Libraries of Ancient Rome

Hello everyone! Yes, I know I'm supposed to just sit back here in Italy and let my previously scheduled posts go up, but I wanted to give you an update about how it's going - specifically tell you about a temporary exhibit that I saw at the Coliseum. So pardon any bad spelling, grammar, or formatting - I'm writing this from an iPhone touch screen keyboard. 

The exhibit was called La Biblioteca Infinita (the infinite library). The title was taken from a quote by Jorge Luis Borges: the library, the source of culture, has no boundaries because it corresponds with the universe; its main characteristic is thus universality.

A prime example of this infinity and universality are the first libraries of history - Alexandria etc. Here's the first panel of the exhibit - it's beautifully written:

Here's a scroll by the poet Posydippus of Pella, inscribed in Alexandria. You may have to click on it to zoom in. Or it may be humongous and stretch across the web page. Sorry - I can't preview things on my phone.

Scrolls - the ancient correlary to our books!

Here's how the scrolls were stored:

My mom and I assumed that the busts of the authors were in front of the scrolls for easy finding and reference. But that's just our hypothesis. 

So how did these ancient libraries work? Well, they weren't like modern libraries, where you can take out books. No, the books were there for patrons to enjoy inside the library. Anyone could go into the library and read the scrolls, they just couldn't remove them. Here are the rules of one such library - the library of Titus Flavius Pantainos:

What's that? You can't understand it? Well, for those of you who can't read Greek*, here's what it says:

No book is to be taken out of the library, for we have sworn an oath; the library is to be open from the first unto the sixth hour. 

So, as you saw, the scrolls were stored on tall shelves, and once Latin literature became a "thing" in 3 BC, they separated the scrolls by language. The Greek scrolls were in one hall, and the Latin in another. Apart from that, libraries also had a space for cataloging the texts, and an auditorium for orations. Speeches are very close relatives to essays, after all!

Here's a poster on how libraries were cataloged and run:

Remember what I said about everyone having access to the texts in a library? Well, that wasn't necessarily true. It wasn't until Julius Cesar opened the first public library that the populus had access to knowledge. 

Oh and here's a nice map of the ancient libraries of Rome. 

Wasn't that a cool exhibit? Oh and one more thing - I may have told you that this summer we are renovating my parents' old study into a reading/study space for me (oho, I get my own bookshelves! Woo!). At the end of the exhibit was this cool column, and my mom had the genius idea of possibly applying this sort of design to one of the walls of my new space. It has random classical art of people reading and writing. Fun, huh? 

So that's all for now. I'm off to Venice on the fast train, and if I see anything else interesting and bookish, I'll keep you posted. :)

Ciao!

~Sophia

(This is titled "the stele of Timocrates, a scribe capable of writing correctly". ) 

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*for the record, I can't understand Greek either. There was a convenient translation on a sign nearby. :)

The Lost Beauty of Twilight

Let's play with words! I'll occasionally have more posts where we have fun with language, and they'll be tagged as such.

Before this, I had a few other posts on fun words - namely, weird literary terms. If you care to read about malapropisms, mondegreens, and echophonesis, check them out!

Okay, on to twilight.

The English language is a flexible language. Yes, we have "grammar," but there is no official language society that tells us what to do (like there is in France and some other languages). Words take on different meanings as we move through time. They can take on different connotations, depending on how they have been used in culture. One such word is twilight.

Seriously, when you hear the word twilight, separate from any context, what do you think of? Honestly.

I'll confess that I generally picture this:

rather than this:



And if you search "twilight" in Google Images, you get this:

That's because that's the most common use of the word today.* We think of sparkling vampires, shirtless werewolves, weirdly-obsessed tween girls.** Mention the word twilight in conversation, and half the population will go "Ugh," and half will squeal and giggle. (I like to think that it's more of a 4:1, 5:1, or even 6:1 ratio, though.)

But look at the dictionary meaning of twilight. 

1. the soft glowing light from the sky when the sun is below the horizon, caused by the refraction and scattering of the sun's rays from the atmosphere. 

2. a period or state of obscurity, ambiguity, or gradual decline.

It's beautiful (soft glowing light), it's scientific (refraction...atmosphere), it's deep (#2). This is such  a beautiful word, really. Banish all thought of teenage romanticized vampires and werewolves from your mind and think about the word twilight in it's real, ancient sense. It's dusky and purple and cozy and mysterious and a bit scary all at the same time. It has a sense of closure that can be calming and peaceful - or dark and foreboding. 

Twilight is that time when REAL vampires and werewolves come out - the kind who want to attack you and drink your blood, and not just watch you sleep.

The word twilight has been changed - and, I think, changed for the worse. Don't let such a gorgeous word go to waste! It's too beautiful.

Do you know of any words that have changed their connotation/meaning for the worse - or for the better? Let me know!

~Sophia

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*I have never read the Twilight books (though I've read a few excerpts - and so experienced enough "telling not showing" to make me NEVER want to read them). This makes me a fine example of how pop culture can pervert the connotation of a word in the mind of someone who hasn't even consumed the source of that perversion.

**No offence to those who like the Twilight books - just to those who think they are excellent examples of higher literature.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books About Friendship

Hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.
Today's topic is Top Ten Books about Friendship. Note that some the following books may not be primarily about friendship - but I chose them for the awesomeness of the friendships within them, if that makes sense. This is technically more like my top ten friendships within literature.

1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Sam and Frodo - the greatest bromance in literature. :-)

2. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom. A touching friendship between a man at the end of his life, and a man trying to add meaning to his. (It made me cry.)

3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I love the closeness of Lizzie's and Jane's friendship.

4. Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle. Watson and Holmes are up there for best bromance with Frodo and Sam... Do you realize how much Watson and Holmes need each other? They depend on each other so much, though neither realizes it - or if he does, won't admit it. 

5. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. This is the ultimate friendship book between sisters (and Laurie, of course).

Sorry, only five today. (You may remember my excuse.)


What are your favorite books about friendship?

~Sophia

1 Year Blogoversary!

So, wierdly enough, I realized I forgot to post this on Saturday. I had it all written, I just forgot to click "Publish." Yay me. Forgetting my own blogoversary.
Oh well, what's a few days. So here it is, my little commemorative blogoversary post.
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Wow, it's really been a year since I started this blog. That's just mind blowing. It's been a fantastic experience and I have no intention of quitting anytime soon! :-) LOOKIE I have fifteen followers! (That's counting the email ones.)

But of course, May isn't exactly the best time for blogoversaries - it's finals time, and I haven't really had time to plan anything exciting to celebrate. So instead, I thought I'd look back on my favorite and most popular posts of all time, and then talk about what I'm planning to do this next year with the blog.

Looking Back
My Favorites (in no particular order):

1. The Real Mr. Darcy Why is every girl's dream to meet "her Mr. Darcy"? He's not exactly that dreamy of a husband.

2. The Island of Doctor Moreau. For some reason I just loved writing this review.

3. Mondegreens! Know what they are? This post was one is a series of fun adventures into weird literary terms.

Most Popular (with #1 having most views):

1. Shakespeare's Language - my tips and tricks on reading Shakespeare for the Classic Club's Shakespeare month in January. I'm crediting Google search with the high stats on this one!

2. Top Ten Tuesday: Books on my Spring TBR. And so far, I've only read two. This list is being shifted to summer!

3. Are Abridged Books Bad? What do you think?

Looking Ahead

Some plans for the future:

I will be getting a Twitter account for this blog, and possibly a Facebook page. I'd also love to get a Goodreads, so we'll see.

I would also love to do a giveaway, but I'm still a little shy.

And finally, I'd like to host my own challenge or readalong at some point. They look like fun!

Whether you're new, or have been with me for the whole year, thanks for hanging out with me in my little corner of the internet. Onward, to greater, crazier, nerdier adventures! :-)

~Sophia

Departure for Italia!

Today I get on a plane headed for the land of Caesar, Dante, and Verdi.*

We'll be spending most of our time in Rome, with a few days in Venice and a day trip to Florence. 

It hasn't revealed itself through my writing yet, so here you go:

Aaaaaaaaaaa Holy Saint Francis I am so EXCITED AAAAAAAAAAAAA

All right now, back to sophistication. :)

Whenever I think about the fact that I'll be staying in an apartment in Rome, all I can think of is The Count of Monte Cristo and how he just rents houses all over the place in Rome. Anything that suits his fancy.

"If you care to find me, I'll be at my villa in Rome. I might pop down to my place in Venice for a few days, though, so you might have to search there too... But if you come, you won't regret it - I'll have my personal chef Alfredo cook something exotic and magical for you. And then perhaps we could stroll in my vineyard or - if we're in Venice - Benito my gondolier can take us around and I'll show you the sights."

~said by me, if I were Monte Cristo.

Well, I don't think that's quite how it will be.

Anyway, here is what I've got in my suitcase (besides necessities, of course):

- Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Malory (still working on this one). 

- My journal (so I can tell myself I'll actually write - and then promptly forget).

- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

This is a relatively short list, but both my books are rather fat, so I don't think I'll run out of reading material.

My Kindle really and truly died a while ago (at least it looks like it did - maybe it'll resurrect like last time), so no more convenient portable travel reading for me! :(

While I'm away, there are some fun posts scheduled to pop up a few times each week (I return on June 5th). Aside from the customary Top Ten Tuesdays and Bible Project Sundays (which I apologize for if they are not exactly long or, in the case of the TTT's, ten... I was a little pressed for time), the most exciting thing happening while I am away is:
 (drumroll please)

A GUEST POST by my bibliophilic and artistic friend Samantha Gamgee** on award winning books!

How exciting!

And also, I will continue to moderate and respond to comments as usual, because now I have a phone that is smart and can do those things. However, it may take me a bit longer to respond, and I definitely won't be super active commenting on other blogs myself.

Arrivederci and ciao, I'm off to Italia!

-Sophia

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*And Vivaldi, and Corelli, and Puccini, and Rossini.... Come on, I could only pick ONE Italian composer, or it would ruin the flow if the sentence!

**If you were wondering, no, not her real name, unfortunately. It's how she's known around the interwebz. 

The Bible Project: Week 20 (2 Chron 1-27)

(Chapters 1 - 27)

So I'm SUPER busy today - packing for Italy* (our flight's tomorrow!) and attending graduation parties ('tis the season!) So this is all I will say about 2 Chronicles so far.

I don't like it. It is super boring. It's a recap of everything from Samuel and Kings and ugh can we please be done with it already? Yes, I know it's the "chronicles" of the history of Israel, and I've really got nothing against the Chronicler. But I just don't like history - at all. So there you have it. I can't wait to be over with this stuff and move onto more detailed narratives like Tobit. Woo!

~Sophia

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*Yes, yes, I will tell you all about our travel plans tomorrow morning. :-)

Book Jealousy

I don't think of myself as someone who gets jealous easily. That's definitely not one of my faults. Other people's happiness doesn't diminish my own, and naturally, I thought that would also apply to book-happiness.

Well, clearly it doesn't, if my sister is involved.

I was at the library yesterday (where I got Gone With the Wind) and my sister announces that she's going to get Dune (by Frank Herbert). I instantly protested. Now, here are a few things you should know.

1. I'm a bigger reader than my sister. She is definitely a lover of books, just not to the extent that I am. There has rarely been a book that haven't read before she did. And in one of those rare cases where she read a book before I got to it, it was a book that I wasn't particularly interested in. (The example that comes to mind is Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. My sister adores that book, and I haven't even read it.)

The book causing this sisterly contention

2. I haven't read Dune - but I really really want to.

The conversation went like this:

Sister: "I think I'm going to get Dune."
Me: "Why!?"
Sister: "Oh, I don't know. I want to read it."
Me: [Trying to formulate a logical argument in my head of why she shouldn't get it] "Uhh - but - Why don't you get something else?"
Sister: "I think I want to get Dune though."
Me: [Now, trying to figure out why the heck I don't want her to get it] "Well, I - I haven't read it yet. There are so many other books you could get!"
Sister: "No, I think I'm going to get Dune."
Me: [In mild exasperation*] "But I want to read it first! I haven't read it yet!"
Sister: "So? You don't have to read everything first. I'm going to get Dune."

That evening, I thought about why I so vehemently didn't want my sister to read Dune. I realized that I was jealous that she would read a book before I did - and of all things, a book that I wanted to read. This sort of freaked me out, because, as I said, I don't think of myself as a jealous or selfish person. But when it comes to books and the person closest to me - my sister - I become super jealous and selfish.

See, I know there are thousands of other people that have read thousands of books that I want to read. And this doesn't bug me. But because my sister is so close to me, and, though I tend to ignore it, there is a certain sense of competitiveness between us, my jealousy flared up when she DARED to read a book I wanted to.

So this post is sort of becoming therapy for me - getting over my jealousy of my sister reading Dune, and realizing that we're not competing for books. Heck, there's more than one copy of Dune at the library. But it's the idea that I don't have time to read Dune right now, and she'll finish it before I do - that makes me illogically jealous of her. I need to stop. :-)

Thanks for letting me spew all this stuff. Have any of you experienced book jealousy? Especially with someone you normally thought you wouldn't be jealous of? Tell me about it!

~Sophia

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*You can only get mildly exasperated in a library.