Getting On: a Tale of Modern English Life
Title | Getting On: a Tale of Modern English Life PDF eBook |
Author | Getting On |
Publisher | |
Pages | 498 |
Release | 1860 |
Genre | |
ISBN |
Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue
Title | Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue PDF eBook |
Author | John McWhorter |
Publisher | Penguin |
Pages | 258 |
Release | 2009-10-27 |
Genre | Language Arts & Disciplines |
ISBN | 1592404944 |
A survey of the quirks and quandaries of the English language, focusing on our strange and wonderful grammar Why do we say “I am reading a catalog” instead of “I read a catalog”? Why do we say “do” at all? Is the way we speak a reflection of our cultural values? Delving into these provocative topics and more, Our Magnificent Bastard Language distills hundreds of years of fascinating lore into one lively history. Covering such turning points as the little-known Celtic and Welsh influences on English, the impact of the Viking raids and the Norman Conquest, and the Germanic invasions that started it all during the fifth century ad, John McWhorter narrates this colorful evolution with vigor. Drawing on revolutionary genetic and linguistic research as well as a cache of remarkable trivia about the origins of English words and syntax patterns, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue ultimately demonstrates the arbitrary, maddening nature of English— and its ironic simplicity due to its role as a streamlined lingua franca during the early formation of Britain. This is the book that language aficionados worldwide have been waiting for (and no, it’s not a sin to end a sentence with a preposition).
Shakespeare in Modern English
Title | Shakespeare in Modern English PDF eBook |
Author | Translated by Hugh Macdonald |
Publisher | Troubador Publishing Ltd |
Pages | 240 |
Release | 2016-12-05 |
Genre | Literary Criticism |
ISBN | 178589840X |
Shakespeare in Modern English breaks the taboo about Shakespeare’s texts, which have long been regarded as sacred and untouchable while being widely and freely translated into foreign languages. It is designed to make Shakespeare more easily understood in the theatre without dumbing down or simplifying the content. Shakespeare’s ‘As You Like It’, ‘Coriolanus’ and ‘The Tempest’ are presented in Macdonald’s book in modern English. They show that these great plays lose nothing by being acted or read in the language we all use today. Shakespeare’s language is poetic, elaborately rich and memorable, but much of it is very difficult to comprehend in the theatre when we have no notes to explain allusions, obsolete vocabulary and whimsical humour. Foreign translations of Shakespeare are normally into their modern language. So why not ours too? The purpose in rendering Shakespeare into modern English is to enhance the enjoyment and understanding of audiences in the theatre. The translations are not designed for children or dummies, but for those who want to understand Shakespeare better, especially in the theatre. Shakespeare in Modern English will appeal to those who want to understand the rich and poetical language of Shakespeare in a more comprehensible way. It is also a useful tool for older students studying Shakespeare.
The Bookseller and the Stationery Trades' Journal
Title | The Bookseller and the Stationery Trades' Journal PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Pages | 1042 |
Release | 1860 |
Genre | Bibliography |
ISBN |
Official organ of the book trade of the United Kingdom.
The Wake
Title | The Wake PDF eBook |
Author | Paul Kingsnorth |
Publisher | Graywolf Press |
Pages | 380 |
Release | 2015-09-01 |
Genre | Fiction |
ISBN | 1555979076 |
"A work that is as disturbing as it is empathetic, as beautiful as it is riveting." —Eimear McBride, New Statesman In the aftermath of the Norman Invasion of 1066, William the Conqueror was uncompromising and brutal. English society was broken apart, its systems turned on their head. What is little known is that a fractured network of guerrilla fighters took up arms against the French occupiers. In The Wake, a postapocalyptic novel set a thousand years in the past, Paul Kingsnorth brings this dire scenario back to us through the eyes of the unforgettable Buccmaster, a proud landowner bearing witness to the end of his world. Accompanied by a band of like-minded men, Buccmaster is determined to seek revenge on the invaders. But as the men travel across the scorched English landscape, Buccmaster becomes increasingly unhinged by the immensity of his loss, and their path forward becomes increasingly unclear. Written in what the author describes as "a shadow tongue"—a version of Old English updated so as to be understandable to the modern reader—The Wake renders the inner life of an Anglo-Saxon man with an accuracy and immediacy rare in historical fiction. To enter Buccmaster's world is to feel powerfully the sheer strangeness of the past. A tale of lost gods and haunted visions, The Wake is both a sensational, gripping story and a major literary achievement.
The English Catalogue of Books: v. [1]. 1835-1863
Title | The English Catalogue of Books: v. [1]. 1835-1863 PDF eBook |
Author | Sampson Low |
Publisher | |
Pages | 934 |
Release | 1864 |
Genre | English literature |
ISBN |
American Publishers' Circular and Literary Gazette
Title | American Publishers' Circular and Literary Gazette PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Pages | 694 |
Release | 1860 |
Genre | Bibliography, National |
ISBN |