I've often thought of that one.....

I suppose now, I would choose, A Kind of Loving by Stan Barstow. Not just because it's such a very personal thing for me, but because it is, in fact, a very good book - real, funny, tragic, inhabited by living people and full - Oh full of young life and hope and energy.

The Bible (King James) and Dante's Divine Comedy (Mark Musa translation!)

None. Unfortunately, I,ve never been able to memorize anything

It would have to be a very short anthology of poetry. It has been found that being able to recite to yourself is an excellent way to deal with stressful situations . . . those held in captivity, suffering loss, grieving etc.

The Encyclopaedia Britainnica. But if that were not possible, then Pride and Preudice would be rather easy since I have most of it memorized already. Then New Grub Street and some other books that I loved, that spoke to me: Fire in the Blood; The Sea, The Sea; Old Goriot, L'Assomoir. By then my brain would explode.

But I wonder, since you just finished Fahrenheit 451, did you see any similarities between the people who just want to be entertained and those "wall shows" and the reality shows of today? That is seems that many do just want to be entertained? The fact that entertainment news is far more popular than real news? Does anyone else find this unsettling? My apologies if I am off track. I, also, recently read Fahrenheit 451 and closed the book with shaking hands.

PAM

My sentiments exactly, Pam. I remember those shows from the book and when I hear people today talking about reality shows my mind goes to Bradbury's disturbing vision.

I have memorized great parts of my daily prayer book which has many ancient and traditional prayers that I recite to myself in times of tedium or stress, as well as some large swathes of the Bible. I also think over the plots of certain books, such as Lord of the Rings, parts of which I have virtually memorized.

I wish I had more poetry committed to memory; indeed I find it very challenging to memorize these days. Once upon a time it was quite easy.

I would have to memorize two: some of Mary Oliver's exquisite poetry as well as Le Grand Meaulnes by Alain Fournier. I'd memorize the latter in French because when I first read it I was living in France. The English title is "The Wanderer."

Siobhan, it's odd, isn't it, to have lost the ability to memorize quickly? I remember in high school once someone reminded me that we were to have memorized a poem for English class, which was the next period. I memorized it while sitting through history class and had the poem down pat. Now, I'd hate to tell you how long I once spent trying to memorize Psalm 103, and I still can't say it all. I like to think it's just because I now have so much information in my brain.

Poetry is the easiest thing to memorize so if I were smart I would choose that. But though I admire poetry it is not what I love best. Jane Eyre and Persuasion are my favorite adult novels so I'd probably choose one of those. There are probably a hundred in very close second place, not to mention a couple dozen beloved children's novels.

Memorizing a novel would be quite an arduous chore. There are several books I've read more than thirty times and I am nowhere close to memorizing them. Long passages are familiar to me, but I can only quote a line or two or maybe three here and there.

What I think would be more likely in my own case would be that I would commit to memory a close following of the plot with favorite lines. In fact, if I were serious about preserving a beloved novel, I would attempt to shorten it and translate it into poem form, though I am no true poet, then memorize that. The meter of a poem is a powerful device to aid memory.

Yes, I too have thought about this.

Rosefolly

Maybe Shakespeare's Sonnets?

woodnymph, I can understand wanting to memorize Le Grand Meaulnes. I loved that book.

Maybe Shakespeare's Sonnets?

woodnymph, I can understand wanting to memorize Le Grand Meaulnes. I loved that book.

Ah Carolyn and Siobhan, I, too, wonder when the facility with memory began to wane. In high school and college, I was known as someone who knew the lyrics to all the popular songs. In fact, when I was in college, I once answered the door to find a stranger there asking me for the lyrics to a song. He said a friend of mine had sent him to find me, as I would be certain to know the lyrics -- and I did. Those were the days.

I am never able to 'hear' the lyrics of 'pop' songs (not that I have ever been a fan of that genre) but I can still remember the words of the songs from school 'singing' classes back in the days when 'folk songs' were being re-introduced. So I can merrily trill the words of Three Gypsies Stood at the Castle Gate and, although not a church-goer, I know the words of hymns. UK schools always start the day with 'prayers' and a couple of rousing hymns (or they used to in pre-'inclusive' days, it's probably all humanism or finding your inner-bully now)

Yup - I can sing along to hymns, even though I can probably count on the fingers of one hand the number of Sunday services I have attended in my life. It's all from school days. I can even tell you that hymn 444 was "All things bright and beautiful".

Back to the original question. As Dido is looking after "A Kind of Loving", I think perhaps I'd memorize "The Snow Goose" by Paul Gallico. Quite beautiful, if a little sentimental - and it also has the major advantage of being very short...

Although not a church person myself, I did attend private girls' school and used to love singing the hymns and listening to the organ music. Even now I find myself singing a hymn every now and then to myself. Just great tunes to me. I rarely attend church here, but when I do, I always hope it's going to have one of my favorite hymns. Sometimes it happens, but more often, they have the same lyrics but a different tune. Waah. :->

As for memorizing, I am not sure I would be successful at this. I can only just remember the punch line to the one joke I learn a year, let alone a whole book. I can remember title/author combos though.

Veer! I'm excited to learn of another person who doesn't hear the words to songs! I swear I was half grown before I realized pop songs had words and not just nonsense syllables. Although lots of 50s and 60s songs were all nonsense syllables, so you young ones, I'm not as dumb as that sounds. My aunt, a gospel singer, once told me that pickers (Does the Queen's English have that usage? It means pluckers of stringed instruments.) frequently don't hear the words either.

I'll choose Christopher Fry's The Lady is Not for Burning and Shakespeare's King Lear, Much Ado About Nothing, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. I already have some sad love poetry from when my heart was broken sophomore year and Tennyson's Ulysses and some of Swinburne's The Garden of Proserpine. What an odd assortment I've picked.

When I was sixteen I could memorize a script, including other people's lines, in two read-throughs. Today I'm lucky if I can remember a 7 digit telephone number for the 4 seconds it takes to dial it.

We took an informal poll in my church not long ago - 40% of the members attend because of the music rather than religious beliefs. We are quite traditional, hymn singing, have a marvelous organ and piano. Our music director is extremely gifted. I'm working on memorizing some hymns, it is more fun to sing when they are in memory. Alas, difficult at my age.

The Bible, The Secret Garden and Anna Karenina.

I think I would try for Hamlet since it has everything - madness, a play within a play, a ghost, doomed love - need I go on? In a world devoid of books I could enterain myself endlessly!

Chris, I also would memorise "The Lady..." which I performed in as a drama student. When I once went to the backstage of a Broadway theatre, I stood for a moment on the stage while my husband was doing some interviews and silently delivered the opening lines to the empty seats! The nearest I ever got to performing in New York!

I recall reading that a political prisoner used to tell her fellow inmates the story of Heyer's "Friday's Child" which they called "What Kitten did next". She had loved and memorised the story.

Annpan, I loved that story.

I wonder how many times people in prison, political or otherwise, have survived through stories.

Rosefolly

Found a quiz on-line from The Guardian newspaper which tests you how much poetry you know by heart.

I failed rather dismally, but then I do have the memory of a goldfish for this sort of thing.

How about you guys?

Here is a link that might be useful: Quiz: How much poetry do you know by heart?

Drat! I missed two - the Byron and Shelley's Ozymandias. Truthfully, though, I'm always getting poetry wrong. I want to say "even the weariest river winds somewhere home to sea" rather than "even the weariest river winds somewhere safe to sea" in the earlier mentioned Swinburne. Instructive error in memory, perhaps.

Annpan, Fry's use of language makes me happy. "I love you as deeply as many years could make me, but less deeply than many years will make me." I looked it up, btw, and found I'd slightly misremembered it. Like I said, I'd be the bard that inadvertently changes the tale.

Hem, hem. I scored 100% on the poetry quotes. My head no longer fits my hats!

That was fun. Eight out of ten which proves I am a good guesser rather than a reasonably good rememberer of poetry.

I scored 9 out of 10 on the poetry quiz. I've been a poetry lover all my life and often would memorize my favorites.

Dido, I am even more impressed than usual! I missed two, oddly Shelley and Byron took a bite out of me. Did I not read the answers carefully? I know those! Fun quiz, though.

9/10 - I got Ozymandias wrong.

But to be fair, I guessed a few - they sort of "felt" right.

I, for one, am not in the slightest bit surprised that Dido got 10/10...

I think I guessed at all of them and got 7 right. Some of the poetry I have read in the past but never memorized any of them.

Another 10/10 here. That was fun. I'm so happy that my aged brain could recall those lines. Although, confession, like Martin, I did guess on a couple, based on the sound and rhythm of the language in the preceding lines.

60 years ago in elementary school in Sweden we also had to learn a new hymn every week, a torment for many poor children and their mothers. I suppose I ought to memorize a Swedish book but the first that comes to mind is The Waste Land as I know so much of it by heart already.

I once knew a Finn who could recite the Finnish epos Kalevala word for word and used to recite it to his son at bedtime.

Besides the Bible,of course, it would have to be "A Christmas Memory" by Truman Capote!

I love that book and read it OFTEN, esp. around the Holiday Season.

nola_anne