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        Entertainment & the Arts >> Fine Arts  >> Great prose from great or not so great books
        
(Message started by: theworstofthewest on Apr 23rd, 2005, 10:09am)
Title: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by theworstofthewest on Apr 23rd, 2005, 10:09am
This did not seem to fit under any existing topics.

Have you ever found an excellent passage, even in a work that was otherwise lacking?
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by theworstofthewest on Apr 23rd, 2005, 10:10am
"The drug hit him like an express train, a white-hot column of light mounting his spine from the region of his prostate, illuminating the structures of his skull with x-rays of short circuited sexual energy. His teeth sang in their individual sockets like tuning forks, each one pitch-perfect and clear as ethanol. His bones, beneath the hazy envelope of flesh, were chromed and polished, the joints lubricated with a film of silicone. Sandstorms raged across the scoured floor of his skull, generating waves of high thin static that broke behind his eyes, spheres of purest crystal, expanding..."

Neuromancer--William Gibson
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by theworstofthewest on May 29th, 2005, 6:38pm
"History, said Stephen, is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake."

Ulysses--James Joyce
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by teagirl on Jul 12th, 2005, 2:51pm

There is an odd musicality to this paragraph from Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf that I love so much. Reading and rereading this part (as well as the paragraphs before it) brings me right to that particular sentiment the author was describing about London and how I envisioned the city to be during that era:

 "...In people's eyes, in the swing, tramp, and trudge; in the bellow and the uproar; the carriages, motor cars, omnibuses, vans, sandwich men shuffling and swinging; brass bands; barrel organs; in the triumph and the jingle and the strange high singing of some aeroplane overhead was what she loved; life; London; this moment of June."
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by kianna on Jul 13th, 2005, 5:57pm



    "Have I told you about the tension of opposites?" he says.
     The tension of opposites?
     "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something hurts you, yet you know it shouldn't. You take certain things for granted, even when you know you should never take anything for granted.
     "A tension of opposites, like a pull on a rubber band. And most of us live somewhere in the middle."
     Sounds like a wrestling match, I say.
     "A wrestling match." He laughs. "Yes, you could describe life that way."
     So which side wins?  I ask.
     "Which side wins?"
     He smiles at me, the crinkled eyes, the crooked teeth.
     "Love wins. Love always wins."

~Mitch and Morris~
Tuesdays with Morrie

Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by psyche on Jul 18th, 2005, 6:25pm



         Psyche, aghast,  felt terror flooding her heart instead of love. She had wondered so often why he would never let her see him. There must be some dreadful reason. What did she really know about him? If he was not horrible to look at, then he was cruel to forbid her ever to behold him. "There must be something very wrong," she sobbed, "for him so to shun the light of day."

~~Cupid and Psyche~~
-Edith Hamilton-
  Mythology
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by Orange Pekoe on Jul 19th, 2005, 1:51am


on 07/18/05 at 18:25:48, psyche wrote:

         Psyche, aghast,  felt terror flooding her heart instead of love. She had wondered so often why he would never let her see him. There must be some dreadful reason. What did she really know about him? If he was not horrible to look at, then he was cruel to forbid her ever to behold him. "There must be something very wrong," she sobbed, "for him so to shun the light of day."

~~Cupid and Psyche~~
-Edith Hamilton-
  Mythology




[smiley=thinking2.gif]
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by Forgettable on Jul 19th, 2005, 5:50am

on 07/18/05 at 18:25:48, psyche wrote:

         Psyche, aghast,  felt terror flooding her heart instead of love. She had wondered so often why he would never let her see him. There must be some dreadful reason. What did she really know about him? If he was not horrible to look at, then he was cruel to forbid her ever to behold him. "There must be something very wrong," she sobbed, "for him so to shun the light of day."

~~Cupid and Psyche~~
-Edith Hamilton-
  Mythology


[smiley=thinking2.gif], too!


Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by psyche on Jul 19th, 2005, 4:41pm


[smiley=thinking2.gif] Hmmm,.... I'm wond'ring too. Is there something  [smiley=fish.gif] [smiley=tier010.gif] going on here?  ???   ;D
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by psyche on Aug 18th, 2005, 5:45pm




I can shake off everything if I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn!
~~Anne Frank~~
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by mercedeezman on Aug 20th, 2005, 4:07pm
"I feel as if the foundation upon which I have built my beliefs and actions is not a solid thing, but one as shifting as the sands of the desert.  When I was younger, I knew all the answers to all the questions. I existed in a world of surety and certainty.  Now that I am older, now that I have seen four decades of life, the only thing I know for certain is that I know nothing for certain."


-R.A. Salvatore..... Servant of the Shard
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by mercedeezman on Aug 20th, 2005, 4:27pm
"That I desire you, I cannot deny.... but I can deny my desire"

-Kevin Stein..... Brothers Majere
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by earthlingorgeous on Aug 22nd, 2005, 8:42am

on 08/20/05 at 16:27:30, mercedeezman wrote:
"That I desire you, I cannot deny.... but I can deny my desire"

-Kevin Stein..... Brothers Majere


[smiley=idea2.gif] [smiley=whip.gif] Don't deny ur desire ...its bad for the health lol!!!
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by mercedeezman on Aug 23rd, 2005, 2:36am
"He wondered whether she would tell him.  One thing he was sure of about women was that every last one had secret places in her heart, sometimes shared with another woman but never with a man.  The only thing he was sure of about women."


-Robert Jordan..... A Crown of Swords
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by earthlingorgeous on Aug 24th, 2005, 10:12am

on 08/23/05 at 02:36:56, mercedeezman wrote:
"He wondered whether she would tell him.  One thing he was sure of about women was that every last one had secret places in her heart, sometimes shared with another woman but never with a man.  The only thing he was sure of about women."


-Robert Jordan..... A Crown of Swords


hey mahal you can share anything with me ok?
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by NorKay on Aug 25th, 2005, 11:36am

on 08/23/05 at 02:36:56, mercedeezman wrote:
"He wondered whether she would tell him.  One thing he was sure of about women was that every last one had secret places in her heart, sometimes shared with another woman but never with a man.  The only thing he was sure of about women."

-Robert Jordan..... A Crown of Swords



I think I have to agree,this is so true.But isn't it true for you,men,as well? Hmmm?  ;D
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by mercedeezman on Sep 2nd, 2005, 7:31am
"How people see you first is what they hold hardest in their minds.  It is the way of the world.  You can step down froma throne, and even if you behave like a farmer in a pigsty, some part of each of them will remember that you did descend from a throne.  But if they see only a young man first, a country man, they will resent him stepping up to his throne later, whatever his right, whatever his power."

-Robert Jordan..... Lord of Chaos
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by pEriWiNkLe on Sep 8th, 2005, 7:26pm




     'I have often thought of you,' said Estella.
     'Have you?'
     'Of late, very often. There was a long hard time when I kept far from me the remembrance of what I had thrown away when I was quite ignorant of its worth. But, since my duty has not been incompatible with the admission of that remembrance, I have given it a place in my heart.'
      'You have always held your place in my heart,' I answered.
And we were silent again until she spoke.
      'I little thought,' said Estella, 'that I should take leave of you in taking leave of this spot. I am very glad to do so.'
      'Glad to part again, Estella? To me parting is a painful thing. To me, the remembrance of our parting has been ever mournful and painful.'
      'But you said to me,' returned Estella, very earnestly. '"God bless you, God forgive you!" And if you could say that to me then, you will not hesitate to say that to me now - now, when suffering has been stronger than all other teaching, and has taught me to understand what your heart used to be. I have been bent and broken, but - into a better shape. Be as considerate and good to me as you were, and tell me we are friends.'
      'We are friends,' said I, rising and bending over her, as she rose from the bench.
      'And will continue friends apart,' said Estella.

~Great Expectations~
- Charles Dickens -
 


Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by WinGaRdiuM LeVioSa on Oct 13th, 2005, 7:47pm





"I sometimes find, and I am sure you know the feeling, that I simply have too many thoughts and memories crammed into my mind..."

~Albus Dumbledore~
-Harry Potter-
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by mercedeezman on Nov 15th, 2005, 6:02am
 "But had he tried to flee, they would have run him through from behind.  Alive and bleeding was better than dead.
 "His hands moved as fast as they ever had, short moves, almost delicate.  Flamboyance would have killed him.  One knife slipped into a fat man's heart and out again before the fellow's knees began to crumple.  He sliced inside the elbow of a man built like a blacksmith, who dropped his sword and awkwardly drew his belt knife with his left hand.  Mat ignored him, the fellow was already staggering from blood loss before his blade cleared the scabbard.  A square-faced man gasped as Mat sliced open the side of his neck.  he clapped a hand to the wound, but he only managed to totter back two steps before he fell.  As men died, the others gained room, but Mat moved faster still, dancing so that a falling man shielded him from another's sword while he closed inside the sword-arc of a third.  To him, the world consisted of his two knives and the men crowding each other to get at him, and his knives sought places where men bled most heavily.  Some of those ancient memories came from men who had not been very nice at all."

-Robert Jordan.... Knife of Dreams
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by WinGaRdiuM LeVioSa on Feb 2nd, 2006, 9:17am




"I am nothing special; of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts, and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten,..... but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

~The Notebook~
Nicholas Sparks
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by WinGaRdiuM LeVioSa on Feb 2nd, 2006, 9:27am





Excerpts from The Alchemist:


"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."


"No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn't know it."

"If you can concentrate on the present, you'll be a happy man…the secret is here in the present. If you pay attention to the present, you can improve upon it. And if you improve on the present, what comes later will also be better…Each day, in itself, brings with it an eternity."


"Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him."


"Wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure."


"You've got to find the treasure, so that everything you have learned along the way can make sense."


"Listen to your heart. It knows all things, because it came from the Soul of the World and it will one day return there."


"Love is the pure language of the world...A language without words…the one true language of the universe. It requires no explanation, just as the universe needs none as it travels through endless time."


"When we love, we always strive to become better than we are."



"When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too."


"Without love, dreams would have no meaning."

~Paulo Coelho~




 
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by WinGaRdiuM LeVioSa on Nov 26th, 2008, 10:16pm



"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart..."
~Anne Frank~

Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by WinGaRdiuM LeVioSa on Dec 12th, 2008, 5:25pm



"Always learn poems by heart,... they have to become the marrow in your bones. Like fluoride in the water, they'll make your soul impervious to the world's soft decay.."

~white oleander~
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by K.... on Dec 27th, 2008, 3:25pm


"I couldn’t live with myself if I ever hurt you. You don’t know how it’s tortured me. The thought of you, still, white, cold… to never see you blush scarlet again, to never see that flash of intuition in your eyes when you see through my pretenses… it would be unendurable. You are the most important thing to me now. The most important thing to me ever."


"You are my life now...."

~Edward Cullen, Twilight~
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by K.... on Dec 27th, 2008, 3:32pm


Before you, Bella, my life was like a moonless night. Very dark, but there were stars—points of light and reason… And then you shot across my sky like a meteor. Suddenly everything was on fire; there was brilliancy, there was beauty. When you were gone, when the meteor had fallen over the horizon, everything went black. Nothing had changed, but my eyes were blinded by the light. I couldn’t see the stars anymore. And there was no more reason for anything.

~Edward Cullen, New Moon~
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by 3iNnA on Dec 27th, 2008, 6:26pm
K...thats one of my favorite also!! I even copy it on my personal journal...When I read that I say wow...too bad my husband doesn't say that...I will fall over if he did....
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by K.... on Dec 29th, 2008, 3:17pm

Lol, Annie I know what you mean. If someone ever says to me "YOU are my life now.."??? I dunno, I think I'll faint!  :D Anyway, I still have a lot of favorite passages from Twi & New Moon, I'll try to posts some by and by.  ;)
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by 3iNnA on Jan 6th, 2009, 3:42am
:D :D Don't faint.  
Looking forward to read what you type..
Title: Re: Great prose from great or not so great books
Post by K.... on Jan 6th, 2009, 4:49pm


on 01/06/09 at 03:42:21, 3iNnA wrote:
:D :D Don't faint.  
Looking forward to read what you type..



(Giggles) I was just kidding Annie.  ;) Anyway, I've posted my fave Edward quotes, now for Bella:


"When life offers you a dream so far beyond any of your expectations, it’s not reasonable to grieve when it comes to an end..."



"I was wishing that I could believe that you were real. And I was wishing that I wasn’t afraid."



"I would rather die than stay away from you..."

Bella Swan, Twilight

 ;)


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