Tuesday, October 19, 2010

Tut, Tut

I apologize greatly for my lack of blog updates, and I will apologize in advance for any typos- my keyboard tends to skip certain letters. I also apologize that this post will not contain any though provoking topics or essays on transcendentalism (although most of you probably won't mind the absence of the latter).

What I will share is my most recent obsession with A. A. Milne, who wrote the famed Winnie-the-Pooh tales and poems. His writing is absolutely marvelous. For childrens books, the Winnie-the-Pooh books consist of some of the best literature I have ever read. Currently, I have a copy of the 'Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh' sitting beside me, tempting me with its beautiful words. I am seriously considering pushing the idea of studying A. A. Milne in our AP Literature class (we are already petitioning the study of Dr Seuss, who is another one of my favorite authors). Milne's writing is so captivating that I even felt compelled to read the foreward, which I don't normally do (yes, shame on me- I apologize again to Literature teachers of the past and present) and read his short bigraphy that precedes the story.

What I quite enjoy about Milne's stories is how he can captivate four year olds as well as adults. I read one of the chapters in my book to my youngest sister today (Chapter Five, In Which Piglet Meets A Heffalump) and I was amazed at how the same story that was holding that spunky, can't-sit-still child's attention was continuing to fascinate me with the outstanding writing techniques.

My suggestion? Find a copy of the originial Winnie-the-Pooh stories (preferably an old one, they smell the best)- none of those 'Pooh's First Halloween' rip offs that they sell in the dollar stores- that is most certainly not literature- and read it. Read the whole thing. Hopefully it will awaken the inner child in you, and those faint memories of 'tut, tut, looks like rain.'

1 comment:

  1. My parents always read me Winnie the Pooh stories when I was little. They enjoyed them as much or more than I did. I also love Mr. Milne’s poetry (e.g. Four Friends and Halfway Down). :) Charlotte was given the Now We Are Six collection and she frequently asks to read our family "a selection of poetry". :)

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