The Sorrows of Satan: A Fiendishly Fun Foray into Faustian Folly

Apologies for the glaringly obvious alliteration in the title of this post; I couldn't resist. Marie Corelli’s The Sorrows of Satan is a literary paradox: a work so earnestly didactic that it wraps around to become almost devilishly entertaining. First published in 1895, this novel treads the murky waters of morality with the finesse of …

Germinal

Émile Zola’s Germinal, published in 1885, is a hefty tome that plunges readers into the sooty, grimy world of French coal miners in the 19th century. With its bleak depictions of class struggle, social injustice, and the human spirit’s tenacity, it’s hardly the kind of book you’d expect to read at a comedy club. Yet, …

Sleep Brings No Joy…

For countless years, sleep has been an unrelenting adversary in my life. Each night, I find myself locked in a relentless battle against the elusive embrace of Morpheus. When sleep does finally claim me, it is rarely a sanctuary. Instead, it becomes a stage for dark and tormenting dreams, sinister and vivid, that unravel my …

Steppenwolf: then one thing led to another.

A long time ago I met a young lady who became, for a short time, a good friend. I liked her. For me, liking someone was a rare occurrence. To cut a long story short, my friend, Bob, called so as I couldn't pronounce her Greek name, gifted me a book. A book I'd already …

Death of a Salesman

Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman stands as a colossal testament to the fragility of the American Dream, the perils of self-delusion, and the enduring complexity of human relationships. Like a masterful chef, Miller concocts a heady stew of pathos and tragedy. So, grab your briefcase and your existential dread, as we delve into this …

Doctor Faustus

Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus is a classic of the Elizabethan era, packed with enough theological musings, existential angst, and demonic shenanigans to keep audiences entertained for over four centuries. Let's take a deep dive into this magnum opus, and lighten the heavy dose of hellfire and brimstone. The Plot: A Scholar's Tragicomedy At its core, …

The Quirky Charms and Ridiculous Romances of Pride and Prejudice

When it comes to the realm of classic literature, few books manage to be both incisive social commentaries and delightfully absurd as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. This masterpiece, published in 1813, is the literary equivalent of a sharp eyebrow raise accompanied by a knowing smirk. Let's delve into the bizarre brilliance of this novel, where …

Wuthering Heights: where love means never having to say you’re sane.

It feels like an eternity since I last delved into the pages of this captivating novel - perhaps around four months ago, though time seems to dance with memory. Yet, as the seasons turn, it beckons me once more, whispering secrets and stories I've missed. And so, with eager anticipation, I immerse myself anew in …

The Miller’s Tale

When I need a quick cheer-up, I reach for a more humorous book from my library, something along the lines of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, especially The Miller's Tale; makes my ribs ache! The Miller's Tale by Geoffrey Chaucer, one of the more... let's say, exuberant stories in The Canterbury Tales. Here, Chaucer gives us a …

Decay

I've had this book for a short while now and finally got around to reading it. It's not what I'd call a page-turner. Far from it.  "A Short History of Decay" by E. M. Cioran is like a philosophical rollercoaster through the haunted house of human existence. Picture this: a series of bite-sized wisdom snacks, …

Where’s Godot?

Been a long time since I saw this play, but I re-read it last week. I remember feeling hopeless after watching the play, and that's the mood it leaves one in; maybe not everyone. Just depends on your outlook and how your mind is at the time you consume it. It's a post-modernist work, which …

Marlowe’s Plea

A poem today; a short bio, a breakdown of the poem, then the poem itself. Christopher Marlowe was a renowned Elizabethan playwright, poet, and translator, born in Canterbury, England, in 1564. He was the son of a shoemaker and received a scholarship to attend the King's School in Canterbury. Marlowe later attended Corpus Christi College, …

Why Silas Marner?

There are times when, especially on my Kindle, I can be reading four or five novels at once; flitting backward and forward as the mood takes me. For a couple of weeks now, I've had this one single novel in my head. I don't know why? It's possibly around two or so years since I …

The Decameron – Giovanni Boccaccio

A few moons ago, studying the Art History element of my degree, I came across an illustration on the side of a cassone in the National Gallery in Edinburgh; I was fascinated, especially as this particular one had an image which related to the title of this post. Cassone is an Italian term for a …

Hunger

Well, now, this is one to read when the weather is miserable. "Hunger" is a novel written by Knut Hamsun, first published in 1890. It's a psychologically intense work that delves into the mind of an unnamed narrator living in Christiania (now Oslo), Norway. He also won the Nobel Prize in Literature and was an …

Nausea – Jean-Paul Sartre

An interesting book that I was reluctant to read, simply because I'm never comfortable giving my time to creators that are of a communist persuasion. But to have a valid opinion, they need to be read, listened to and examined. I'm sure - without looking this up as I write - that Sartre, in a …