Tuesday, February 9, 2010

My Reading List for 02/09/10

"...Egypt, a supernatural, mystery, and an unknown creature are all found in this 1897 novel by Richard March [sic.]. The Beetle is the story of a creature born of neither God nor man..."

Yes, folks, this anonymous quote is a basic synopsis of Richard Marsh's obscure Gothic novel The Beetle: A Mystery (1897). And, since the Snowmageddon (our president's term!) that has practically shut down our nation's capital has descended upon the Midwest, I'm staying home from school today on account of the inclement weather and hazardous driving conditions. In order to pass the time that would otherwise be devoted to commuting and attending class, I'm putting the finishing touches on my reading of this book. I must say that I was initially not that impressed with it. I thought it would be really boring! However, about halfway in, I realized that this book is actually quite wonderful. For example, Book III (the book is divided into four individual "books") is told from the point of view of a female character. Therefore, this novel has a decidedly feminist angle. There's also lots of political discussion and references (yay!). For that symposium paper, I'm strongly considering taking either a feminist or political critical perspective, or perhaps even a combination of both. Once again, more on that later.

Alright, everyone take care, stay safe, and peace out! I'll be back with another edition of "My Reading List for..." very soon.

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