26 August 2004 (Thursday)
classics
I wandered through a Barnes & Noble yesterday and passed by a display of "moderately priced" paperback editions of "classic literature." I decided to pick up a copy of Gulliver's Travels and a Kate Chopin collection including "The Awakening."
No, I have never read Gulliver's Travels. I know, I should be shot.
I'm not sure many people have read Gulliver's Travels, at least in the original version. Works of satire tend to have a short shelf life, and this one's almost 300 years old. Most people know about it through coloring books and highly abridged versions. For my part, I skimmed some parts of it when I was much younger, but got bored. Maybe I should try again someday.
If you want good Chopin (love The Awakening), read her short story "Desiree's Baby." I teach it to my students and they freak out over the ending.