The Secret History is the first novel by Donna Tartt , published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1992. Set in New England, it tells the story of a closely knit group of six classics students at Hampden College, a small, elite Vermont college based upon Bennington College , where Tartt was a student between 1982 and 1986. Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality their lives are changed profoundly and forever, and they discover how hard it can be to truly live and how easy it is to kill.
In the process of our poster project, I have found myself thinking more on recent reads and giving them a healthier dose of reflective thought. This article was timely in that process plus a little gossipy which is always fun.
ReplyDeleteGood stuff! I didn’t realize (or had forgotten) Brokeback was from a Proulx book. Of course, Hollywood would make it character focus & warped. Great site to follow & welcome intelligent content..even the comments.
ReplyDeleteOn the premise that books can influence people to do bad things such as shooting up a school or building a bomb, do we run into the theory that guns make sick people kill? Are they both tools in a sense? And the role of video games & movies & tv? Is the printed word more powerful & permissive than visual
entertainment fantasy? That the authors feel a degree of responsibility is commendable since they are willing to sacrifice financial return, a moral decision not shared by most makers of the violent output we ingest on our screens daily. Would banning it change the twisted heart of some few bent on mayhem or just raise the black market price?
You are right about reading more thoughtfully. What a mind changing opportunity you assigned us with your lovely gift!