I absolutely enjoyed reading "Unpacking my Library." One of my favorite lines is "Every passion borders on the chaotic, but the collector's passion borders on the chaos of memories" (pg. 60). 

The way the author talks about collecting as a means of remembering and almost preserving memory reminded me very much of the philosophies of John Locke, who claimed that memory is our only means of personal identity. Collecting is like a form of personal identity. 

I love what the author says about collecting as a type of rebirth and the value of old versus new. I think it's a true testament to the act of collecting that old out-values the new, especially when taking into account the influence of economy on our society. We live in a time when most people want new things and things that have evolved. We rarely see people who crave an old Nokia phone over the iPhone 5; that's just not how humanity works at this time. We live in an ever-changing, fast-paced world where new is always better. But the act of collecting, from the shells that Professor Porter brought on the first day of class, to Bowles' picturesque, to the collection of books that one of my classmates shared below, has yet to change. A collector craves, even needs, things from the past because they truly make the collection. The past defines the present and instead of being a component that adds to the present, the past is its own entity and equally, if not more, valuable. 

I love what the author says about the characteristics of a book collector. I can confidently call myself a book collector and I've done EVERYTHING he said: borrowed books with the intent of not returning them, stolen a book, and not to mention the fact that I have hundreds of books and I've only read about a third of them. Overall, I loved this piece a lot.

Just out of curiosity, when was this written? It feels somewhat modern, but I'm not sure. 

Is my obnoxiously filled book shelf a collection?

It is weird for me to think that all of my books are an actual collection.  Now that I have actually thought about it, I suppose it is a collection.  I have a UK edition of The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest.  It doesn't even have a US price on it.  When I saw it at Half Price Books I pretty much had to buy it.  I gave away my favorite copy of Invisible Monsters and when I bought it again I had to buy the edition that had the same cover as the one I had given away.  You will also notice in the picture that I have a giant inflatable brain I got when I went to see Chuck Palahnuik on his book tour last year. It was fantastic.  I would like to have my own home library, but I guess I never thought that would be a collection.  When I hear collection it has a weird connotation to me.  I love my books that they just are a part of my room and my routine.  

This post probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense because I am SO burned out from writing my essay.

Thalaba and New Media

Thalaba is reminding me of certain tropes in literature and not even necessarily the epic aspect. It reminds me of the vengence type movies, or something like the orphaned superheroes (along the lines of Batman). Also, the "corporation of magicians" reminds me of conspiracy theories in something like the Da Vinci Code.  Goes to show how themes get recycled.