The Online Books Page. THE BRITISH LIBRARY - The world's knowledge. Kinita: "Красавица и Чудовище" в исполнении Angela Barrett. Die kunst der fugue. Darkness in literature: five great darknesses. Darkness is such a pliant and redolent theme, encompassing terror, comfort, wisdom, folly, being lost, being estranged, being sneaky, being smart; it is a representation of the seething, absent force of all that is selfish and wicked and cloaked (Sauron and Mordor in the work of Tolkien) or a profound and inexpressible and enigmatic presence (G K Chesteron's Sunday in The Man Who Was Thursday). I've selected five versions of darkness from the capital "C" canon.
It is neither exhaustive, nor definitive, but at least shows, I hope, how marbled and ambiguous darkness is. 1. The Bible It was probably through Persian Zoroastrianism that the equation of Light and God was first made. 2. There's a dissertation to be done on Shakespeare and darkness. 3. "No light, but rather darkness visible": in 10 syllables Milton conjures the paradox of Hell. 4. Dark is also Dark Ages; and Pope describes the horror of cultural apocalypse better than anyone. In vain, in vain, — the all-composing Hour She comes! Books That Will Inspire You to Be a Better Person in 2013. The holiday season is traditionally a time for charity and warm fuzzy feelings, but sometimes we need a little extra inspiration.
That is, a captivating read that will also make us want to be a better person — whether because of the sterling example of a character, some choice lines of world-wisdom, or something a little more nebulous. After the jump, try out ten books that will inspire your better self to make an appearance — we’ve veered away from self-help books of any kind, though we’ve allowed for a mix of fiction and non – and let us know if we missed your personal go-to good-guy read in the comments.
The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint Exupery “All grown-ups were once children,” Saint Exupery reminds us, “but only few of them remember it.” Every time we read this book, we resolve never to forget again — and always to look with our hearts, not with our eyes. Joy by Zadie Smith.
Lolita. Les Fleurs du mal. Books, Design & Culture. Paris 3. Œuvres complètes.