Sunday 29 January 2017

Channeling My Inner-English Student

Good evening, everyone!

So as some of you may know, one of my A Level subjects was English Literature. English has always been one of my favourite subjects, and while I would consider myself to be a reader I am more than content to read the same material over and over again. Seriously, the Harry Potter books probably make up 90% of the books I've read in my lifetime because I just frigging love them so much! 

Last semester I was determined to branch out a bit. I've always wanted to read more of the classics, and so I read 'Mansfield Park' by Jane Austen and started 'The Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde (I never finished this though because we broke up and I had to return it). I was at a bit of a loose end when this semester started and I didn't have a book in my room, but my wonderful sister kindly got me a couple of book vouchers for Christmas so I ventured into town to pick something up.

Wanting something new to explore, I killed some time in Waterstones. The bus service to and from college means that I usually have about two and half hours to fill before I can go back to my halls of residence, so as you can imagine I am very familiar with what this particular branch of Waterstones has to offer. I honestly love that shop so much. If I could, I would live there ♥ Anyways, they have a hardback section which I adore. Even though we're always told not to judge a book by its cover, I am always more drawn to those with a pretty pattern, and the hardback books are gorgeous. It also helps that a lot of the hardback books are classics, so it makes them even more enticing.

In sixth form, one of the texts my class read was Book IX of 'Paradise Lost' by John Milton. This epic poem can be quite heavy going, as there are a lot of references to other works/mythology, much of which would have gone completely over my head if not for the notes at the bottom of every page. It was through analysing the text that I gradually came to love the book, and so when I noticed hardback containing all the books of 'Paradise Lost' I caved.

Look how pretty it is! How can you not want
to read this?

I've only just started reading, so I don't have masses to say about it right now. Not about the first book anyway, but I am so excited. Now that I'm out of the classroom environment, I expect it to take me a while. Poetry isn't something you can rush (maybe this is just me? Let me know what you think) so I'm perfectly okay with this book taking me most of this semester to read, as I do have academic texts to work through as well. From what I've read, my inner-English student is going to have so much to analysis and my goodness, I am going to nerd out so much over the techniques used.

John Milton was a religious man, and he did very much have an attitude that men were superior, although he did not believe he was a misogynist. In some ways he was revolutionary. He believed in divorce, which in the 1600s was a big no-no. I mean, this could very well have something to do with the fact that his wife deserted him so... you know. But he was all for people being able to divorce if they were incompatible in anyway, not just because of infidelity and whatnot. 'Paradise Lost', which follows and expands upon the events surrounding the Fall of Man, makes references to the pamphlets he wrote during his life, such as criticism of the Catholic Church (he later broke away from the Protestant Church as well, believing people should find their own way to God) as well as the relationship between man and woman, both in terms of marriage and their duties. 

One of the really interesting things about 'Paradise Lost' is Milton's portrayal of Satan, and it actually led to some controversy. Off the top of my head, but feel free to double check this, I believe William Blake made a comment about how Milton was secretly "of the devil's party", and he was not the only one to make such criticisms. In Book IX, the serpent is described quite beautifully, and compared to the Ancient Greek orators. He is portrayed as being clever and regal, and there is a passage that could definitely be seen as inspiring sympathy.

Whilst this was arguably far from Milton's intention, it certainly is intriguing for some critiques to highlight the fact that Milton may have achieved the opposite of his intention; instead of justifying God's action, he actually provided context which could remove some blame from Satan. It goes to show just how ambiguous the English language can be, especially when it comes to poetry. So much is open to interpretation, and it's honestly one of the reasons works of fiction are so great. The same book can be read by fifty different people, and every single one will have a slightly different understanding of the story. 

Okay, I'm going to end this post here, or you all are genuine risk of having to read an essay, something you definitely do not need on a Sunday night. All I can say is that if you are looking for a classic piece of literature to read and are up for a challenge, please do check out 'Paradise Lost'. You don't have to read all of the books - when we studied Book IX in school, no material from the other books was needed. Whether you go to a local library, but an ebook or be like me and buy a pretty book, I really would recommend it. If you do decide to give it a go, please let me know what you think! You can get in touch through social media in all the normal ways.

Until next time...

P.S. I promise to have some equine-related content up soon, and probably some food-related things up in the near future too!

Sunday 22 January 2017

Review: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them

Character poster courtesy of fantasticbeasts.co.uk
As some of you may know, I absolutely adore the wizarding world created by the brilliant J. K. Rowling. I have grown up reading and watching the Harry Potter series, and whilst I'll admit I was a little sceptical when it was first announced that there would be a new spin-off film. Take 'Star Wars' for example. Now I'm not personally a fan of that franchise, but I've often heard my Dad complain that the director should have left well enough alone instead of creating more and more films. We both shared concerns that maybe Jo should have stuck to her guns about not releasing any more Potterverse-related material because how could anything improve the world that is already so loved by fans?

That all changed when the trailers were released. The creatures were brought to life in a way that I couldn't have anticipated. Just look at the niffler in the gif. It's great! Furthermore, the changes in environment clearly separate this new spin-off series from its predecessor (or would that be successor?) - we're in America in the 1920s, and the advances available to film creators nowadays allows audiences to be fully immersed in the Big Apple, much like we were all once immersed at Hogwarts.

Gif courtesy of fantasticbeasts.co.uk
Of course, the trailers do not compare to the film itself in much the same way that the Harry Potter trailers never really captured the entirety of the film. How can they, when the films are hours long and the trailer only a couple of minutes? Still, the trailers were excellent appetisers and the film exceeded all my expectations. 

The great thing about Fantastic Beasts is that you don't need to know any of the Harry Potter books or films inside out to enjoy it. This new series of films will allow for a new generation to be filled with wonder at the on-screen magic. Knowing the Harry Potter films allows for little clues to be picked up on and jokes to be made. I think my favourite pun in the film is where Newt admits that he's "more of a chaser" than a seeker. 

Seeing a certain auror with a certain familiar symbol made me distrust the character for much of the film, so perhaps my viewing experience, and that of other Potterheads, is altered a bit in this way but I don't think it's a bad thing. There is so much new material that a few suspicions here and there are hardly going to spoil the experience, and so much more to discover. Not only this, but it kind of means we're tormented by the things we pick up on that aren't necessarily yet explained. Throughout the entirety of the film, a few cogs in the back of my mind were turning, trying to work out what relation Newt's Lestrange tied in with the Potter's Lestranges.

My only complaint, and really this applies to some of the Potter films as well, is that the spells people use all seem to emit the same colour. We know from the Potter books that spells are streaks of different 'lights' so why was everything white in the 1920s? As far as I'm concerned, the odd flash of red would have dramatised things even more but perhaps that's just me. Nevertheless, if the only fault I could find was the lack of imagination for the colouring of spells then I think things have gone pretty well for the entire cast and crew. 

Overall, I give this film 5/5 stars. It is complete testament to J. K. Rowling that cinema screenings are still so full. When I saw this film two or three weeks ago, at the end of my Christmas break, the matinee screening was sold out and we had to go back to the cinema that evening, an even then I think there were four seats left available when we went to sit down. Adults and children alike can enjoy this film, and I cannot wait the next instalment of Fanstastic Beats and Where To Find Them. In the mean time, I'll keep trying to get tickets for the play!

Until next time...

Sunday 15 January 2017

I'm still alive!

It's been a while since I've blogged. I fell off the wagon as November arrived and with it a lot of assignment hand-in dates, and then with the holiday fast approaching I had to sort out travel back home and make sure I understand all the benefits of loose schooling and argh! It got very stressful very quickly, and so blogging had to take the back seat. Now that the holidays are out of the way and I'm back at uni, I feel like I can dedicate more time to blogging again. I even made it one of my New Year's resolutions (although I had revision and an exam to do as well as travel, so it's a belated start). Anyhow, on with the blog!

Christmas was not a very relaxing break for me. A relative was admitted to hospital, and the family all came together to continue to look after her when she was discharged. The reason I bring this up is because I would really like to thank everyone who helped her. The NHS team were great and it just brings to light the damage that could be inflicted upon a service that is already over stretched if they're forced to work seven days a week. It made the news reports about Jeremy Hunt that much more relevant, and a lot closer to home.

Two nurses in particular stood out to me over the time that we were in the hospital; one was just had a very friendly personality, and the other went above and beyond to give guidance to me and my family about another issue. I'm sure there were a lot of things that she needed to do, but she never came across as wanting to be somewhere else. Honestly, it really helped having members of staff like this around. It was a difficult time, but they made it so much easier. No one wants to see a loved one in hospital over Christmas, but it didn't feel quite so awful if people like them were around. Thankfully, the family member was discharged on Christmas Eve, but even if she hadn't been the NHS have an arrangement with the local Salvation Army so that it still feels like a celebration.

Christmas day itself was quiet but it was nice to see my sister and brother-in-law. It was a small family size than usual, but it was a lovely day. I didn't really ask for anything in particular, as getting things for my move to uni did cost quite a bit, but two of my favourite presents was a Harry Potter trivial pursuit game and a dog shaming calendar. Recently I have decided that I would like a 3DS as I have gotten back into my old Harvest Moon games, but what with being student it will be a very long time before I can get my hands on that sort of luxury!

Well, that's about all of the news from me. How was your Christmas break? You can contact me in all of the usual ways via the social network links over on the right-hand side of the page, or on the Contact Me page.

Until next time...