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Flashback Friday: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument (Ignite Phoenix)

September 25, 2015/0 Comments/in Arts, Book Recommendations, Commentary/by Katherine Cowley

Two years ago I gave a presentation to 800 people at Ignite Phoenix titled “Pride and Prejudice: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument.” I argue that if they had lived at the same time, Jane Austen and Aristotle probably would’ve fallen in love, because Jane Austen’s novels are really rhetoric textbooks that teach the […]

I Read 107 Books When I Was 10, And Some Of Them Surprise Me

September 17, 2015/1 Comment/in Book Recommendations/by Katherine Cowley

When I was ten years old I decided to keep a reading log. I wish I had kept one all growing up, but at least I have a little window into the past. I rediscovered the notebook the other day while unpacking after moving. Highlights When I was 10, I read Pride and Prejudice for […]

Flashback Friday: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument (Ignite Phoenix)

September 25, 2015/0 Comments/in Arts, Book Recommendations, Commentary/by Katherine Cowley

I Read 107 Books When I Was 10, And Some Of Them Surprise Me

September 17, 2015/1 Comment/in Book Recommendations/by Katherine Cowley

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Flashback Friday: Jane Austen and the Art of Argument (Ignite Phoenix)

September 25, 2015/0 Comments/in Arts, Book Recommendations, Commentary/by Katherine Cowley

In honor of one of my favorite holidays coming up, Talk Like Jane Austen Day, I’ve decided to repost the video of my Ignite Phoenix presentation:

More details on some of the rhetoricians and how Jane Austen uses their techniques can be found on my page, The Art of Argument in Pride and Prejudice.

In case you can’t tell, I heart Jane Austen.

I Read 107 Books When I Was 10, And Some Of Them Surprise Me

September 17, 2015/1 Comment/in Book Recommendations/by Katherine Cowley

Highlights

When I was 10, I read Pride and Prejudice for the first time. I actually read it twice: in the Spring/Summer, and also later that Fall.

Never one to let labels of age-appropriate reading deter me, I read not only The Hobbit but the entire Lord of the Rings series, and a few other J. R. R. Tolkien novels. Lest you think I only read novels generally considered “great works,” I also read books such as There’s a Snake at Girl’s Camp. I don’t remember it, but surely it was pivotal in my personal literary formation.

The View from Saturday may have been my favorite book–it is the only book on the list that has a star and a “very good” next to it, and I also read it a second time.

I read 5 novels from the Wizard of Oz series, Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series, and all eight novels from the Anne of Green Gables series. Even then, I liked to binge on my favorite authors. And like now, I read all genres, though I had a soft spot for fantasy. Unfortunately, it’s been a while since I had time to read 107 novels in a year, though I still tend to read at least 60.

Perhaps someone’s reading habits at the age of ten can tell you everything you need to know about her. If so, feel free to browse through the entire list.