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Damn Fine Authors
Intro
Long Dead
W. Shakespeare
J. Milton
G. Chaucer
Gawain Poet
Anonymous
Recently Dead
J.R.R. Tolkien
I. Asimov
F. Herbert
E. Dickinson
D. Adams
Still Alive?
A. Clarke
Umberto Eco
Alive
C. Willis
W. Gibson
O.S. Card
R. Jordan
D. Brin
Rentable Films
Stupid Faxes
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Could any of these authors have fathomed that their scratchings made under poor lighting, frequently interrupted with the need to urinate, eat, sleep, gossip, love, burp, etc; could they have any idea that entire library shelves and academic lives would be devoted to their letters?
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Aged Perfection
Behold: old dead white men. Yes, I'm sorry that I don't have anyone else here except European authors and playwrights. Regardless of their race, color, creed, and orientation, you should still immerse yourself in their works. And... uh... I'll be sure to do the same with non-European authors.
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William Shakespeare
What can one say about Shakespeare that hasn't been said before? The breadth of his works and the looseness of their interpretations make him probably the most studied writer in the English language.
I don't like to get sucked down in the Oxfordian/Bardolotry debates; let's just say that The Complete Works more than stands on its own regardless of who wrote it.
Links:
� Collected Works
� Shakespeare.com
� Authorship Page
Papers:
� King Lear (24K)
� Merchant (4K)
� AMSND (11K) |
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John Milton
One stands awed before the works of John Milton. From the brash young writer to the blind elder man dictating his magnum opus, Milton created some of the most sublime, heavily referenced works in the English language.
Often standing in the far-reaching shadow Shakespeare, Milton undoubtedly still deserves the voracious study given to the Bard.
Links:
� Milton Texts
Papers:
� Nativity Ode (13K)
� Paradise Lost (12K) |
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Geoffrey Chaucer
It takes a little time to get into the flow of reading Chaucer in its Middle English form but the efforts soon pay off, especially in the widely ranging Canterbury Tales.
Its sometimes hard to believe that one man could create such colorful characters bound by their class' rules and dictums, and to weave their social place within the flavor of their tales.
Links:
� Canterbury Tales
� Web Resources
Papers:
� Canterbury (11K)
� Defense of CT (10K) |
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Gawain Poet
One of the single finest pieces of literature in the English language. SGGK is beautiful in its descriptions and ever intertwining symbolism.
SGGK is a vastly entertaining story on the surface level, though it abounds in metaphor and juxtapositions. And to think that it is a Christmas tale...
Links:
� SGGK Text
� More Links
Papers:
� Pentangle (13K) |
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Anonymous Old English Poems
There is something extremely satisfying about anonymous works of Old English poetry. Perhaps some of the allure lies in the shrouded anonymity of the authors.
What a comfort it is to know that there was a time before the billboards, the interviews, and the paparazzi; a time when the author's work was the joy, not the personal fame.
Links:
� Labyrinth
Papers:
� Sir Orfeo (7K) |
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� sklender, 1996 - Until My Death, and then three weeks beyond that.