Rosemarie, I Have a Question?

[Bruce]

I actually find that in a lot of British and American classics as well.

[Chrissie]

Chad, I think authors do this purposefully to disassociate from one place so the reader cam imagine similar event elsewhere. Many authors do this with dates too. Trollope coms to my mind.

[Lesle, Appalachain Bibliophile]

Chad wrote: "Occasionally in older novels I see names of people or places omitted. Such as, “He headed down to the bridge on W— street.” I’m talking about novels here, the author could have just made up a name ..."

That is interesting.
Rosemarie have you or others run into this?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I've seen this with many Victorian and post-Victorian authors. Other authors give a fictional name to real place, like Thomas Hardy.

They do the same with dates. For example, July 9, 18--

[Lesle, Appalachain Bibliophile]

Is there a reason why? or just making it fictional from a reality name or date?

[Bernard]

Yes, it is rather strange, now I think of it.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Certainly. Goodreads did that to me earlier in another group!

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Sandy wrote: "Rosemarie, for some reason we have two threads for the Aldous Huxley buddy read. Could you delete one, please? 😊"

Goodreads gremlims have been at it again. I can't right now, hopefully later.

[Tr1sha]

Rosemarie, about the “horrid novels” & Northanger Abbey. I ought to read Northanger Abbey again some time. As I haven’t read any of the horrid novels, would it be better to read some of them first or leave them until afterwards?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I read Northanger Abbey first as well and the horrid novels long afterwards. Since then I discovered that I like them!
The books by Ann Radcliffe are readily available, as is The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis is not hard to find either.

We read A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe a couple or so years ago.

[Lesle, Appalachain Bibliophile]

Rosemarie wrote: "We read A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe a couple or so years ago...."

I read Northanger Abbey first as well and I enjoyed reading A Sicilian Romance too!

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I just got The Orphan of the Rhine as a free ebook!

[Tr1sha]

Rosemarie wrote: "I just got The Orphan of the Rhine as a free ebook!"

That’s great! Thanks for your advice, Rosemarie & Lesle. I looked earlier & found some of the books but haven’t chosen yet. I assume I’ll like the Ann Radcliffe ones as I enjoyed one of her other books some time ago.
Edited: I just got a copy of The Orphan of the Rhine too!

[Chrissie]

Is there a place where I can see ALL the books currently being read by the group? If it is a "hefty read", must I look for that thread? If it is a short story, must I find that thread? Or German, South American or whatever. And there may be Buddy Reads going on too! I get lost in the threads. This is not due to poor organisation, but to my lousy vision. I want to make sure I don't miss something I'd like to read and join in on.

Thank you for your help.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I see you've answered your own question, Chrissie!

[Chrissie]

Yeah, I found the thread. Very helpful.

[Stuart]

Lesle wrote: "Chad wrote: "Occasionally in older novels I see names of people or places omitted. Such as, “He headed down to the bridge on W— street.” I’m talking about novels here, the author could have just made up a name ...."

That is interesting.
Rosemarie have you or others run into this?

Actually I have been wondering a lot about this, and have been wondering where to ask it:

I am looking for recommendations of books that do not have a traditional setting. What is called a backdrop setting. According to what I can google, this can include:

1. Works where the setting is important to the plot but is concealed until the writer decides to reveal it. Usually the writer will intentionally misdirect the reader into misunderstanding the setting so that the reveal is that much more significant. (A defining use, I feel, of Roland Barthes' "hermeneutic code.")

Pierre Boulle - Planet of the Apes.
John Sacret Young's screenplay for "China Beach" (briefly, for the first two pages anyway, but just as shocking when the curtain is finally lifted.)
JP Sartre. No Exit.

2. Works where the setting is vague and unspecified and remains so for the duration of the book. The setting could be wherever, whenever the reader wants it to be. The anonymity is the point.

Franz Kafka. The Trial
George Orwell. Animal Farm.
Samuel Beckett. Waiting for Godot (among others).


3. Books where the setting is named but is not that important. It does not effect the story that much. It could still be wherever, whenever the reader decides it is.

AA Milne. Winnie the Pooh.
Carolyn Keene. Nancy Drew books.

(Robert Lewis Stevenson leans this way in Treasure Island but I do not think it really counts. But he writes 17-- as Rosemarie and Chrissie mentioned above. )

I think the first one is the most interesting. The second one in interesting in a different way as well. The third one less so, but more commonplace.

But I would also add that modernist (20th century or so) plays often produce scenery in a sparse minimalist manner whether or not the location is actually named in the script. Lars von Trier's film Dogville comes to mind but I think this is actually more common in stage plays. But I have not been able to nail down the terminology for it.

I would love any thoughts or examples on this topic.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

And then there's Thomas Hardy's Wessex, in which he's given fictional names to real places.

[Stuart]

Rosemarie wrote: "And then there's Thomas Hardy's Wessex, in which he's given fictional names to real places."

Good point!

Kerouac famously did that with character's names. And its always been kind of a game to connect the dots between the characters in his books and the real person he knew that they stood for.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Simone de Beauvoir did the same thing in her book Les Mandarins. The term in French is a roman à clef.

[Stuart]

Rosemarie wrote: "Simone de Beauvoir did the same thing in her book Les Mandarins. The term in French is a roman à clef."

That's very interesting. The existentialists seem to pop up often in this regard. The pieces from de Beauvoir I have seen, I have liked a lot.

[Chrissie]

When is the group reading Fortunata and Jacinta? Thanks for your help.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

From July to September in the Hefty/Husky thread. In others words, soon!

[Chrissie]

Nice, I felt like starting that soon. Thank you, Rosemarie.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Any time!

[Chrissie]

I have another question. I've had trouble using GR after their changes recently. Having now switched providers I would like to have contact with someone who uses the provider Edge. Where can I put this question to those in this group? Do you know Edge?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

A good place might be our general chat thread, since more members probably read those comments.

[Chrissie]

Rosemarie wrote: "A good place might be our general chat thread, since more members probably read those comments."

OK. thank you.

[Nora]

Hi! I was wondering if it would be okay to continue with the buddy read for The Hobbit and I was also wondering where it would be located because I am having a hard time locating it. Please let me know if this is okay?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Nora, the Hobbit was hiding in the archives, but now it's moved back to the current Buddy Read folder.
It's a terrific book.

[Nora]

Rosemarie wrote: "Nora, the Hobbit was hiding in the archives, but now it's moved back to the current Buddy Read folder.
It's a terrific book."

Thanks so much for moving it back to the current Buddy Read folder, Rosemarie. I'm looking forward to continuing to read it.

[Nora]

Hello Rosemarie,

In the buddy read for The Age of Innocence, As you might have noticed, Cleo has been asking me to ignore the racism in the book and I unfortunately can’t do that and they have also referred to the comments I have made. I’m not sure what to do about this situation. I’m hoping you can help me figure out what to do.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

That's too bad, Nora, but unfortunately Wharton was portraying an accurate description of the society. I've only two of Wharton's books, Ethan Frome and Summer, neither of which is set in high society circles.
Sadly, racism is still rampant today in many circles!

I would suggest you consider the novel as a sociological study of bygone days. If you are really uncomfortable, it's perfectly fine to stop reading the book!

[Nora]

Hello Rosemarie,

I was wondering what happened to the Evelyn Waugh thread as I hope to discuss the book, Scoop?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

You'll find it under CLASSICS: Genre & Novelist Reads 2023 August.

[Nora]

Rosemarie wrote: "You'll find it under CLASSICS: Genre & Novelist Reads 2023 August."

Thanks so much for your help, Rosemarie!

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

You're welcome, Nora.

[Nora]

Hi Rosemarie! I'm currently reading A Murder Is Announced by Agatha Christie and I don't understand why when the fireplace is lit it is referred to as "central heating"?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I think that's supposed to be joke because British heating is painfully inadequate according to North American standards. They don't have central heating and the houses are cold in the winter time.
The fireplace is the only heating in that house.

[Nora]

Rosemarie wrote: "I think that's supposed to be joke because British heating is painfully inadequate according to North American standards. They don't have central heating and the houses are cold in the winter time...."

Thanks so much for explaining this, Rosemarie! That makes more sense.

[Nora]

Hi Rosemarie! Here's another question I have about the same book: What are "bus people"?

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

In what chapter does the phrase appear, Nora?

[Nora]

Rosemarie wrote: "In what chapter does the phrase appear, Nora?"

Chapter 4 when the police are getting ready to interrogate people about Rudi.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I think it means the employees of the bus company and asking them about the bus schedules and if they'd seen Rudi.

[Mike]

As someone who has lived on both sides of the Atlantic I can attest to North America's superior central heating. Central Heating in the UK is usually hot water through metal radiators. Yes, they're as inefficient as they sound. They take forever to heat the place and when the house reaches the desired temperature, it takes forever for the radiators to cool this further warming the house. It's a constant cycle of too hot to too cold all winter long.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I've never experienced that, and am glad I haven't. I like our central heating in Canada, especially when we lived in Saskatchewan!

[Carol]

And radiators rattle and clang. They demand notice. They can also melt things on or nearby them.

[Nora]

Rosemarie wrote: "I think it means the employees of the bus company and asking them about the bus schedules and if they'd seen Rudi."

That makes more sense! For some reason, I thought they were referring to "bus boy" or "bus girl" as in those who bus the tables at restaurants for example one at the spa or restaurants in the area that Rudi spent time at. Thanks so much for your help, Rosemarie!

[Nora]

Mike wrote: "As someone who has lived on both sides of the Atlantic I can attest to North America's superior central heating. Central Heating in the UK is usually hot water through metal radiators. Yes, they're..."

Thanks so much for sharing an example of experiencing this in real life, Mike!

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

Glad I could help, Nora.