Best Websites for Literature Lovers. (#1)

I have been searching for some websites about literature and for literature lovers. I cannot say that I can take credits for the first ten ones! I have actually found them on FLAVORWIRE. 

Here’s a list of 10 websites for literature lovers:   

1.The Millions

Ten years is a mighty long time in terms of Internet life, but that’s how long The Millions has been kicking out a steady stream of reviews, essays, and links. That’s what has made it the Internet’s #1 literary institution.

LINK: http://www.themillions.com/

2. The Paris Review Daily

While the print version of this highly respected literary journal only comes out a few times a year, its blog has become a daily hub for readers thanks to a great mix of news roundups, essays, interviews, and more.

LINK: http://www.theparisreview.org/blog/

3. Page-Turner

Obviously being The New Yorker’s book blog comes with its perks, and Page-Turner takes full advantage of its captive audience by posting everything from the fantastic monthly podcast to a daily news roundup, great essays like Casey N. Cep’s “A Murder in Deep Summer” and Jon Michaud’s piece on why Frank Herbert’s Dune endures. Much like its parent magazine, you can’t really go wrong with what Page-Turner publishes.

LINK: http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner

4. The Los Angeles Review of Books

Launched via Tumblr in 2011, the LARB has grown from a proclamation that the West Coast has a literary scene to rival New York’s into a full-fledged online literary arts journal that boasts fantastic content and an impressive list of editors and contributors that includes Jeffrey Eugenides, Janet Fitch, Michael Pollan, Barbara Ehrenreich, and Greil Marcus, among others.

LINK: http://lareviewofbooks.org/

5. Electric Literature’s Recommended Reading

Electric Literature made a huge splash in the literary world upon its inception, fashioning itself as the literary journal for the Internet era. When the magazine ceased publication, Halimah Marcus and Benjamin Samuel stepped in with an idea so simple, you wonder why nobody thought of it sooner: a writer, an indie press, or an editor picks one story for you each week, and that’s it. One great story, like Peter Orner’s “At the Fairmont,” which was selected by Ann Beattie, or Mary Gaitskill suggesting something Saul Bellow wrote; short, easy, and totally wonderful.

LINK: http://recommendedreading.tumblr.com/

6. The Awl

It’s not a literary site in the traditional sense, but The Awl always, always posts something that appeals to book lovers, from great poetry to original essays like “How To Be A Monster: Life Lessons From Lord Byron.”

LINK: http://www.theawl.com/

7. Book Riot

The site’s tag — “All Books. Never Boring” — is an apt summation of this sometimes-quirky website that tries to make talking about books fun, and a little more inclusive to non-snobs than most outlets that discuss literature.

LINK: http://bookriot.com/

8. The New Inquiry

In the grand tradition of great journals from The Partisan Review to n+1, The New Inquiry has made itself part of the bigger conversation by mixing political discussion, pop culture dissection, and a good dose of literary sensibilities. Read the articles, and consider becoming a member.

LINK: http://thenewinquiry.com/

9. 3:AM Magazine

Another great site that has been going strong for over a decade, 3:AM publishes everything from original flash fiction to criticism, and might be the best place on the net to read about modernist and postmodernist literature in the same place.

LINK: http://www.3ammagazine.com/3am/

10. The Rumpus

The best of the West, The Rumpus has a slew of great writers both editing and contributing to a site that churns out more than its fair share of great content on a daily basis. Plus, they’ll always be the site where many readers first encountered Cheryl Strayed in her advice-giving guise as Dear Sugar.

LINK: http://therumpus.net/

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

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How long to nap.

If you’re anything like me, you love a good nap. It’s almost like rebooting your brain. But did you know that napping has some pretty far-reaching effects on your health? Shorter naps give you the ‘best bang for your buck’ according to experts, but longer naps have their benefits too.

A 10-20 minute nap can boost your alertness. Perfect for a midday break at work. But for improved memory, an hour long nap may do you good. Slow wave sleep helps with remembering places and faces, but you might feel a little groggy when you wake up. A 90 minute nap involves a full cycle of sleep, which can help with creativity and procedural memory.

As it turns out, sitting slightly upright during a nap will help you avoid deep sleep. If you start having dreams while napping, it may mean you aren’t getting enough sleep at night. Be sure to give yourself the eight hours your body needs to be healthy!

Sara Mednick, an assistant psychology professor at the University of California, Riverside, said the most useful nap depends on what the napper needs.

·         For a quick boost, she recommends a 10-to-20-minute nap.

·         For cognitive memory improvement, however, a 60-minute nap may be better, Dr. Mednick said. The downside: some grogginess upon waking.

·         Finally, a 90-minute nap will most likely turn into a full cycle of sleep, which aids creativity, emotional and procedural memory.

Want an excuse to sleep on the job? Take these scientific tips on "Power-Naps" to get the most energy out of your day, while remaining productive and non-reliant of caffeine. If done properly, naps can change your life!

Written and created by Mitchell Moffit (twitter @mitchellmoffit) and Gregory Brown (twitter @whalewatchmeplz).

Sources

·         http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323932604579050990895301888

·         http://saramednick.com/htmls/book/about.htm

Read more at http://higherperspective.com/2013/09/how-long-to-nap.html#5xYTat4FTePUVR7o.99

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

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Movies I'd like to watch in 2015.

Carol Morley writes and directs this masterful and eagerly anticipated follow up to her acclaimed DREAMS OF A LIFE. A mesmerizing psychological drama, THE FALLING explores a mysterious fainting and twitching outbreak in 1969 at an all-girls school. At the center of the epidemic are the intense and clever Lydia (MAISIE WILLIAMS), and the admired but rebellious Abbie (FLORENCE PUGH).

Within the volatile, eerie atmosphere of the school and her troubled home life, Lydia is driven to discover the truth behind the mystery whilst holding onto her fragile friendship with Abbie. As the fainting escalates, Lydia confronts the authority figures around her: her self-absorbed mother (MAXINE PEAKE), the indomitable deputy head Miss Mantel (GRETA SCACCHI), and the enigmatic headmistress Miss Alvaro (MONICA DOLAN). Eventually, Lydia’s actions force old secrets into the light as she finds truths that she never expected.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

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Do you see Einstein or Marilyn Monroe?

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

Did you spot a typo?

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10 of Shakespeare's Best Dirty Jokes.

By Kalli Damschen, Baylor University 

http://mentalfloss.com/article/54442/10-shakespeares-best-dirty-jokes

William Shakespeare is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers of all time, and his plays have entertained, inspired, and instructed for centuries. One thing your high school English teacher probably didn’t mention, however: Many of Shakespeare’s iconic plays feature risqué humor, with crude jokes hidden throughout his works. Here are 11 of the bard’s best dirty jokes.

1. TWELFTH NIGHT: ACT 1, SCENE 3

SIR ANDREW

But it becomes me well enough, does ’t not?
SIR TOBY BELCH

Excellent; it hangs like flax on a distaff; and I
hope to see a housewife take thee between her legs
and spin it off.

In this scene, Sir Toby Belch and Sir Andrew are discussing Andrew’s hair, which is apparently flat and lifeless. While Toby uses the image of a woman spinning yarn from flax, the line is a rather unfortunate double entendre. Essentially, Sir Toby is telling Andrew that he hopes a woman takes him “between her legs” and that he contracts syphilis, a disease which causes hair loss.

2. TWELFTH NIGHT: ACT 2, SCENE 5

MALVOLIO
By my life, this is my lady's hand these be her
very C's, her U's and her T's and thus makes she her
great P's.

Later in Twelfth Night, a character named Malvolio receives a letter that he believes is from his boss, Olivia. As Malvolio observes the penmanship, Shakespeare explains why he thinks the letter was written by Olivia and sneaks in a lewd pun. The line would be read, “her very C’s, her U’s, ‘n’ her T’s,” and an Elizabethan audience would quickly realize what he was spelling. He adds an extra punch line with “and thus she makes her great P’s.” Shakespeare: A literary master of both dramatic characterization and toilet humor.

3. HAMLET: ACT 2, SCENE 2

HAMLET
Then you live about her waist, or in the middle of her favors?
GUILDENSTERN
Faith, her privates we.
HAMLET
In the secret parts of Fortune?

When Hamlet asks Guildenstern and Rosencrantz how they’re doing, they say they’re indifferent. They’re neither at the top of Fate, nor the “soles of her shoes.” Hamlet then jokingly asks if they live about Fate’s waist, “in the middle of her favors.” Guildenstern agrees that they’re around “her privates,” in the (ahem) “secret parts” of Fate.

Shakespeare certainly knows how to spice up the small talk.

4. HAMLET: ACT 3, SCENE 2

HAMLET
Lady, shall I lie in your lap?
OPHELIA
No, my lord.
HAMLET
I mean, my head upon your lap?
OPHELIA
Ay, my lord.
HAMLET
Do you think I meant country matters?
OPHELIA
I think nothing, my lord.
HAMLET
That’s a fair thought to lie between maids' legs.
OPHELIA
What is, my lord?
HAMLET
Nothing.

By this scene, Hamlet’s going cuckoo for cocoa puffs after his murdered father’s ghost appears, and he apparently decides to deal with it by harassing his would-be girlfriend. His words become especially obscene when one knows that “nothing” was Elizabethan slang for a woman’s lady bits. Shakespeare also sneaks in a pun with the word “country”—just drop off the last syllable, and you’ll see what he was going for.

5. A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM: ACT 5, SCENE 1

PYRAMUS
O kiss me through the hole of this vile wall!
THISBE
I kiss the wall's hole, not your lips at all.

This scene features a play within the play, and characters are acting as lovers Pyramus and Thisbe. Perhaps more importantly, another person is filling the role of the wall. Kissing “the wall’s” hole … well, that is something Thisbe most certainly does not want to do.

6. THE TAMING OF THE SHREW: ACT 2, SCENE 1

PETRUCHIO
Who knows not where a wasp does
wear his sting? In his tail.
KATHARINA
In his tongue.
PETRUCHIO
Whose tongue?
KATHARINA
Yours, if you talk of tails: and so farewell.
PETRUCHIO
What, with my tongue in your tail?

C’mon. This one isn’t even subtle.

7. OTHELLO: ACT 1, SCENE 1

IAGO
I am one, sir, that comes to tell you your daughter and the Moor are now making the beast with two backs.

Iago is informing another character, Brabantio, that his daughter has married Othello, a Moor. Iago is far from pleased with this turn of events, and so uses this unusually colorful and eccentric image to tell Brabantio. As a result of this scene, “the beast with two backs” came to be a fairly common euphemism for sex.

8. TITUS ANDRONICUS: ACT 4, SCENE 2

CHIRON
Thou hast undone our mother.
AARON
Villain, I have done thy mother.

Chiron confronts Aaron, his mother’s lover, whom he believes is responsible for ruining his mother. Aaron’s witty response is perhaps the earliest “your mom” joke in history.

9. HENRY V: ACT 2, SCENE 1

PISTOL
Pistol’s cock is up,
And flashing fire will follow.

The word “cock” may not have developed its current slang meaning until a decade or two after Henry V was written, so this might not have been an intentional pun. Either way, it was too good to exclude. With the possible double meaning and such vivid imagery, Shakespeare himself would have approved of this joke, unintentional or not.

10. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING: ACT 5, SCENE 2

BENEDICK
I will live in thy heart, die in thy lap, and be
buried in thy eyes.

In Elizabethan slang, “to die” was a euphemism for sexual climax, so Benedick telling his lover, Beatrice, that he will “die” in her lap has less-than-chaste implications. It should also be noted that the title of the play itself is a dirty pun; remember, “nothing” was an Elizabethan euphemism for a woman’s lady parts. Oh, Shakespeare, you naughty thing.

PORTAL DA LÍNGUA INGLESA has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-partly internet websites referred to in this post, and does not guarantee that any context on such websites are, or will remain, accurate or appropriate.

In some instances, I have been unable to trace the owners of the pictures used here; therefore, I would appreciate any information that would enable me to do so. Thank you very much.

Is something important missing? Report an error or suggest an improvement. Please, I strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact me!

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An introduction by David and Ben Crystal to the 'Original Pronunciation' production of Shakespeare:

The Storm by Kate Chopin

Hi, I am here again. If it were not for the date on the blog, I would never remember the last time I published something here. Well, there is a reasonable explanation for that: I have been writing and reading a lot in my Master’s program.

One of the things I am studying is (American and English) literature. So, every week we are supposed to read, analyze, and write something. That’s why I shouldn't be blogging right now; I should be reading, writing or analyzing something instead, right?

However, I would like to share this story with you guys . I hope you like Kate Chopin!

See you guys around. I gotta go back to my academic routine. 

Oh yes... er... Happy Easter everyone! 

Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty in St. Louis, Missouri on February 8, 1850, is considered one of the first feminist authors of the 20th century. She was following a rather conventional path as a housewife until an unfortunate tragedy -- the untimely death of her husband -- altered the course of her life. >>>MORE ABOUT HER<<< 

I

The leaves were so still that even Bibi thought it was going to rain. Bobint, who was accustomed to converse on terms of perfect equality with his little son, called the child's attention to certain sombre clouds that were rolling with sinister intention from the west, accompanied by a sullen, threatening roar. They were at Friedheimer's store and decided to remain there till the storm had passed. They sat within the door on two empty kegs. Bibi was four years old and looked very wise.

"Mama'll be 'fraid, yes, he suggested with blinking eyes.

"She'll shut the house. Maybe she got Sylvie helpin' her this evenin'," Bobint responded reassuringly.

"No; she ent got Sylvie. Sylvie was helpin' her yistiday,' piped Bibi.

Bobint arose and going across to the counter purchased a can of shrimps, of which Calixta was very fond. Then he retumed to his perch on the keg and sat stolidly holding the can of shrimps while the storm burst. It shook the wooden store and seemed to be ripping great furrows in the distant field. Bibi laid his little hand on his father's knee and was not afraid.

II

Calixta, at home, felt no uneasiness for their safety. She sat at a side window sewing furiously on a sewing machine. She was greatly occupied and did not notice the approaching storm. But she felt very warm and often stopped to mop her face on which the perspiration gathered in beads. She unfastened her white sacque at the throat. It began to grow dark, and suddenly realizing the situation she got up hurriedly and went about closing windows and doors.

Out on the small front gallery she had hung Bobint's Sunday clothes to dry and she hastened out to gather them before the rain fell. As she stepped outside, Alce Laballire rode in at the gate. She had not seen him very often since her marriage, and never alone. She stood there with Bobint's coat in her hands, and the big rain drops began to fall. Alce rode his horse under the shelter of a side projection where the chickens had huddled and there were plows and a harrow piled up in the corner.

"May I come and wait on your gallery till the storm is over, Calixta?" he asked.

Come 'long in, M'sieur Alce."