What are you reading tonight?

[General Mannerheim]

nope. was waiting for paperback

[Bruce Rioja]

nope. was waiting for paperback

Just received the hardback. It's only a £10er off of Amazon at the moment.

[Prufrock]

Two brilliant articles I've seen over the last couple of days on our political culture:

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/brendan-on ... rcissists/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.frankieboyle.com/frankie/free-speech.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Another one from Nick Cohen: http://standpointmag.co.uk/node/5981/full" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Il Pirate]

Just finished 'Dear boy' a mahoosive book on Keith Moon. Took me ages to read it. Obviously, I'd heard many of the stories but since I was so young when he died I didn't know a great deal on him. Having read this, I can say with certainty - he was a complete cock

When I was ill, I read Pete Townshend's book whilst I was in hospital. I'm sure it put my recovery back by at least a month. A more self obsessed, selfish, complete cock you couldn't envisage. (And peado, allegedly...)

[General Mannerheim]

Just finished the 100 year old man one and was fantastic from begging to end, so got his second offering - The Girl who saved the king of Sweden.

halfway through this, loving it! (the former that is)

[thebish]

today I am mostly ready Chaucer's Canterbury Tales... didn't realise it was so long!! cripes!!

[Dujon]

I tried that once, thebish. It was in the original script, full of ƒs and such. Some of the words made no sense to me - no doubt the changing language - so without a handy reference on Chaucer's word selection and their etymology I gave up. It was far too hard. Good luck, old chap.

[thebish]

I tried that once, thebish. It was in the original script, full of ƒs and such. Some of the words made no sense to me - no doubt the changing language - so without a handy reference on Chaucer's word selection and their etymology I gave up. It was far too hard. Good luck, old chap.

I have to confess it is not in the original middle english - it's a very newly published more modern english translation...

[Dujon]

Don't confess, thebish, I suspected such. You'd have to be a masochist to follow the original without knowledge of Ye Olde King's English as it was spoke. I have to admit thought that I admire the scholars who must put in an enormous amount of effort and research in producing such works as the one you have to hand. I'd be interested to read your thoughts on the Tales once you've waded your way through a bit of it.

[thebish]

Don't confess, thebish, I suspected such. You'd have to be a masochist to follow the original without knowledge of Ye Olde King's English as it was spoke. I have to admit thought that I admire the scholars who must put in an enormous amount of effort and research in producing such works as the one you have to hand. I'd be interested to read your thoughts on the Tales once you've waded your way through a bit of it.

I am reading it because I have a 3month sabbatical coming up (I get 3 months sabbatical every 10yrs - which is ace!) I am undertaking a kind of pilgrimage tour (on the m/bike) around all the key historic sites of christian pilgrimage in the UK... So I thought the Canterbury Tales would be a good backdrop for that, it being the collected tales of a group of pilgrims heading for Canterbury and the relics of Thomas Beckett...

[Prufrock]

The LRB is worth the money simply for Michael Hofmann's reviews recently. After rinsing Martin Amis' latest offering a few months ago, I'm currently reading him tear Richard Flanagan a new one for his Booker Prize winning latest. Still not worked my way onto The Narrow Road To The Deep North but it's a change to hear something other than rave reviews!

[General Mannerheim]

i really miss Allan Karlsson. need another book in the same vein as the 100 year old man?

[Prufrock]

This Nick Cohen article: http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/nick-cohen ... r-enemies/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In it he borrows and expands on a point that tuition fees have made students "consumers" and Universities "brands" and so students feel entitled to suppress debate they don't like (in the same way they'd stop going to a shop if they didn't like the service) and University administrators feel they need to suppress debate because it would be harder to "market" themselves if someone said something offensive.

I'm not sure how true I think it is (I'm pretty sure it isn't a conscious factor) but it's an interesting angle.

[Bruce Rioja]

Isn't that what University league tables do, basically?

[Prufrock]

That's an interesting comparison but while I think they both might have similar effects on a lot of things (in terms of there being "competition" between universities), I don't think they both apply here.

I don't think position in league tables could explain Queen's College Belfast cancelling their Charlie Hebdo conference, unless there's an angle I'm missing?

On the other-hand a fear not to "offend" anyone and so not reduce the pool of people you're trying to convince to give you £9k per year could potentially be an explanation?

I'm not wholly sold on the idea mind, certainly not as the whole cause. I was in the first year to pay the £3k, and: a) it didn't consciously weigh on my mind as a day-to-day thought; I didn't *feel* like a consumer; b) there were people in the years above me who marched against Nick Griffin being on QT for example. So those "non-consumers" still wanted to stop debate happening.

[Bruce Rioja]

I see that Bobo's had his book published

[bobo the clown]

^^^^ with only the names changed to protect the innocent.

[thebish]

Don't confess, thebish, I suspected such. You'd have to be a masochist to follow the original without knowledge of Ye Olde King's English as it was spoke. I have to admit thought that I admire the scholars who must put in an enormous amount of effort and research in producing such works as the one you have to hand. I'd be interested to read your thoughts on the Tales once you've waded your way through a bit of it.

am about a third of the way through now... Once you get into the rhythm of the rhyming slang, they romp along like a book of short stories...

use of language (even though this is a modern translation) can be challenging - cos not all of the middle English is expunged... for instance, he often uses the word "ruth" - which we only encounter nowadays in the negative form "ruthless"... which sounds weird!

also - it takes a wee bit of getting used-to that to Chaucer (or to the fictional teller of the tale) - it seems quite reasonable to get revenge on a man who cheats you out of some corn by shagging his wife and his young daughter and then stoving his head in with a pole... also - the casual anti-semitism is quite shocking...

in themselves, the tales are not that great - Roald Dahl's tales of the unexpected were much better! - but I AM enjoying them because I have never read anything quite like them before - particularly the style...

[Dujon]

Thanks for the up-date, thebish. I have read but a few books from Ye Olden days. Among them were Henry Esmond and Tom Jones. Those two I have yet to finish as they are, to me, difficult to follow. Henry Esmond in particular was a right proper pain as it was a required reading in my final school year. Thackery's style was weird to my brain cells. I tried H.E. again during my adult life on a couple of occasions but the result was the same - numbness. Tom Jones is a different kettle of fish. Fielding must have been paid by the word for this work as it's worthy of the noun "tome" - even in the paperback version. Young Tom seems to spend all his time chasing skirt and, when caught out, doing his best to protected the 'innocent' Miss or Mrs involved.

I digress. Both the books mentioned were of course written long after Chaucer's much vaunted 'Tales' and were published unexpurgated.

I hope the nest two-thirds keeps your attention riveted to the page.

[thebish]

Thanks for the up-date, thebish. I have read but a few books from Ye Olden days. Among them were Henry Esmond and Tom Jones. Those two I have yet to finish as they are, to me, difficult to follow. Henry Esmond in particular was a right proper pain as it was a required reading in my final school year. Thackery's style was weird to my brain cells. I tried H.E. again during my adult life on a couple of occasions but the result was the same - numbness. Tom Jones is a different kettle of fish. Fielding must have been paid by the word for this work as it's worthy of the noun "tome" - even in the paperback version. Young Tom seems to spend all his time chasing skirt and, when caught out, doing his best to protected the 'innocent' Miss or Mrs involved.

I digress. Both the books mentioned were of course written long after Chaucer's much vaunted 'Tales' and were published unexpurgated.

I hope the nest two-thirds keeps your attention riveted to the page.

I think I'll finish it - perhaps if only because they are short stories and there is always the hope that the next one will be better - and if it isn't, that's only short and there'll be another one after that... plus - I hate not finishing a book when I am past chapter one! the only book I have recently stopped reading because it was just too awful to continue (and I did get past half way) was Ayn Ran's "Atlas Shrugged"...