Now, down to business, though, not to defeat the Huns (sorry Mulan!). One of the things I've been meaning to write to you all about is what I've been reading down here! For Christmas, America's most garish and successful commercially recognized holiday, my family gave me a kindle for my trip. I was quite honestly more than a mite nervous about getting a kindle; I'm such a hardcore believer in real-for-the-feel paper novels that switching to any kind of gadget felt strange. To be even more frank, I'm not much for the ways of this tech-savvy world-- this blog is easily the most concrete attempt I've made to enter the technological internet-verse. Still, the kindle was definitely the most pragmatic choice for me and I'm about to prove it to you!
One of the greatest things about online reading in general* is that the public now has access to works whose copyrights have expired. Aka, these works are now part of the "public domain." We're talking Dickens and Jane Austen and Tolstoy and more! All these books can be downloaded to computers and readers (hint! my kindle :D) in seconds-- given you have a semi-functional internet connection, which can be intermittent for me at times.
Given all this excellent, free bookage running around on the interwebs, I decided to get out my net and catch myself a few classics. I started out pretty conservatively, only taking Dracula, a collection of Brothers Grimm Fairytales, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. A few days ago, on my cozy little cot, I completed the fairytale collection-- and no, it's not really a 'horror' collection as some view it to be; it's honestly not that graphic or violent. my particular favorites include the following:
"The Valiant Little Tailor"
...in which a clever, tiny man goes out and conquers the world and a kingdom and two giants with his wits alone. Plus, he's a tailor! He has a useful trade and doesn't need to be a macho chauvinist to prove his worth in the world. Heck, he still gets half a kingdom at the end ; ]
our Tailor, tricking the Giant into carrying the whole tree by himself while he gets a free ride atop the oak; later, the Giant still thinks the Tailor has been carrying half the tree!
...in which a dying king's three sons each try to find a cure for their ailing father. The elder two brothers do so out of selfish greed, thinking that the father, when cured, would bequeath the kingdom to the son that saved him. The youngest son, however, is humbler and gentler and, as a result of his thoughtfulness and kindness, receives help from a small dwarf who knows the life-saving water's whereabouts. The funniest part of the story, however, was when the two older brothers were asked by the dwarf, "Whither you ride so hastily?" to which both brothers replied "You stupid dandyprat!" Cheers, eh?
...other things I came across that could be of interest: the hardening of hearts and the nature of hearts. Both are mentioned throughout the various stories and of keen interest to me. In one story called "Bearskin," the protagonist becomes a solider in the war. When the war is over, he returns to the homes of his brothers, seeking shelter and company until war breaks out again: "his brothers, however, were hard-hearted, and said, 'What could we do with you? We could make nothing of you..' " In "The Valiant Little Tailor," the protagonist kills seven flies that were buzzing around bread and jam. Pleased with himself, he fashions himself a belt embroidered with the words "seven at one blow!" When he is finished, "his heart danced with joy, like a puppy-dog's tail." And even in "Snow-White," when the Queen temporarily succeeds in killing Snow-White, "and she went home to her glass, and at last it said--'Thou, Queen, art the fairest of all the fair.' And then her envious heart was glad, and as happy as such a heart could be." Are the Grimms telling us that a) there are many kinds of hearts and b) that only certain hearts can achieve pure happiness? I wonder if our free-will has any bearing on what type of heart we have... I surely hope so!
Since these revelations, I have embarked on my first case with Sherlock Holmes, "A Scandal in Bohemia," as related by his trusted friend and sometimes assistant/partner/accomplice, Dr. Watson. Though I'm really loving the writing and the little quirks of the characters, I was completely shocked by the conclusion to this first adventure: the not-so-black-and-white "villain" of the story, a woman named Irene Adler, escapes! Sherlock doesn't "win!" Totally strange to me, as I was expecting this unstoppable, unbeatable sleuthing secret agent. Still, he's got class and finesse that is undeniably addictive. I'm in the midst of continuing his saga in "The Adventure of the Red-Headed League," which promises to be hilarious.
Watson and Holmes outside the United Kingdom's Embassy in Russia
Speaking of Russia, I ran into some English-speaking Russians at the Greek-speaking Hellenistic Greek Orthodox church I visited this past Sunday called Holy Trinity. The inside of the church is gorgeous; the background color for the ceiling embellishments (what I believe to be a combination of mosaics and faux-frescos) is a fantastic peacock blue-teal-tiffany's blue-esque color (a favorite color group of mine). Afterwards, we were served very intense, sugary Turkish coffee and biscotti-textured biscuits. The Russian family Ben & Carina have befriended has four sons, the youngest of which looked to be about 11 years old. Natalie spent pretty much the entire time flirting with said pre-pubescent boy. Classic.
Now, on that note, do any of you have any reading recommendations? I've currently got my heart set on re-reading so that I can finish the Inheritance Cycle books by Christopher Paolini (the last book came out awhile ago and I'm re-reading the first three books so all the detail are fresh! ... rather, I was re-reading them before I left my mini-library in the states) and am perusing Sherlock while I wait for the library request to be honored for the kindle. But I'm definitely up for something fresh. Any epic fantasies and adventure books hiding in the closet?? Come, out with it!
...please ; ]
P.S. I have since become much more liberal in my "free-downloads" for the kindle and recently added about 25 new titles to my collection, including The Three Musketeers, "Curious Myths of the Middle Ages," and Asgard Tales From Norse Mythology. Oh, and The Return of Sherlock Holmes, of course!
*in general, I loathe reading online and commend all of you for reading this blog on a screen right now. If I could have it my way, you'd each be getting handwritten notes daily from me. Woe that there are so few hours in a day!
<> title inspired via the title of UC Berkeley's requirements for the "college of letters and sciences." Of course, I replaced the "sciences" (blechk!) with a variation on the hellenistic society I encountered here in Durban.
This statue in Russia is WAY better than the simple plaque on Baker Street at Sherlock's famous address in London. I recommend that you download ANYTHING by Elizabeth Gaskell! "North & South", or "Wives and Daughters" and "Cranford" are my favorites. Priceless stories! Almost as endearing as you, beloved.
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