If books were desserts this book would be a truly,decadent one.
One of those high calorie treats that need to be savoured in small mouth fulls.
A rich, rare wonder of words, that leave me satisfied but craving more.
the author Karen Swallow Prior is delving deeper into some of the classic books, some of which I've read and some of which I want to after hearing her describe her own experience with them.
In chapter two Karen talks about the power of words, drawing her conclusions from E B White's Charlotte's Web.
I Loved what she says here...
To choose a good word, to assign the right name, to arrange proper words in the best order;these are no easy tasks. Such work requires the creative power, the brooding,the birth pangs of a mother.
Names, words and language;they shape and create our souls the way a mother's body shapes and creates our bodies. We describe the country of our origin as our fatherland, but our language we call our mother tongue. Indeed the words that often wield the greatest power in and over our lives are those spoken by our mothers, from our names, to words of encouragement, to words that shape and define our character,words of truth spoken in love. This power of words is akin to the creative, nurturing role a mother plays in our lives.
Farther along in chapter 6, she is setting the scene in Tess of the D'Urbervilles.Here is a few lines that jumped off the page for me...
Life, like a great book is complicated. People, like the best fictional characters, are complex.
Human complexity is what makes understanding human beings, whether real or fictional, so difficult at times; empathy with good but imperfect characters, or real people, isn't always easy.Our prejudices,preferences,and ideals blind us from seeing others as they are. in our blindness, we recreate people---- and even ourselves---in our own image. and later on..
Human blindness to Providence does not mean there is no design. And often, not always, but more often than not---time removes man's blinders to reveal the design behind things that appear at first to have no rhyme or reason.
Yes, I think to myself...Yes her words so moving, her insight so profound.
That is some of the book which I am halfway through and like a dessert full of mouth watering flavours I must stop and digest between long swallows of coffee and look forward to the next bite.
Have you been reading any interesting books lately?
One of those high calorie treats that need to be savoured in small mouth fulls.
A rich, rare wonder of words, that leave me satisfied but craving more.
the author Karen Swallow Prior is delving deeper into some of the classic books, some of which I've read and some of which I want to after hearing her describe her own experience with them.
In chapter two Karen talks about the power of words, drawing her conclusions from E B White's Charlotte's Web.
I Loved what she says here...
To choose a good word, to assign the right name, to arrange proper words in the best order;these are no easy tasks. Such work requires the creative power, the brooding,the birth pangs of a mother.
Names, words and language;they shape and create our souls the way a mother's body shapes and creates our bodies. We describe the country of our origin as our fatherland, but our language we call our mother tongue. Indeed the words that often wield the greatest power in and over our lives are those spoken by our mothers, from our names, to words of encouragement, to words that shape and define our character,words of truth spoken in love. This power of words is akin to the creative, nurturing role a mother plays in our lives.
Farther along in chapter 6, she is setting the scene in Tess of the D'Urbervilles.Here is a few lines that jumped off the page for me...
Life, like a great book is complicated. People, like the best fictional characters, are complex.
Human complexity is what makes understanding human beings, whether real or fictional, so difficult at times; empathy with good but imperfect characters, or real people, isn't always easy.Our prejudices,preferences,and ideals blind us from seeing others as they are. in our blindness, we recreate people---- and even ourselves---in our own image. and later on..
Human blindness to Providence does not mean there is no design. And often, not always, but more often than not---time removes man's blinders to reveal the design behind things that appear at first to have no rhyme or reason.
Yes, I think to myself...Yes her words so moving, her insight so profound.
That is some of the book which I am halfway through and like a dessert full of mouth watering flavours I must stop and digest between long swallows of coffee and look forward to the next bite.
Have you been reading any interesting books lately?
Well read, and well said. How interesting this wonderful book sounds! Your two chosen excerpts describe so much of what has been preoccupying my pondering thoughts of late! Thanks for the introduction, Lucy!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend to you, my friend!
Poppy
You're describing the book so well! It looks pretty in its place in the photo:)
ReplyDelete