A Handfu of Dust

We have read 'A Handful of Dust' by Evelyn Waugh. My main question is why is a man who was born, Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh, write under Evelyn. am I old fashion that I would think that he would go by Arthur or John?? Is it a generational difference? As far as the novel, this one was very good and I would recommend it over the other so far.

Lover's

We have spent the week reading Lady Chatterley's Lover. In many ways it is a sad tale of a young girl who never really knows the difference between sex and love........the emotional part. I think Lawrence never connected with that emotional side of love although he tried the physical side. While the novel is good, the writer's life is sad.

India

OK, so I missed last week.........my excuse is that it was a short week and it went on for days and days and days.........I honestly thought we would never be out of that week. This week is A Passage to India, I realize everyone--including my husband--sees it as a spiritual journey for the characters, but I see it from a different perspective, one of the struggle between the Indian people and the British, how the roles were defined and yet there are always those who slip through and go against the norm. Such is the case with Mrs. Moore and to a much lesser extent Adela. Mrs. Moore is an old woman who sees that people are people and should be treated as such--Adela understands this concept but is desperate to become a world traveler, cultured and worldly and loses herself in the sensuality of India in her foray out into the country. Dr. Aziz, while wanting the British out, is torn by wanting to be excepted and acknowledged by the them. Godbole seems to be the one quiet one who sees Mrs. Moore as an "old soul" and foresees troubles, although it would not take much to foresee the trouble. The book speaks the to stronger right hand that the English took with the territories and the way they treated them--well, sub-human at best--what a shame that so many on both sides missed wonder opportunites to get to know each other. Ego's are a dangerous thing.

Almost mid-week

Well, here we are into another book, The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. Although his birth name was Ford Madox Hueffer, I have not found out why he writes under FMF. I was impressed with his knowledge and he seemed to be very intelligent, and patriotic by serving his county in WWI. I think his brilliance was known by his contemporaries who did not fail to let him know.

And it begins...................................

This blog is for a class at UCO. this past week the book to read was "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" by James Joyce. I am late getting this blog started, but posting shuold be much easier to keep up. I did not enjoy the book, I did however, feel very sorry for Joyce after reading his biography. He was a man torn between not two worlds but three. One was the Catholic world, one was the Irish world, and the thrid was his fantasy world. None of them could be reconnciled. I think he was a man who tried ot follow his convictions, but had trouble sorting them out.