literature

Though Tzu Hsi (pronounced Sue- Z) was the last Empress of China very little of her life-- both personal and private-- is known. Much as been written about this unfortunate woman; nearly all of it speculation and a good deal of it obscene. In her book "Imperial Woman" Mrs. Buck trys her hand at telling the story of Tzu Hsi and,in my opinion, comes about as close to the real woman as we're ever going to find. Tzu Hsi here is no cardboard figure but a flesh and blood woman with fear, ambition,helpless, cunning, triumphants, and deep loniless. All set mid-late 19th century China in a court, in a county, weak and rotting from the inside out while struggling to deal wth coming of the West and the 20th century. The characterization, dialogue, and discription are magnificent. A "must read"-- definatly!

Imperial Woman tells the story of Tzu Hsi (pronounced Cixi). She was a well-known leader because not only was she the last empress of China, but also she was strong, smart, fierce, and efficient. The story begins with young Yehonala, a beautiful and spirited girl who is engaged to her cousin. Every year, as it is considered an honor, women are picked to become the Emperor's concubines. Yehonala and her cousin, Sakota, are picked and are taken away from their family, never to be seen again. The first portion of the book describes how Yehonala wants to stand out from the others so she will be picked by the emperor to become his head concubine. She plays the part of a spoiled brat well. This includes sleeping in, making sarcastic comments, not lifting a finger to help wash herself, and looking the emperor straight in the eye (in China you cannot look past mid-chest of the emperor). The emperor is attracted to her and she and Sakota are picked to be the head concubines. Yehonala waits to be summoned by the emperor and befriends the emperor's mother the Dowager Empress. Meanwhile, Sakota is in the emperor's company and soon it is announced that she is with child. Now that the emperor has 'paid his debt to society' his attention wanders to Yehonala and she is summoned. There she loses her innocence forever in more ways then one. Yehonala becomes the new favorite and secures that role by giving birth to a son and she is crowned 'Fortunate Mother'. This gives her a position higher than anyone in the palace.
The second portion of the book tells of the death of the emperor and dowager princess. Yehonala and Sakota become the Dowager Empresses and are equal in power. But tongues are beginning to wag. Is Yehonala's son the emperor's child? Is someone plotting against Yehonala? Why is Sakota behaving so icily toward her? Yehonala must answer the questions to save not only her son and her own life but also the kingdom. Learning to trust no one but her 'loyals', Yehonala rules the kingdom with a strong hand.
The main characters shape Imperial Woman. Pearl Buck does a phenomenal job of portraying her characters. They are also easy to connect with and you find yourself cheering for Yehonala. You share the emotions with the characters, when Yehonala is distressed because she will never be able to marry the love of her life now that she is the emperor's concubine; you find that you are crying with her. The main characters are Yehonala/ Tzu Hsi, Sakota, Li Lieng the Eunuch, The General of the Imperial Guard (Yehonala's cousin), The Emperor, and Tung Chih.
Yehonala is the main character and protagonist of the story. She is the spirited concubine who becomes the Emperor's favorite. She moves through many roles such as third rank concubine, first rank concubine, Fortunate Mother, Sacred Mother (Tzu Hsi), Consort, Empress of the Western Palace, Empress Mother, Empress Regent, and finally, Empress Dowager'the Old Buddha. Sakota is Yehonala's cousin and started as a first rank concubine. She was the first concubine because her father died fighting for the late Emperor, so the current Emperor owed it to her for her father's act of bravery. After she gets pregnant, the emperor has done his duty and his attention wanders to Yehonala. She soon becomes the Emperor's favorite and gives him a son. In ancient China, they did not realize the affects that opium taken in large quantities, every day would have on their bodies. Instead, it was believed that it had healing properties and would make you better and there was not such a thing as too much. So because of the large amount of opium they were giving the Emperor to heal him it eventually killed him. Li Lieng the Eunuch is probably the most loyal member to Yehonala. Even when she was third rank concubine he was loyal. When Yehonala finally asked him why he helped her because she had nothing to give him and she could not pay he replies 'I know what your destiny is ' When you rise toward the Dragon Throne I will rise with you, always your servant and your slave.' Li Lieng brought Yehonala gossip and news. He influenced major princes because the Eunuchs wielded much power. Li Lieng helped Yehonala privately meet the General of the Imperial Guard, her cousin who she was in love with, although there are suspicions that Li Lieng was in love with Yehonala as well. The General of the Imperial Guard was Yehonala's cousin who she had been engaged to before she became the Emperor's concubine. They were very in love and arranged secret meetings with the help of Li Lieng. The General eventually got married to Yehonala's favorite maid so as to avert suspicions of an affair. Last but not least is Tung Chih. Tung Chih was Yehonala's son and the new Emperor of China. He did not have much time to rule because he died young and his wife was so heartbroken she killed herself. This left Yehonala to pick someone else to rule.

The story of Tzu Hsi, last Empress of the Manchu empire of China, is dramatic and reads like a novel. Pearl Buck, who grew up in China and was there as a child while the Empress was alive, draws from the attitudes of the country people towards their almost mythical ruler "Old Buddha." While Buck takes liberties with some of the history, the story is essentially correct while giving an imperial-eye-view of how the times must have seemed to the woman who ruled for decades in turbulent times. The language is exquisite, the story is exciting. One of Buck's best novels and an enjoyable read for anyone who loves historical novels.

Having devoured numerous Japanese anthologies, I can assure you this is a pure delight. The translations are beautiful. The choice of poems is beautiful. The introduction is wonderful. And the layout is clean. A must for anyone with a heart and soul. A desert island choice.

This collection of poetry blew me away. Most of the poems are quite short (4-5 lines), but they all carry as much meaning as any long poem I have read. This poetry is soulful, intellectually stimulating, and understandable. My favorite thing about this collection is how easily I could identify with the poetry. Most of the poems are about secret love, wanting someone, loving someone, and leaving someone (both in body and spirit). There is also a large portion of the poems that were written about missing someone who has passed away, and I found it to be especially beautiful. If you have ever had a secret lover, or lost someone you will never forget, this is the poetry for you.

This book is among my most treasured. These women's love and longing is so eloquently worded, and could be the very same heartaches any woman experiences today. A fascinating glimpse into a society I could only imagine. Excellently translated tanka. Extremely good. I would recomend it highly to anyone.

The liturgy of the hours has been in use for a long time in the Catholic Church. It is wonderful book which has psalms, old testament readings, new testament readings for each season for the liturgical book. It helps a person to follow's Jesus' commandment to pray always. I have used this book for the past 12 years I found it very helpful in my prayer life. I plan to use it for the rest of my life.

I encourage any faithful Catholic to pick up a copy of these volumes and begin to pray the Divine Office (a.k.a. Liturgy of the Hours).

The bulk of the Office is the reading of the Psalms on a four week cycle. The remainder are scripture readings, hymns, prayers of intercession etc.

Be forewarned however, that if you are completely unfamiliar with the Office you will need a bit of a tutorial...

For those of you who don't have the money to buy all of the volumes at one time, make the effort to buy them invidually either here or elsewhere. Be persistent and you can the vinyl covered volumes in this way. I have yet to find the leather volumes sold individually. Although I would certainly recommend this leather set, the vinyl volumes are very nice as well.

However, the main point is that praying the Divine Office has steadily increased my faith in, and understanding of, Jesus Christ. Now I know why the Church has prayed the office for these long hundreds of years. The Divine Office is truly amazing and life changing.

I have no hesitation in recommending the Divine Office to all of my Catholic brothers and sisters. May your faith, hope, love and charity grow the "Prayer of the Church."

The Liturgy of the Hours is a great stepping stone to transforming our entire lives into prayer. The single volume Christian Prayer is a good starter. With the discipline of sticking with it daily, we tend to thirst for more. Then the four volume, more extensive set becomes a valuable purchase. The organization of its volumes into the various liturgical seasons better than the single book enhances our ability to focus on them.

Where can this lead? By dedicating each thing we think, say or do as a pray offering to God, we gradually grow into a state of constant prayer. It isn't necessary to be directly thinking about God as we pursue each task of our daily lives. Simply their dedication makes of them a prayer. The result is that we become consciously aware of God's presence on an ongoing basis. It's like when a person is standing behind us. They see everything we do, hear everything we say but we can't see them. Yet we KNOW they are there, and are aware of it at all times.

Once we are constantly mindful of God's presence, we allow Him to begin the purgative process, as St John of the Cross explains it. We think of hell as a 'firey furnace,' yet in the New Testament fire refers more often to God's love than anything else. In Hebrews and Wisdom 3, Scripture speaks of gold being purified in fire. Gold jewelry is an alloy with another metal, to enable crafters to shape it into a permanent, hardened state since gold is a soft, maleable metal. When we heat it up to 2500 degrees, though, it returns to its molten or liquid state, and the other metal (or 'impurity') easily separates from the gold, leaving only the pure, 24 carat gold.

Constant awareness of God's presence allows Him to begin to burn away our impurities by exposure to the fire of His perfect love. We feel the dissonance of everything that we think, say or do with His love when they fail to conform with that love. This spiritual discomfort becomes a gentle pressure, as we naturally begin to conform our lives to that fire of love. As we yield to His love and permit Him to transform our lives thus, we grow closer to entrance into perfect union with Him, which is essentially what heaven is. John of the Cross notes that this is what happens in Purgatory, but that we can make greater strides in that process during this life.

One by-product of this type of spiritual growth is that we acquire a keener sense of what God's will is. In the Last Supper discourse of John's Gospel, Jesus repeatedly says that whatever we ask for in His Father's name shall be done for us. St John qualifies that, though, in his first Letter by adding that what we ask of God must be in accordance with His will. As we conform our lives to His love, we increasingly feel more exactly what is in concert with it and what is not. Thus, we become more refined in terms of the prayers of petition that we ask of Him.

The Liturgy of the Hours is an excellent way to strive toward the prayer discipline that lets God draw us into that deeper spirituality, and ultimately into perfect union with Him for eternity.

Faust, Parts I and II, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) was written in stages across the span of nearly sixty years. Having read the work twice now, this time the Stuart Atkins translation, I concur with the wisdom of the ages that it is one of the greatest works of imaginative literature ever composed. Yet, while I think its relevance to a modern audience is as high as ever, this work is not likely to receive much attention, let alone deep study, in America today, in the age of the Oprah book club, admirable though that may be, and computer animated movies, reality television and of course, the World Wide Web.

In fact, the great Goethe himself is hardly known today in the English-speaking world outside of scholars and aesthetes (of which I am neither), yet he was a household name 150 years ago and easily ranks alongside Homer, Dante and Shakespeare. Indeed his body of work is even more vast and varied than each of those other greats, totaling sixty volumes in his lifetime and another score or so posthumously published. While Goethe penned masterpieces in nearly every genre over six decades, clearly the most canonical text is the massive, 18,000 line poetical drama, Faust.

Faust, stated boldly is 'about' the totality of the human struggle. The storyline chronicles the adventures and misadventures of an extraordinarily disaffected academic, Dr. Heinrich Faust, who in a moment of despair makes a wager with the Devil regarding the attainability of a moment of absolute fulfillment. Beneath this surface, however, it is really a metaphysical journey that illustrates on multiple levels, the duality of man's life. Faust seeks the meaning of life, he seeks access to the Absolute, the Ideal, and the Spiritual, yet he is constantly frustrated and dissatisfied by the apparent human limitations of attaining those goals. This frustrated titanic desire results in the other side of Faust's/Man's quest, which is his/our ceaseless and error-prone striving for the highest realms of knowledge and experience (both good and bad) that are attainable during one's earthly tenure.

The poem is a difficult read due in large part to significant translation challenges. In addition to an astonishing number of verse forms used, Faust also has a complex structure, many classical allusions and multiple fantastical situations. While a powerful enough read even on the surface, such a reading can never be altogether quite satisfying. Patient and careful readers who are willing to work through the difficulties, however, should be rewarded with a clear sense of its timelessness and its Universality. Interestingly, and perhaps not coincidental, the complexity of the work makes the sheer act of studying it an exercise, in part, of what the drama itself represents.

While most of the poetic impact is surely lost at the expense of gaining comprehension, I nevertheless still suggest that English language readers first approach the Stuart Atkins modern English translation published by Princeton University Press. I further highly recommend, as a near necessary companion, the 1957 book Goethe's Faust: An Interpretation by Alexander Gillies. Unfortunately this wonderful book is out of print, but may be available through internet search engines. It aided my understanding immeasurably and further increased my already significant admiration for Goethe and this particular work.

In summary, throughout the story of Faust we are able to observe the twin competing forces of instinctive Good and ever-present Evil as they play out their roles within man's life of needs and wants. Importantly, we see their roles in the uncertain endgame of salvation versus damnation. While nominally 'about' the fantastical adventures of a medieval scholar, Faust should really be read and recognized as the allegorical masterpiece that it is, that portrays both the glory and the tragedy of what it means to be fully human.

I'll save the praise for the genius of Goethe and Faust for another time.

I just wanted to say that out of all the Faust translations out there, this is the only one i've come across that is given in modern day english, without all the fancy, schmantzy intellectual, poetic rhyming verses.

This is a straight, easy to understand translation while keeping all the beauty, majesty, romantic and tragic style of Goethe's dramatic writing.

This book is part of the complete works of Goethe. These people at Princeton University know what they're doing, I mean they're presenting the English speaking world the complete writings of Goethe! So of course everything they come out with in this edition will be well-nigh-definitive.

...with that said, enjoy the Faust!

Certainly enough it is shocking (at least to me) that a man of genius on the level and scope of J.W. von Goethe is largely unread, or perhaps even largely unknown except as a musty name, in the English speaking world today.

This Stuart Atkins translation, part of apparently a large series of Princeton U. Press 'Collected Works' of Goethe, is the single BEST translation I have encountered that is likely to be able to reach, to be comprehended, by the widest English language audience.

The richness of Goethe's variation in metre and tone is retained, but the language is modern-day English and avoids anachronisms and archaic language. While old-style language sounds "Classic" and rhyme can be aesthetically beautiful to read and hear, this translation offers comprehension of the original and is quite true to the original. In fact, in the poetic gymnastics required to maintain metre and rhyme scheme, much invention is required that can lose the import of Goethe's original.

My suggestion, in the interest of having a short review, is to recommend the Atkins' translation to most, certainly those just approaching Goethe....and then, read a second translation later, once you have a decent grasp on the import of the great Faust legend.

Aside from the translation, the work itself is incomparable. Nothing short of the story of Western man's struggle of experience and knowledge, of progress and constant striving and becoming. It may be disputed, but Goethe is, in my view, in the totality of his work, in terms of variety and quality, a greater poet than Shakespeare, Dante and Homer, but with Faust alone he at a minimum, garners a place of honor on this Mt. Rushmore of World Literature (a term, incidentally coined by Goethe).

The book I just read is the best! When I read a Pooh book it was awesome! Really, first I though it would be a babyish book,but it's not. My favourite chracter is Pooh. He is always thinking of hunny, and funny po ems and songs. I also like the words that A.A.MILNE invented I though those words came from another planet. I hope to read all of A.A.milne's books soon. If you don't read it you don't know what you are missing. I have only read The House At Pooh Corner and, I am now reading Winnie-The-Pooh.

The house at Pooh Corner is a really good book everyone should read it .I read it for a class project I thuoght it would be a baby book but it wasn't. It was really funny, and it had strange words.I didn't know that pooh liked condesed milk, or that tigger lived with kanga and roo. I wish A.A.Milne had written more books about pooh the books he wrote about pooh were really funny. I wonder what would have happened if A.A.M. had written more pooh books maybe even a pooh movie. The books were really funny and I love how A.A.M. writes. Pooh makes the best poems i've heard. My personal favorite character is Tigger his attitude is kind of like mine. I woud reccomend this book a lot because it's really funny and the way A.A.M. gives live to the characters is really cool nothing like the disney one wich is almost boring

This classic is listed under the age group of four to eight, and as a Poohphile I am quite appalled that it is. Winnie the Pooh books have such wit, wisdom, and humor that gets better every time I read them. Their not just for children, they are for everyone. Over the years, Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh, Eeyore, Piglet, Tigger, Kanga, and Roo have become some of my dearest chums. I once heard someone say, or perhaps I read it, that "books are like dear friends, and who has too many friends?" I am quite inclined to agree with that statement. This book is a dear friend of mine and I hope that you shall make it yours. :)

One of my children's all-time favorites. I first read it to my daughter when she was 2 and she insisted I read it to her several times a day. This went on for months. I then began leaving off the last word of every other sentence and as I pointed to it, she "read" it from memory. I credit this book with helping to give her a love for reading. By the time she was 4 she could read it on her own (not just memorized). I recently asked my 10-year-old son to list his favorite books from his early childhood and this one was at the top of the list. I think the zaniness of imagining having duck feet or antlers really appeals to a child. As a teacher, I also use this book with older children who are having trouble with reading.

If you go by the last line of "I Wish That I Had Duck Feet" then you would be inclined to think that this "I Can Read It All By Myself: Beginner Book" is about building self esteem in small children. But this book, written by Theo. LeSieg (do the last name backwards) and illustrated by B. Tobey, does two other important things as well. As is the case with any and all books from Dr. Seuss, there is an emphasis on the imagination. The young boy who wishes he had duck feet also wishes that he could have deer horns, a long tail, and several other physical features that would make him unique and special.

But the most important thing that "I Wish That I Had Duck Feet" teaches beginning readers is the value of looking at both sides of an issue. While the young boy is able to come up with lots of reasons why having duck feet would be a good thing, his mother has at least one very good reason why he would not want them. From that point on in the story the young boy comes up with both the pros and cons for each of the things for which he wishes. Not only does this make the point that kids should think things through first, but it also serves as a reminder that not everything kids wish for is worth having.

Still, the ability to see both sides of an issue is an important skill for young kids to acquire (older ones too, for that matter). Besides, parents can use the lesson from this book to good advantage. The next time your kid wishes they could have something and they tell you all the reasons why it would be a good thing to have, you can ask that they come up with reasons for the down side. If they claim they cannot come up with any you can certainly find one and tell them that since they could not come up with the pros and cons the answer is "No." However, as much fun as this can be keep in mind that if they come up with points for both sides and make the case for the pros outweighing the cons, you are pretty much obligated to grant their wish.

My daughter now 14 years old used to request this book nightly when she was much younger. Recently, I asked her for a book recommendation for a coworker and she recommended this. I had forgotten we used to read it but somehow she remembered and cited it as her all time favorite - quite a testimonial!

Ms. Bannan's style defies categorization in that her stories are seemingly unrelated and there is no recognizable theme unifying them, which makes for each story its' own unique read, and makes for a small book packing an assortment of refreshing voices. She also embodies a literary style that is both masculine and feminine, vulnerable and pragmatically caustic. She is a fine teller of stories, less focused on melodic writing than on luring you in with the guts of the story itself, with the guts of the characters' thoughts and actions, and thus you are anxious to know what precisely is going to happen next. Written with a good deal of assurance, confidence and downright moxy.

I thoroughly enjoyed all of the stories in this collection. I especially liked the story about the white couple dealing with their obsessive need to have African American friends. I could be one of those people! If you are looking for some witty and insightful stories about regular people, then I highly recommend this book.

This is the kind of book you want to give as a gift to all your friends. In fact, I did that. It's a beautiful collection of witty and moving stories, with characters who are so vividly drawn they seem like people you might have known once. It's the kind of book you'll read more than once; the kind of book that makes you remember why you love short stories. I highly recommend it.

Okay, all you fans of erotica leave me alone to offer an objective opinion - after all, I did buy the book, so I'm not a prude trying to spoil your orgy! The writing in this anthology is not particularly good or original. If you think it is, you need to read better erotica. For goodness' sake, one "story" was a lecture about the futility of teaching abstinence, another story described a woman's fishy fantasies about her cat eating canned tuna, another story featured a woman reciting capitals and states while being pleasured, and yet another provided a simply uninspired recipe for a human strawberry shortcake. None of the poetry is sophisticated. In short, it is all rather insipid, and I dare say that some of this material will appear in Readers' Digest in about ten years. And, my new copy of the book fell apart at the bindings on my first reading (maybe my hands were getting too excited? Nah!)

I love Clean Sheets, and I love this book! Stories and poems and a very funny sex-story about an insect, of all things -- all of it together is as good as the Clean Sheets Magazine ever gets, and it has so much in it it's better than any Yellow Silk or any other anthology! There's a poem about "This is how it feels" (when you go down on me) that is probably the sexiest single poem I have ever read.

These stories are great - "Tell Me A Story", "The Symbol For Intensity", "The Secrets of Humphrey Milquer" - better than most erotica I read. I like the mix of humor and information and sex in the book, and I quite liked the writing about "What's Abstinence Got To Do with It?" about teaching kids well. An excellent book, and great for reading on the train.

Reading this is like participating in Allen's creative process since many of the short sketches here are reminiscent of scenes from Allen's earlier films. Very funny stuff that had me laughing out loud. However it's best to read this and imagine Woody Allen's voice is telling the stories, it makes them even funnier. Not all of the sketches work as well as others but when he's on the sketches are hysterical. A very short collection of Woody Allen shorts.

Nothing can compare to this book and also Side Effects and Without Feathers, by Allen. Dave Barry is funny (although not as funny in recent years). Douglas Adams is hilarious, but he writes novels. These "nonfiction" pieces and short stories by Woody Allen are the funniest things ever written. And if you're concerned because you don't like Woody's whining style in his stand-up and movies, be assured you can't do that in prose. They are two distinct styles and you probably wouldn't even know it was Woody if not for his name on the cover. Read at least one of Woody's three books -- or at least one story from one of these books. Make that one page. If you don't love it, you can put it back on the shelf and at least know you didn't let something fantastic slip by unread.

My english teacher,who used to stalk Mr.Allen, assigned this book to us this year im m a sophomore in HS and take honors english . I loved the book and it is super funny. We have a deli by school and one day one of the kids i nour class took getting even to the deli and started reading it aloud, everyone who was there for lunch laughed endlessly. I would reccomend this book to anyone, its a great read.

I bought this as a gift for myself, and this is my first introduction to the adult works of Max Lucado. (I have several of his children's books, and my children and I have thoroughly enjoyed them.) Overall, I found the little essays in this book well-written and inspirational. I would tell myself I would just read "one or two" as a nightly devotional, and end up reading five or six! His descriptions of God's grace and love for us are beyond compare. I did, however, find his descriptions of Christ's death on the cross almost too gleefully lurid. I appreciate the need to explain just how much Christ sacrificed for us, but I wonder if perhaps Mr. Lucado goes into too much detail? I definitely would not recommend this book for someone under 16 for that reason. Still, this is a great, inspirational book and a great introduction to Lucado's work.

One of the most moving books I've ever read (next to the Bible). Mr. Lucado was no doubt God-inspired in collaborating these stories from other works into this book. What human mind could relay these thoughts in such touching fashion without the intervention of God Himself? How could anyone reject the gift of salvation after reading this book? Certainly a blessing in my life, I pray many others are touched by this work.

I received this book as a gift and have much enjoyed it. Max Lucado has a wonderful way with words and it's apparent on every page just how much he loves God. I would recommend this book to anyone, I'm planning on purchasing it as a gift to a friend. The last chapter is especially important as he talks about what it is to be a Christian. Definitely a lovely book, a gift to us from Max Lucado and God!