The James Joyce Experience

Yes, yes, I know all the Bloomsday posts went out yesterday. I'm too non-linear for that.
In honor of Bloomsday I began reading Ulysses last night. It has sat on my shelf since I started college, but I've always been too timid to delve into it. I tested the waters with The Dubliners, reading it mostly out of order ("Araby" in one class, "The Dead" in another, then finally sitting down to read the rest of the collection on my own). I enjoyed it, some sections more than others. In one year I will be graduated with a BA in English (no singing please), so I decided to finally tackle this intimidating tome.
What has pleasantly surprised me is how funny the novel is. The characters are rich and lively, I can hear and see them quite clearly. The little observations of life and Joyce's tendency to make up and combine words make this quirky and avant garde.
That's not to say this is an easy read by any means. No. I've read the first section in the past twenty-four hours and am currently taking a breather. The end of the section crescendos into a stream of conscience marathon where we're half in the real world and half in the mind of Stephen. Images pile on images. Images of religion, nature, sensuality and meld together and follow the thoughts of a young writer.

James Joyce: literary pirate.

Joyce traveled and even lived chiefly in Paris for the last twenty years of his life, but all of his stories are firmly grounded in Dublin. He even recycles characters between his novels. I didn't realize it until I looked up some of the background information on this particular novel (thanks again Wikipedia) that Stephen from Ulysses is the main character of A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.
Joyce is still acknowledged as one of the most influential writers of the twentieth century. It was Joyce that perfected the stream of consciousness style that broke new ground in the first half of the century. His novels are lush and have been at times banned for their realistic portrayal of everyday vulgarity. Besides all that, he looks way better in an eye patch than most people can even dream of.
So, I'll continue plowing my way through what may be Joyce's masterpiece. I'll be taking my time with this one. Last summer I spread out AS Byatt's The Children's Book over the course of my vacation, coming back to it through the weeks. This summer it will be Ulysses that is my long term reading commitment. Some books are meant to be read in one sitting or over a few days, some need to be slowly and gradually digested while you have little snacks of other books in between. Now you all have greater understanding of why my blog is called "Book Eater."
And, if you love Joyce, you might want to check out his letters to Nora which are available online. Prepare to see a new side of Joyce, one that might repulse you a little. Or a lot.

Define "Work"

I couldn't take a "proper job" this summer because I'm leaving in July for foreign shores. Instead I've been spending time working on my writing. I've been editing existing work, drafting new ideas, getting articles together for magazines, etc.
Still, many of my friends and family are of the opinion I'm not doing anything. I guess working as a writer looks a little different than working does for most people. Just because I didn't pull a nine to five shift today doesn't mean I've been wasting my time. He's a guide to how people can tell when writers are working.
-If I am grumbling while sorting through a pile of pages, especially with post-its and highlighters at hand: I am working.
-If I am tapping away at my laptop keyboard, occasionally taking an agonizing pause: I am working.
-If I am browsing agent and publisher websites, jotting notes and book-marking pages: I am working.
-If I am reading reference books or even novels (especially from the genre I'm currently writing in): I am working.
-If I'm just sitting on the porch in the dark, in the rain, listening to depressing or bizarre indie music: I am probably working.
-If I'm staring into the steam rising from my coffee cup: I am probably working.
-If I'm talking to that weird old wino standing at the bar: I am working.
-If I'm watching people in public place, catching snatches of their conversations: I am working.
-If I went ambling in the woods for an hour: I was working.
-If I'm watching television: Okay, I'm not working.

I think that in most creative fields, everything you do is working in some ways. Some days you go out and get inspiration from unexpected sources. Other days you have to toil through edits and queries. It is a different kind of work than many day jobs. In some ways it's harder because you don't get paid for all the hours you put in, at least not until much later when someone publishes something you wrote.
Starting next summer I won't have the luxury of dedicating so much time to my writing anymore. I'll have to be looking for something with a steadier paycheck. I just hope that whatever it is, it allows me to be creative.

Coming to an End and a Beginning

I'm officially done with classes. All that is left is one final and I am free for the summer. Oxford is less than three months away. I have to book my flight (almost immediately), get a new suitcase, and start working my way through the reading list they sent me. I'm not going to lie, I've been using my forthcoming trip to justify marathoning episodes of Inspector Lewis. Hey, it's set in Oxford and I believe much of it is filmed there.
I also tried a European style beer with a higher alcohol content the other night and ended up with the worst heartburn of my life. I'm am not fit for pub crawls apparently. I'm fine on wine and American beer, but not European beer. Alas. At least there is little chance of my becoming a drunken wastrel ambling about England and neglecting my studies. There was never much chance of that though. Many of my friends couldn't seem to understand why I was going abroad over the summer to actually study. ("You're actually planning to spend your time in classes?")
Last week I surrendered my manuscript to my advisor. Already I'm thinking of the million little and not so little things I need to change about it once it's back in my hands. Before I turned it in I gave it a once over for major mistakes and fixed my chapter numbers (they got a little wonky along the way). Now I'm thinking back over that reading and simply analyzing how my story works out, trying to put myself in the reader's point of view. I actually feel embarassed by one plot device now that I've thought about it. It needs to go and be replace by something that uses my character's brains more than her feminine wiles.
Ugh, I wrote it under the influence of insomnia and deadlines, that is my only defense. I feel like she comes off as too manipulative and calculating, but also too confident and experienced in her dealings with the opposite sex. It's just all wrong. I hope my Professor isn't totally put off by it.

A Yank in Oxford 2012

I've recently been accepted to a summer writing program at Oxford University. Reactions to this news have been varied. Many fall within "Oh my gosh! I'm so happy for you!" A few have said, "I hate you." I don't think they really meant it. One reaction was a slightly alarmed, "You're not moving to England are you?" And one met my news with a rather disappointing "So what? Isn't that like saying 'Mom, I got into summer camp?'"
I take the last remark with a gigantic grain of salt. She didn't even know what Oxford was, not really. In fact, it was a fairly comprehensive application process involving writing samples and recommendation letters as well as the standard transcripts and such. Not to sound defensive, though I certainly felt a bit defensive when she initially said it to me.
Now I'm just trying to get scholarships and other monies together. Then I can start worrying about booking flights and such. I won't be leaving until fairly late in the summer, the end of July, so I have a bit of time. I have a full list of things I need to do in preparation so I won't forget the little things. This will be my first trip out of the country and I want it to go well.
My father made me watch Taken last week, but I can't honestly see myself being stupid enough to give all my information to a stranger, nor can I realistically see myself attracting the attention of a teenage prostitution ring.
So, intrepid followers, here's what you can expect from me over the next few months as this event looms in my future.
1) It is my resolve to do the background reading like any good English major. Oxford has been one of the most frequently used settings for murder mysteries in Europe. That certainly suits my interests. I intend to read and watch as many stories set in Oxford as I can get my hands on. Suggestions are welcome!
2) A travelogue when I do cross the pond, so you can live vicariously through me. That's what my father told me he planned on doing anyway.
3) Pretty pictures of places I stay and visit. I just have to get a new camera card reader before I leave.
Now, I have just a few people left to tell. Specifically some family members that might not be thrilled at the prospect. I'll just have to bring out my salt shaker again.

My missing June

I cannot believe it is June 17th. May was such a long languid month, but June is passing me by so quickly I feel as though I missed it. I am not ready for summer to be half over. I realized that my August plans are destroyed by the fact that I have to be back on campus a week early to work on the theatre department show that goes up during the last weekend of September.
This past week I have emerged myself in a new batch of edits on my novel. I've also been trying to read more contemporary mystery novels to see what I'm up against. Last week I read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was fairly engaging and enjoyable, but in made me have a mini-panic. The kind of mystery I'm writing is different from what seems to be dominating the market and I don't know if a publisher would find that favorable. I'm a worrier you see.
I think (or rather hope) that my stories will appeal to people that like Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle because they're sort of the voices in my head when it comes to mysteries.
Anyway, as soon as I finish this round of editing, I solemnly vow to start writing my book proposal and finding agents to send the proposal to. Seriously.
Other than that, I'm working on writing press releases for some community stuff. I used to work with the organization and I heard that they were in need so, I offered my services. It's a good experience and some resume padding. Besides, it will get my writing into all the local papers.

I'm Free At Last

Though I still have one final paper to surrender on Friday, I am officially free from classes until the end of August! So here's what I vow for the summer:

I will post book and film reviews, writing updates, Doctor Who speculation, and (hopefully) humorous anecdotes on a more regular basis.
I will do some creative writing every day.
The freelance writing will come to fruition and I will update you lovely people when it does.
Travel. I must. Just a little.
Reading books I have chosen which I will update you with through aforementioned reviews.
I will spend ample amounts of time outside.
I will go mad in a good way.
Though the amount of coffee I consume will be considerable, I will eat healthy to balance it out.
I will actually get to go fishing this summer.
I will get up the courage to start looking into literary agents.

This is going to be a more spontaneous summer. I don't have a reading list or an hourly job. I have some tentative travel plans and the style sheets for several periodicals. Most of my income will be from writing and selling soap at farmers' markets and on Etsy. So it will be low. But this leaves me with time. Time to write and work on finding my voice. Time to have the adventures I'm always talking about having. I'm getting too old to have many opportunities for such madness left. Before I have to settle into respectable responsibility (as settled as I'll get anyway) I'd like to be distinctly unsettled.
Maybe I'll find a literary agent. Maybe I'll finish another novel. Maybe I'll fall in love with a stranger. Maybe I'll get a tan (biologically nearly impossible). Maybe I won't be so devastated when my best friend moves away in the fall as she's planning.

The Wasteland of Summer

Summer has a strange effect on most people; lists of goals are compiled from the books you want to read to the household improvements you should make. However, summer is the most distracting season. Possibly the worst season to try and accomplish anything in. My impossibly ambitious reading lists are always interrupted by the urge to take a walk or go to a concert or out to coffee with friends.
Then around the time when July seeps into August, you hit the wasteland. It's a time when very little artistic or interesting things are happening. All the movies in the theatre are 'action flicks,' all the tables in the bookstore are lined with romance novels and a wave of fatigue hits you. What have you done with your summer? There's only a month left to accomplish everything you wanted to do.
To be honest, I have accomplished a lot, just not the things I expected. That should content me. Things have really slowed down on Etsy, so I'll not worry as much about making stock until the cooler months when online buying picks up again and spend the rest of my summer working on my reading and writing my stories. I've had more ideas concerning my short, "Target Girl" and would like to work on turning it into a full length story. I'm still working on "Anachronism," the novella I wrote last summer. There are so many changes I want to make and so many new ideas I have for it. Now it's a matter of figuring out the shape of the story with these changes in place. Structure is so important. A great story can be ruined if you tell it the wrong way.

Book Mania

Not in a good way.
I've been having trouble with commitment lately... commitment to books. I'm a moody reader. I have to be in the right mood to read any story, so I'll often have more than one book going at once so depending on how I feel, I'll be in the middle of something I'll want to continue with. Not so lately. I've started about six books and I'm just not in the mood to finish any of them. This is why I seem to be the slowest reader in my family. Maybe it's because I'm the only girl of the family and girls like to multi-task that I'm the only one with this issue. My father and my brothers will, for the most part will select a book and finish it within a day or two. I string along for weeks going between multiple books.
This is slightly disturbing to me.
It's been worse lately, but perhaps because I've been feeling rather melancholic. I've also had a migraine for about 2 weeks. That's a downer. My cat might have a urinary tract infection. She peed on a shirt of mine the other day. That's worrying.
I slept way too late today so I can't sleep now, I have to work tomorrow and I also have to see someone I love dearly, but dread trying to talk to. There is no way not to disappoint them. Goodnight. May your mind be at peace and your sleep be refreshing.

A Cautionary Tale

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library." Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

I started with a few quotes from Jane to make me feel that I am in good company and not quite as foolish as the following story may lead you to think.
I have been trying very hard to finish A Farewell to Arms for a few weeks now, but it is so very different than the styles I am used to that I decided to take a breather and read something a little more in my comfort zone before diving back in. I found a novel called Indiscretion by Jude Morgan, and no it's not a tacky romance novel in spite of the title. It's the story of a young girl in the early 19th century whose father squanders away any small fortune they had, forcing her to become a companion to a cruel old widow to make a living. It's very much in the style and spirit of Jane Austen. After a busy morning, I sat down to relax and read a few minutes before work. Three chapters later I look up at the clock and realize I have exactly five minutes to get to work and I'm not even properly dressed. Hence, summer reading made me late to work.
Of course I couldn't call and say I was going to be late because I was too engrossed in my literary pursuits, I just said something came up, but I was on my way. My shame was deep, but fortunately I was only ten minutes late and not missed much for those ten minutes.

Summertime Haikus

Here is a set of haikus:
June 22nd

Everything worn smooth
By grit of crumbled mountains,
Shrieking small children

The constant crashing
Like a lost limb, you still feel
When out, flesh reddened

Empty houses of the dead,
The ground under your feet pulled,
Hats, pasta salad

I'll be by later with a cautionary tale about the dangers of summer reading.

Some Thoughts on The Great Gatsby

I just finished my first summer reading novel (I would have been finished with White Noise by now if I hadn’t misplaced it during the move- hopefully it will turn up soon), The Great Gatsby. I’m glad that I decided to finally increase my knowledge of American Literature, I enjoyed it very much. What struck me most about the story was how simple it was, and how tragic it still managed to be in spite of it.
Basically, a young man named Nick Carraway decides to spend the summer on Long Island while he works in the city. His cousin Daisy and her husband (who is quite proud of the fact that he keeps a mistress) live across the bay from him and his next door neighbor, Jay Gatsby a mysterious and incredibly wealthy man who no one knows much of throws incredible parties in his grand house. Nick finds himself invited to such a party and soon drawn into Gatsby’s confidence. He is in love with Daisy and has been waiting for her for five years. The stage is then set for an ending I wasn’t expecting.
In the end it’s clear that money and spectacle can win acquaintance, but can’t cure loneliness and sometimes our dreams are only precious while they stay that way.
It was a quick read, I finished it in two days and am on to my next reading project. I’ve read several of his short stories, but now I am tackling a novel by Hemingway.

Star Wars Day?

As a reluctant sci-fi geek, I feel compelled to mention that today is what is often acknowledged as "Star Wars Day" or "Luke Skywalker Day." I must mention it if for nothing other than the fact that my older brother and I would spend days in the summer watching all three movies in a row and eating Spaghettios out of the can when I was about seven. Ah, childhood.
Today is the May the 4th which makes a clever little pun "May the fourth be with you."
Though according to Wikipedia, attempts to create a Jedi church have failed and no group other than hardcore Star Wars fans celebrates the holiday, it is still a pop culture mini-phenomenon.
In Los Angeles the city council declared May 25th Star Wars Day (the 25th was the release date of A New Hope back in '77). However, the 25th is also known as "Geek Pride Day" and "Towel Day".
Though I can't speculate what special activities one would do on Geek Pride Day, fans of Douglas Adams carry towels around on Towel Day.

Poetry Recovery Month?

As Jane Austen said:

“She thought it was the misfortune of poetry to be seldom safely enjoyed by those who enjoyed it completely; and that the strong feelings which alone could estimate it truly were the very feelings which ought to taste it but sparingly”

In other words, too much poetry is not a good thing when it comes to being sensible. (ooh... is this a debate between sense and sensibility? I digress.)
So this month I am dedicating myself to reading a healthy amount of prose to counteract all the romantic notions I've probably got in my head after a month of so very much poetry. So, I'll be getting a jump on my summer reading. The title of my list this year is "Don't be so ignorant." Things I've been meaning to read, have heard referenced constantly, and really should know being an English major. Although there are some European authors on the list (like James Joyce), I'm going to try and fill the deficit in my knowledge of American literature. I have never read The Great Gatsby. I know. My shame is deep.
Now what book to dive into first?
Oh, and I did call my grandmother (see post below). She was delighted and assures me that I won't need to remind her about the program, this she'll remember. Sometimes she calls me by my brother's name, but this, she'll remember. Ah well, it'll brighten her summer.

Summer Reading Lists

It's never too early to start making your summer reading lists! By June, my list is usually so ambitious I never manage to get more than halfway through it. Here's what I've accumulated so far:

White Noise by Don DeLillo
Possession by A. Byatt
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
The Sun Also Rises by Earnest Hemmingway
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
as much of "The Complete Sherlock Holmes" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as possible
Villete by Charlotte Bronte
My Antonia by Willa Cather
As I Lay Dying by William Faukner

That's already a pretty fair list, and I should probably stop while it's still do-able, but I'm sure it will still grow. Most of the list represents friends and proffessors. Everyone keeps saying "Oh, you would love this book I just read..." and I dutifully add it to the list.
Most pleasure reading will temporarily stop the end of next week. I will be Script Frenzying.