Two Questions
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
I'm looking for reading suggestions.
Request 1. This summer I'll be teaching a novel to my English as a Second Language students. Ideally, it should be:
- A great work of 20th century American fiction.
- Relatively short -- under 250 pages.
- A compelling read with a compelling plot.
- A novel that has been adapted into a good film. This criterion isn't a must, but I like to end the summer by having everyone over for dinner and a movie.
Last year we did To Kill a Mockingbird, which went over really well. I'm considering The Great Gatsby, but one of my students has already seen the film, and, also, I can't in good conscience show any adaptation that casts Mia Farrow as Daisy. Ideas?
Request 2. An old friend and I have been exchanging emails for the last few days. He's a songwriter who is looking to spend some time "mining language." I like that metaphor. He wants to read great images, great sentences, language rich with metaphor and poetry.
My first thought was Michael Ondaatje, whose prose is just head-shaking beautiful at times. I passed along a few other names, but I'm curious to hear more. Who are the writers who you read for the language?
Darren Hughes is a web designer and freelance writer in Knoxville, Tennessee.
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