My favourite books from A to Z

I've borrowed this idea from Emily @ The Wanderings of a Dreamer. It just looked like too much fun. :-)
In true Sesame Street fashion - the letter of today of the day is. . .

A.

Such an elegant letter, I've always thought. Right. Just get started already, Elise. (Oh, and thank goodness for Goodreads! Otherwise I'd never be able to remember all the books I've read and enjoyed that begin with the letter "A".)

***

Agnes Grey. A lesser-known masterpiece from the "forgotten" Bronte sister, Anne. See my review here.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. I didn't get round to reading the full, unabridged version of Lewis Carroll's classic until relatively recently - but when I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I do love a bit of nonsense - Edward Lear, The Phantom Tollbooth. . . Alice. Though I actually prefer the sequel, Through the Looking Glass, the first Alice book is wonderful in its own way, too. I love every crazy character and situation. The dialogue is divine - witty, satirical, full of puns. And the illustrations by Tenniel are amazing - Alice in Wonderland wouldn't be what it is without them.

Anne of Green Gables.

Anne of Avonlea.

Anne of the Island.

Anne of Windy Willows/Poplars.

Anne's House of Dreams.

Anne of Ingleside. - I can think of few books that have meant as much to me as the Anne books during my growing-up years. They really have become a part of who I am, in a way! Anne, Diana, Priscilla, Phillipa, and so many others have been true "kindred spirits" to me! And Avonlea feels like home. And Gil is such a sweetheart. :-)

Around the World in Eighty Days. I read and re-read this when I was about 12 or so. I'm actually not sure why I liked it so much (and I've a feeling I wouldn't enjoy it quite so much if I were to read it again now) - but like it I did! I suppose I must have liked the characters - especially Phineas Fogg - and the sense of adventure, and the descriptions of various places across the earth.

Asterix books. Many of our family members (myself included) like to take a book with us when we go to the loo. . . for this reason, our nickname for "toilet" is "the library". Ahem. Anyway, Asterix comics (along with old National Geographics!) are prime toilet-reading material in our house. I'm not a great comic-reader in general, but I LOVE Asterix comics. The stories by Rene Goscinny are always witty and well-constructed, chock-full of puns and classical references. And I love all the quirky and affectionate details in the illustrations by Albert Uderzo. Both author and artist were very fond of the characters in these books, and it shows. Oh, and for the record - my favourite Asterix title of them all is Asterix the Gladiator.

Rules and Regulations

A short direction
To avoid dejection,
By variations
In occupations,
And prolongation
Of relaxation,
And combinations
Of recreations,
And disputation
On the state of the nation
In adaptation
To your station,
By invitations
To friends and relations,
By evitation
Of amputation,
By permutation
In conversation,
And deep reflection
You'll avoid dejection.

Learn well your grammar,
And never stammer,
Write well and neatly,
And sing most sweetly,
Be enterprising,
Love early rising,
Go walk of six miles,
Have ready quick smiles,
With lightsome laughter,
Soft flowing after.
Drink tea, not coffee;
Never eat toffy.
Eat bread with butter.
Once more, don't stutter.

Don't waste your money,
Abstain from honey.
Shut doors behind you,
(Don't slam them, mind you.)
Drink beer, not porter.
Don't enter the water
Till to swim you are able.
Sit close to the table.
Take care of a candle.
Shut a door by the handle,
Don't push with your shoulder
Until you are older.
Lose not a button.
Refuse cold mutton.
Starve your canaries.
Believe in fairies.
If you are able,
Don't have a stable
With any mangers.
Be rude to strangers.

Moral: Behave.

~Lewis Carroll

Discovering the world of Lewis Carroll

Over the last few days I've been reading Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. I had seen a couple of movie versions and read and abridged version of each, but this is the first time I've read the original, non-abridged books.

In a word - they are delicious! Nice and short, easy to get through in a day or two. Packed full of puns, parodies, nonsense rhymes, and all the crazy creatures of Carroll's imagination. Not to mention the illustrations by Tenniel - which are half the fun of the books.

I thought I'd share one of my favourite poems from Alice in Wonderland. It is a parody of the following verse by Robert Southey (make sure you read this - it makes Carroll's rendition all the funnier!).

~~~~~

The Old Man's Comforts and how he gained them, by Robert Southey

You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
The few locks which are left you are grey;
You are hale, Father William, a hearty old man,
Now tell me the reason I pray.

In the days of my youth, Father William replied,
I remember'd that youth would fly fast,
And abused not my health and my vigour at first
That I never might need them at last.

You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
And pleasures with youth pass away,
And yet you lament not the days that are gone,
Now tell me the reason I pray.

In the days of my youth, Father William replied,
I remember'd that youth could not last;
I thought of the future whatever I did,
That I never might grieve for the past.

You are old, Father William, the young man cried,
And life must be hastening away;
You are chearful, and love to converse upon death!
Now tell me the reason I pray.

I am chearful, young man, Father William replied,
Let the cause thy attention engage;
In the days of my youth I remember'd my God!
And He hath not forgotten my age.

~~~~~

And now here's Lewis Carroll's parody. I particularly love the sixth stanza. :-D

You Are Old, Father William, by Lewis Carroll

'You are old, Father William', the young man said,
  'And your hair has become very white;
And yet you incessantly stand on your head --
  Do you think, at your age, it is right?'



'In my youth', Father William replied to his son,
  'I feared it might injure the brain;
But, now that I'm perfectly sure I have none,
  Why, I do it again and again.'

'You are old', said the youth, 'as I mentioned before,
  And have grown most uncommonly fat;
Yet you turned a back-somersault in at the door --
  Pray, what is the reason of that?'



'In my youth', said the sage, as he shook his grey locks,
  'I kept all my limbs very supple
By the use of this ointment - one shilling the box -
  Allow me to sell you a couple?'

'You are old', said the youth, 'and your jaws are too weak
  For anything tougher than suet;
Yet you finished the goose, with the bones and the beak -
  Pray, how did you manage to do it?'



'In my youth', said his father, 'I took to the law,
  And argued each case with my wife;
And the muscular strength, which it gave to my jaw,
  Has lasted the rest of my life.'

'You are old', said the youth, 'one would hardly suppose
  That your eye was as steady as ever;
Yet you balanced an eel on the end of your nose -
  What made you so awfully clever?'



'I have answered three questions, and that is enough,'
  Said his father, 'don't give yourself airs!
Do you think I can listen all day to such stuff?
  Be off, or I'll kick you downstairs!'

Current Mood: Amused