King Arthur Movie Tristan

title: The Awakening


author: Kate Chopin

published: 1899

genre: classics/fiction/novella

pages: 155

source: personal copy

first line: A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over: "Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!"


rated: 5 out of 5 stars

Edna began to feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul.

About:

Kate Chopin's The Awakening is one of my favorite pieces of literature and I thought it was finally time to re-read it.

The New Orleans coastal setting during the nineteenth century is at the heart of this novella. Chopin sets the mood just right and as I read, I felt like I was in Louisiana by the coast. I could almost smell and hear the ocean.



The story is about a woman named Edna Pontellier who is in her late twenties. Edna is a married mother of two small boys. Her husband Leonce gives her a seemingly satisfying lifestyle. Yet Edna is unhappy, often feeling restless and unfulfilled.


As the story unfolds, Edna falls in love with a man named Robert Lebrun while on summer vacation at the Grand Isle resort in the Gulf of Mexico.



She begins to awaken to feelings and thoughts within herself she never knew existed. In an attempt to resist temptation and heartache from an affair that can lead nowhere, Robert leaves abruptly for Mexico.




When the summer is over, Edna and her family return to New Orleans.
While Robert is gone, Edna misses him and finds herself beginning to feel even more dissatisfied. She begins to paint, considering herself an artist.



Edna's husband leaves on a business trip and while he is away, she ends up moving out of their home and renting an apartment by herself.
Edna meets a man named Alcée Arobin, who is known for his womanizing. She enjoys flirting with him and the two eventually have an affair.



When Robert returns to New Orleans, he and Edna both confess their feelings for one another. At this point, Edna knows she no longer loves her husband and wants to be 'free'.



My thoughts:

I like how Kate Chopin broke convention and wrote stories that challenged the norm. Her stories dealt with issues that weren't openly accepted or spoken about when she was alive.



In this story, a married woman decides she no longer wants to be tied down by her husband and even by her own children. She takes a lover and moves into her own apartment, all with no remorse. Although I didn't agree with Edna's behavior, I found myself almost mesmerized while reading Chopin's beautiful prose.

The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation.



The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.

I admire how Chopin pushed the envelope. The ending is harsh and poignant and not something I would think the reader is expecting.


The story that caused so much uproar in Chopin's day, is now considered a classic of feminist fiction. That counts for something.

The past was nothing to her; offered no lesson which she was willing to heed. The future was a mystery which she never attempted to penetrate. The present alone was significant; was hers, to torture her as it was doing then with the biting conviction that she had lost that which she had held, that she had been denied that which her impassioned, newly awakened being demanded.

If you're looking to read a classic, with an unconventional protagonist and lyrical prose, you might enjoy The Awakening.


Read it free online

here.

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) was born in St. Louis and, upon marriage, settled in New Orleans. The mother of six, Chopin did not begin writing until her husband’s death left her in debt. The Awakening (1899), Chopin’s best known work, was so far ahead of its time in its portrayal of a dissatisfied wife, that it was overlooked. Today Chopin is considered the forerunner of twentieth-century feminist authors.

title: Wuthering Heights


author: Emily Brontë


published: 1847


pages: 415


genre: gothic romance/classic


first line: I have just returned from a visit to my landlord - the solitary neighbour that I shall be troubled with.


source: personal copy/re-read


rated: 5 out of 5 stars







"It is hard to forgive, and to look at those eyes, and feel those wasted hands..."




Ahhhhh.....Wuthering Heights. I really enjoyed re-visiting this old favorite cuddled up on my couch during these past cold winter evenings. It was a perfect time for me to re-read this book.





This book has always been a favorite classic of mine and I am glad I re-read it. The ironic thing about it is that I don't particularly like any of these characters except for Heathcliff. I like his passion, he is a great anti-hero. Selfish, brooding, manipulative, vengeful, spiteful; yet despite all these character flaws his fierce love for Cathy lasts a lifetime.



Actually, I do like Linton. His love for Cathy is pure and he doesn't have ulterior motives like most of the other characters in the story.




It's the depth of love that I really like in the book, that timeless love that Heathcliff and Catherine possess. The woman is dead for God's sake, and Heathcliff continues to love her and she haunts the Heights unwilling to leave her soulmate behind. That's what I call true, enduring love.
Catherine and Heathcliff's love affair affects everyone they come in contact with. There's no escaping it.




About the story:

The book is mainly narrated by Mr. Lockwood and Ellen Dean.



Mr. Lockwood is renting Thrushcross Grange near Wuthering Heights. A man named Heathcliff is his mysterious and rude landlord. Lockwood asks the housekeeper, Ellen Dean, to tell him the story of Wuthering Heights and its inhabitants.


She goes on to tell him the story of Heathcliff and Catherine and Wuthering Heights.
The first part of her story is of how Heathcliff came to live at the Heights, the seond half of the story is about how Heathcliff takes his revenge as an adult.




Heathcliff was brought to Wuthering Heights as a child by Mr. Earnshaw. He was raised by the family and Earnshaw treated him as a son.
There is an air of mystery to Heathcliff since no one really knows where he came from.


Catherine Earnshaw is the spoiled daughter of the house, yet she and Heathcliff become inseparable from a young age, eventually falling in love.
Hindley Earnshaw is Catherine's older brother. Hindley has a deep hatred and resentment for Healthcliff as soon as he meets him.
Years pass and when Mr. Earnshaw dies, Hindley is left as head of household and he has even more power to humiliate Heathcliff as he pleases.



The Linton's live at nearby Thrushgrove Range and the wealthy Edgar Linton proposes to Catherine. When Heathcliff overhears Cathy talking to the housekeeper Ellen about Edgars proposal and her intention of accepting, he disappears that very night. Catherine is heartbroken. She marries Edgar Linton and three years pass when one day a completely transformed Heathcliff appears at her doorstep.



Heathcliff's hell bent on revenge and he doesn't care what he has to do or who he has to hurt in order to get it. His cold heartedness affects all he comes in contact with, including his own son.









Heathcliff loves Catherine from the start, the two are bound to each other. He is jealous of Edgar's wealth and class, and his hatred and anger drive him to go away and come back a rich man himself. His quest for revenge is what fuels him.
After Catherine's death, he begins to manipulate those around him for his own gain and vengeance.

And lets not forget the paranormal elements to the story. Catherine haunting the moors. The mystery surrounding Heathcliff's death. His admitting to digging up her grave to see her once more.






Heathcliff becomes nasty and cold hearted with age, it is hard to believe he could love anyone at at all, but he does, until the day he dies.

Here's one of his meaner moments:

"Put your trash away, and find something to do. You shall pay me for the plague of having you eternally in my sight - do you hear, damnable jade?"
-Heathcliff to Catherine's daughter





He has a lot of anger inside him, and there is no hope of his ever letting that go. Heathcliff begins to use his son, Cathy's daughter and Hindley's son like pawns in a chess game. You would think he would love Cathy's daughter, since she is her flesh and blood, but he hates her.








I'll finish my review off with a few favorite scenes:


When Heathcliff comes back to Thrushcross Grange and appears at Cathy's front steps, a different man than when he left three years ago. It's so dramatic.

Now, fully revealed by the fire and candlelight, I was amazed, more than ever, to behold the transformation of Heathcliff. He had grown a tall, athletic, well-formed man; beside whom my master seemed quite slender and youth-like. His upright carriage suggested the idea of his having been in the army. His countenance was much older in expression and decision of feature than Mr. Linton's; it looked intelligent, and retained no marks of former degradation. A half- civilised ferocity lurked yet in the depressed brows and eyes full of black fire, but it was subdued; and his manner was even dignified: quite divested of roughness, though stern for grace.






When Catherine dies and Heathcliff dares her spirit to haunt him for the rest of his life.

'May she wake in torment!' he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. 'Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not THERE - not in heaven - not perished - where? Oh! you said you cared nothing for my sufferings! And I pray one prayer - I repeat it till my tongue stiffens - Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you - haunt me, then! The murdered DO haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts HAVE wandered on earth. Be with me always - take any form - drive me mad! only DO not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I CANNOT live without my life! I CANNOT live without my soul!'




Catherine speaking about Heathcliff and Linton:


My love for Linton is like the foliage in the woods: time will change it, I'm well aware, as winter changes the trees. My love for Heathcliff resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary.



Brontë creates these imperfect and passionate characters, some of whom are borderline evil. I love the drama within the story, the setting of the dark and stormy Yorkshire moors sets the mood just right. This is a story about love, revenge, family and grief. It's a classic gothic love story that is not soon forgotten. Thank you Emily Brontë for creating one of my favorite anti-heroes in literature.






You can read Wuthering Heights free online here.

title: Twilight

author: Stephenie Meyer

pages: 498

published: 2005

genre: young adult paranormal romance

first line: I'd never given much thought to how I would die-though I'd had reason enough in the last few months-but even if I had, I would not have imagined it like this.

rated: 4 out of 5






Ahhhhhh....Twilight. There's a little of everything I enjoy in this story. Vampires, romance, rainy days.


I thought it was about time for a re-read of one of my favorite books.



17 year old Bella Swan moves to a small town called Forks in Washington to live with her father Charlie. Bella is socially awkward, sometimes moody and unsure of herself.
When she meets the mysterious and achingly beautiful Edward Cullen, she is instantly taken by him.




As usual when I re-read a favorite book, I pick up on little details that may have escaped my attention the first time around. For instance, I never liked Bella in the series but she didn't start to annoy me until the second book. Upon re-reading Twilight, she annoyed me right away. She's very defensive, childish and way too clingy with Edward.

So why do I love this book, though I dislike one of the central characters? Edward Cullen.

He's gorgeous, rich and aloof. I like how Edward has that dangerous edge to him as well.



For me Twilight is a fun, romantic read, not too be taken to seriously or analyzed too deeply, but definitely enjoyed. It's pretty much one of my guilty pleasures. I am a Twilight fan and I will openly admit it. I like vampires who sparkle in the sunlight and have honey colored eyes dammit.

And for the record, Robert Pattinson does not look anything like the Edward I envision while reading the book. The Edward I envision is divine.




I enjoy reading Bella describe Edwards beauty page after page. Here's just a few ways she describes him:

I was in danger of being distracted by his livid glorious face. It was like trying to stare down a destroying angel.

-pp. 65

or how about:

He was too perfect, I realized with a piercing stab of despair. There was no way this godlike creature could be meant for me.

-pp.256

ok, this had me giggling like a teenager with a schoolgirl crush:

"The blush on your cheeks is lovely," he murmured. He gently freed his other hand. My hands fell limply into my lap. Softly he brushed my cheek, then held my face between his marble hands.


"Be very still," he whispered, as if I wasn't already frozen.

-pp. 275

One of my favorite scenes in the book is when Edward takes Bella hiking in the woods on a rare sunny day and reveals that he glistens in the sunlight.

Edward in the sunlight was shocking. I couldn't get used to it, though I'd been staring at him all afternoon. His skin, white despite the faint flush from yesterday's hunting trip, literally sparkled, like thousands of tiny diamonds were embedded in the surface. He lay perfectly still in the grass, his shirt open over his sculpted, incandescent chest, his scintillating arms bare. His glistening, pale lavender lids were shut, though of course he didn't sleep.


-pp. 260

So there you have it. Twilight remains one of my favorite reads. I like the romance between Edward and Bella. I also like the Edward's vampire family as well as the idea that they don't harm humans. Meyer touches on some of their backgrounds and how they came to be vampires and I always found that to be an interesting part of the series.




I'm glad I re-read it and probably will again someday. I should also say that I enjoyed the first three books in the series, but was dissapointed by the fourth and final installment.

title: Bridget Jones's Diary

author: Helen Fielding

genre: romance, humor

pages: 267

published: 1996

first line: I will not drink more than fourteen alcohol units a week.


rated: 4 out of 5







I've been meaning to re-read Bridget Jones's Diary for a while now and am glad I finally picked it up again.



Written in the form of her diary, Bridget takes the reader into a year in her life as a 30 something singleton living in England who works at a publishing company. Bridget's family and certain friends keep asking her when she's finally going to settle down and marry. Bridget meets Mark Darcy, a successful, rich lawyer at a party and her mother tries to get the two together. Darcy however is a bit of a snob and dislikes Bridget right away.

Meanwhile, her playboy boss Daniel Cleaver, begins to send her flirty emails and the two end up having an affair. Bridget is hoping Daniel will take thier relationship seriously, but she has the distinct feeling he is cheating on her.



I like that this book is inspired by Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice and enjoy the references throughout the book:

It struck me as pretty ridiculous to be called Mr. Darcy and to stand on your own looking snooty at a party. It's like being called Heathcliff and insisting on spending the entire evening in the garden, shouting "Cathy" and banging your head against a tree.

Throughout the story Bridget is also trying to drink less, smoke less and lose weight. As cute as they were at first, the beginning of her journal entries began to annoy me toward the end of the book. I found myself skimming over them.

Sunday 26 February

126 lbs., alcohol units 5 (drowning sorrows), cigarettes 23 (fumigating sorrows), calories 3856 (smothering sorrows in fat-duvet).

This book had me laughing out loud and I could totally relate to some of the things Bridget was talking about. She's one of those heroines I think most women can relate to.

Being a woman is worse than being a farmer-there is so much harvesting and crop spraying to be done: legs to be waxed, underarms shaved, eyebrows plucked, feet pumiced, skin exfoliated and moisturized, spots cleansed, roots dyed, eyelashes tinted, nails filed, cellulite massaged, stomach muscles exercised. The whole performance is so highly tuned you only need to neglect it for a few days for the whole thing to go to seed.

When someone leaves you, apart from missing them, apart from the fact that the whole little world you've created together collapses, and that everything you see or do reminds you of them, the worst is the thought that they tried you out and, in the end, the whole sum of parts adds up to you got stamped REJECT by the one you love.

The film version of Bridget Jones's Diary is one of my favorites and I recommend the book for a good dose of light and fun chick lit. In this case, I do prefer the film to the book.
Some of my favorite scenes in the movie are not in the book, like the famous fight scene between Darcy and Daniel.