry and passionate, if I did not poses these things, maybe my writing would be better, but I fear I would have no motivation to write, and nothing interesting to write about.

It has been such a long time since I updated about my reading list! There is so much to be said but I'm so caught up on the book I just finished I fear I can't write enough on the others. I have so many books I'm reading for my 19th century women literature class that I'm very excited about also.

Book #12: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: I think I already wrote about this one. But such an easy cute read that made me want to be apart of something, a community, and very much so made me want to travel to Guernsey. Well written, epistolary format, interesting view of a historical event that I've never thought about before, just simply wonderful.

Book #13: Animal Farm: Another book that just takes an hour or two and worth reading. Nice, short and to the point. One of my favorite books is 1984. Animal farm is a simpler version of a dystopia using animals. A book about how tricky forming a government is, how quickly things get out of hand, how human ignorance, greed and power will lead us to a downfall. It was fun recognizing the events in history Orwell was referencing. Such a neat way to look at them.

Book # 14: Stranger in a Strange Land: Started out so neat! What a cool rare perspective to view the world as. Such a beautiful innocence that viewed this superficial, materialistic sinful world. About halfway though the book it got weirder and weirder. It made me uncomfortable and although a lot of neat things were brought up; religion, freedom, knowledge, sex, enlightenment, gender roles, human limits... I was left feeling angry at the book. It seemed to challenge my morals and values and like anyone, when I feel my world being shaken, I get angry. This book was written well and said a lot of neat things. But I was not comfortable with this cult, their sexual practices and some other things that were brought up, but I think that was the point. The outside world in the book did not understand or support it either. Usually when you are faced with the inside view of something you did not previously understand it opens up your mind and you sympathize with this group. In this book I was standing with the rest of the world rejecting this new prophet and his practices, and I feel horrible for admitting that.

Book # 15: College Girl: This book hit me deep for some reason, it made me want to scream. I got to a certain point and I was overwhelmed with sadness and frustration that I just had to read the majority of it in one sitting because I needed it to get better before I could live again. Even though my life is different in many ways, I felt like I was this girl for some strange reason. It taught me a lot about me, life, relationships, relationships I've never understood before, ignorant people, and just college in general.

There are so many good quotes in all of these books that spoke to me, but since I update so rarely, I'm just going for the basics right now for my piece of mind. Will right more later! Just wanted to get this down quickly before I turn any more pages!

Book Seven Definately Not Heaven

Book #7= The Handmaids's Tale by: Margaret Atwood

This story was about my personal hell. It described a place I never want to go back to, not even in my head. A place where all my rights, accomplishments, and privileges were ripped out from underneath me. The sad thing is I know at one time our world was something of this, not as extreme, where women could not own property, have jobs, be educated, where they were valued on how fertile they were, how clean the floors were, how good their cooking was and if it was ready on time. I'm so thankful to live right now. I only want to be valued and judged for the thoughts that I think and the words that I speak. I want to be respected and listened to. The whole time I was screaming at the main character who would not speak up! We all think we would die for our beliefs, but most times our strong desire and will to live outweighs all. Today I can do and be so much, and I owe a thank you to the amazing women before me who did speak up for what they believed.

Once upon a time, things were different, we all had our places, and our roles. Then women broke out and redefined their role. I know this has caused great stress on men and what it means to be masculine. Men are not sure what their place is anymore. This is what sparked this world in the book, and it is scary because it does make sense, and makes it more realistic.

This book made me once more so thankful for the freedom I have right now. The fact that I get to go to college, that I really can be anything I want, even the fact that I can go anywhere whenever I want!

There has been so many horrible things in history done to so many people, there are horrible things going on right now. The fact that humanity is capable of doing such awful things with their own beautiful hands is frightening. We do not feel bad about the way we treat things, and that is exactly what we do to people much of the time. "That is what you have to do before you kill. You have to create an it, where none was before" (193). This is why objectifying women is such a big deal. In this I was reminded that we must always see each other as people.

Here are just a few of my favorite quotes:

"It's good to have small goals that can be easily attained."

"There is more than one kind of freedom. Freedom to and freedom from."

"A thing is valued, only if it is rare and hard to get."

"To want is to have a weakness."

"Perspective is necessary. Otherwise there are only two dimensions."

"The pen between my fingers is sensuous, alive almost, I can feel it's power, the power of the words it contains."

"Nolite to bastards carborundorum."

"Why is it that night falls, instead of rising?"

"You can't help how you feel, but you can help how you behave."

"You might even provide a Heaven for them. We need you for that. Hell we can make for ourselves."

"Better never means better for everyone. It always means worse for some."

"Live in the present, make the most of it, it's all you've got."

Book # 6

Book #5 will be written about in due time.
Book #6= Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult.

After reading 8 of Picoult's collection of books, she gives me, without a doubt, the most amazing experiences of any other author I have ever read.

In my opinion she is simply inspiring as a writer, and what she does is pure art. If I could be half the writer she is I would be content.

The way she crafts her ideas and sentences is poetry. How she uses events and simple actions to relate to the themes and morals of the story amazes me. She creates and fulfills the reader's desires at the end of every page and chapter with constant twists and turns.

She makes me feel so powerfully, like I have almost never felt before. Some books you cry for the characters, but in her books you cry with them, you laugh with them, you are part of the family, a member of the jury. In fact, her books make me feel so much that I cannot completely get back to reality until I am finished with the book. This is why I usually finish her 4-500 page books in 2 days.

I cry multiple times in her books, and at the ending, although I often find myself angry at her for putting me through that, I am so happy with the way she does end it. I always said that when I became an author I would end my books sad, raw, and real, and that is exactly what she does.

Anyway, Jodi Picoult is the closest thing I have to a hero, and I love to dive in the world she creates for me every single time, tears and all.

Book #1

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Even though this book took me a little long to read, I really enjoyed it. This book really fascinated me. It made me ask the question; if there were never any consequences for my actions, how would I act? I'd like to say without a doubt, I would be good. But often when we as people do something wrong, the guilt doesn't appear or last long if we are not caught. Bad actions grow easier every time they are committed and go unnoticed.

Some parts were lengthy and a little too detailed for my taste, but overall I loved it! I really enjoyed learning some new vocabulary like Dandy! Here are some of my favorite lines

"The ugly and the stupid have the best of it in this world...they are at least spared the knowledge of defeat. They live as we all should live, undisturbed, indifferent, and without disquiet."

"I suppose it comes from the fact that none of us can stand other people having the same faults as ourselves."

"But the bravest man among us is afraid of himself."

"They seemed to be able to give a plastic form to formless things."

"You know more than you think you know, just as you know less than you want to know."

"The true mystery of the world is the visible, not the invisible..."

"I wonder who it was defined man as a rational animal. It was the most premature definition ever given. Man is many things, but he is not rational."

"Nowadays most people die of a sort of creeping common sense, and discover too late that the only things one never regrets are one's mistakes."

"Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing."

"Experience was of no ethical value. It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes."

"Children begin by loving their parents, as they grow older they judge them, sometimes they forgive them."

"The reason we all like to think so well of others is that we are all afraid of ourselves."

"To be good is to be in harmony with one's self."

"I love acting. It is so much more real than real life."

"We live in an age when unnecessary things are our only necessities."

"Each one of us has Heaven and Hell in him."

"If we women did not love you for your defects, where would you all be? Not one of you would ever be married."

"Each man lives his own life, and pays his own price for living it."


Anyway it is kinda sad how many lines stayed with me.

Book # 2: Veronika Decides to Die-

I just started this and I love love love it! I have a feeling I will finish it very soon...