What We Have in Common -- A Guest Post by Sheri of A Novel Menagerie

Today, Sheri is guest posting for me! Make sure to check out her site, A Novel Menagerie!

me⋅nag⋅er⋅ie

Pronounced: [muh-naj-uh-ree, -nazh-] (mə-năj'ə-rē, )
Word Type: Noun
Origin: 1705–15; < F: lit., housekeeping. See MÉNAGE, -ERY
Definition(s):
• A collection of live wild animals on exhibition.
• An enclosure in which wild animals are kept.
• A diverse or miscellaneous group.
• A collection of wild or unusual animals, esp. for exhibition
• A Place where they are kept or exhibited
• An unusual and varied group of people
• a place for keeping) a collection of wild animals

Menagerie is the term for a historical form of keeping calm and exotic animals in human captivity and therefore a predecessor of the modern zoological garden. The term was foremost used in seventeenth century France originally for the management of the household or domestic stock, but later primarily for an aristocratic or royal animal collection. The French-language "Methodical Encyclopaedia" of 1782 defines a menagerie as an "establishment of luxury and curiosity." Later on the term was referred even to travelling animal collections that exhibited wild animals at fairs across Europe and the Americas. [French ménagerie, from Old French mesnage, ménage. See ménage.]

TRANSLATIONS:

Arabic: مَجْموعَة حيوانات نادِرَه
Chinese (Simplified): 动物园
Chinese (Traditional): 動物園
Czech: zvěřinec
Danish: menageri
Dutch: menagerie
Estonian: loomaaed
Finnish: villieläintarha
French: ménagerie
German: die Menagerie
Greek: θηριοτροφείο
Hungarian: állatsereglet
Icelandic: dÿragarður
Indonesian: pengumpulan binatang
Italian: serraglio
Japanese: 見せ物動物園
Korean: (개인이 소유한) 대규모 야생동물 사육지
Latvian: zvērnīca
Lithuanian: žvėrynas
Norwegian: menasjeri
Polish: menażeria
Portuguese (Brazil): coleção de feras
Portuguese (Portugal): zoo
Romanian: me¬najerie
Russian: зверинец
Slovak: zverinec
Slovenian: zverinjak
Spanish: casa de fieras
Swedish: menageri
Turkish: vahşi hayvanlar koleksiyonu; hayvanat bahçesi

Menagerie, it’s what we share and what brought me to you. I am wondering if you relate to this word as much as I do.

I remember the day that I chose the name for my blog, as I am sure all bloggers can relate to. I was with Lisa of Books on the Brain and she was sharing with me her passion for reading, reviewing and the start-up of TLC Book Tours. I just sucked up all of excitement into me and exploded within my own. I want to review all of the books that I have been reading! I want to blog. But, what to name it? I remember rambling out some names with her, but I can’t remember how the words came to me. I constantly refer to my household as a ZOO… because it is one. I think I went from zoo to menagerie to The Glass Menagerie… to A Novel Menagerie. I can’t recall (maybe Lisa does). But, I was struck so much with how much this website name suited me that I scribbled it down and never changed my mind on it once.

My life in my home is one of a domestic zoo keeper. And, I love it that way. I am a pretty diverse person and am into multiple hobbies, with various collections, and a wide taste in both music and books. I collect both, in addition to collecting all sorts of things: elephants, nail polish, socks, chopsticks, pillows, fish, pens, yarn and glasses (the drinking kind). I’ve hosted contests asking others about their collections… their menageries, if you will. After all, your menagerie tells a lot about you!

So, you and I… Literary Menagerie… are tied by this beautiful word with French origins. You and I are tied by a love of literature, a collection of words which, once published, become as timeless as the sea. You are I are tied as we are both new to the book review blogging community. As we venture off into 2009 and share our love of the menagerie and our fearlessness of the “Blog World”… I can’t wait to get to know you better!