Renaissance Girl

& his reactions are fantastic! Ha--what a brilliant man.

For some reason cut&paste is malfunctioning on my computer, or else you'd get all my favorite choice bits of reactions from his blog. But I think my absolute favorite is his twitter post:

"Newbery, not Newbury. Also FUCK!!!! I won the FUCKING NEWBERY MEDAL THIS IS SO FUCKING AWESOME. I thank you."



What a man!

I'm working on my Moby-Dick paper currently, which I'm not thrilled about, but only for reasons of being sick of schoolwork, not because I don't love the book. To that end, let me share my favorite chapter with you--yes, the whole thing; it's short. But it's beautiful. The language in this book is just ridiculously fantastic, & this is one of my favorite parts:

Chapter 23 - The Lee Shore

Some chapters back, one Bulkington was spoken of, a tall, new-landed mariner, encountered in New Bedford at the inn.

When on that shivering winter's night, the Pequod thrust her vindictive bows into the cold malicious waves, who should I see standing at her helm but Bulkington! I looked with sympathetic awe and fearfulness upon the man, who in mid-winter just landed from a four years' dangerous voyage, could so unrestingly push off again for still another tempestuous term. The land seemed scorching to his feet. Wonderfullest things are ever the unmentionable; deep memories yield no epitaphs; this six-inch chapter is the stoneless grave of Bulkington. Let me only say that it fared with him as with the storm-tossed ship, that miserably drives along the leeward land. The port would fain give succor; the port is pitiful; in the port is safety, comfort, hearthstone, supper, warm blankets, friends, all that's kind to our mortalities. But in that gale, the port, the land, is that ship's direst jeopardy; she must fly all hospitality; one touch of land, though it but graze the keel, would make her shudder through and through. With all her might she crowds all sail off shore; in so doing, fights 'gainst the very winds that fain would blow her homeward; seeks all the lashed sea's landlessness again; for refuge's sake forlornly rushing into peril; her only friend her bitterest foe!

Know ye, now, Bulkington? Glimpses do ye seem to see of that mortally intolerable truth; that all deep, earnest thinking is but the intrepid effort of the soul to keep the open independence of her sea; while the wildest winds of heaven and earth conspire to cast her on the treacherous, slavish shore?

But as in landlessness alone resides the highest truth, shoreless, indefinite as God--so, better is it to perish in that howling infinite, than be ingloriously dashed upon the lee, even if that were safety! For worm-like, then, oh! who would craven crawl to land! Terrors of the terrible! is all this agony so vain? Take heart, take heart, O Bulkington! Bear thee grimly, demigod! Up from the spray of thy ocean-perishing--straight up, leaps thy apotheosis!

(Text from here.)

So prepare yourself: the Catholic League launching an attack, or at least releasing an aggravated statement, condemmning The Golden Compass Movies.
I said something similar in lacylu42's journal: I can see why these books, much more than Harry Potter, can be seen to promote atheism. And I can see why the Catholic Church would get their knickers in a twist, because the books are rather attacking organized religion. But they're so much more complex than that. Have they* read the books I wonder? For me it was always an attack--if that word's even right, which I'm not sure it is--on what happens when organized religion goes bad and loses sight of the principles on which the religion was founded in the beginning. Pullman certainly condemns that. Actually, I think I've heard Pullman condemning all organized religion (I think he had bad childhood experiences...), but I've never heard him condemn religion outright. Anyway, I find the whole thing fascinating but I'd like to know I'm arguing against people who've read and understood the book.

And really, people: "The trilogy, His Dark Materials, was written to promote atheism and denigrate Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism." Are you sure? You can read implications into it all you like (& I'm not suprised they are), but no one ever said that.

"Atheism for kids. That is what Philip Pullman sells." Whoops. Guess because I bought all his books as a kid and devoured them and loved them, I am an atheist. Oh...but wait. That's not strictly true. Whoops.

*sigh*

[* So of course this "they" is another issue because I don't know how many people that encompasses, whether some or all have read or understood the book. I just think you ought to be on the same playing field to have an argument about something. Is that reasonable?]

Lists are one of the things that keep my life on track (that, & remembering to drink water...geez). To that end, I'm going to have to start keeping lists again, because even though it's summer I still have plenty to do.

Another list I want, though, is the perennial list that never seems to actually exist: The list of Books I Want To/Should Read. If confronted with an actual title, I'll remember that I wanted to read that one, & I'll check it out of the library; but I can never remember any titles to search for when I go. So here's my question to you:
What's some favorite/classic/necessary books that you think I really should read?
I'm fairly open on genre, really; I enjoy everything from trashy fantasy novels to historical fiction to non-fiction books on archeology or what-have-you--as well as plays you reccomend; I'd really like to get my theatrical literacy up. I just want to read something that isn't assigned. Any ideas?

I just finished Tam Lin this morning. When did I start it? Oh...yeah. Yesterday. Damn, I love summer.