October 2015 Review

Photo of the month: pumpkin selfie

Wow. This was quite the month. Most of it is fuzzy due to my bipolar mixed state which gobbled up most of my conscious activity. But I'm starting to emerge, thankfully.

At some point, I decided to choose this crying piggy bank as my monthly topper - probably because I spent a huge chunk of money on my new contact lenses, but it may also have been because the picture's really darned cute. I've decided to include it now, even though it doesn't summarize the month as well as I'd expected at one foggy moment in a long foggy month.

The Epic of Gilgamesh - Historical Background

History of the epic

The Epic of Gilgamesh is the oldest epic still in existence. Coming from the third millennium BCE, it predates Homer's epics by at least one and a half thousand years. It is from a time long forgotten by historians - only rediscovered in the last century by archaeologists in the Middle East. The fascinating part about the Epic of Gilgamesh is that even though it is 5 millennia old the humanity and passion of the story still resonate with readers today. 

The Epic of Gilgamesh - Analytical Summary

The Epic of Gilgamesh is a story about the futility of seeking immortality. It's a journey of self-discovery in which Gilgamesh learns the ultimate truth - every human dies. It follows Gilgamesh, king of the ancient city of Uruk in southern Mesopotamia. As a youth, Gilgamesh was a capricious and domineering king. He deflowered the maidens, bullied the children and elderly, and forced labor on the men. His people prayed to the gods that they would send respite. So the gods formed the magnificent wild-man Enkidu out of clay. Enkidu fought in mighty hand-to-hand combat with Gilgamesh. When they found themselves nearly equal in strength, they embraced and became dear friends. 

Classics Club Book List

I decided to join the Classics Club. I'm hoping this will be a good way to meet other bloggers with an interest in literature. I arbitrarily consider books published 25 years or more ago to be "classics." Below is a list of books that I want to read over the next 5 years: