My 10 Literary Dreams and Goals 

Winston Churchill thought it was a great stroke of luck to be held back in school, so that while his classmates went on to study a foreign language he had to study how to write a decent English sentence all over again. That seems sensible to me. Therefore my linguistic goal has always been to inch my way toward mastery of English.

Good luck with your goals! I speak 4 languages (English, French, Latin and Russian), which I am happy with for now. The more you learn, the more maintenance you have. I lost some of my Latin fluency due to never exercising it.

What a lovely new year's chat! And yes, you DO have a lovely speaking voice. It's a key reason I enjoy your vids!!! I'm sure you already know folks that had an experience like mine... I dropped out of uni after my 3rd yr, and after various life experiences, I went back 7 yrs later just to get my BA degree in psych. I wound up picking up a 2nd BA in cultural anthro, was asked into the grad program by one of my undergrad profs, wound up getting a phd, wound up conducting 20 yrs of research in both Mexico&USA, and wound up teaching, and retiring in 2020. I could have never predicted any of it until I followed a path that led me thru all that! I wish that for all young people, inc you.

I love your passion for universal literature.❤🎉

You do have a nice voice, and you are easy to listen to. Audiobooks are recorded in several takes, and you’ll be asked to read passages multiple times so they can edit out mistakes. I think you’d do great 😊

You have the perfect voice for audiobook!! Can’t wait for your recordings 😊 Also good luck on all your goals and best wishes 😊

You seem to have a quiet grit and determination about you (same as I think I have. I hope I have anyway.) which makes me think your goals will be reached. Every time you say Proust I move to the edge of my seat. I read ten pages a day of him and each day I am blessed with countless treasures. Congratulations on 2023. We look forward to learning and seeing beautiful Vienna on your channel in 2024.

Quite a challenging list you've got there but it's great to dream. Studying when you're older certainly has its positives. I remember being intimidated by all the jargon in my first degree classes but when doing more study later on, I could see that it wasn't so difficult and some of it was just nonsense. So long as you enjoy the process, that's the main thing.

background looks so cozy

Another video from you; such a treat today. I had commented on your Proust video asking if you read it in French or English and you were kind enough to link the French reading of the books; thanks again. Since then I started reading Proust in English but then found a French copy of Book I and II which don't seem too terrible so I'm ready to start anew. As far as languages, I have studied several more (including German for one year) than I speak now currently because of lack of practice. I'm American (African-American to be specific) and my life here (even in New York City) is not as colorful in terms of languages as it was in European capitals. I do work sometimes as an Italian Interpreter for the city. There seems to be less Europeans traveling here though ever since the pandemic. I used to be fluent in Czech as well but it's a small country (10 million inhabitants) so it's not quite worth the investment now that most of my ties with the country have dried up. I recently came across my language study materials for Portuguese and am excited to give myself a refresher as I have lots of people on my social media, for some reason, who are native Portuguese speakers (mostly from Angola) with whom I have been communicating and hope to do so more in 2024. Happy New Year! What's your name, by the way? Thanks for another interesting video.

These are awesome goals! I’m practicing Latin again this year after 6 years off. Wishing you all the best! ❤

If you plan to read all of Shakespeare, which you kinda ought to for your studies (!), don't get distracted by notes and just go headlong start to finish play after play. You'll be surprised how sensible his writing is to read despite not confidently knowing meanings intended the essence of it should /will sink in, often the poetry explains itself more than clouding clarity.

good luck!

We have the same goal #1: What else can one do but start with The Little Prince, then The Stranger, and work your way up? It feels like most people stop after Swann's Way, which is a mistake. The most memorable moment to me of the story is the death of his grandmother. When I finished In Search of Lost Time, it changed how I viewed literature and it makes me happy to see how Proust has infected other readers as well. Goal #5 is interesting. Shakespeare was my quarantine author. It was a fantastic surprise when reading Ulysses to recognize so many references and lines in that work, especially the chapter 9. There's a book called "Shakespeare After All" by Marjorie Garber which gives a fantastic play-by-play analysis of each work and I found it sincerely enhanced my understanding and appreciation of him. Goal #8 inspires me to finish improving my German to the point where I am able to read Faust in its mother tongue (without a dictionary). Your admiration for the work is infectious. Happy New Year!

nice that we have very similar goals :)

Another beautiful video. An audiobook recording with your voice I can imagine well - your videos have a certain ASMR quality to them. Also I am impressed with your language skills. I try to learn additional languages in my spare time but have not yet gotten to a place where I can do something useful with it, certainly not reading native literature. That is certainly a goal for the future, akin to your Proust goal. The idea of Proust as a bedtime book sounds intriguing, I might try to do that. I would be interested in a video where you talk about the history of your language skills. I hope you will be able to make a living from your love of literature and think that you are on a good trajectory. Wish you a fantastic 2024!

I'm a new subscriber and loving your videos...❤

❤Another beautiful video🤎 happy year

Relaxing with a good book is still very popular going on Holidays and weekends. Thanks for the inspiring poetry and litititure you mentioned all year. Going to the local bookshop is more interesting now. Good and Happy reading in 2024. 🎉

Hello Happy new 2024 still relatively new , i am so inspired by your channel , ive purchased some books from a local auction wer there was around 10 Shakespeare classics, so happy reading everyone thank you .

Happy new year! 🇵🇹 💞

I believe all of your goals are doable. The most daunting would be "knowing Faust by heart". As far as acting, I'd recommend joining an improv class in your city/community --- one focused on acting as these classes provide great preparation for action and reaction, timing, body language and facial expressions and intonation -- and they can be lots of fun if you have a dynamic instructor and dedicated fellow students. High goals --- best wishes --- on achieving as many as possible :)

My own literary goal is to be able to read French fiction (especially Proust), German fiction (especially Kafka) and Russian fiction (especially Dostoevsky) in the original. At one stage, I was able to read Plato and Homer in the original, as my minor in my BA was Ancient Greek. However, I have a modernist sensibility. I did French and German in high school many eons ago: I'm hoping that this will help me to resuscitate my proficiency in these languages when I (finally!) have time to pursue my literary goal in earnest.

Nice video. Wishing you exemplary success. We read Faust at our book club recently and I tried to recall all your videos on Faust. Happy new year🎉🎉🎉

So clever to want to read all of Shakespeare's works chronologically. Inspiring video. In my declining years, I know I need to do more brain aerobics to fend off cognitive decline, and so taking up Spanish again is a sort of 2024 resolution for me especially with my planned relocation to the SW USA from Hawaii when I retire (as the language is commonly spoken there). Die Daumen drücken for both of us!

I really enjoyed this video! Lovely to hear your goals and I especially get excited by your idea of being a sort of bridge between languages and making literature accesible in this way. It fits so perfectly with your abilities and interests, and when you talk about languages and being a translator you really start to glow!! You do have a beautiful voice by the way

i wish i had the opportunity to meet someone like you where i live... the love and appreciation for literature and learning new languages here is almost unheard of so its kinda sad that if i stay here ill prob never talk to any1 with the tastes as me ;-;. love your videos and gl with your goals 😅

Hello, Happy New Year, I am reading In Search of Lost Time, by Proust. I love it so much, and I have all the TIME in the world to complete this Masterpiece.

Fände das so cool, wenn du was über den Zauberberg machen würdest Glaube dieses Buch muss man ein paar mal lesen und sich mit anderen darüber austauschen um die Gedanken von Thomas Mann zu verstehen Und aufjedenfall viel Glück mit deinen Zielen:)!

No creative writing goals? Anyway; Chaucer's Canterbury Tales written in Middle English is a nice link between English and German because when most English readers look at the original text they can't understand it well, whereas a German could perhaps, even more so if spoken authentically, which in an audiobook you could do very nicely, whilst bridging that 'island' you mention.

I reckon the key for acting confidence, not that I'm an actor but, I believe the best method is to 'hide' yourself and personal anxieties behind a definitely competent understanding and interpretation of the character. And simply (!) find your best effort at displaying that sense of the other self in performance. I may be stating the obvious here mind you?!

You do indeed have a lovely speaking voice and I would suggest some shorter works if that would be more comfortable for you and bear in mind that the process involves editing so that would alleviate any fear of mistakes. I know you could do this.

Hi Strange Lucidity, and Eric :) Hoping your 2024 is a Blessed, productive and beautiful one, as I'm sure it will be. 🙏 Tyson Fury, the World Champion boxer breaks his life - and his career into small and large goals, - it's worked pretty well for him so far :) Your list of goals might be best approached that way? 1) Reading all of Proust in French, very attainable but as you mentioned would take some time, long term goal :) 2) Learning 6 languages, - given you speak 4, very doable! 3)Translations in 3 languages - as above. 4) Recording an audiobook, - as other members have posted, - you'd be perfect for that! 5) Reading Shakespeare chronologically, - the first of your goals I often do myself, but with important musicians, - currently wading through a great jazz tenor sax player, Sonny Rollins, - yes I have heard all his work over the decades, and it's pretty large, but in recent years since retiring revisiting the greats that way, - it REALLY does add to the appreciation of the artists brilliance and evolution etc. I tend to do that these days reading a bunch of biographies and critical studies in tandom with the listening. 6) Acting, myself and a former girlfriend many years ago went to a lecture at the local Buddhist Center, which had been cancelled when we arrived and a drama class was put on instead, - we were ready to leave but (thankfully) chose to stay, - it was a very powerful experience which I kinda planned to follow up, - I've played guitar on hundreds on gigs, and some were pretty powerful internal experiences, but totally different to that one drama session, - who knows why? Maybe the embodiment aspect? But sadly only 24 hrs in a day :) 7) Earning a living from Literature, - I think that will happen as a matter of course given your passion and commitment! If I may offer an opinion, - over the years I've followed a lot of YT's on areas that interest me, - and all too often as the creators started getting into big sub numbers, they started adding bells and whistles which killed the creativity, - the only ones I still follow are the ones who don't go into performance mode for extra subs, - the content quality suffers, - I don't feel from what I've seen you'd fall into that trap, you are way too authentic to dilute your content. 8) Faust by heart, or memory? I have no real inside track insight on that. 9) A video about Proust? I'd see that as an extension of what you are already doing on this channel, no problem for doing over time. 10) Dedicated reading room, - that I do have experience of lol, - I live in a 3 bedroom house, and sleep in the smallest room, the two biggest bedrooms have been re-modelled into one a dedicated music library, wall to wall, floor to ceiling with records, cd's books on music, my guitars and amp etc. The other room more of a second living room, still almost wall to wall with music and books, wall prints etc but also very cosy, with hi-fi, comfortable armchairs and electric kettle etc, (plus 3 roaming cats ;) LOVE that room! 11) Getting your Litt degree? That's a given SL !!!!! Good luck with you goals, which may morph slightly, but still be heading in the same direction imo. But breaking into managable chunks, all very realistic I reckon, I love the line from Jacques Barzun, with whom I'm guessing you are probably familiar, regarding his wide range of literary and other interests, when asked why he after writing a critically acclaimed book on say philosopy followed it by one just as good on the life of Berlioz, - he said, "To avoid the gangrene of specialisation" - my kinda guy! Might be why he lived to be 104 and was still writing! :) My own goals, given you asked your subs - hmm, - continuing the self directed study of World History I mentioned last time I dropped in, - which can last as long as I live, - and linking it with music, - read a fine book recently, Music As A Mirror of History, - and given the archeological & anthropological evidence points to music having been around as long as humanity, then it clearly has a fundamental role in our lives, both communally and spiritually, - and getting back to some serious guitar playing for just myself, - live playing doesn't appeal much these days and what I enjoy playing isn't what most clubs and bars want today. Best to you and Eric, and just keep on hauling :) Warm Regards, your friend, Gus ❤🎷❤

I think we lovers of literature could happily fill whole corridors and streets and avenues of rooms with all those books we crave.

how do you learn so many languages? maybe you could make video about that, it could be interesting!

I would be interested in your reading lists you get at university and another question:how much time do you spend reading?

I think making many smaller videos about Proust would be easier to achieve. To capture the spirit of all of it in one video sounds very difficult.

What do you do for work?

Rather than respectfully microanalysing every little detail, allow the language to wash over your senses and let the meaning absorb through a gentle osmosis. Anyone and everyone can tell you what they reckon Shakespeare was intending to convey, but much more importantly and wonderfully his meaning is that which any individual reader so readily gleans from the page, stage, rhythm and poetic delicacy. So, most valuably, just enjoy the ride.

God, i can't get higher then 2x speed? 😂😅