Its time for the Literary Blog Hop again. Phew! the past month just flew by. This weeks question comes from one of my favorite bloggers Mel U over at the Reading Life.
When I was in my early teens I read a book called Van Loon's Lives by Hendrick Willlem Van Loon. It was written in 1942 (Van Loon was a Newberry Winner for another work). I was maybe ten or so when I first read it and I was totally fascinated. The story line is that Von Loon and his good friend found a magic way to invite three famous literary figures from different eras for a Sunday Dinner. The book gives mini bios of the guests, explains the food the would have wanted and shows their dinner conversations. If you could invite any three literary figures from different eras to a Sunday Dinner who would they be? Magic takes care of the language issues.
Wow! What a thought?!! I think i'd go with three of my favorite female literary icons. Not to be sexist or anything but I do think a girls night out with these fabulous femme's would be something to remember.
1. Agatha Christie:
No one can spin a whodunit quite like the grand dame of mystery. To create, not one but several memorable detectives is something amazing.
2. Virginia Woolf:
I've mentioned this before but there's something about Woolf that has always fascinated me. Perhaps because she's impossible to pigeon-hole.
3. Simone de Beauvoir
She practically invented feminism. And not the kind that gets all the bad press. Her ideologies may seem militant but they are rooted in compassion.
I wish I could have such a dinner party. I'd totally invite you all :)
Good selection-I invited Elizabeth Bowen to my dinner party along with Samuel Johnson and Victor Hugo so she could be the moderator between two giant egos!
ReplyDeleteI have a Simone de Beauvoir quote on my wall at my parents' house: "When a little girl climbs trees it is, according to Adler, just to show her equality with boys; it does not occur to him that she likes to climb trees."
ReplyDeleteShe is way awesome.
I don't think I'd be able to comport myself with anything approaching dignity if I was in a room with Woolf's voice. It's basically a parody of snobby British aristocrats.
Mel U LOL. great answer and great question.
ReplyDeleteAlice what an awesome quote. Haven't come across it before.
This is a great answer! Very different from mine but I love your reasoning behind it.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of dinner with Agatha Christie.. and Virginia Woolf would be interesting as well. I don't know enough about Beauvoir (haven't read anything) to invite her to dinner, but your group as a whole sounds great.
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