Mitgliedayahecht

HS. REALISM

Title: War and Peace
Author: Leo Tolstoy
Rating:
Tags: the War of 1812, Napoleon, Realism, Romance, Russian history
Your review: One of the greatest novels of all time, written by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, War and Peace (Voina I Mir), depicts the struggles and heroism of the Russian people during Russian-French War of 1812.
In the epic historical novel Tolstoy uses the harsh reality of war as a backdrop to his optimistic belief in the life-asserting pattern of human existence.
Publication: by the Penguin Group
Publication date: 2006
ISBN: 0-670-03469-X
Classification: Ed. C
Subjects: Napoleonic Wars. 1800-1815 Campaigns Russia Fiction.
Russia History Alexander I 1801-1825 Fiction.
Primary Language: Russian
Translation: by Anthony Briggs
Summary: War and Peace has as its backdrop Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and at its heart three of literature’s most memorable characters: Pierre Bezukhov, a quixotic young man in search of life’s meaning; Prince Andrey Bolkonsky, a cynical intellectual transformed b y suffering in war; and bewitching Natasha Rostov, whose impulsiveness threatens to destroy her happiness. Battles, love affairs, births, deaths, Russian dancing – the entire spectrum of human life is here in all its grandeur and imperfection.
Citation: The Telegraph
MS. REALISM


Title: Little Women
Author: Louisa May Alcott
Rating:
Tags: American Civil War; American family; Drama; coming of age; Romance.
Your review: The novel , written by American author Louisa May Alcott, brings us to the time of American Civil War. Based on Alcott’s own experiences as a child in Boston and Concord, Massachusetts, the novel depicts the flaws of American society during American Civil War, where the barrier between rich and poor is principle of the human relationship. By portraying the characters of four sisters and their life, the author condemns and divests the American society’s principles based on thoughts that all happiness is concluded in family’s wealth and money.
Publication: Garden City, N.Y. : Nelson Doubleday
Publication date: 1950
Classification: #x Ed.

Subject: Family Juvenile fiction; New England Juvenile fiction; Sisters Juvenile fiction.









Primary Language: English
Summary : Chronicles the joys and sorrows of the four March sisters as they grow into young ladies in nineteenth-century New England

Citation: Wikipedia

HS. Romance
Title: Jane Eyre
Author: Charlotte Bronte
Rating:
Tags: Fiction; Romance;
Your review: Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre," a beloved classic and remarkable work of English literature. The book received high praise when first published, under a pen name, in 1847: "It has little or nothing of the old conventional stamp upon it ... but it is full of youthful vigor, of freshness and originality..."
"Jane Eyre" has many recurring themes including: relationships between men and women, their roles and limitations in society; relations between social classes; religion and morality; the need to fulfill the desires of loved ones versus the necessity to maintain one's personal integrity; the conflict between reason and passion, and, of course, Jane's deep need to love and be loved. However, primary to the tale is the magnificent, complex character of Jane herself.
Publisher: Signet Classics; Revised & updated edition
Publication Date: July, 1997
ISBN: 0451526554
Subject: Governesses England Fiction; England Social life and customs Fiction.
Primary Language: English
Summary: "Jane Eyre" epitomizes the best of gothic, post Romantic fiction. Charlotte Bronte rejected the convention of the beautiful heroine. The young woman does blossom beautifully when she falls in love, however. Jane's and Edward's attractiveness lies in their inner selves, and their capacity to love and grow makes them both such splendid figures.
Citation: Reiff, B. ‘Charlotte Bronte”.
MS. Romance (the book is released in February; Barnes and Noble)

Title: The Lodger Shakespeare: His life on Silver Street
Author: Charles Nicholl
Rating:
Tags: Shakespeare and his life; fiction; romance
Your review: THE LODGER SHAKESPEARE by Charles Nicholl is a romantic story about Shakespeare, who helped two lovers to reunite despite the social prejudice and obstacles. The story impressed by its simple, but very vivid and eloquent language that can be easily comprehended by adults and young adults. The bibliographical facts from Shakespeare’s life make the story interesting and fascinating. By reading the story, you unintentionally making parallels between Shakespeare and Saint Valentine.
Publisher: Viking USA
Publication Date: February, 2008
ISBN: 978-0670018505
Subject: Shakespeare and his life
Primary Language: English
Summary: THE LODGER SHAKESPEARE is at one level, it is simple and straightforward and can be enjoyed by ordinary readers. At a higher level, Shakespeare readers will find important biographical materials. In either respect, the characters introduced in this historical biography will provide readers a few more glimpses into a life that remains one of the most scrutinized in literary history.

Literature in my life
By Aygul Hecht

The literature plays an important role in my life since my childhood. I grew up in ex-Soviet Union where the literature considered being an integral part of an education.
My interest to the literature started from the tale stories by Pushkin, the famous Russian author. My Mom used to read Pushkin’s tale stories every night before I went to bed. In my preschool I, as well as all my peers, had to memorize the short children poems and read them in front of everybody during any big events and holidays.
When I learned to read, I discovered for myself unforgettable tale stories by Anderson, Pushkin, Hoffman, Hauff etc. Also, I enjoyed reading the fairy tales of people of the world; when I read all Aesop’s fables first time, I could not understand the moral aspects of his fables. I was only 7 years old at that time. Of course, today I return all the time to Aesop’s stories when I need to find some key to human moralistic issues.
As a young girl, I liked to read the children books written by Russian authors such as Nosov, Karataev, Gaidar, Gorky; I had to put my name in a waiting list of a local YA library to get the books that were in a big demand. I was very happy when I got P.L Travis’s book Mary Poppins; I was overwhelmed, after waiting several months, to get the books Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.
In elementary school we had to compete who can find and read all the books written by A. Dumas. Having a goal to win, I run almost all the YA libraries and found out several books by Dumas. My impression was endless when I read his all three parts of Three Musketeers; I fell in love in his The Count of Monte Christo and Queen M argots.
After reading Dumas, I wanted to discover more and more French literature. My librarian suggested me to read Victor Hugo’s novels. Still I remember the plot of The Hunchback of Notre-Dame and The Miserable. The French romantic literature guided me to open my heart for Gone with Wind by Mitchell, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
In one of the introductions to novels of Charles Dickens (I always liked to read introductions written by famous critics), my attention was attracted by comparison Dickens’s novels with the ideas of Jane Austin. So, I discovered for myself one of the best English woman-novelists Jane Austin.
At age 12 I discovered the new genre of the literature – detective stories. One day I borrowed a book from my friend (those days the books were a big deficit. So, I could get books only by appealing to my friends who had home libraries at their home to borrow me books for a few days). It was one of the collections of detective stories by Agatha Christie. I was so impressed with the intricate plot of the stories that I decided to stay home and not to go to school for a few days. I pretended to be sick which gave me a chance to stay home and read the whole book. Later, I add to my list of favorite heroes Sherlock Holmes (Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle) and Inspector Maigret (by G. Simenon).
At teen ages my interest was scattered between prose and poetry. Reading Pushkin’s , Lermontov’s poems, I learned about the Golden and Silver age of Russian poetry. Then my scope was expanded by reading Petrarch’s sonnets, Dante’s and Shakespeare’ poems. One day I found a book written by Longfellow. At first, I had no interest to read this book. The book did not attach value of my attention. Yet, after glancing over the fascinating illustrations, I decided to read the book. I never regretted about my decision. Still I can make some citation from one of my favorable poems The Songs of Hiawatha.
In the time to be ready for adulthood (transitional time to adulthood age 17-18), I discovered for myself the authors, whose pieces I never get tired to reread. Their books are classical books for me. The authors are masters to depict not only all aspects of human soil, but also all flaws of our civilization. These contradicting aspects harmonized together in eloquent and exquisite masterpieces of Emil Zola, O. Henry, Nabokov, Maugham, Leo Tolstoy, Aleksei Tolstoy, Pasternak, Bulgakov, O. Wilde etc.

Today, opposite to my childhood, I have no problem to find any book and I don’t need to put my name on a long waiting list and call to the library every two days. I have books, yet do I have time? I am with a kind of smile on my face recall my teen days when I had time for myself and was not worry about work, family, university, study……These days are gone……. Yet, still I love to read. And one day, I will, I have time to read all the books that are waiting for me for so long time!