Lawrence of Arabia

I read an article today about T.E. Lawrence (http://www.hoover.org/publications/policy-review/article/73171) that I found very interesting and sparked my curiousity. I've seen the film "Lawrence of Arabia" a number of times and find it breathtaking. This article, which reviews a new biography of Lawrence, attempts to give a glimpse of the man as he really was.

I plan on adding one of Lawrence's books to my ever-growing summer reading list. He is such a legendary figure and has such an interesting life story. I'm also intrigued by a phrase from the article above: the "brutality of dreamers" - the military careers of men such as Lawrence and Byron. This idea of the armed poet, the sensitive warrior is something that seems worthy of investigation... maybe a thesis... Hmmm....

New thesis idea -  "Brutal Dreamers: The English Warrior Poet"

Note: Add Lawrence's home is Dorset (2 hours from London) to literary tour!

Parisians

I'm currently reading (at a snail's pace due to having required reading for classes) Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb and absolutely love it. He gives a history of the city by looking at incidents in the life of famous Parisians (Marie Antoinette, Napoleon, Zola) as well as less-famous ones (Francois Picaud/Joseph Lucher - the man whose life inspired the character of Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo, Henry Murger - whose short stories inspired "La Boheme", Marville - the photographer who preserved old Paris before Napoleon III reorganized the city). It's a fascinating collection of stories and I highly recommend it.

Reading Parisians has expanded my list of places to visit in Paris (if they exist and are open to the public still). So far, I'll be adding the Palais Royale, the Saint-Mande cemetery, the Catacombs (I was surprised I didn't know about this place!), the Latin Quarter, the home of Dumas, and the home of Zola.

I've also decided to add Emile Zola's Nana to my pre-Europe reading list. I shall post the first installment of "The List" shortly.

Robb's history of Paris is so engaging and different from any history work I've read before. I love the concept  of using short stories from various moments in time, written in changing styles, to give a fuller portrait of a place. I wonder if I could do the same for London while I'm there... hmmm... THESIS IDEA???