|
At the risk of a slight derail I'd like to talk about some of the points raised about the British educational system. Firstly, although you do have to specialise early a lot of science courses now offer a foundation year for those without the maths/science A-levels normally required. Outside of the sciences mature students (over the age of 21) can start the course with no A-levels at all. Secondly, although I cannot comment on the drop out rates compared to the States, I know lots of people who complete the first year of their course and then decide to change subject and start all over again the next year. The concept of multiple choice exams at university level is completely alien to me. I don't know if anyone would be kind enough to link me to what they feel is a good example of a typical multiple choice exam. Preferably physics since this is what I study.
|
#
¿
May 14, 2009 20:43
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 01:20 |
|
|
Thanks for that, aneurysm. (Now there's an odd sentence to type.)
|
|
#
¿
May 15, 2009 09:46
|
|
|
By the by I think a lot of astrophysicists ask that question of their field.
|
|
#
¿
May 24, 2009 13:04
|
|
|
I guess your field requires a lot of reading. How long does it take you to read a typical length novel? What are your thoughts on speed reading?
|
|
#
¿
May 26, 2009 10:17
|
|
|
Requesting you broadcast updates to the blog on twitter.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 11, 2009 19:24
|
|
|
Why don't you like Player Piano? 
|
|
#
¿
Sep 26, 2009 10:06
|
|
|
There was an article in the news today that a new version of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' has been published for use in schools that gets rid of five instances of the word 'friend of the family'. What is your opinion on altering classic texts in general or this one in particular to avoid controversial topics. Does it allow the text to be studied without being meaninglessly derailed by thorny topics or does any alteration of the text in such a manner mean that important context about the work is lost for the reader?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 5, 2011 20:17
|
|
|
Was that an original line of yours, Brainworm?
|
|
#
¿
Jun 19, 2011 13:06
|
|
|
Brainworm posted:then yes, it's original. At least if we're using "original" in a way that includes me imitating someone else's style. Well if your lecturing career doesn't pan out you can probably make a good living churning out b-list fiction  (this is meant to be a compliment, although I don't know if it comes off that way)
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2011 13:35
|
|
|
If you get a chance to read The Wrecker I'd be dead interested to know what you think of it.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 6, 2013 19:43
|
|
|
iFederico posted:Have you read, and do you have any comments on http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2001/07/a-readers-manifesto/302270/? I gave up on the article before the end so forgive me for that. Myers seems to be asserting something that I don't think is true: that nowadays authors have to write in very dense prose in order to be considered serious and anything else is written off as genre fiction ('thrillers' and 'romances'). I think there are plenty of authors who are considered literary whose works are very accessible (Coetzee springs to mind, even some of McCarthy's stuff like The Road is pretty accessible). And there's plenty of recent books that are definitely in no way genre fiction but I wouldn't have thought would be considered 'literary', as Myers defines it, e.g. The Beach. Really, I think it boils down to the fact that Myers doesn't like fiction with dense prose that's not easy to understand straight away. And that's fine, if you don't like it don't read it. But obviously there is a group of people out there who appreciates it and why shouldn't they?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2014 15:46
|
|
|
William Bear posted:[...]I'm just curious: what's the earliest someone has ever said words to the effect of "Of course X, it's the year Y!"[...] Brainworm posted:I dug around on this for a while, and the bottom line is that it's really, really difficult to find phrases by meaning rather than syntax. Sorry to reanimate a dead post, but I came across the quote you were probably thinking of, Brainworm, and thought I would share it. Bram Stoker posted:A year ago which of us would have received such a possibility, in the midst of our scientific, sceptical, matter-of-fact nineteenth century?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 4, 2014 14:28
|
|
|
3Romeo posted:It really is a book, too. The thread, I mean. I cut and pasted all of Brainworm's replies from this thread (and his earlier one) into a notepad document and sent it to my Kindle and read it whenever I could. According to my the dots on my Paperwhite, it's almost as long as The Shining. Can I have it?
|
|
#
¿
May 11, 2014 12:34
|
|
|
Thanks, 3Romeo!
|
|
#
¿
May 12, 2014 16:06
|
|
|
Anne Whateley posted:I happened across it in A Study in Scarlet (1886) today! I still bet we can get it back further; it's just impossible to search for. The bit about Heliocentrism?
|
|
#
¿
Jan 19, 2015 18:17
|
|
|
So I'm off to see The Tempest next week. I don't really remember much about it at all. Can some kind soul tell me enough about it so I can appreciate what's going on but not so much that you ruin it for me?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 2, 2017 19:22
|
|
|
Thanks for the reply. Trip report time: The company doing the production decided to go off book so I spent a lot of time watching Prospero monologue to a wooden doll, a lot of time listening to what I guess was the original Shakespearean verse set to a capella, and at the end it was revealed that Prospero was an old man in a nursing home. On the plus side the actor for Prospero was really good and I found them quite moving when they were talking to the audience or another actor and not a doll.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 10, 2017 11:34
|
|
|
Brainworm, I've been trying for ages to think of a good hook to get you talking about James Hynes but I can't think of one. So, have you read James Hynes? What do are your thoughts?
|
|
#
¿
Apr 13, 2019 19:56
|
|
|
Brainworm posted:but my once-upon-a-time friend had great taste. and so do I, of course.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 29, 2019 16:17
|
|
|
I heard somewhere there's a theory that Romeo and Juliette wasn't written as a tragedy but as a slightly dark farce about how stupid lovesick teens are. Is this something that's taken seriously be scholars?
|
|
#
¿
May 27, 2021 06:38
|
|
|
Brainworm posted:So is Gatsby.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 11, 2021 00:37
|
|
|
I've stolen this shamelessly from a reddit post and just wondered what your thoughts/counterarguments would be.quote:Shakespeare is grossly over-rated...
|
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2021 13:31
|
|
|
On a completely different topic, can anyone help me find a short story I can barely remember? It may have been Daphne Du Maurier but googling can't find it. It starts with a man returned from America to Europe and his plane crashes in the Alps. The survivors sit and wait a few days for rescue and then they're led to the nearest village. But the protagonist used to be a mountain climber so instead of carrying on he decides to turn back and explore the peaks instead. I think he next goes to stay in a tavern and has vaguely foreboding conversations with first the tavern keeper and then his daughter before heading into the mountains. That was as far as I got before I lost the book.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2021 19:44
|
|
|
Thanks!
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2021 07:43
|
|
|
I guess. But I wouldn't be super excited to go and see a reproduction of an original Edison lamp.
|
|
#
¿
Aug 2, 2021 19:56
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ Apr 29, 2024 01:20 |
|
|
Hello. Long time since I've posted in this thread, possibly years. Over that time I've had a few murder mysteries published, I can post a link if anyone's interested. I've just finished writing my first novel, as in not a murder mystery. I'm trying to find some beta readers before I start shopping it around to publishers and agents. I hope I'm okay posting this here, I'm at a bit of a loss as to where to get early readers. If anyone is interested, can you email me at harrisonthewriter@gmail.com please? Here's a blurb I've drafted up, so you know what you're getting into. quote:When a meteorite crashes into the forest just outside Sudbury in the Wold, a peculiar array of characters: journalists, hippies and scientists, all start flocking to the sleepy village. And with them they bring the prospect of friendship, romance, and rivalry, turning Maggie’s quiet life upside down.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 30, 2024 10:13
|
|