Reading journal – The Gay Genius

20171204 Chapter 1 Literary Patriotic Duck

1 OutstandingQuestion ( the author is answering)

苏东坡是怎么被封为“文忠公”的？

3 MostInteresting Sentences and my thoughts

1.He wanted towrest the secrets of the universe, was half defeated, and died with a laugh.

读到这句的时候想起了朝闻道，当然文中并没有提到苏东坡愿为闻道而赴死。但特别喜欢wrest这个词，和宇宙的奥秘“搏斗”，即使输了也是含笑而去。这样的求知与洒脱，让苏东坡的形象更加的鲜活。他不是教科书里冷冰冰文豪，而是真实存在过的求真务实的学者。再加上本章最后提到的，苏东坡实质上是极具民主精神的官员，想法充满人文关怀。看看西湖边的垂杨柳就知道了，毕竟那个年代其他官员修堤坝，多少还想着设计好看的绿化呢~

2.Roughly, (goodwriting) is like the sailing of clouds or flowing of water, moving forwardwhere it is natural to move forward, and stopping where it must stop. From thenatural flow of thoughts and language arises its wayward, abundant charm.

大概是苏轼这样的天才文豪才敢说写作不过是行云流水，提笔就写，该停就停。不用冥思苦想，下笔就是名篇。普通人大概只能像村上春树一样把写作当作职业来做，规定时间规定数量来完成。还得像一样ON WRITING WELL的作者一样，字斟句酌，只求打磨出更好的作品。

3.A holy cause isalways a dangerous thing. When a cause becomes holy, the means used to achieveit inevitably becomes vile.

这句话可以说是非常在理了。多少种族屠杀、宗教运动、社会动乱，都是以一个神圣的理由为出发点，顺我者昌逆我者亡。为了达到所谓的“神圣”，全然不顾有多少无辜的牺牲。

Words and expressions

1.forsake

释义：v.to stop doing, using, or having somethingthat you enjoy放弃、抛弃、戒掉（喜欢的事物）

例句：She will never forsakeher vegetarian principles.

同义词：abandan

2.opinionated

原文: Nothing is sodangerous to a nation’s destiny as a misguided butopinionatedidealist.

释义：adj. expressing very

strong opinions about things固执己见的，武断的

造句：My boss is veryopinionated and sometimes bad-tempered.

3.posthumous

释义：adj. happening,

printed tec. after someone’s death死后发生的；死后出版的

举例：a posthumouscollection of his article

4.a galaxy of

原文: At the time of SuTungpo’s youth there was a brilliant galaxy ofscholars gathered at the court of the Chinese emperor.

释义：galaxy银河系用夸张的手法来形容数量很多