A Meme! « So Many Books

A Meme!

August 22, 2007 by Stefanie

I was going to save Litlove’s spiffy new meme for tomorrow, but my mind says it needs a break today. So here goes.

List some of your favorite words:

Effervescent. Yummy. Fuzzy. Howdy. Thyme. Banana.

What’s your favorite maxim or proverb?

With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine.

What’s your favorite quotation?

I have sometimes dreamt that when the Day of Judgement dawns and the great conquerors and lawyers and statesmen come to receive their rewards–their crowns, their laurels, their names carved indelibly upon imperishable marble–the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say, not without a certain envy when He sees us coming with our books under our arms, “Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them. They have loved reading.” –Virginia Woolf, “How Should One Read a Book?”, The Common Reader

What’s your favorite first line of a novel?

“It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen.” George Orwell, 1984

Give an example of a piece of description that’s really pleased you in your reading lately:

Ralph Waldo Emerson in his essay “Quotation and Orginality”: “Language is a city to the building of which every human being brought a stone; yet he is no more to be credited with the grand result than the acaleph which adds a cell to the coral reef which is the basis of the continent.”

Which five writers do you particularly admire for their use of language?

Virginia Woolf, Adrienne Rich, Margaret Atwood, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Marcel Proust

And are there writers whose style you really dislike?
Charles Stross, F. Scott Fitzgerald

What’s the key to really fine writing, in your opinion?
A flare for the lyrical and precise word choice.

That was pretty fun, though it was more difficult than I expected. Thanks Litlove! Anyone else want to play?

Posted in Memes | 14 Comments

14 Responses to “A Meme!”

on August 22, 2007 at 8:50 pm1 A Little Bit About Meme

[...] So, in honor of that read, here’s a meme I found at So Many Books [...]
on August 22, 2007 at 8:50 pm2 annie

Fun! I joined in here:
http://superfastreader.com/a-little-bit-about-meme.htm
on August 22, 2007 at 10:13 pm3 Dark Orpheus

“With sufficient thrust, pigs fly just fine.” Really?

I was looking through the meme - and some questions are difficult. Can’t say if there is anyone’s style that I really hate. Oh wait - Dan Brown!

Favourite quote? There’s so many.

I’ll see if I can come up with something later this evening.
on August 22, 2007 at 10:23 pm4 Danielle

Those are great answers. I would have to think about this for a while. I can never pull these sorts of things out of the air. I tend to read something and appreciate it, then promptly forget it and where I read it. This is the sort of stuff I should write down, isn’t it?!
on August 23, 2007 at 2:26 am5 litlove

Adored the answers! That maxim about the pigs cracked me up and the quotations from Woolf and Emerson are wonderful. It’s true that it’s a tricky meme in places, but that’s because I know how smart you are.
on August 23, 2007 at 4:32 am6 Heather (errantdreams)

I love this meme but would never be able to remember all the answers I’d want to give. Ahh for a better memory! Love your pigs maxim!
on August 23, 2007 at 6:28 am7 Emily

Effervescent is just so…effervescent, isn’t it? I love your Virginia Woolf quote. Am looking forward to doing this one myself one of these days.
on August 23, 2007 at 7:49 am8 Stefanie

Dark Orpheus, yes indeed, pigs do fly just fine. Remember that next time someone tells you something will happen when pigs fly The favorite quote and favorit first line was hard and if you ask me tomorrow I might say something different.

Thanks Danielle! The pig maxim is my work screen saver so I see it everyday. The more profound one that I have taped to my computer monitor at work I couldn’t remember. Obviously I don’t read it enough. As for the quote, I have a commonplace book I write things like that down in for moments like these

Thanks Litlove, you’r so kind! The pigs maxim helps me get through my work day. The Woolf quote makes me teary eyed every time I read it, and Emerson, he is a master of description. I was thinking of him when I answered the the writing question.

Heather, that’s what notebooks are for, to write these things down in to have handy on just the right occasion

Emily, effervescent has been a favorite word for a long time, it’s a word whose sound fits its meaning. Looking forward to your answers to the meme!
on August 23, 2007 at 12:09 pm9 everythinginbetween

Oh, I just loved this. I’m actually not a big fan of Fitzgerald either…it’s nice to know I’m not alone. I do think I need to give The Great Gatsby a reread one of these days…
on August 23, 2007 at 12:09 pm10 everythinginbetween

PS - love your new look!
on August 23, 2007 at 3:51 pm11 Dorothy W.

I thought about doing this meme, but it does strike me as hard! I’m not a quotation collector, or a maxim one, so I wouldn’t know where to turn. I like your answers though!
on August 23, 2007 at 4:07 pm12 iliana

I love this meme, and yes I’ll be stealing this one tonight
on August 24, 2007 at 6:03 pm13 Stefanie

Courtney, thanks and thanks for letting me know you don’t like Fitzgerald either. I always feel like I should keep that a secret. As to rereading Great Gatsby. If you didn’t like it the first time, you probably won’t like it the second time. I’ve read it three times trying to like it and it hasn’t happened yet!

Aw, c’mon Dorothy, I know you’ve got a good quote and a maxim or two hiding somewhere!

Thanks Iliana! Looking forward to your answers.
on August 28, 2007 at 10:44 am14 Intertext

Hi! Good meme I delurk to share my response with you.