The Black Gatsby
Posted by Tom Fasano on May 31, 2009 – 10:09 pmI put together a few clips from the movie G (2002), which is a Gatsbyesque love story concerning a Rap mogul living in the Hamptons. This is the part of the story in which Gatsby (Summer G) convinces Nick (Tre) to arrange a meeting between Daisy (Sky) and himself. We also get to see Daisy’s husband Tom (Chip) B-slap his mistress.
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The Great Gatsby Study Guide
Posted by Tom Fasano on May 28, 2009 – 7:11 pm
Click on this link for a study guide to The Great Gatsby. I’ll be posting the answers when my classes are done with the book.
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Dashiell Hammett
Posted by Tom Fasano on May 27, 2009 – 9:49 am
Mystery writer Dashiell Hammett was born on this day in 1894. The three film adaptations of his most famous story, The Maltese Falcon, became staples of the film noir genre. His romantic relationship with Lillian Hellman, a well-known playwright, inspired The Thin Man, a story featuring heroine Nora Charles. The film adaptation of this novel was so successful that it spawned multiple sequels. Hammett was the founding father of the “hard-boiled” mystery, a subgenre characterized by its gritty characters and depictions of events.
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John York playing “Mr. Tambourine Man”
Posted by Tom Fasano on May 17, 2009 – 8:23 pmToday Sandy and I had the pleasure of seeing our friend John York, formerly of The Byrds, give a free concert at Rhino Records in Claremont. What’s great about John is that he still has a tremendous amount of creative energy.
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William Strunk and the Original Elements of Style
Posted by Tom Fasano on May 1, 2009 – 8:51 am
William Strunk Jr.
William Strunk, Jr. (1869 – 1946) was Professor of English at Cornell University. One of his many students was E.B. White, the famous children’s author, who said about Strunk: “At the close of the World War, when I was a student at Cornell, I took a course called English 8. My professor was William Strunk Jr. A textbook required for the course was a slim volume called The Elements of Style, whose author was the professor himself. The year was 1919. The book was known on the campus in those days as ‘the little book,’ with the stress on the word ‘little.’ It had been privately printed by the author.” White also wrote of his former professor, “He was a memorable man, friendly and funny.”
The Elements of Style is the classic reference text for clear writing and is generally considered a must-have for any student or writer. In this most revered of writing books, Strunk identifies the necessary qualities of proper American English style; and he does it all with wit and grace. Compelling and timeless, this book is simply the best of its kind. A masterpiece in the art of clear and concise writing, and an exemplar of the principles it explains.
This book, printed as a private edition in 1918 for the use of his students, became a classic on the local campus, known as “the little book”, and its successive editions have since sold over ten million copies. In his first edition, Strunk describes the book as follows: “It aims to lighten the task of instructor and student by concentrating attention … on a few essentials, the rules of usage and principles of composition most commonly violated.”
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