Following on from my Movie News blog a couple of days ago about yesterday’s release of the movie “House Of Usher”, I decided to get myself a copy of the book “The Fall Of The House Of Usher” by Edgar Allen Poe.
I went searching online, expecting to have to buy the book at Amazon, but found that the book is in the public domain, and there is a free audio book available to download.
I thought I would download that, and perhaps listen to it on the train on the way to work. However, I downloaded it and listened to the first part, and discovered that it is a machine-generated book from the text, and is read in a very monotonous, robot-like tone.
I only managed a couple of lines without bursting out laughing, and after two minutes realised that I had no idea what the droning voice was talking about. It was just so soul-less that it was impossible to concentrate on.
You can give it a try if you like at Project Gutenberg by clicking here.
Back to the website, and a bit more of a search uncovered the text version, which I downloaded and read last night.
It’s a dark an ominous tale, but written in an older style that makes reading it a bit hard. I imagine it will be about another 28 years before I get around to reading it again, but I would like to see the movie.
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On a different note, literally, while searching I stumbled upon “House Of Usher”, prog-rock combo:-
House of Usher is a five-piece progressive rock group which deftly skates along the borders of modern rock, taking the listener on explorations of classical, jazz and world music idioms. Their songs are symphonic in scope, thanks to their first-rate rhythm section, intricate instrumental interplay and arresting melodies. In a field where groups sound so similar, House of Usher is a breath of fresh air, serving up music which is distinctive and unique.