#Obscure literature

[bearsbeetstextposts]

Memes de La Dama Del Alba

#dama del alba #Alejandro casona #spanish #La Peregrina #Meme #original content #spanish memes #niche #obscure literature #Read this in class #IB Spanish HL

[rachel-614]

Okay, let me tell you a story:

Once upon a time, there was a prose translation of the Pearl Poet’s Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. It was wonderfully charming and lyrical and perfect for use in a high school, and so a clever English teacher (as one did in the 70s) made a scan of the book for her students, saved it as a pdf, and printed copies off for her students every year. In true teacher tradition, she shared the file with her colleagues, and so for many years the students of the high school all studied Sir Gawain and the Green Knight from the same (very badly scanned) version of this wonderful prose translation.

In time, a new teacher became head of the English Department, and while he agreed that the prose translation was very wonderful he felt that the quality of the scan was much less so. Also in true teacher tradition, he then spent hours typing up the scan into a word processor, with a few typos here and there and a few places where he was genuinely just guessing wildly at what the scan actually said. This completed word document was much cleaner and easier for the students to read, and so of course he shared it with his colleagues, including his very new wide-eyed faculty member who was teaching British Literature for the first time (this was me).

As teachers sometimes do, he moved on for greener (ie, better paying) pastures, leaving behind the word document, but not the original pdf scan. This of course meant that as I was attempting to verify whether a weird word was a typo or a genuine artifact of the original translation, I had no other version to compare it to. Being a good card-holding gen zillenial I of course turned to google, making good use of the super secret plagiarism-checking teacher technique “Quotation Marks”, with an astonishing result:

By which I mean literally one result.

For my purposes, this was precisely what I needed: a very clean and crisp scan that allowed me to make corrections to my typed edition: a happily ever after, amen.

But beware, for deep within my soul a terrible Monster was stirring. Bane of procrastinators everywhere, my Curiosity had found a likely looking rabbit hole. See, this wonderfully clear and crisp scan was lacking in two rather important pieces of identifying information: the title of the book from which the scan was taken, and the name of the translator. The only identifying features were the section title “Precursors” (and no, that is not the title of the book, believe me I looked) and this little leaf-like motif by the page numbers:

(Remember the leaf. This will be important later.)

We shall not dwell at length on the hours of internet research that ensued—how the sun slowly dipped behind the horizon, grading abandoned in shadows half-lit by the the blue glow of the computer screen—how google search after search racked up, until an email warning of “unusual activity on your account” flashed into momentary existence before being consigned immediately and with some prejudice to the digital void—how one third of the way through a “comprehensive but not exhaustive” list of Sir Gawain translators despair crept in until I was left in utter darkness, screen black and eyes staring dully at the wall.

Above all, let us not admit to the fact that such an afternoon occurred not once, not twice, but three times.

Suffice to say, many hours had been spent in fruitless pursuit before a new thought crept in: if this book was so mysterious, so obscure as to defeat the modern search engine, perhaps the answer lay not in the technologies of today, but the wisdom of the past. Fingers trembling, I pulled up the last blast email that had been sent to current and former faculty and staff, and began to compose an email to the timeless and indomitable woman who had taught English to me when I was a student, and who had, after nearly fifty years, retired from teaching just before I returned to my alma mater.

After staring at the email for approximately five or so minutes, I winced, pressed send, and let my plea sail out into the void. I cannot adequately describe for you the instinctive reverence I possess towards this teacher; suffice to say that Ms English was and is a woman of remarkable character, as much a legend as an institution as a woman of flesh and blood whose enduring influence inspired countless students. There is not a student taught by Ms. English who does not have a story to tell about her, and her decline in her last years of teaching and eventual retirement in the face of COVID was the end of an era. She still remembers me, and every couple months one of her contemporaries and dear friends who still works as a guidance counsellor stops me in the hall to tell me that Ms. English says hello and that she is thrilled that I am teaching here—thrilled that I am teaching honors students—thrilled that I am now teaching the AP students. “Tell her I said hello back,” I always say, and smile.

Ms. English is a legend, and one does not expect legends to respond to you immediately. Who knows when a woman of her generation would next think to check her email? Who knows if she would remember?

The day after I sent the email I got this response:

My friends, I was shaken. I was stunned. Imagine asking God a question and he turns to you and says, “Hold on one moment, let me check with my predecessor.”

The idea that even Ms. English had inherited this mysterious translation had never even occurred to me as a possibility, not when Ms. English had been a faculty member since the early days of the school. How wonderful, I thought to myself. What a great thing, that this translation is so obscure and mysterious that it defeats even Ms. English.

A few days later, Ms. English emailed me again:

(I had, in fact searched through both the English office and the Annex—a dark, weirdly shaped concrete storage area containing a great deal of dust and many aging copies of various books—a few days prior. I had no luck, sadly.)

At last, though, I had a title and a description! I returned to my internet search, only to find to my dismay that there was no book that exactly matched the title. I found THE BRITISH TRADITION: POETRY, PROSE, AND DRAMA (which was not black and the table of contents I found did not include Sir Gawain) and THE ENGLISH TRADITION, a super early edition of the Prentice Hall textbooks we use today, which did have a black cover but there were absolutely zero images I could find of the table of contents or the interior and so I had no way of determining if it was the correct book short of laying out an unfortunate amount of cold hard cash for a potential dead end.

So I sighed, and relinquished my dreams of solving the mystery. Perhaps someday 30 years from now, I thought, I’ll be wandering through one of those mysterious bookshops filled with out of print books and I’ll pick up a book and there will be the translation, found out last!

So I sighed, and told the whole story to my colleagues for a laugh. I sent screenshots of Ms. English’s emails to my siblings who were also taught by her. I told the story to my Dad over dinner as my Great Adventure of the Week.

…my friends. I come by my rabbit-hole curiosity honestly, but my Dad is of a different generation of computer literacy and knows a few Deep Secrets that I have never learned. He asked me the title that Ms. English gave me, pulled up some mysterious catalogue site, and within ten minutes found a title card. There are apparently two copies available in libraries worldwide, one in Philadelphia and the other in British Columbia. I said, “sure, Dad,” and went upstairs. He texted me a link. Rolling my eyes, I opened it and looked at the description.

Huh, I thought. Four volumes, just like Ms. English said. I wonder…

Armed with a slightly different title and a publisher, I looked up “The English Tradition: Fiction macmillan” and the first entry is an eBay sale that had picture of the interior and LO AND BEHOLD:

THE LEAF. LOOK AT THE LEAF.

My dad found it! He found the book!!

Except for one teensy tiny problem which is that the cover of the book is uh a very bright green and not at all black like Ms. English said. Alas, it was a case of mistaken identity, because The English Tradition: Poetry does have a black cover, although it is the fiction volume which contains Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.

And so having found the book at last, I have decided to purchase it for the sum of $8, that ever after the origins of this translation may once more be known.

In this year of 2022 this adventure took place, as this post bears witness, the end, amen.

(Edit: See here for part 2!)

#sir gawain and the green knight #translations #internet research #english literature #teaching things #dads are the best #long post #story telling #I STILL don’t know the name of the translator but I WILL find out #obscure books

[funeral]

John Koenig, The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

#the dictionary of obscure sorrows #quotes #literature

[sophsicle]

"but nobody did come, because nobody does" because nobody does you think "this is the moment. this is the moment when the hero appears and I am saved" you think "this is the moment when the music swells" someone will pull me out of the fire. out of the crashing waves. out from under the knife.

and you wait. and you wait. but life has no narrative. it holds no morals. it needs no heroes. “and under the crushing recognition of his gigantic error, Jude continued to wish himself out of the world.”

#jude the obscure #not a day goes by that i don't think about this quote #i tell you #thomas hardy #literature

[lead-acetate]

(a missing scene from young man came from hunting)

Satine *sipping her space cocoa*: so, do I need to give Jango Fett the shovel talk?

Obi-Wan: *blanches*

Quinlan: *cackles*

Quinlan: I love you.

Satine: thank you.

Quinlan: *clinks cups with Satine*

Quinlan: I want to vote for you. can I vote for you?

Satine: thankfully, no. you can bring me more biscuits from the kitchen, though

Quinlan: you got it, hon *dashes off*

Obi-Wan: *glares*

Satine: *raises an eyebrow*

Obi-Wan: stop. platonically seducing my friends

Satine: *takes a sip of cocoa*

Satine: no.

#fuck I love her #the personification of 😌 emoji #I want to listen to her rapsodising about mando'a literature like. forever #also I want space cocoa. #and! I want to see Jango's face after that shovel talk #he exists the room at a Sundari palace with a blank face and obi-wan's like. oh thank fuck you're alive #also like quinlan&satine friendship hello??? #re would be like her number 1 bestie #re would outshine obi-wan #re would paint satine's nails #re would teach her very obscure card games #are you seeing what i'm seeing #i love them #satine kryze #obi-wan kenobi #quinlan vos #jangobi #kenfetti #young man came from hunting #incorrect quotes #incorrect star wars quotes

[obscurelittlebird]

Bertha: Look, Rochester, I know we don’t get along. Rochester: [scoffs] Yeah, we sure don’t. Bertha: Shut up. I brought you a gift as a peace offering. Rochester: What is it? Bertha: Here, it’s a bath bomb. You just throw it into the bath when you need to relax. Rochester: … Rochester: Bertha. This is a toaster.

#jane eyre #charlotte bronte #bertha mason #mr rochester #incorrect quotes #jane eyre incorrect quotes #classic literature incorrect quotes #obscure content

[who-do-i-know-this-man]

⚠️Vote for whomever YOU DO NOT KNOW⚠️‼️

#ultimate obscure blorbo #polls #round 1 #Paton Yewbeam (Children of the Red King) #Paula Miner (Doki Doki Literature Club Plus)

[sneakertin]

still thinking about how half a year ago i saw these pictures from the original production of 'the pillowman' starring dt and got curious. so i read the play. and it turned out to be the best piece of literature i have ever read in my entire life. and ever since then i've been obsessed with this story and these characters but literally no one knows about this play so it's just me. sitting here. in my little puddle of dirt....

#this is such an obscure little interest of mine #i am pained by the fact that there is no recording of the original production #i mean there is but you can only watch it if you make an appointment at some theater archive in london or something #if i ever find myself in london i will probably do that #it almost feels like the character of katurian was written for dt #the things i would do to see or hear him perform it aurghah #there are a few amateur productions online but they're all pretty shit #anyway #please read it i am begging you #i'm loosing my mind over here #david tennant #the pillowman #martin mcdonagh #literature #theater #theatre #books #book recommendations #book reccs #katurian #help me #had to get this out of my system #my post

[beaft]

sequel to my "baby's first horror" post: moodboard for vintage children's fantasy that was a lot stranger and sadder than you thought it would be

#i'm not kidding when i say that these books and others like them influenced my writing style more than just about anything else #sometimes your aunt has a shelf full of obscure children's books and you read one every time you go to stay with her #and sometimes the one that you read has the power to rearrange your entire brain and inflict d20 psychic damage #anyway. the rocks with eyes in marianne dreams that move around when you're not looking at them. normal about it #books #nostalgia #children's literature #be shh now

[lord-squiggletits]

The thing that makes me mad about finding cool quotes/references to use as titles or some such for stories is they're basically impossible to consciously look for. Sure you can just Google "cool quotes" or something but it's just gonna return stuff that everyone knows. By nature the coolest quotes always come from things that you read/watch/listen to and are drawn towards, maybe not even realizing why you're drawn to them. You can't "look for" cool quotes because by nature the coolest quotes are the ones that are cool to you personally. So ultimately the only reliable way to find profound phrases/references is to consume a lot of art and find the things that are meaningful through sheerly opening your mind and trying new things

#squiggposting #like my fic titles/chapter names are varying degrees of clever or obscure #but i picked them bc they have meaning #'we are the music makers' is a poem that i found out about from one of my favorite movies as a kid #'for once nothing is burning' is from a poem in q quote compilation post on tumblr #inspiration strikes randomly and unpredictably. that's why it feels so novel #'pay unto evil' came from a bible verse which is like. the generic 'how to title a work of literature' trope #but theyre meaningful bc i picked them from things i found profound #and they work as titles bc they fit the story bc both the story and the title were specially chosen by me #idk if my explanation is becoming circular now

[disease]

#the phrontistery #linguistics #obscure #etymology #literature #link #ref

[tomatoluvr69]

It’s getting to the point where an author having an MFA from Iowa* or similar is like an active point against me reading the book. I don’t want your meandering ennui fest that made your workshop group cum over its vague message dysthymic protagonist and inconclusive ending. I want a bizarre plot written by some incredibly gifted working class freak at the expense of their sanity

*actually one of the most if not the most prestigious in the US not just a state chosen randomly for effect lol

#it’s just starting to feel very monolithic… #anyways. cool how five corporate conglomerates are the arbiters of literature based on what’s a social media worthy product blah blah blah #my followers have heard the spiel lol #i do have faith that like in most art time has a way of sorting wheat from chaff #but sadly time also has a way of obscuring wonderful things that didn’t happen to land correctly bc the industry didn’t give a shit. #anyways. this post sponsored by a recent release that made me want to claw my eyes out ENOUGH post postmodernist drivel. enough #whatever

[sunfishingart]

“Eep……! S-stay away from me...” // “You fell for it!”

Happy Anniversary to Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star!

#hatoful boyfriend #hatoful boyfriend holiday star #the king #gif #fanart #this game introduced me to some obscure literature that changed me as a person #i actually had to edit the background from a youtube screenshot so im glad the gifmaker i used blurs it a little lol #sunfishingart

[anothermonikan]

There’s this TikTok account who’s whole gimmick is like, posting DDLC facts everyday until there’s a ‘new DDLC game’, and people are so mean about the technicalities of that in the comments, they’ve explained countless time that they mean Project Libitina, and they still keep getting comments by people who think they’re being smart by pointing out that there’s not gonna be another DDLC game, like. They are having fun posting about a media they like. And also people are like ‘Your gonna run out of facts DDLC isn’t a big game’ which I’m like. Wrong. X. Buzzer. I still learn new things about DDLC and I’ve been an active fan of the game since December 2017

#Not to mention they're like. an actually good facts account #Like off my head I can think of one singular thing that I think they're wrong on and it's literally just like. the Buffsuki meme #They said that an official artist drew it and I cannot find a source. for that. so I'm pretty sure it's not true #There's been other DDLC fact accounts and I can think of one in particular that really pissed me off #Cause they were straight up posting their own opinions and headcanons and framing them like they were facts like. don't do that pls #So like. It's nice to see someone who is actually invested in this game in the obscure facts type of way #I don't like how mean people are about it!!! #I did see someone spreading that MatPat theory about Monika taking over Ive's body or smth like it was fact or smth in the comments once tho #Like!! Matpat and his consequences on any form of popular media. I hate that guy #Ive made MC because they're silly and wanted to make an anime visual novel. that's it #sdhsdhsdhsd #DDLC #Doki-Doki Literature Club #doki doki literature club #Android.txt

[uncanny-tranny]

Could you describe your gender using words that are not typically used to describe one's gender?

The wave of exhilaration I got when I finally thought of a story I want to write after being burnt out for over five years, or maybe novels from the romantic movement or the decadent movement, for the latter it would primarily be the manner in which people spoke with each other in The Picture of Dorian Gray

#ask #trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #actually y'all feel free to share your obscure gender descriptions #i still need to finish picture of dorian gray though.. #i just adore the stiffness of the character's speech and the overly formal address they have for each other #i find myself really wanting to imitate the style of the romantic/decadent movements because it's so nice to read #and the things they write that would be considered purple prose today maybe is just... i like it #like yes!!! describe to me in three pages what that grandfather clock looks like i am dying to know <3 #i do find myself writing more... horror i guess so it'd be me describing in three pages just the most grotesque things lol #my hot take is that you should use purple prose and flowery language. doing it well is a different matter though #and horror absolutely needs some level of purple prose i think. the things that horrify me most are the things left to rot in my heart.. #...and that'swhat makes it GOOD! i don't want to be hit again and again i want to SIT with it and let it grow and manifest and be UNBEARABLE #if i read/watch something horror-based or with horror elements and it doesn't do that then i tune it out frankly #that is my hot literature/film(ish) take #(part of the reason i barely watch horror movies anymore is the fact that so many of them tend to be 'hit them again and again' style) #(and filtering those movies out from the movies i'd be horrified by isn't fun or engaging lol)

[knights-unwelcommentary]

Compilation of player’s hobbies

John:

-Movie buff (prefers terrible films)

-Coding (bad at it)

-Magic and sleight of hand

-Piano player

-Pranking people

-Gaming (sometimes)

Rose:

-Reading (mostly about occultism)

-Writing (secretive about this hobby, writes mostly about wizards)

-Violin player

-Knitting

-Psychoanalysis (to tease people, mostly Freudian stuff)

Dave:

-DJ (mixing and spinning), music hipster

-Drawing comics (purposefully badly)

-Blogging and social networks (numerous)

-Collecting dead things (mostly animals, animal parts and fossils)

-Rapping

-Analog photography

Jade:

-Gardening (specifically horticulture)

-Watching nostalgic cartoon shows (favorite: squiddles)

-Anthropomorphic fauna

-Markswoman (staunchly against hunting)

-Bass player

-Nuclear physics

-Gadgeteering

#homestuck #john egbert #rose lalonde #dave strider #jade harley #compilations #thought seeing them all together would be a good reference #it was kind of frustrating #the narrator keeps saying things like hint hint nudge nudge you like reading rather obscure literature #call it occultism you ass why are you dragging this out #I'll continue with the trolls come other time