Filed under: thoughtful | Tags: anisha lakhani, fantasy, fiction, german authors, haruki murakami, japanese authors, lyrics, norwegian wood, quotes, rumor, schooled, search engine terms, walter moers, zamonia
It’s time for another round of WordPress search engine terms. For those of you unacquainted with WordPress, our Dashboard (and more specifically stats’ page) maintains a list of search terms that led innocent reader to our blogs. Said terms are frequently amusing, intruiging, and unrelated.
Anisha Lakhani: The delightful author of the novelSchooled, I was the first (says the author) blogger to comment on her novel. It was a novel I started with doubts but concluded as I hurriedly turned the pages to find out what would happen to the protagonist Anna whom begins the novel as a morally centered teacher but quickly falls prey to the enticements of wealth and materialism. Well-written and entertaining, it’s a light read that manages to escape the many pitfalls of the genre. Though I have not followed it too closely, Lakhani has been accused (at least online) that the book was very much about her and that she still tutors; however, I don’t wish to spread hearsay and would like to emphasize that Lakhani says she does “not tutor anymore.”
Norwegian Wood Quotes: Whether in reference to Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami’s Norwegian Wood or to the Beatle’s song “Norwegian Wood,” I don’t know but both are favorites of mine. Last March I linked to two (out of the plethora) quotes I liked from the novel and one being:
“If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking. That’s the world of hicks and slobs. Real people would be ashamed of themselves doing that” (31).
Walter Moers: I have a stab of excitement followed by a pang of regret every time a browser finds my blog for Walter Moers. A brilliant German author whose fantasy/fiction series unfolds on the world of Zamonia, in the two novels I have read (The City of Dreaming Books and The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear) Moers uses whimsical protagonists that adventure through his fantastic world. Accompanying the story are Moers’ own illustrations. So why the pang of regret? There is not nearly enough information of Moers available for my liking (and much less available in English).
Filed under: thoughtful | Tags: bride of frankenstein, elsa lanchester, film adaptations, fragonard, frankenstein a cultural history, gustave flaubert, madame bovary, rococo art, search engine terms, susan tyler hitchcock, swing
Bride of Frankenstein
The fact that “bride of frankenstein” has somewhat regularly appeared on my list of search engine terms (77 times at least!) can only mean one thing: there is not nearly enough material out there on her! My Frankenstein information is limited to Susan Tyler Hitchcock’s Frankenstein: A Cultural History. However, for you film buffs there is some interesting tidbits from the 1935 filming of The Bride of Frankenstein: the actress Elsa Lanchester played both Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley and the monster bride. It’s also entirely her hair combed over a metal cage.
Rococo Art
“Rococo” has appeared roughly 1,000 times, which is pretty sweet. Rococo art is one of my favorite periods of art though it’s often looked over as being over decorative and certainly careless of the political and social stresses of the period it developed in. One commonly discussed painting from the period is Fragonard’s The Swing.
Madame Bovary
I read Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert a few months ago and it was phenomenal. It’s a beautifully written novel and one I greatly enjoyed.
Filed under: thoughtful | Tags: jane austen, meme, peacock tattoo, search engine terms
Though not my first it has been quite some time since I have responded to the search engine terms leading innocent readers to my page.
Peacock Tattoos
This has to be one of the most frequent search engine terms bringing people to my blog. I am assuming this is a blending of my love for Flannery O’Connor and this fabulous link to LiveJournal’s Literary Tattoos or Bookworms with Ink. While I have never considered getting my own peacock tattoo, I have toyed with a self-designed coffee mug sporting a tribute to O’Connor with a peacock feather. However, considering my last self-created mug busted and left me with three stitches and a tetanus shot it may be some time before I build up the courage to make a new one.
Jane Austen
Nine of my top ten all time search engine terms tuning viewers into my adventures are all about Austen. When I first really started taking my reading blogging seriously it was a result of perusing Ms. Austen. Thank you Ms. Austen for helping with the popularity of my blog. These searches include: “pride and prejudice,” “sense and sensibility,” “syon house,” “robert adam,” “jane austen,” and “neoclassical art.” I highly recommend Austen fans visit Jane Austen’s World and Austen Blog. Admittedly the search for “jane austen playboy” left me a bit confused.
Little Women
A few months back I read Louisa May Alcott’s classic Little Women (here and here) and was fortunate enough (kind of) to see the musical. I loved the book even if it took me nearly a decade to get around to reading it. However, I am no expert. The only solution I have to why so many people stumble across my Alcott experience in particular is because of the lack of online material available. Alright, that’s a lie – I just googled Louisa May Alcott and then Little Women. Who knows, but it’s a great book that is only surpassed by Alcott’s own biography.
Adventures in Reading 