Melancholic. Troubling. Disaffecting. Perhaps those aren’t the right words to associate with The Great Gatsby – after all, isn’t it just a stylish novel about rich people and a love story gone bad in the Jazz Age?` The short answer? No. I hadn’t read The Great Gatsby since tenth-grade English, when Mr. H. – an… continue reading

After a long, friendly, and wide-ranging discussion, the UConn Reads Steering Committee has selected the finalists for this year’s classic fiction project: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms Zora Neale Hurston, Their Eyes Were Watching God Gabriel García Márquez, One Hundred Years of Solitude Any of these books would… continue reading

We have a terrific list of semifinalists for UConn Reads 2012-13. It includes any book from the general nomination list that received more than one nomination, as well as any book brought forward for consideration from the general list by the Steering Committee. Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice* Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451* Charlotte Brontë, Jane… continue reading

I’m thrilled to report that we have nearly 200 nominations for UConn Reads. The list closes September 10th, so if you’ve been thinking about nominating a book but just haven’t gotten around to it, now’s the time. Mark Twain – who appears often on our list – famously said, “Do not put off until tomorrow… continue reading

The word dystopia comes from the Ancient Greek dis meaning “bad” or “hard” and topia, “place.” Dystopia represents a counterpoint to utopia, a term coined by the English philosopher and statesman Thomas More in his famous book of that title. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a later English philosopher and statesman, John Stuart Mill,… continue reading