Sunday, October 25, 2009

24-Hour Read-a-Thon: 1:00 a.m. (Update #6)

I had four cups of coffee at 8:30 p.m. and I'm TIRED!

On the upside, I did get through the first 60 of 120 pages of Thomas Nashe's The Unfortunate Traveller. As far as crazy Renaissance English goes, it's not nearly as bad as "The Terrors of the Night," although it does have its moments of incomprehension. I think what also helps is how funny it is. It is a picaresque concerning the misadventures of one Jack Wilton, a rogue, knave, cavalier, expert gambler, woer of women, fountain of wit. He remorselessly sends men to ruin with his trickery, including one particularly hated army captain, whom Jack convinces to go over to the French lines as a spy and assassin, in hopes that the French will either kill him or he would be flogged and sent back to the English in disgrace.
This confession could not choose but move them all to laughter, in that he made it as light a matter to kill their King and come back, as to go to Islington and eat a mess of cream and come home again; nay, and besides he protested that he had no other intention, as if that were not enough to hang him.
I got as far as the part where Wilton's love-sick traveling companion challenges the Court of Florence to defend the beauty of his Florentine-born lady back in England. Then the narrative started to drag with drawn-out description of battle armor.

Unfortunately, the coffee has also made it difficult for me to concentrate, so for the time being I will go back to poetry, this time Wallace Stevens and T.S. Eliot.

10 comments:

(Diane) Bibliophile By the Sea said...

You are really doing great! Isn't the time flying by? I am starting to feel exhaustion setting in, but blog-hopping is helping. Keep up the good work.

Susan Whelan said...

Well done so far! I hope that you are enjoying your switch to poetry.

Happy Reading!

Julie said...

oh no you got a buzz kill? Anways, you're t you made it this far so good luck for the rest of the twilight hours!

ccqdesigns said...

Now that it's past midnight and our eyes are drooping lower, it's time for us night owls to get our second wind! So here is a big HOOT from Alabama. Keep on Reading!!!! Just a few more hours to go!!!!

Go Reading,Go Reading,Go Reading!!!
Rebecca
the Transcendentalists team!

Valerie said...

Reading poetry is a nice way to wrap up the readathon! I hope you had fun during this readathon. i sure did :-).

Dreamybee said...

Glad you participated in the read-a-thon. LOL @ the 4 cups of coffee-I've found that coffee doesn't keep me awake and alert; all it does is put me into twitchy, fitful sleep when I get so tired that I finally pass out despite the 4 cups of coffee!

Anonymous said...

Looks like you've done great in the read-a-thon! Happy Reading!

CeeCee said...

Looks like you enjoyed a fun readathon. Pat yourself on the back for a job well done!

JoAnn said...

I'd say you've have a great read-a-thon! We were at Parent's Weekend at my daughter's college, but I definitely want to join in next time.

Anonymous said...

I hope you got some sleep!! A readathon hangover is no fun.

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