Hah! I strongly recommend Frank McLynn's biography of Bonaparte - and Alan Schom's is nice & solid too. There's no Bonaparte biography more immensely readable than the one by Andrew Roberts, but it's outrageously, hilariously PARTISAN on behalf of Bonaparte! If you go in knowing that and taking it into account, his book is also a fine choice. Happy to find any of these for you at the Brattle. (also: welcome to BookTube!)
Hi Sebastian. In the early months of the pandemic, I finally read Invisible Man by Ellison for the first time. I struggled a bit with the story structure. It didn't follow a pattern I was familiar with, but I kept reading and was richly rewarded for it. I let the story tells itself. I think I'm going to enjoy your channel.
An eclectic reader who enjoys classic literature and the story of books (you'll find many welcoming discussions here) and who loves modern poetry (well, the crickets and me will appreciate that). Look forward to your Poetry Thursday contributions. Welcome to Booktube.
Welcome to the BookTube community! It's great to find another reader of classic books. Best of luck with your channel - I look forward to watching more of your videos. Happy Reading! 😎📚👍
Hi, Sebastian! I'm looking forward to hearing about all bookish things you want to share with us. From an oldie content creator to a (not so) newbie, welcome aboard. So glad to have you here! I think I've seen your name pop up in comments section before, but it's nice to learn a bit more about you through a newbie tag.
These two books really do stand as pillars in my mind. They aren't the only two; I had a goal to keep literature at the center in this video. But when it comes to literary works, they are two of the Big Ones for me.
I hear Greco-Roman and I sub haha. Love the vibe of your discussion around the questions and your shelf aesthetics. Glad to see some nonfiction and history as well! Looking forward to more!
I've watched your video on your theology round-up today. Whenever I recall that I said in my own video that I'm "not particularly religious" I wince on the inside because that is not only not entirely true, but hardly true. I'm so used to not talking about matters of religion because it simply isn't possible with most people. I too read a great deal of theology, and much of my reading life has been shaped by early excursions in and exposures to comparative religions, religious studies, theology, religious history, and church history.
Great stuff, hooray for the good conversations about books! I too read Frankenstein about that age, luckily a teacher lent me his copy. I agree that BookTube is a fairly safe and benign form of social media. I'm looking forward to your videos - Welcome!
As always, it's great to see a video by you. I think I may end up doing a video response to your question to me. Your question has made me realize there have been phases to my poetry journey and to give some thought to the impact of individual poets.
Welcome :) Mother Shelley strikes again. I've yet to read The Invisible Man, but you've convinced me to bump it up the list. Much respect for being self-taught and pursuing what you love. I look forward to more videos.
Thanks! You're very kind. I originally wanted to go to school to be a reference librarian and academic because I'm a compulsive researcher at heart, but college is just too expensive, and the first four years seem insufferably inadequate. So I guess I'm stuck in the workforce, studying in my spare time. Hopefully someday I can use what I learn to write some monograph or work of history or criticism. Who knows.
I love language, classical literature, and poetry.i was looking for someone to talk about books, poems ,etc... like you do in a more scholarly manner and tone. Subscribed, hope to see more great content.
@@caryagos6112 I actually read a lot of genre stuff when I was a kid. There's nothing wrong with genre books. I just need more out of life than that, and I spend an awful lot of my life reading.
I came from a great channel called “To Readers it may Concern”. He gave you a shout out. Im excited to find more channels with a leaf by leaf, serious approach to literature.
This is so flattering that I must know in what context Ruben at "To Readers it May Concern" mentioned me on his channel. Was it his John Barth video? I haven't watched it yet; I've been reading Barth since I was a teenager, and so haven't prioritized the video, but I do want to watch it because Ruben is great, and I talk about Barth often. I love Chris Via at "Leaf By Leaf;" we have a lot of tastes in common and have bonded over Lydia Davis and such. But I simply do not have the time or resources to make the sorts of videos he does. We do two different things, and his thing is much better than what I will ever do.
I completely understand the "living in a place where almost no one reads".. or at least that I know of.. I live in a small town in Oklahoma, " primarily farming," and I don't have anyone to talk to about books and reading.
My heart goes out to you; I live in an enormous city erected in the least-hospitable desert in the country and I can count on one hand the number of people I can trust to have intelligent, thoughtful conversations about serious books with.
Hi! There are a few good ones that come to mind. Diarmaid MacCulloch did a very thorough book on the whole period simply titled "The Reformation," and that is a great place to start. A personal favorite of mine is Michael Massing's 2018 book "Fatal Discord" which covers the Reformation via a dual-biography of Martin Luther and Erasmus Desiderius of Rotterdam. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Massing's book since I first read it when it came out. There are dozens of other books that come to mind, but those are both great starting places for different reasons. MacCulloch is a specialist in the history of Christianity in general and in the Reformation in particular. Michael Massing in an Afterward to the book is the opposite: he is a journalist by trade and grew up in a Jewish household and so the Reformation became of interest to him via different channels. It is thoroughly researched and feels as though it could have been written by a specialist and so is very impressive.
Welcome. Regarding Napoleon, you might want to check if there;s any Jean Tulard work translated into english (assuming you don't read in french). He's one of the big guys on the field.
I found one such book by Tulard thanks to your recommendation and it sounds fascinating. The title for it in English is "Napoleon: The Myth of the Savior." Does that sound like one you would be familiar with?
I’m very interested in what you have to say. I look forward to watching your prior videos about poetry. I’m disabled. I’m no longer able to work, but I am able to do lots of research - like cartography haha I also like studying the Reformation. And history of London England. I look forward to more content from you 😊
We have so many common interests! What are the odds? It's nice to meet you, Elaine. Cartography: I collected maps as a child and pinned them to my walls, and in my late-teens had my love for cartography reignited while reading a chapter in Boorstin's "The Discoverers" on the dead-end period of cartography in the Middle Ages. As for the Reformation, I've been fascinated by it for as long as I can remember; I cannot for the life of me trace such a fascination back to its origin point. As for England, In don't believe In mentioned my interest in it in this video, but I did just pick up Trevelyan's "English Social History" and Frank Kermode's "The Age of Shakespeare," which I read already; I admire Frank Kermode's literary criticism in general and another of his books on Shakespeare in particular, but it was also quite the treat - one subject may call it providential - that Kermode uses the backdrop of the English Reformation to contextualize Shakespeare. My very favorite poet, Richard Howard, who wrote a blurb for the book (Providence) was correct to point out that one of the great gems is Kermode's bibliography. And I am a sucker for as good bibliography.
Growing up my mom let me put a world map in the bathroom so I could learn the capitals of countries around the world. I went to a little girls club called “Calvinettes” - named so for John Calvin. How’s that for an origin story? haha My most recent book on London England is Henry Mathew’s London Labour London Poor. Looks like I have a few books to read. I’ve been meaning to get to Invisible Man, and I’m curious about Richard Howard. My favourite poets or the Romantics, especially Wordsworth. Nice chatting with you.
@@elainedejong2806 The Romantics also run through my favorite poets! I'm writing a book right now that attempts to argue a continuity of the Romantics through certain strains of 20th-century poetry. And I do hope you find some Richard Howard's poetry somewhere; he's not widely known but he is very well-regarded. Many of his great poems are these elaborate dialogues between historical figures, but some of my favorite poems are those of Howard's such as the one titled "Oystering".
I’ve read Kermode’s “The Age of Shakespeare”. It is an excellent survey of Shakespeare’s life. Have you ever read James Shapiro? His book entitled “A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare” is poetry.
Welcome to BookTube! Great video. Could you recommend me some lesser known poetry authors from the 20th century that you think deserve more attention? Or authors in general. Thank you in advance, friend.
I think Yevgeny Yevtushenko is and incredible poet. He was a Soviet dissident. Tess Gallagher was an enormously talented American poet. Richard Hugo is interesting because I think his name is known but not his poems. He also comes from the same part of the world I do. It also occurs to me I've just put up a video about my personal favorite modern poets, so that could be seen as a source for recommendations. But there are some other ideas that I don't even mention in that video since they are incredible poets but not personal favorites.
Thanks for asking, but the way! This is among my favorite areas of reading and I love to talk about poetry. It is hard to say what poets you are likely to be familiar with from this time, and that does make judging who is "lesser known" difficult. If my evaluation turns out to be wrong, and you are familiar with the poets I have recommended (and the ones in my video on my favorite modern poets) then do let me know and I will scrounge up more recommendations!
Hah! I strongly recommend Frank McLynn's biography of Bonaparte - and Alan Schom's is nice & solid too. There's no Bonaparte biography more immensely readable than the one by Andrew Roberts, but it's outrageously, hilariously PARTISAN on behalf of Bonaparte! If you go in knowing that and taking it into account, his book is also a fine choice. Happy to find any of these for you at the Brattle. (also: welcome to BookTube!)
I may as well read all three. I should be able to find them. Thanks, Steve, for always being reliable with a good biography recommendation!
Hi Sebastian. In the early months of the pandemic, I finally read Invisible Man by Ellison for the first time. I struggled a bit with the story structure. It didn't follow a pattern I was familiar with, but I kept reading and was richly rewarded for it. I let the story tells itself. I
think I'm going to enjoy your channel.
An eclectic reader who enjoys classic literature and the story of books (you'll find many welcoming discussions here) and who loves modern poetry (well, the crickets and me will appreciate that). Look forward to your Poetry Thursday contributions. Welcome to Booktube.
Welcome to the BookTube community! It's great to find another reader of classic books. Best of luck with your channel - I look forward to watching more of your videos. Happy Reading! 😎📚👍
Hi Sebastian. Oh, you’ll do well with Poetry Thursday. Looking forward to your channel.
Beat poets, classics, mythology, subbed.
Fantastic collection of books behind you there. Still feel new to this book tube malarkey myself. Happy reading to you.
Hi, Sebastian! I'm looking forward to hearing about all bookish things you want to share with us. From an oldie content creator to a (not so) newbie, welcome aboard. So glad to have you here! I think I've seen your name pop up in comments section before, but it's nice to learn a bit more about you through a newbie tag.
You had me at Frankenstein and The Invisible Man. I’m looking forward to your future content.
These two books really do stand as pillars in my mind. They aren't the only two; I had a goal to keep literature at the center in this video. But when it comes to literary works, they are two of the Big Ones for me.
I hear Greco-Roman and I sub haha. Love the vibe of your discussion around the questions and your shelf aesthetics. Glad to see some nonfiction and history as well! Looking forward to more!
I like the way you see the world. Subscribed
Welcome to Booktube!
Hi, Sebastian...welcome to BookTube! Looking forward to your content...always hungry for more new perspectives. :)
I've watched your video on your theology round-up today. Whenever I recall that I said in my own video that I'm "not particularly religious" I wince on the inside because that is not only not entirely true, but hardly true. I'm so used to not talking about matters of religion because it simply isn't possible with most people. I too read a great deal of theology, and much of my reading life has been shaped by early excursions in and exposures to comparative religions, religious studies, theology, religious history, and church history.
Great stuff, hooray for the good conversations about books! I too read Frankenstein about that age, luckily a teacher lent me his copy. I agree that BookTube is a fairly safe and benign form of social media. I'm looking forward to your videos - Welcome!
Welcome to booktube. Sounds like this will be up my alley.
Welcome to Booktube. I look forward to seeing what books you're reading.
As always, it's great to see a video by you. I think I may end up doing a video response to your question to me. Your question has made me realize there have been phases to my poetry journey and to give some thought to the impact of individual poets.
Welcome :) Mother Shelley strikes again. I've yet to read The Invisible Man, but you've convinced me to bump it up the list. Much respect for being self-taught and pursuing what you love. I look forward to more videos.
Thanks! You're very kind. I originally wanted to go to school to be a reference librarian and academic because I'm a compulsive researcher at heart, but college is just too expensive, and the first four years seem insufferably inadequate. So I guess I'm stuck in the workforce, studying in my spare time. Hopefully someday I can use what I learn to write some monograph or work of history or criticism. Who knows.
I love language, classical literature, and poetry.i was looking for someone to talk about books, poems ,etc... like you do in a more scholarly manner and tone. Subscribed, hope to see more great content.
He's one of the smart ones. He doesn't read our trashy books. 🤣 Welcome tho!
Who is? I didn't quite follow that.
@@TheBookedEscapePlan You are! Many of us just read fantasy and romance. 🤣
@@caryagos6112 I actually read a lot of genre stuff when I was a kid. There's nothing wrong with genre books. I just need more out of life than that, and I spend an awful lot of my life reading.
Nice.
I came from a great channel called “To Readers it may Concern”. He gave you a shout out. Im excited to find more channels with a leaf by leaf, serious approach to literature.
This is so flattering that I must know in what context Ruben at "To Readers it May Concern" mentioned me on his channel. Was it his John Barth video? I haven't watched it yet; I've been reading Barth since I was a teenager, and so haven't prioritized the video, but I do want to watch it because Ruben is great, and I talk about Barth often.
I love Chris Via at "Leaf By Leaf;" we have a lot of tastes in common and have bonded over Lydia Davis and such. But I simply do not have the time or resources to make the sorts of videos he does. We do two different things, and his thing is much better than what I will ever do.
I completely understand the "living in a place where almost no one reads".. or at least that I know of.. I live in a small town in Oklahoma, " primarily farming," and I don't have anyone to talk to about books and reading.
My heart goes out to you; I live in an enormous city erected in the least-hospitable desert in the country and I can count on one hand the number of people I can trust to have intelligent, thoughtful conversations about serious books with.
Hi there, would appreciate some recommendations for books on the Reformation! Any favorites or good places to start?
Hi! There are a few good ones that come to mind. Diarmaid MacCulloch did a very thorough book on the whole period simply titled "The Reformation," and that is a great place to start. A personal favorite of mine is Michael Massing's 2018 book "Fatal Discord" which covers the Reformation via a dual-biography of Martin Luther and Erasmus Desiderius of Rotterdam. I haven't been able to stop thinking about Massing's book since I first read it when it came out.
There are dozens of other books that come to mind, but those are both great starting places for different reasons. MacCulloch is a specialist in the history of Christianity in general and in the Reformation in particular. Michael Massing in an Afterward to the book is the opposite: he is a journalist by trade and grew up in a Jewish household and so the Reformation became of interest to him via different channels. It is thoroughly researched and feels as though it could have been written by a specialist and so is very impressive.
Welcome. Regarding Napoleon, you might want to check if there;s any Jean Tulard work translated into english (assuming you don't read in french). He's one of the big guys on the field.
I found one such book by Tulard thanks to your recommendation and it sounds fascinating. The title for it in English is "Napoleon: The Myth of the Savior." Does that sound like one you would be familiar with?
Welcome to BookTube Sebastian.
Shelves full of classics? Have my like, comment, and subscription.
I’m very interested in what you have to say. I look forward to watching your prior videos about poetry. I’m disabled. I’m no longer able to work, but I am able to do lots of research - like cartography haha I also like studying the Reformation. And history of London England. I look forward to more content from you 😊
We have so many common interests! What are the odds? It's nice to meet you, Elaine.
Cartography: I collected maps as a child and pinned them to my walls, and in my late-teens had my love for cartography reignited while reading a chapter in Boorstin's "The Discoverers" on the dead-end period of cartography in the Middle Ages.
As for the Reformation, I've been fascinated by it for as long as I can remember; I cannot for the life of me trace such a fascination back to its origin point.
As for England, In don't believe In mentioned my interest in it in this video, but I did just pick up Trevelyan's "English Social History" and Frank Kermode's "The Age of Shakespeare," which I read already; I admire Frank Kermode's literary criticism in general and another of his books on Shakespeare in particular, but it was also quite the treat - one subject may call it providential - that Kermode uses the backdrop of the English Reformation to contextualize Shakespeare. My very favorite poet, Richard Howard, who wrote a blurb for the book (Providence) was correct to point out that one of the great gems is Kermode's bibliography. And I am a sucker for as good bibliography.
Growing up my mom let me put a world map in the bathroom so I could learn the capitals of countries around the world. I went to a little girls club called “Calvinettes” - named so for John Calvin. How’s that for an origin story? haha My most recent book on London England is Henry Mathew’s London Labour London Poor. Looks like I have a few books to read. I’ve been meaning to get to Invisible Man, and I’m curious about Richard Howard. My favourite poets or the Romantics, especially Wordsworth. Nice chatting with you.
@@elainedejong2806 The Romantics also run through my favorite poets! I'm writing a book right now that attempts to argue a continuity of the Romantics through certain strains of 20th-century poetry.
And I do hope you find some Richard Howard's poetry somewhere; he's not widely known but he is very well-regarded. Many of his great poems are these elaborate dialogues between historical figures, but some of my favorite poems are those of Howard's such as the one titled "Oystering".
I’ve read Kermode’s “The Age of Shakespeare”. It is an excellent survey of Shakespeare’s life. Have you ever read James Shapiro? His book entitled “A Year in the Life of William Shakespeare” is poetry.
@@elainedejong2806 I have not read Shapiro's book! I have seen it around before. If you say it is poetry, it must be worth reading.
Welcome to BookTube! Great video. Could you recommend me some lesser known poetry authors from the 20th century that you think deserve more attention? Or authors in general. Thank you in advance, friend.
I think Yevgeny Yevtushenko is and incredible poet. He was a Soviet dissident. Tess Gallagher was an enormously talented American poet. Richard Hugo is interesting because I think his name is known but not his poems. He also comes from the same part of the world I do. It also occurs to me I've just put up a video about my personal favorite modern poets, so that could be seen as a source for recommendations. But there are some other ideas that I don't even mention in that video since they are incredible poets but not personal favorites.
Thanks for asking, but the way! This is among my favorite areas of reading and I love to talk about poetry. It is hard to say what poets you are likely to be familiar with from this time, and that does make judging who is "lesser known" difficult. If my evaluation turns out to be wrong, and you are familiar with the poets I have recommended (and the ones in my video on my favorite modern poets) then do let me know and I will scrounge up more recommendations!