Early this month, I got invited to a book club hosted by my friend, Orly. I'm no stranger to book clubs, having been a member of Flips Flipping Pages for 3 years now, but somehow I'm intrigued with this one as the members would be discussing one of Shakespeare's works: "The Taming of the Shrew."
I have never read any of Shakespeare's works outside the classroom. I'm just not comfortable with the genre and the language, which I thought would be daunting. But surprisingly, I had fun reading "The Taming of the Shrew." To be honest, I didn't think I got all of it during the first reading, so I did another. (One can't have too many rereadings for a book club in my experience. Hehehe.)
So Friday came and, for some reason, I felt ambiguous about attending. For one, I don't know any of the other members except for Orly. Another, the 2-hour commute to the venue on a Friday night with the terrible Manila traffic is enough to make anyone discouraged.
Good thing I did find the energy and the enthusiasm to go though. Discussing "The Taming of the Shrew" proved to be really fun and insightful, with a lot of the members relating particular themes to their personal lives. And because it was an intimate group, there was plenty of time for all members to share their thoughts.
I really must find a copy of the movie of "The Taming of the Shrew" or at least a video recording of the play. As it was pointed out during the discussion, Shakespeare is truly meant to be seen on stage. I agree. Don't you, dear reader?
All in all, it was a very enjoyable and insightful night. The members were very friendly and so fashionable, especially the ladies. And I'm just so glad that I attended, despite the hellish traffic.
Here are some pics of the discussion, dear reader.
Orly, during one of the discussion's light-hearted moments
I believe we were talking about fashion here,
as one of the devices used by Shakespeare in the play was costumes.
Lei, the moderator, who prepared the discussion questions
and who gave a very detailed synopsis of the play
Jary, reading one of the questions
She's a lit major! It pays to sit next to her.
Emcie, listening critically to a member response
Her biting smile is so charming, no?
Amabelle, who was a first-timer to the group like me, joined us
after her MBA night class. Talk about busy!
Cupcakes! My gift to Orly who celebrated his birthday recently
6 comments:
I can't wait for the day our book club discusses a Shakespeare play. A comedy would be great for the first time, and I'm sure it won't be the last one.
I do love small, intimate discussions, and this looks like it certainly was that!
Although, I kinda miss the hullabaloo that is an FFP discussion, Stepford Mum!
Shakespeare and I are not really friends. Haha. I think he's intimidated by me. :))
Well, that's one way of looking at it, Monique! LOL!
Thank you, Peter for gracing us with your presence! It was great to have you in the discussion. See? The Bard has treasures to discover.
And thank you for the cupcakes! Actually, my mom enjoyed it more than I did. Waistlines, you know?
See you Friday, for the Imelda biography discussion!
Thank you for inviting me, Orly!
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