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June 20, 2009

Acrostic (form of Poetry)

Filed under: Discussions/ Reviews, Poetry — Shrivastava @ 3:09 pm

An acrostic (from the late Greek akróstichon, from ákros, “top”, and stíchos, “verse”) is a poem or other form of writing in an alphabetic script, in which the first letter, syllable or word of each line, paragraph or other recurring feature in the text spells out another message.

Examples:

Serana to GOOGLE
Gather information in lightning speed
One perfect search engine sufficed the need
Our transport machine in this time and space
Get events, facts and ads in wise displays
Look! Everything is in our fingertips!
Expansive knowledge now all within grips

TRIVIA :The Dutch national anthem Het Wilhelmus (The William) is an acrostic: the first letters of its fifteen stanzas spell WILLEM VAN NASSOV.

Here is a classic example of acrostic poem in English written by Edgar Allan Poe entitled simply An Acrostic:

Elizabeth it is in vain you say
Love not” — thou sayest it in so sweet a way:
In vain those words from thee or L.E.L.
Zantippe’s talents had enforced so well:
Ah! if that language from thy heart arise,
Breath it less gently forth — and veil thine eyes.
Endymion, recollect, when Luna tried
To cure his love — was cured of all beside —
His follie — pride — and passion — for he died.

Another example is from Lewis Carrol’s “Through the Looking-Glass”. The final chapter “A Boat, Beneath A Sunny Sky” is an acrostic of the real Alice’s name: Alice Pleasance Liddell.

A boat, beneath a sunny sky
Lingering onward dreamily
In an evening of July -

Children three that nestle near,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Pleased a simple tale to hear -

Long has paled that sunny sky:
Echoes fade and memories die:
Autumn frosts have slain July.

Still she haunts me, phantomwise,
Alice moving under skies
Never seen by waking eyes.

Children yet, the tale to hear,
Eager eye and willing ear,
Lovingly shall nestle near.

In a Wonderland they lie,
Dreaming as the days go by,
Dreaming as the summers die:

Ever drifting down the stream -
Lingering in the golden gleam -
Life, what is it but a dream?

Here is another example where the initial letters spell out the months of the year, entitled A Calendar Acrostic:

JANet was quite ill one day.
FEBrile trouble came her way.
MARtyr-like, she lay in bed;
APRoned nurses softly sped.
MAYbe, said the leech judicial
JUNket would be beneficial.
JULeps, too, though freely tried,
AUGust ill, for Janet died.
SEPulchre was sadly made.
OCTaves pealed and prayers were said.
NOVices with ma’y a tear
DECorated Janet’s bier.

Multiple acrostics

Acrostics can be more complex than just by making words from initials. A double acrostic, for example, may have words at the beginning and end of its lines, as this example, on the name of Stroud, by Paul Hansford -

Set among hills in the midst of five valleyS,
This peaceful little market town we inhabiT
Refuses (vociferously!) to be a conformeR.
Once home of the cloth it gave its name tO,
Uphill and down again its streets lead yoU.
Despite its faults it leaves us all charmeD.

——————————————————————

Go ahead and give it a shot. You will definitely treasure the final piece :)

June 19, 2009

Top 25 Fantasy Books

Filed under: Books, Discussions/ Reviews — Shrivastava @ 10:34 pm

The Top 25 Fantasy Books list selects from a wide range of fantasy, from epic fantasy to detective fantasy, from well known series to obscure Fantasy, and from old fantasy books to brand new fantasy releases.

#1:   A Game of Thrones (George R.R. Martin)

#2:   The Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)

#3:   The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)

#4:   Tigana (Guy Gaveriel Kay)

#5:   Lord of the Rings (J.R.R Tolkien)

#6:   The First Law (Joe Abercrombie)

#7:   The Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan)

#8:   The Farseer (Robin Hobb)

#9:   The Darkness That Comes Before (R. Scott Bakker)

#10:   Mythago Wood (Robert Holdstock)

#11:   Jonathon Strange & Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)

#12:   His Dark Materials (Philip Pullman)

#13:   Lies of Locke Lamora (Scott Lynch)

#14:   Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (Stephen R. Donaldson)

#15:   American Gods (Neil Gaiman)

#16:   Earthsea Cycle (Ursula Le Guin)

#17:   Abhorsen Trilogy (Garth Nix)

#18:   A Sword of Shadows (J.V. Jones)

#19:   Memory, Sorrow, Thorn (Tad Williams)

#20:   Acacia (David Anthony Durham)

#21:   Magician: Apprentice and Magician (Raymond E. Feist)

#22:   Heroes Die (Matthew Woodring Stover )

#23:   The Dark Tower (Stephen King)

#24:   Dresden Files (Jim Butcher)

#25:   Amber Chronicles (Roger Zelazny)

Source: http://www.bestfantasybooks.com/top25-fantasy-books.php

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