Ever read a book that gave you a headache?

In my wanderings, one of my favorite sites is the Gutenberg project, named after the inventor of the printing press. On there, I found a book, written in 1884 by a man named Edwin Abbott. The book is call Flatland.



Flatland is a satirical novella, which describes life in a 2-dimensional world, from the view of a inhabitant Square. An entire culture is created, complete with class distinctions and unfair prejudice's based upon a citizens number of sides (a Triangle is lower in class than a Square, a Polynomial is the highest class of all, ect.) all of which quietly mocks the Victorian lifestyle the author lived in.



My favorite thing about the story (so far as I've read, I haven't finished it yet) is that once you think about the idea of a 2-dimensional "man" learning about the 3-dimensional world, you can then take it one step more and start wondering if their is some kind of 4th dimension. From there you build up and up, until surprise! If you look, some of the most cutting edge research being done today, string theory, deals with the idea that there are more dimensions, anywhere from 10 to 26 of them, actually. So, over 120 years ago, a writer with little to no scientific tendencies, is talking about the same stuff that the brains of today's world are thinking about.

Life does enjoy it's funny little circles, doesn't it?

Never judge a book by it's cover...Seriously.

A few weeks back, I picked up a book at a used bookstore. The title was "Acheron," by Sherrilyn Kenyon. It looked neat, had a catchy cover, and I read the back of the book for the summery. It was a well written summery, and it drew my attention. The book focused on the Atlantean patheon of gods, their destruction, and I later found out, the back story of a main character in a long series of novels, called the Dark Hunter novels. The words Dark Hunter brought the "Devil May Cry," series of games to my mind, but I got that mixed up with Daemon Hunter.

I expected a neat little tale of gods and Greek mythology. I got that, and quite a bit more than I expected. "Acheron," much to my suprise about a third of the way into the novel, is part of a genre of books called supernatural romance, and let's just say they go a little graphic at times with the romance part.

So, when you pick up a new book, always prepare to be suprised. That unassuming little novel might be a little more assuming than you first thought.

Hidden meaning, or lack thereof

I won't dispute that many, even most authors use plenty of hidden meanings and symbolism in their writings. Sometimes, however, some people just take it too far.
When I was in high school, I was kicked out of class for three days running, because of our reading 1984, by George Orwell. In the novel, a war is raging between the worlds three superpowers, Oceania, Eastasia, and Eurasia. The war and it's changing politics, including the shift of alliances that pits Oceania against Eastasia midway through the book, is central, but it is hinted at that the war may be a fabrication by the totalitarian government.
Now, I appreciate a bit of symbolism as much as the next guy, but if we think about it, there is no way that the war can conceivable be fabricated. The entire county has massive amounts of economic infrastructure dedicated to war. Hundreds of thousands of young men march to the fight, and are killed. For the war to be a fabrication of the government, all of that has to go somewhere. Is it simply burned? Do the march the young men to the beach, shoot them, and throw their bodies to the ocean?
I believe that there really isn't a viable way for the war to be a symbolic plot device only. It HAS to be literal, otherwise the premise of a significant portion of the book falls apart. My old teacher disagreed with me, and didn't like it very much that I refused to blindly accept that it was a plot device, and didn't exist.
I'll never argue that authors use plenty of symbolism in their writing. However, there isn't any need to read more into it than there is. Harry Potter isn't a book about the anti-Christ. It's just a story about wizards and witches. To Kill A Mockingbird is a book about racial tension, not an in-depth study of the human mind and our preconceptions about birds ( there's a story behind that reference), and while Animal Farm does have symbolism about Communism, it's definitely not the Communist Manifesto in disguise.

Ladies and gents, prepare to be disturbed...

http://www.amazon.com/Pride-Prejudice-Zombies-Classic-Ultraviolent/dp/1594743347

So, apparently a fine gentleman by the name of Seth Grahame-Smith decided to correct what he saw as a grievous oversight in the writing of Jane Austen's classic novel, "Pride and Prejudice." He added the one thing every masterful romance needs... zombies!!!

It's been a long time since I read Pride and Prejudice. I imagine, however, that a brand-new crowd is going to be drawn to it now.

Cold Glencoe

So, I came across a fantastic song, called "Cold Glencoe." The lyrics describe the Massacre at Glencoe, from the viewpoint of the attackers. King William of England ordered the Massacre, against the MacDonald clan in the Highlands of Scotland, after the clan was a day late in an oath of allegiance. 120 soldiers killed around 40 of the clan, having spent the last several weeks enjoying the hospitality of the clan. In the coming days, another 38 members of the clan died of exposure, as their homes had been burned to the ground.

These lyrics stuck me particularly, because the viewpoint of the perpetrators of horrific events isn't something seen very often, in any kind of literature. The imagery is brutal, and the lyrist offers no excuses for the actions of the killers. In particular, the fact that in the fifth verse, the writer clearly says that the killing was done with pride, and during the act, the writer indicates no remorse, amazed me. In most writing that focuses around the killing of innocents, remorse and doubt are important parts of the story. In “Cold Glencoe,” it’s only in the last verse, after the act is done, that any of the men feel what they did was wrong.

Here are the complete lyrics:
Cold Glencoe
The north wind blew and the snow came down
We stamped our feet on the cold, hard ground
Though we were by duty pressed
We looked for shelter; we asked for rest

We knocked the door as free men should
They gave us drink, and they gave us food
They took us all in every man
We lived within as we made our plans

Know us by our hearts, know us by our shame
Know us by the part we played in William’s game

We did abide with them for many days
We raised the glass and sang their praise
They’d saved us from a fearful plight
But we cut them down in the dead of night

As they slept upon their beds,
We stabbed their backs and cracked their heads
Though some few did take to flight
They froze to death in the pale moonlight

Know us by our hearts, know us by our shame
Know us by the part we played in William’s game

Our deadly work we did with pride
The ground ran red with blood that night
As quietly we went around
And burned their houses to the ground

Sisters and their brothers cried
Children watched their mothers die
We did our worst, and we did it well
We damned our immortal souls to hell

Know us by our hearts, know us by our shame
Know us by the part we played in William’s game

We saw our work by the light of day
Some fell to their knees and prayed
Some thought hard upon our fate
As men that history would hate

Hear me as I speak to you of all the evil men can do
There is none worse that I know than what we did at cold Glencoe

Know us by our hearts, know us by our shame
Know us by the part we played in William’s game

All in all, I think that “Cold Glencoe,” is one of my favorite songs, and some of the best-written lyrics I have heard.