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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 11, 2021 8:06:28 GMT
This is not so much random and maybe more plays but didn't know where to put it so.... My 14 niece announced a few weeks back that she was studying much ado at school and they were watching excerpts of the Branagh film. I thought it was maybe a missed opportunity to watch another more recent stage version but you know was pleased and said I looked forward to discussing it. Spoke to her yesterday, she said they have just got up to the gulling scene and their teacher has said they don't need to read any more of it as their exam will be on B and B's view on marriage and they just need to learn 20 quotes. Sigh. What a waste. Studying Shakespeare when I was at school was I swear a list of quotes but i'd rather hoped it had moved on a bit from that. Also I don't see how you could have a full picture of B and B's view on marriage without well the whole flipping play anyway. At least he didn't tell them the 20 quotes to learn. Teaching (taps nose knowingly) |
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Post by lichtie on May 11, 2021 13:33:58 GMT
I've finally been fully vaccinated. I was part of the Novavax trial, so had injections last October & November - absolutely no symptoms. They decided to do a crossover (ie not tell you what you'd had first time round but give you the opposite now). So I had my second of this set yesterday and arms aching, knees aching, shivering. So I've definitely been given the vaccine (got a huge A4 bit of cardboard to day so - not exactly a portable vaccine passport!) and reckon it was this time round. Will now be very confused if they tell me come October that the real injection was actually last year...
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Post by peggs on May 11, 2021 18:16:03 GMT
At least he didn't tell them the 20 quotes to learn. Teaching (taps nose knowingly) Not convinced they haven't been given a list to learn. Way to kill love of a play by reducing it to remembered side bites. I was thinking I enjoyed english at school and then remembered I almost dropped it after GCSE as I thought I was better at (and presumably liked) too many other subjects until my teacher challenged me on it. I remember being really peeved at studying The Go Between and being told every description of the river or weather or anything was symbolic and thinking how did they know that the author hadn't just occasionally literally meant what he said. Think I disliked most books we read just because of how we read and studied them and being relieved when we didn't study things I liked and ruin them. |
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Post by Dawnstar on May 11, 2021 19:01:58 GMT
Think I disliked most books we read just because of how we read and studied them and being relieved when we didn't study things I liked and ruin them. I think Austen was the only adult* author I studied at school whose books I was prepared to still read afterwards. Having to suffer through To Kill A Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby & Of Mice And Men put me off 20th century American literature to such an extent that I'm not sure I've ever read any in the 20 years since GCSEs.
*Reading children's literature in younger years at school didn't have the same off-putting effect. I still enjoy The Hobbit, Wind in the Willows & The Dark Is Rising.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2021 19:41:21 GMT
Having to suffer through To Kill A Mockingbird That was one of the books I had to read as well. I remember nothing about it apart from that it had the sort of distinctive hard-back cover that all school-issue books had. If you judge a book by the cover then these covers said "This is an adequate book".
We also read Great Expectations, and I loved that. I always felt (and still do) that Estella deserved a far better deal from life and that someone really needed to whack early Pip with a shovel.
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Post by peggs on May 11, 2021 21:03:01 GMT
I've not read Mansfield Park since school I think because it made me so mad, I just remember commentary on Fanny getting a headache from being in the sun too much and some very unsubtle analysis on leaving the safety of the formal gardens to stray into the wilds!
Yes I kinda know what you mean about Pip.
We did Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and failed to make it interesting in any way and I think an Inspector Calls. Macbeth and Lear reduced to one theme, evil I think and fathers making fatal decisions and that was it. No nuance.
I don't think any of my english studying encouraged me to think my own thoughts and not accept there was 'an answer'. Mind you I remember being horrified first year at uni when we had books that had multiple endings or went backwards and resisted all sense of closure.
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Post by Deleted on May 11, 2021 23:15:22 GMT
I loved To Kill a Mockingbird, still do.
Also did Great Expectations, plus The Age of Innocence and A Streetcar Named Desire.
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Post by Dawnstar on May 14, 2021 18:24:51 GMT
I knew cooking anything other than pasta & vegetables was bad for me: burnt a finger on a baking tin while serving up sausages this evening.
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Post by peggs on May 14, 2021 20:23:40 GMT
I knew cooking anything other than pasta & vegetables was bad for me: burnt a finger on a baking tin while serving up sausages this evening. Do you have any aloe vera plants and/or thing with it in? very good for burns. Failed the strength and fitness test today, whilst hanging from a bar at the top of the slide holding under my 3 year old nephew's hands, whilst his 2 year old sister held onto his feet, failed to pull us all up. When I told my sister she said that their wanting to do that might be her fault for holding onto their feet from the top of the pig sty whilst they play at picking things off the ground. |
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Post by sfsusan on May 15, 2021 1:52:57 GMT
I remember being really peeved at studying The Go Between and being told every description of the river or weather or anything was symbolic and thinking how did they know that the author hadn't just occasionally literally meant what he said. Isn't there something in literary criticism that says symbolism doesn't have to be consciously written to be present? |
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Post by Dawnstar on May 15, 2021 10:41:38 GMT
Do you have any aloe vera plants and/or thing with it in? very good for burns. No. I just put some Savlon on. Less ainful this morning but still somewhat painful while washing my hands - it seems to be the hot water rather than the rubbing motions that are the issue. |
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Post by peggs on May 15, 2021 22:00:37 GMT
I remember being really peeved at studying The Go Between and being told every description of the river or weather or anything was symbolic and thinking how did they know that the author hadn't just occasionally literally meant what he said. Isn't there something in literary criticism that says symbolism doesn't have to be consciously written to be present? Quite possibly but I still maintained sometimes when it says the sun was shining it just meant that and nothing more. I'm not very complex when it comes to reading. |
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Post by david on May 17, 2021 15:24:34 GMT
With restrictions being lifted, it's been a great way to celebrate my birthday. Meeting up with family indoors and being able to watch my rugby team play at their stadium after 14 months of not being able to is a great birthday present. I just hope the 4,000 of us who have won tickets in a ballot can do so without any issues. Then it's a weekend of London theatre as well. It's definitely a good week.
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Post by TallPaul on May 17, 2021 16:32:50 GMT
You obviously have friends in high places, david. Happy birthday. Not long now until the big 4-0. 😉 Have a good time shouting at the ref, though with years of experience, he probably knows himself when he needs to tell 'em to get back! |
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Post by david on May 17, 2021 16:39:36 GMT
You obviously have friends in high places, david . Happy birthday. Not long now until the big 4-0. 😉 Have a good time shouting at the ref, though with years of experience, he probably knows himself when he needs to tell 'em to get back! Thanks TallPaul! 42 this year Where do the years go? Hopefully it'll go ok and it stays dry. I have been swamped with cake and chocolate so there goes my waist line! |
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2021 17:41:54 GMT
Sudden torrential rain and thunder. I hope spring arrives soon.
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Post by sfsusan on May 18, 2021 18:37:40 GMT
Quite possibly but I still maintained sometimes when it says the sun was shining it just meant that and nothing more. I'm not very complex when it comes to reading. I don't always see it on first reading, but when thinking or talking about something I might go, "oooooh, THAT's why that was there!" That's one of the reasons I enjoy reading comments here about plays when people point out something that I completely missed. Sudden torrential rain and thunder. I hope spring arrives soon. I had torrential hail in north London... to the extent that the roof drainage (which is an L-shaped drain pipe that enters through the ceiling and drains out the mezzanine wall) backed up with ice and the sheer volume of rain that followed and briefly created a small waterfall in the mezzanine. Luckily, this is a vacation rental, so it's not my desk or shelves or floor. |
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Post by alece10 on May 19, 2021 8:19:04 GMT
Sad day. My Liza mug which I bought at her RAH concert in 2011 and have used every day since then has finally gone to that glitter ball in the sky as the bottom literally fell out of the mug this morning.
Not sure whether to Bury or cremate her.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2021 10:26:02 GMT
I am a mildly enthusiastic collector of flashlights and on Monday I bought a new one to add to my collection, so now I'm going round the house early in the morning with the lights switched off so I get a chance to use my new light. One month before midsummer is not the most convenient time to try out a flashlight.
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Post by Dawnstar on May 19, 2021 11:49:37 GMT
Sad day. My Liza mug which I bought at her RAH concert in 2011 and have used every day since then has finally gone to that glitter ball in the sky as the bottom literally fell out of the mug this morning. Not sure whether to Bury or cremate her. Burial is surely much easier. Not sure china is cremate-able! |
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Post by TallPaul on May 19, 2021 12:22:18 GMT
Sad day. My Liza mug which I bought at her RAH concert in 2011 and have used every day since then has finally gone to that glitter ball in the sky as the bottom literally fell out of the mug this morning. Not sure whether to Bury or cremate her. Burial is surely much easier. Not sure china is cremate-able! Just think how confused the archaeologists of the future will be? The 3021 versions of Francis Pryor and Phil Harding will spend hours debating what sort of deity Liza Minnelli was and how people literally worshipped her. 🙂 |
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Post by david on May 20, 2021 16:29:13 GMT
1st time back back in London for a WE theatre binge since October. Despite the horrendous weather, it’s great to be back in the hustle and bustle of the city. There is something relaxing about having a coffee on the Southbank and just watching the world go by. It’s these simple pleasures for me that I’ve missed these last few months and it’s great to have them back.
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Post by theglenbucklaird on May 20, 2021 16:40:24 GMT
1st time back back in London for a WE theatre binge since October. Despite the horrendous weather, it’s great to be back in the hustle and bustle of the city. There is something relaxing about having a coffee on the Southbank and just watching the world go by. It’s these simple pleasures for me that I’ve missed these last few months and it’s great to have them back. How busy is London? I agree about having a coffee on the Southbank. A glorious pleasure |
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Post by david on May 20, 2021 16:44:29 GMT
1st time back back in London for a WE theatre binge since October. Despite the horrendous weather, it’s great to be back in the hustle and bustle of the city. There is something relaxing about having a coffee on the Southbank and just watching the world go by. It’s these simple pleasures for me that I’ve missed these last few months and it’s great to have them back. How busy is London? I agree about having a coffee on the Southbank. A glorious pleasure Really quiet TBH. I’ve been here since mid afternoon and the streets aren’t that busy and the tube was nice and easy to navigate without any hassle. |
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Post by Deleted on May 20, 2021 16:50:11 GMT
1st time back back in London for a WE theatre binge since October. Despite the horrendous weather, it’s great to be back in the hustle and bustle of the city. There is something relaxing about having a coffee on the Southbank and just watching the world go by. It’s these simple pleasures for me that I’ve missed these last few months and it’s great to have them back. How busy is London? I agree about having a coffee on the Southbank. A glorious pleasure The City is fairly busy today, I had to queue for my morning Pret! |
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