Welcome to AP & Honors Lit 2011.
Please take a moment to create an account and write a bit about which European author you like most. (1 Paragraph Please).
Due: Sunday, 8.28
Please take a moment to create an account and write a bit about which European author you like most. (1 Paragraph Please).
Due: Sunday, 8.28
My favorite European author is George Orwell. I have read four of his books so far, and liked all of them. I especially enjoyed 1984 and Homage to Catalonia. I love his humor and creativity, I also like Camus, alhtough I have only read one book of his, which is The Fall. I loved how he twisted the idea of Jesus Christ's crucification.
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ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite European authors is Ayn Rand. As well as being a world renowned author she is also a philosopher. Many of her novels are centered around her philosophy of objectivism. Simply put, her philosophy is logic justified by reason as an absolute (an objective reality). For example: If a man were to deice he did not want to serve another and placed his own self interest first he would be following the morality of Objectivism. This philosophy is clearly shown through the plot, setting and character development in many of her books. She is an author who provokes thought and criticism towards religion and government. I find this philosophy intriguing because of it's controversial point of view on a persons morals and actions.
ReplyDeleteTo tell you the truth, this is really hard to answer because I have too many European authors I really love!!! Currently I have three in mind and can’t chose which I love most because they are so different. The three are, JRR Tolkien (the Lord of the Rings), Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice) and Victor Hugo (Les Miserables). I really enjoy Tolkien's work because he created a world of his own. It really fascinates me how much his experiences in the World War affected his work. I also love Jane Austen because she writes really beautiful cute stories which really make me feel better after reading them. Victor Hugo’s novels are full with meaning and they move me a lot. But to tell you the truth, I actually haven't gotten around reading the whole thing (I cheated and only skim read Les Miserables because it was too long) but I like him all the same.
ReplyDeleteTo be really honest, many of my favorite books aren't by European authors .. but I really enjoyed a few of George Orwell books this year. I got through Animal Farm and 1984; which just happen to be on the unit list for this year's lit class. But anyway, I enjoy reading his books because he usually incorporates his ideas and philosophies of politics that we wouldn't expect; but it isn't too dull to read all the same. For example in Animal Farm, the whole story represented the evolution of communism with the pigs at the top with full power, and 1984 described the horrors of totalitarianism, but also had a love story take place. You can really learn a lot from Orwell's books, and enjoy them at the same time. I hope to get to read more of his books sometime.
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite European author is Charles Dickens. This is because I really enjoyed reading his novels, such as Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. His characters seem to resemble a strong message, and both novels ended with growth of the protagonists' maturity. Through their growth he revealed the hideous social truths within humanity, which i really loved.
ReplyDeleteMy knowledge of European authors is limited, but I am accustomed to George Orwell. I read his novel Animal Farm and throughly enjoyed it. The way Orwell parallels Communism in Europe to the animals on the farm makes the subject matter of Communism easier to understand. Putting a complex matter into a simpler context makes the novel interesting, yet it reflects the negativity of Communism. Orwell's writing style is simple, creative, and it flows nicely creating an entertaining novel for readers.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read this question, I actually did not know what to answer.. since I am not one of the people who really really enjoy reading. But, If i were to choose an European author it will be JK Rowling. This is probably because his book, Harry Potter, was firstly one of the books that actually didnt make me fall asleep. Secondly, its story line was deep,interesting, and touching. I cannot name many of the great authors that maybe people recognize but I really think his story is one that amuzed many people around the world.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite European author is Arthur Conan Doyle. Though I don't own any of his book, I love all of the Sherlock Holmes series I have read so far. There even was a time when my 'ideal male figure' was Sherlock Holmes. Though I don't know any of his other books, I'd love to read them sometime in the future.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, I don't know many European authors. However, the one that comes to my mind would be J.R.R Tolkien, who is the famous writer of The Lord of The Rings, and The Silmarillion. Although his writing style is somewhat old fashioned and sometimes a bit bland, I find it amazing how he managed to create a whole new universe, or world, through his books.
ReplyDeleteI'm not familiar with any European authors to be honest, however I do enjoy Jane Austen's work. Jane Austen is famous for her romantic novels. Personally, Pride and Prejudice is my favorite.I like how she realistically describes the society in her novels such as manners and beliefs, but still manages to make her stories romantic.
ReplyDeleteB1 Catherine
Generally, I don't read books, so I had a hard time thinking of an European author that was suitable for a high schooler. I really couldn't think of any author other than Roald Dahl who writes incredible novels for younger students. So in complete honesty, I don't have a favorite European author nor can I think of any one that I have read before.
ReplyDeleteWithin many books that I have read, mystery would be the genre I like the most. Conan Doyle's Holmes is of course, the known name in mystery but my favorite author is Agatha Christie. Her life was mysterious just like her novels which was very interesting to me when reading her biography. Another characteristic of her books is that her name is always emphasised on the title page which shows how her name is famous in the world.
ReplyDeleteMost of the books that I read are unfortunately by American Authors, but if I had to pick a favorite one from the European authors that I know of, I think it would be william Shakespeare. Although he is more of a playwright, he is legend. He created so many classic great hits that are still read and studied by people all around the world and are continuously re-made into movies or books. I remember when I first became familiar with the English language-which was probably in 3rd or 4th Grade-I read many Shakespeare stories in children books. And even when I'm in 11th Grade right now, I am still studying him. Shakespeare is epic.
ReplyDeleteOther European authors that I like are Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice), Charles Dickens (A Tale of Two cities, Great Expectations...) and one that is more recent, Stieg Larsson (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, although i've only begun reading it)
At first I didn't know if the people I like are European. Turns out they are. Although I love books, and love reading... I stopped reading books after entering high school. But I recall loving P.L. Travers, Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis and J.K Rowling. Although some may be considered a kids book, I still love 'em a lot. These were my childhood favorites.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the books I read today are mostly written by North American authors, but I do recall reading some European books when I was younger. In elementary school, I fequently read and loved all of Roald Dahl's book, with my favourite being the classic tale of Matilda. Although at first, his books and stories may seem like mere children's stories, but I later realized that in order to merge both the grotesque and comic, and yet still tell a moral, one must be an exceptional writer. His stories are also based around the idea that "People may not always be what they appear to be" which is simple, yet so meaningful and tells these stories in a way where it's educational, yet hilarious and comical. His stories appeal to a wide range of people, from a younger audience, to an older audience who grew up reading and loving his books. His books will be forever great and he is personally one of the most influential writer I have ever come across.
ReplyDeleteI really don’t pay too much attention to the authors of books unless you make us learn about them in class, so when I’m pleasure reading I often don’t think too much about the author let alone where they’re from…sorry. The one author that I’m sure is European and enjoyed very much is George Orwell. I absolutely loved Nineteen Eighty Four and I very much want to read Animal Farm and A Clergyman’s Daughter. His writing was smart, intriguing and rather entertaining so I’m really looking forward to reading his work again this year.
ReplyDeleteJ. K. Rowling is my favorite European author. As many of you know, she is famous for writing Harry Potter. The reason why I like her is obviously because I really enjoyed reading it. This book was one of the thick books that I could read when I was in elementary. Actually, J.K. Rowling was one of the European people that I wanted to write an essay about for this unit.
ReplyDeleteThis was quite a difficult question for me to answer, but after a few moments of looking through my collection of books I must be honest with you when I say that I currently have no favorite European authors. I do, however, have many favorite authors of European descent, such as H.P Lovecraft, Philip K. Dick, and Isaac Asimov. It does go in the order of preference too. I admire Lovecraft's twisted horror/sci-fi stories-as I am a closet fan of sci-fi. I own all three of his story collections, but my favorites from him are At the Mountains of Madness, Herbert West-Re-Animator, and The Colour Out of Space. My favorite novels from Dick are A Scanner Darkly, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said. Again, a big sci-fi author that sadly does not really fit to the prompt. I believed for the longest time that Isaac Asimov was Russian or something of the sorts simply because of his name, however I came to find out that he was indeed American. I really enjoy The Bicentennial Man, and Marooned Off Vesta. Basically, I don't really care if they're American or European or anything, as long as the novel is well written, race should never have to be a deciding factor when it comes to good literature. Hopefully I can find a favorite European author this year!
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