Quote:
Originally Posted by CK
I'm also reading an old restaurant review book that I found on Project Gutenberg. It seems to have been written between the two World Wars. I can't find a copyright in the file (apart from the 2000-something one for the PG edition, I think) so I'm basing that off of what they're discussing.
So far I've read an interesting anecdote about an extremely rich Spanish gentleman who entertained himself by pouring wax on the clothes of his famous/beautiful female guests to ruin them and then pay for their replacement. And the Spanish guy asked the restaurant owner how much it would cost if he just burned down the restaurant and the owner replied, "two or three millions" so the Spanish guy got up and was about to start lighting the curtain on fire when the owner managed to stop him. o_o;
It just solidified for me that it was worth the time to read if it had any more anecdotes like that!
|
Uh oh, somehow I missed this before! :o
Isn't Project Gutenburg great? I've found
so many collections of folk tales and mythology on there. I've always thought of myself as a whiz in Classic and Norse mythology, but some of these new collections just baffle me. Not to mention all the Sumerian, Japanese, and Hindu collections on there. It's perfect bedtime reading and I'm so glad that I can finally enjoy it with a Kindle.
re Atwood: I've got a love/hate relationship with her. She's an amazing writer and has created some of the best feminist works in the 20th century. Not to mention that she's an awesome person on her own (I follow her twitter too :lol:). I've always admired the way that she can create fully dimensional characters who age realistically. There aren't many authors out there who are comfortable putting a spotlight on older women.
But I do have to disagree with a lot of her gender lines. I wouldn't have such an issue with the way she portrayed men if it was done in only a few works or if it seemed to have some sort of positive justification. But especially in works like The Handmaid's Tale, there's such a huge underlying fear and violence related to male characters. It's tough to stomach when that sort of emotion is present in 99% of her work. I can't hate her for it, but I can't really love her for it either.