books

I just finished "Into the Wild" today, the book by Jon Krakauer which motivated the recent movie of the same title. I'd recommend it to anyone and everyone, purely as an in-depth study of a truly unusual and extraordinary character who happens to be real; for some readers it will be much more.

Next on the docket is Tolstoy's "War and Peace." It's certainly a large book, with over 500 characters according to the editors notes. Just 15 pages in, I've discovered that my vocabulary with respect to character traits is terrible. This is certainly on account of the relatively small qualtity of fiction I've read, in exchange for a lot of non-fiction.

I've been taking pause as I read to write down words whose meanings I'm not sure of. The below words are all ones I've heard, but couldn't actually define or explain adequately if asked, until now:

Affected
Languid
Self-Abnegation
Impetuousity
Pensive
Vexatious
Gaily
Magnanimous
Ingratiating
Spasmodic

The list will surely grow, as Tolstoy's vocabulary (or that of his english translator, anyway) seems to be endless. I've been told by several teachers that English, in terms of the sheer quantity of words, is at least double in size compared to any other language. The long and ruthless colonial history of England was rewarding in this respect, if in no other.
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In one of my adult free-talk classes there is an elderly man who has offered countless interesting ideas and opinions to our various topic discussions. He has a slow voice and steady eye contact, such that one cannot help but listen carefully. His words are often a bit enigmatic, partially on account of the language barrier but also on account of his deep thinking:

"Korean society has changed, and I think we're less happy as a nation. Back when I was young, people didn't run when it started to rain."

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