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Travelling Heroes: Greeks and Their Myths in the Epic Age of Homer

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Robin Lane Fox

September 04, 2008

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Paradise Lost (Penguin Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: John Milton

February 27, 2003
Although "Paradise Lost" is one of the great works of the English language and should be read by every serious literary mind, I found the Penguin edition somewhat lacking. The notes are often brief and unhelpful, and the introduction, while well-written, misses certain key points of cultural history and context which are found in other editions. Overall, while this is a decent copy of the work for a first-time reader, I would recommend that the serious Milton fan find a more well-thought-out and better organised edition for further study and enjoyment.

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The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Brian Patten

August 26, 1999
I was searching for a decent poetry book, since the one that I read as a child called Junket and Jumbles.

The Silly old Baboon poem was hilarious, and I am quite certain that the little boy for whom I bought this book will treasure it.

One small comment. If you are buying this book as new then all the poems are there, however with the second hand options go for the one that has the title 'The Puffin Book of Utterly Brilliant Poetry' and not the one titled just 'Utterly Brilliant Poetry' as the latter is just A5 size and missing some great poems.

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Literary Theory: An Anthology (Blackwell Anthologies)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
from: WileyBlackwell

June 11, 2004
One of those books that crops up on every Eng. Lit. student's reading list at some stage during their degrees, and one of those books that will lurk on the bookshelf looking clever (and unread) until you at last tire of hankering after the bright college days.

Any anthology must deal with the fundamental challenge of being representative of the field it covers, and, given the range of fields contained within this book, that is an enormous challenge. Unfortunately, it doesn't really cope that well. On the one hand it does offer original source texts by most of the big names in the business, but those source texts are frequently too specialised or closely focussed to be of use to the reader of an anthology.

If you need to ... Read More:

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Macbeth (Penguin Popular Classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: William Shakespeare

May 26, 1994
This book is incredibly boring.

This Shakespeare guy is way over-rated.

it is written in old English so you need an other book to simply translate it's text. In this day and age you would be insane to read this for fun. Rent a blu-ray disc or go to the cinema or something.

On the other hand if you are doing it for school then I guess you have to buy it.

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Koss PortaPro - High Quality Sound Stereophone

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
from: Koss

February 05, 2008
These headphones really have to be heard to be believed. I cant believe the sound quality on such inexpensive phones. If you can live with the retro look these really are a must buy. They even come with a handy pouch to store them in when not in use.
Highly Recommend 5 Stars!

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Beowulf: A New Translation

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
from: Faber and Faber

October 02, 2000
This was my first encounter with Beowulf, (I haven't seen the film either). I chose the bilingual edition to see what the Old English looked like and although I could barely recognise a word, it did help to see the shape, metre and style of the original. Heaney's translation is easy to read, very straight-forward in language, and the accompanying essay helps you see how much work goes into preserving some of the form of the original in the modern translation.
With the original and Heaney's version printed side by side, it affected the way I read it. I tended to readi it aloud to myself (but in my head), trying to see the translation's cadence resonating with the original's two parts to each line. This was novel for me and enjoyable for one who doesn't ... Read More:

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The Whitsun Weddings (Faber Poetry)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Philip Larkin

May 08, 2001


Looking at the previous reviews I find it quite adverse that someone would condemn a book of poetry because it isn't 'perky' enough. I thought poetry was about so much more than just lifting the spirits.

I myself am 17, studying The Whitsun Weddings for my AS level. Incontestably, it is of a depressive nature, but I do not view this as a possible criticism of the book. This is the very thing that makes it a worthwhile read. Larkin's pessimistic/realist views on matters such as monogamy and marriage, consumerism and generally pre-idealised life are yes, very blunt and negative, but something we have all atleast pondered on. I think his work is very enjoyable. With his arrogance constantly juxaposed with his feelings of inadequacy, I felt like ... Read More:

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Mythologies (Vintage classics)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Roland Barthes

July 15, 1993
I would like to say that I read this book in French, and that it is very legible. I haven't read the English version, but I would like to do so, following the allegations that Barthes wrote pretentiously. In French, his verbs, nouns and adjectives are incisive and often very funny. Each sentence carries one or numerous clear, often witty ideas. Overall, it's very clearly written, though some may find it pretentious.

Sentences in French tend to be longer, through the use of commas, semicolons, and transitions which one may have a hard time translating. I agree that the second part, Myth Today, is more difficult to understand, perhaps because it is an abstraction, a theorization of the first part.

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How to Write Better Essays (Palgrave Study Guides)

Childrens Toy Shop > Books > Poetry- Drama and Criticism
by: Greetham, Bryan

February 29, 2008
This book is worth its weight in gold for anyone who needs to write essays and I have recommended it to many of my friends. I have always been able to write decent enough essays, getting A grade GCSEs and A/ B grade Alevels, but my undergraduate essays never quite seemed to reach the top marks. I couldn't quite understand this though because I always got top marks for my scientific reports, literature reviews, and exams yet my essays never seemed to go above a 2:1. If I put in a huge amount of effort I would be able to reach a high 2:1, while hardly any effort would get me a low 2:1, I just couldn't seem to break out of it! That was until I read this book.

This book was an absolute delight to read. It is extremely well written, interesting and engaging. To be honest, ... Read More: