Leon's English
Literature Review
For ESL/EFL Students
& Just for fun
Foreword
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Dear Literature
Lover:
I don't like to waste
time. So, I like to read when I'm in situations where I'd
otherwise be idle, such as: sitting on the porcelain throne or sitting on a train commuting to and from
work. I also read to learn. While for ESL/EFL students, the
main motivation to read English literature may be quite different from
my own, I cannot help but think that there would be some overlap.
Reading can be an interesting way to learn a language, (even if it is
your first language).
And so, I hereby present Leon's Literature Review, for any and all who care
(or dare) to read it.
Sincerely,
Leon
Webmaster
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I'll try a genre-based
approach. Here are all the genres of literature that I can think of:
I. FICTION
A. NARRATIVES:
1. historical fiction: the story
is set in a real historical place and some of the events actually occurred and
some of the characters may have actually existed, but the main plot of the story
surely did not occur.
Examples that I've read:
Cheng-en Wu's A
Journey to the West
| A Journey to the West is a multi-volume work of
historical fiction. It is a Chinese classic authored by Cheng-en
Wu, and translated into English by W.J.F. Jenner. The English
version is abridged, and yet it still spans four volumes. It's
main character is a Buddhist Monk (named Tang) who is sent by the
Emperor of China to the WEST (India) to obtain the Buddhist scriptures
(or copies thereof) from India. That part is historical. The
fictional part is that he is helped by three mythological
creatures. I really like the story for its ability to combine the Taoist
and the Buddhist philosophies/traditions into one. Buddhism is
accepting of the gods of other religions, and so it works out well, in
my opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed the story and would love to read
it again someday. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone
who wishes to familiarize oneself with the Eastern Taoist and Buddhist
traditions in an entertaining way. |
|
a. Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment
My Review
| The book was originally written in
Russian. I read it in English. The translation was magnificent
(from my limited perspective not having read it in Russian, since I
cannot read Russian). We are told in the prologue that the
translator tried to remain as faithful to the original story as the
English language would allow, and I felt that such was the case.
But, aside from all that, I felt that Dostoevsky's understanding of the
human psyche is unparalleled (at least in regards to how one could
commit murder). His understanding is so frightfully realistic that
I fear there must have been some experience in his own life which was
similar. I'm not saying that Dostoevsky committed murder, but he
very well may have entertained the idea. In my estimation, only
one who has experienced those feelings could express them so vividly and
magnificently. I would highly recommend this book to any
adult. It is very provocative, and I like the provocative. The
content includes murder and might not be suitable for minors. I
would rate it NC-17. The English is difficult, perhaps university
level or above. |
|
b. David Copperfield (simplified version)
c. Oliver Twist (simplified version)
d. Mutiny on Board the M.S. Bounty (simplified version)
e. Moby Dick (simplified version)
f. Treasure Island (simplified version)
g. Huckleberry Finn (simplified version)
| It should be noted that I thoroughly
enjoyed all the books above (b - g) for their plots, but I cannot
adequately "review" them because I read the simplified
versions as a child. I do not know if the original versions would
be as interesting to read. |
h. Wilson Rawl's Where The Red Fern Grows
My Review
| Where the Red Fern Grows is a
popular book with young teenagers. I read it in my teenage years
and was deeply touched by the relationship between a boy and his two
dogs. I would highly recommend this book to all dog-lovers around
the world. It is definitely for general (G) readers, but the level
of difficulty might be at sixth grade or higher. |
|
2. fantasy: the story may be set
in a fictional place, and quite generally the characters include beings that do
not exist in real life and possibly talking animals. A sub-category of
fantasy might include fairy tales (or at least most of them). The Harry
Potter books would be in this category, but I haven't read any, and do NOT plan
to. I'm a bit taken back by the world-wide HYPE over this one series of
fantasy when there are so many other great pieces of literature in the
genre. I guess J.K. Rowling has a great PR manager and that's why her
books are doing better than say, the Chronicles of Narnia, which I have
read (Well, I've read the first one: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe).
Examples that I've read (aside from fairy tales):
a. Tolkien's The Hobbit
My Review
| This was either the first or second novel
in the genre of fantasy that I had ever read. It was so
magnificent in my eyes as to inspire me to read many more of the
genre. I have since come to understand that Tolkien's whole Lord
of the Rings trilogy is based upon Nordic lore. Wow! To
think that at one time there were elves and dwarves and giants living in
Midgard. So, maybe we should classify it as historical fiction
rather than fantasy? At one time I had planned to read the whole
trilogy but never had the opportunity.
I highly recommend this book.
However, my middle school students say that the rest of the series is
"dry" and uninteresting. |
|
b. Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time
My Review
| A Wrinkle in Time was the other book, one
of two, that instigated my love of fantasy. L'Engle's book
presents insights into the evils of egalitarianism that even a child
could understand.
Unlike in L'Engle's book, we do not have
to "tesseract" through space to find societies like the one in
A Wrinkle in Time, or to find societies that strive to become
like the one in the book.
I highly recommend this
book. |
|
c. C.S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia
My Review
| I've read the first book of the series:
The
Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. The movie that has just
come out stays remarkably true to the story in the book. C.S.
Lewis was a writer who thrust Christian themes into almost all of his
writings (if not all). The Lion is clearly a Christ archetype.
While the plot was not unique, I did
find the medium of the plot, namely fantasy, very appealing. For
any one who can accept talking animals and creatures that only exist in
the realm of pure imagination, I would recommend this book. |
|
3. science fiction (Sci-Fi):
possible events/stories that could have happened and may have happened, but are
generally assumed not to have happened; OR, that could happen now or in
the future.
Examples that I have read:
a. Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
My Review
| Never had I encountered such a delightful
author as I found in Douglas Adams. He does his research and knows
his stuff. He combines science, satire, linguistics and fantasy
into one; And, he does it in such a way that it immediately grabs the
reader and keeps the reader wanting to know what will happen next.
After I was done with the first book of the
series, I immediately went out and bought the other four. I read
them all as fast as I could in succession.
In the last book, Mr. Adams had to kill
off everyone, or the series may never have ended, because people would
have clamored for more. Sorry. I ruined the ending for you.
For any one who has a sense of humor,
appreciates satire (both political and religious), and a good laugh now
and then, I would very highly recommend all five books of the series. |
|
4. contemporary fiction:
make-believe stories set in modern times.
Examples that I have read:
a. Bel Kaufman's Up The Down Staircase
My Review
| The book was published in 1965 (so it
might be considered historical fiction by some), but it is recent enough to be
considered contemporary fiction. The author uses a style of
writing referred to as "epistolary", which is to say that the
whole book is a compilation of teacher correspondences, school
memorandums, and students' notes. I found the writing style
delightful and refreshing in its novelty. The content was very
entertaining. I laughed. I wept. I was sent on a
roller coaster ride of emotions. Every teacher could relate to the
book.
I very highly recommend this book. |
|
II. NON-FICTION
A. Reference: literature which
gives basic information
1. Lexicons: books that give the meanings of words
2. Dictionaries: books that give the pronunciations of words
3. Almanacs: books of facts/statistics
4. Atlases: books of maps
5. Encyclopedias: books of informative articles on nearly every
topic
B. Trade book(s): book(s) which
give(s) detailed information on a specific topic
Examples that I've read:
1. a book about sharks
2. several books about insects
3. several books about dinosaurs
4. several books about dreams and
dream interpretation
C. Self-help: literature
designed to help one better one's self
Examples that I have read:
1. How to Win Friends and Influence People (by Dale Carnegie)
My Review
| This book profoundly changed my life (for
the better). I highly recommend it to all the world. |
|
2. The 7 Habits of Highly Successful People (by Stephen Covey)
My Review
| Not bad. It was helpful. I'd
recommend it. It was not always entertaining, but it had its
moments. The anecdotes were interesting and insightful. It
is a very practical, no-non-sense type of book. The problem is at
times, it reads like an instruction manual. |
|
D. Inspirational (Secular):
literature that makes you feel better about yourself and help motivate you to
improve your life
Example: a book about Self-Esteem
E. Inspirational (Spiritual):
See: "III. Religious/Spiritual: C" (below)
F. Poetry: literature which has
rhyme and meter. Some poems don't have rhyme or meter, but somehow they
are included in the category of poetry. Don't ask me how.
G. Essays / Commentaries: Most
essays are in fact commentaries; They comment on something and attempt to
convince/persuade the reader to agree.
H. Histories: literature which
attempts (sometimes erroneously) to describe the past.
I. Documentaries: literature
(and films) which document actual events supposedly without commentary but
sometimes with commentary.
J. Ethnographies: literature
which focuses upon the culture of certain ethnic groups.
1. Body Language [Author unknown]
My Review
| Nowadays, there are literally hundreds of
books written on the subject of body language. The book I read was
written in the 1960's. I read it in the 1980's. At the time
it was very popular and I think that it was a
"ground-breaking" book in that it was one of the first pieces
of literature on the subject published for the general public.
I found it very interesting; However, I
disagreed with some of the assertions therein. For example, just
because someone folds his/her arms during a conversation, does not
necessarily mean that the person is "closing" his/her mind to
the ideas of his/her interlocutor. Maybe it is just a comfortable
position, or maybe culture dictates that one fold his/her arms. My
father made his children fold their arms in church as a sign of
reverence. We children certainly did not "close" our
minds to the words coming at us from behind the pulpit (although we may
have, at times, found the sermon boring). So, I found the book
making claims or assertions that were not always correct. One
needs to consider the culture of one's interlocutor,
I would not recommend any book about
body language that does not consider the micro and macro cultures of the
individual. As I have read no other books on the subject, I have
no recommendation for you. |
K. Anthropologies: literature
which focuses upon groups of people deceased or living.
III.
Religious/Spiritual: This class of literature would be classified as
"Fiction" by the non-believer and "Non-fiction" by the
believer; So, I have made a separate category. You are to decide for
yourself whether they are fiction or non-fiction.
A. Scriptures
1. Vedas: sacred writings of the
Hindus; They are the oldest scriptures that are still in print. It
is estimated that they were "received" from Krishna around 2000
B.C. As I understand them, the Vedas are organized like in the table
below:
| Vedas |
| Rig-Veda |
Yajur-Veda |
Sama-Veda |
Atharva-Veda |
| Samhita |
Samhita |
Samhita |
Samhita |
| Brahmana |
Brahmana |
Brahmana |
Brahmana |
| Aranyaka |
Aranyaka |
Aranyaka |
Aranyaka |
Vedanta /
Upanishad |
Vedanta /
Upanishad |
Vedanta /
Upanishad |
Vedanta /
Upanishad |
There are four sections of the Vedas: Rig,
Yajur, Sama, and Artharva. Each section is divided into four parts:
Samhita, Brahmana, Aranyaka, and Vedanta/Upanishad.
| Definitions |
| Veda |
Wit and/or
Wisdom (also translated as knowledge) |
| Rig |
Prayers of
praise to the gods & Aryan heroes |
| Yajur |
Sacrificial and
Ceremonial Rites |
| Sama |
Musical versions
of Rig and Yajur |
| Atharva |
Science;
especially medicinal, herbal knowledge (both beneficial and harmful to
humans) |
| Samhita |
"Composition";
the original text |
| Brahmana |
Interpretation
of the text for CITY life |
| Aranyaka |
Interpretation
of the text for FOREST life |
Vendata /
Upanishad |
Vendata = end of
wisdom / Upanishad = sitting near the teacher (knowledge directly from
the teacher); some say it deals with metaphysics. |
I have read some of the Vedas.
My references: [source1]
[source2]
To read the Vedas [click
here]
2. Quran (Koran): sacred
writings of Islam (Muslims). I've read some of it. You can find the
Koran online. [click
here].
3. Talmud: sacred writings of the Jews
(Hebrews); includes the Law (Pentateuch: the first five books, attributed to
Moses) and the "Prophets" (other prophetic writings).
4. Holy Bible: sacred writings
of the Christians {includes the Talmud, the four Gospels of Jeshua the Nazarene
(AKA: Jesus), and the epistles of the Apostles}. It has been reported that
the Holy Bible is the all-time best seller in the history of the world.
I've read most of it. I highly recommend that all Christians read it from
cover to cover, and not just read it, but strive to UNDERSTAND it. You can
find the King James Version online. [click
here].
5. Popol Vuh: sacred writings of
the Mayans. A partial translation of the Popol Vuh can be found
online. I've read most of it. [click
here] or [click
here]
B. Commentaries on the Scriptures
1. Sutras; commentaries by religious
reformers on the Vedas, reforming the Hindu religion. As a result there are at least
three religions that have branched from Hinduism. They are:
a. Brahmanism
b. Buddhism
c. Jainism
The Sutras of the above religions may be
considered "scripture" by the followers of the religions mentioned
above, namely Brahmanism, Buddhism, Jainism. So be it.
2. Cabala: [or Kabala, or
cab·ba·la or cab·ba·lah or kab·a·la or
kab·ba·la or kab·ba·lah also qab·ba·la or
qab·ba·lah]: Jewish occulted theosophy, a collection of
commentaries on the Talmud. I have not read this. The first
publication in English ever written was partially published in 2004 by Stanford
University Press. It was translated by Daniel Matt. I cannot wait to
get my hands on a copy.
C. Inspirational (Spiritual): stories which (whether fiction
or non-fiction) are intended to increase faith in the believers of religion, or
convert non-believers.
Disclaimer
RE: the posting
of religious literature
| While I have read some literature of
the religious genre, I am without religion, and I will not and verily
shall not recommend any literature in the religious
genre. It is the position of Leon
& Leon's EFL Planet
NOT to promote any religion, nor its literature;
And, I have done my best to provide links to ALL the literature of the
MAJOR religions of the WORLD, without prejudice or bias of any
kind. IMPORTANT NOTE: The list of religious literature is
not in any particular order, except that I put the oldest religion (that
is still practiced) first. |
