Imagining books and music in quirky and creative ways
“Chemistry” off of Arcade Fire’s latest album “Everything Now” is a) super catchy and b) intriguingly similar to both the phantom from Phantom of the Opera and Gatsby in The Great Gatsby. Continue reading “Songs for Every Book: Arcade Fire and The Phantom of the Opera”
They’re both super nosy, after all.
Mrs. Bennett has the benefit of experience. Since she’s older she’s been gossiping for a lot longer than Emma has…with disastrous consequences of course, but it could be a plus for her in this game. Emma, however, strikes Continue reading “Who Would Win a Game of Telephone: Mrs. Bennett or Emma Woodhouse?”
Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books and characters. Since listening to classical music can be like hearing a story (albeit an abstract one), imagining specific stories that match the music can make it that much more fun and accessible!
Like the last Classical Music Stories post on Anna Karenina and a Bach Cello Suite, you’ll probably recognize the opening of this one. I liked Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550 before (sometimes I really wish classical music had better titles), but once I started considering the similarities between it and A Tale of Two Cities the music Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: A Tale of Two Cities and a Mozart Symphony”
Last week Northwestern University saw its last performance of a concert production of The Who’s Tommy and I was fortunate enough to be able to serve as the assistant director for the incredible Geoff Button. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, the rock band The Who released a concept album in 1969 called “Tommy” which was later made into a musical (or rock opera if you will). It’s a story about a young boy (Tommy) who witnesses the murder of his mother’s lover by his parents after his father returns unexpectedly from war. Although his mother turns him away from the fight he sees everything through a mirror, and when Continue reading “The Who’s Tommy: A Rock Opera (As Experienced by an Assistant Director)”
Portraying stillness or inactivity is a pretty bizarre paradox in books and music when you stop to think about it because the only way to show stillness is to have movement! After all, what options do authors have of showing that a character is still? They Continue reading “The Irony of Portraying “Stillness” in Books (and Classical Music)”
Have you ever thought about the strangeness of the words “once upon a time?”
I recently finished reading Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” and it was amazing. If Continue reading “Shakespeare’s Use of “Once Upon a Time””
Classical Music Stories is a series that connects music to your favorite books.
You’ve almost definitely heard the opening of this piece before in commercials or something. But it’s honestly one of my favorites! The peacefulness and expansiveness of Bach on cello seems to open doors into a new world you can explore, one Continue reading “Classical Music Stories: Anna Karenina and a Bach Cello Suite”
I started this post thinking I would list books that matched each color on the American flag: red for books involving “hardiness” and “valor,” white for “purity” and “innocence,” and blue for “vigilance,” “perseverance,” and “justice” (according to the meanings of the colors provided by usflag.org). I figured I’d end with a list of books that present Continue reading ““Red,” “White,” and “Blue” Books (In Meaning, Not Color)”
It’s a tricky question.
Peter Pan has fought off Captain Hook time and time again, even Continue reading “Who Would Win in a Sword Fight: Peter Pan or Romeo?”
“Songs for Every Book” is a series bringing you songs that could have been sung by (or about) your favorite book characters.
I’ve recently come to the fascinating and exciting discovery that Adele’s hit “When We Were Young” has a lot in common with The Great Gatsby. More specifically, it sounds like the singer could be Daisy Buchanan herself! But let’s go to the lyrics: Continue reading “Songs for Every Book: The Great Gatsby and Adele”
If Mermaids Wore Suspenders 