Ersatz TLS discussion
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Weekly TLS
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What are we reading? 16th August 2021
Robert wrote: "If I recall, Bronte admired Thackeray over Fielding because he was a moralist."Well, I enjoyed The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, which is a lot of fun (fun is very important to me - did anyone notice?), which probably means that I would not enjoy Thackeray.
I also enjoyed a certain book by André Gide.... The Immoralist
Sandya wrote: "If diversity and tolerance were good enough for the Emperor Akbar, they are good enough for the rest of us."Quite so - and that's a lovely quote. Let's hope more individuals - and regimes - can live up to it in the future.
Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: An autobiography of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a Berlin transgender pioneer who is now contested (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlot...)"Contested" indeed.
A substantial part of the exhibits in her museum she looted from Jewish households after the families had been deported to concentration camps. She was born in 1928, so her youth could, maybe should, be taken into consideration.
She became a gay/LGTB icon in the GDR days. And a Stasi informer. Who put close friends in jail by snitching on them.
Her life, as she told it, was probably 90% invention. Thats not something I care about though. It is the Stasi thing for me. Which is, if you disregard the fact that a GDR jail was preferable to a concentration camp, no better than its Nazi equivalent.
Her status as an icon has, rightly imo, been contested by parts of the LGTB community for quite some time.
AB76 wrote: "Georg wrote: "AB76 wrote: "Right, will be offline-ish till Monday evening...enjoy your books guys and gals....its uncling timeAm taking the Thea Astley novel A Kindness Cup with me but am not sur..."
AB, you didn't get the joke. I admit it took about 10 seconds to make the connection to your "uncle duties". As opposed to your "un-cling" worries.
It is an equivalent to "Blumentopf-erde"/"Blumento-pferde" (I leave you to figure that out).
scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "If I recall, Bronte admired Thackeray over Fielding because he was a moralist."Well, I enjoyed The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, which is a lot of fun..."
Ah, yes, Tom Fielding. Quite unreserved re sex, compared to the Victorians, iirc
scarletnoir wrote: "I know you are very interested in music - I doubt anyone would say that Beethoven 'declined' musically, when the 9th Symphony is one of his later works (I know there were others after that). Remarkably, of course, he was totally deaf by this time..."Given my interests, I naturally thought of this, but the weakness-of-last-works theory doesn’t seem as widely applicable in music, which is relatively rich in masterpieces created in old age (or given varying health conditions and life expectancy, relative old age).
Even if one discounts those who were cut down prematurely and doesn’t include Mozart’s Requiem, Schubert’s String Quintet or late Sonatas, Lulu or even Mahler’s Tenth, there are L'incoronazione di Poppea, Art of the Fugue, Beethoven’s late Quartets, Parsifal, Four Last Songs, Bruckner’s Ninth, Falstaff, Debussy’s three Sonatas, RVW’s Ninth, Shostakovich's last chamber works and songs, Death in Venice.
AB76 wrote: "Beware of Pity is an excellent novel..."Thanks for that.
Bill wrote: "Given my interests, I naturally thought of this, but the weakness-of-last-works theory doesn’t seem as widely applicable in music, which is relatively rich in masterpieces created in old age..."I tend to agree with you - my comment was more of a 'devil's advocate' shot... I suppose there are two problems about quantifying such a theory: getting people to agree on the quality of the works (successful artists in any field tend to keep a hold on their admirers, and enjoy something of a halo factor), and then simply the adding up process. I don't know if anyone has attempted the task, but it would likely prove a thankless one.
So, it must remain an interesting hypothesis without definitive proof, I suppose.
Russell wrote: "Another opening passage I like. As with several of those cited already, it announces at once the distinctive style of the author:“In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village ..."
Please, which book is this from? It is so familiar to me but I can't seem to attach it to a particular book!
Oggie wrote: "Russell wrote: "Another opening passage I like. As with several of those cited already, it announces at once the distinctive style of the author:“In the late summer of that year we lived in a hou..."
"A Farewell to Arms" I think
Anyone here interested in fires in the American west and the rough beginnings of the US Forest Service?I think I mentioned here that I had just listened to The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America and lo and behold a promo for the video shows up in my inbox this a.m. I don't know if others can stream this, but here are 52 condensed minutes of a 300+ page book - https://www.kcts9.org/show/american-e... if you want to try.
Two novels about Mediterranean Islands to report on..The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
An enjoyable story, but not Shafak at her best.
Having said that, it has many strengths; the treatment of damaged young lives, and the depiction of the history of Cyprus, and its culture and landscape.
The story's different timelines are held together by a Fig Tree, which is used to explain what is happening in the country, which I struggled to equate with the human story in which it was sandwiched.
And, Dog Island by Philippe Claudel, translated by Euan Cameron
As far as I am concerned everything touched by Claudel's pen turns to literary gold. I began, years ago, with Monsieur Linh and His Child, then read what up until now was my best of his, Brodeck, and then Grey Souls. The latter, has another title, as I learned only after I was midway through it for a second time..By a Slow River..
His characters are always strongly drawn, there is a deep sense of humanity, but they are dark, often about the effect that war has had. And this follows in the same vein.
Three bodies are discovered by the Old Woman, who was once the island’s teacher, another man scavenging on the shore, and a fisherman. The Mayor is fetched, who arrives accompanied by the Doctor, and the Teacher, who is an outsider, not an islander, also appears, drawn by the fuss while running on the beach. The Mayor’s immediate instinct is to cover up..
In a few weeks’ time you’ll tell yourself you dreamed all this. And if you speak to me about it, if you ask me anything, I’ll tell you I don’t know what you’re talking about.
Like other's by Claudel, the plotting is as of a crime novel, but it doesn't take that direction at all. Instead this reads more as a fable. The 'cover up' is to be discovered, and punishment is to be dealt out, as the SuperIntendent arrives, and what a superbly drawn character he is.
This is a novel about immigration and people trafficking, with the Dog Island archipelago representing the Canary Islands, though this is never stated; about the people who will take almost any risk to escape climate change and poverty, and those who exploit them.
It is Claudel at his best.
The choices for the first sentences in novels has been fascinating but what about memorable lines of poetry? Not necessarily the first line for some of the best come later in the poem.How about to start
‘Tread softly because you tread on my dreams ‘
(Yeats. Cloths of Heaven)
Georg wrote: "Oggie wrote: "Russell wrote: "Another opening passage I like. As with several of those cited already, it announces at once the distinctive style of the author:“In the late summer of that year we ..."
Thanks Georg.. I haven't actually read Farewell to Arms but have just finished The Sun Also Rises and dipping in and out of A Moveable Feast. There s a certain clarity to Hemingway's writing which I just love
CCCubbon wrote: "The choices for the first sentences in novels has been fascinating but what about memorable lines of poetry?"As I noted in a post earlier this year, one can get in trouble quoting the opening lines of poetry.
scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "If I recall, Bronte admired Thackeray over Fielding because he was a moralist."Well, I enjoyed The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, which is a lot of fun..."
No, I think that was an unfortunate comment by Robert. Don't let it put you off Thackeray. I don't think he's any more moralistic than any other Victorian novelist - probably less so than most. There's no sense of preaching or brow-beating when reading his books. If anything he's more distamt and clinical than some readers might find to tjheir taste. Vanity Fair is sub-titled "A Novel Without a Hero", which should tell you what he thought about simplistic good guys vs bad guys scenarios.
CCCubbon wrote: "The choices for the first sentences in novels has been fascinating but what about memorable lines of poetry? Not necessarily the first line for some of the best come later in the poem.How about to..."
Isn't that the last line?
@Oggie, @Georg - Yes, A Farewell to Arms. Such clean prose! I actually rather dislike the stilted dialogue in the book, but his descriptions are the tops.
The first that jumped to mind were:Water, water, everywhere and all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
FrancesBurgundy wrote: "Sandya wrote: "I was so depressed today by the situation in Afghanistan that I was driven to take out a book I love, "India" by Michael Wood. ..."Many years ago Michael Wood did a lovely TV serie..."
I believe this is the book of that TV series!
Berkley wrote: "scarletnoir wrote: "Robert wrote: "If I recall, Bronte admired Thackeray over Fielding because he was a moralist."Well, I enjoyed The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Fielding, w..."
Tom Jones is a great favorite on mine and I much prefer Fielding to Thackeray, though I am a hardcore Bronte fan too.
Sydney wrote (#118): This was the last work of fiction I had to read of the great novelist. There may be some obscure stories I haven’t encountered, but otherwise all that is left is the non-fiction, of which there is a sizable quantity. I feel a sense of terrible sadness about becoming a Dickens completist, yet one positive is that I will have the headspace to read some other doorstoppers. There aren’t many conspicuous omissions in my reading career, but I have Vanity Fair lined up for the not too-distant future.Hope you will find some comfort (and laughs) in Vanity Fair! I think you might.
goodyorkshirelass: So pleased to hear of your excursion (#119)! Hope you will like the new Jonathan Coe.
Sydney wrote (#141):
That's the Beckett novel I really like, written in English before he started writing 'without style' in French. I also love the short story "Dante and the Lobster".Ha, noted! (Though it starts to get confusing now – I have started collecting, here in GR, some books I would like to read, in addition to the Kanban list noting recommenders’ names. (https://cryptpad.fr/kanban/#/2/kanban...) This is bound to get messy. Will best transfer all this to the Kanban list, not least the handwritten notes, as soon as possible. Aaargh. You really would not think that at work, I have a reputation for finding things very quickly - which can get a bit annoying, sometimes, because then you are always being asked about stuff...)
Lljones wrote (#142):
The Tin Drum, Günter Grass. Decades ago, I was asked to write trivia questions for a Jeopardy-like game at a physician's convention (my late husband was an MD). So far, you all have mentioned five of the lines I chose for that assignment, incl. this one.Sounds fun! Will you let us know about the rest after this two-week-thread? I can’t help throwing this one into the ring: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.”
Bill wrote (#148): ”It made me think of this passage from Aegypt […]”
Thanks for this, I can see why it would! Can you recommend the book, or series, as I understand?
Veufveuve wrote (#152):
Iris Origo was not a trained historian, but fully deserves the title. She led a seemingly fascinating life. Wiki here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iris_OrigoOh, thanks for alerting us to this. I did in fact spend some time in Montepulciano once, it was lovely. Did not remember the connection, though. https://www.montepulciano.net/la_foce...
(High) Time for dinner, and some more reading. Have a lovely evening!
CCCubbon wrote: "The choices for the first sentences in novels has been fascinating but what about memorable lines of poetry? Not necessarily the first line for some of the best come later in the poem.How about to..."
"And we are here as on a darkling plain
Swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight
Where ignorant armies clash by night.",
Dover Beach
Matthew Arnold
Rather appropriate to these times now I think of it......
Russell wrote: "@Oggie, @Georg - Yes, A Farewell to Arms. Such clean prose! I actually rather dislike the stilted dialogue in the book, but his descriptions are the tops."Personally I much prefer him:
To the red country and part of the gray country of Oklahoma, the last rains came gently, and they did not cut the scarred earth. The plows crossed and recrossed the rivulet marks. The last rains lifted the corn quickly and scattered weed colonies and grass along the sides of the roads so that the gray country and the dark red country began to disappear under a green cover.
In the last part of May the sky grew pale and the clouds that had hung in high puffs for so long in the spring were dissipated. The sun flared down on the growing corn day after day until a line of brown spread along the edge of each green bayonet. The clouds appeared, and went away, and in a while they did not try any more. The weeds grew darker green to protect themselves, and they did not spread any more.
The surface of the earth crusted, a thin hard crust, and as the sky became pale, so the earth became pale, pink in the red country and white in the gray country.
In the water-cut gullies the earth dusted down in dry little streams. Gophers and ant lions started small avalanches. And as the sharp sun struck day after day, the leaves of the young corn became less stiff and erect; they bent in a curve at first, and then, as the central ribs of strength grew weak, each leaf tilted downward. Then it was June, and the sun shone more fiercely. The brown lines on the corn leaves widened and moved in on the central ribs. The weeds frayed and edged back toward their roots. The air was thin and the sky more pale; and every day the earth paled.
Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "Thanks for this, I can see why it would! Can you recommend the book, or series, as I understand?"Crowley’s novels are kind of like Wunderkammern: there are lots of curious and unusual things in them, not all of which will appeal to all visitors, and to some extent they seem kind of accumulated rather than plotted. I’m glad I read the Aegypt sequence, enjoyed the time I spent in Blackbury Jambs NY (though not so much in the world of John Dee and Giordano Bruno, who feature in a novel-within-the-novels), and will remember many things about it, but can’t say that in the end it was a satisfying artistic experience.
You might want to try Little, Big, which is probably more widely liked, for a first taste of Crowley. His earlier SF novel, Engine Summer is a bit more traditional but very good.
Shelflife_wasBooklooker wrote: "I can’t help throwing this one into the ring: “As Gregor Samsa awoke one morning from uneasy dreams he found himself transformed in his bed into a gigantic insect.'"Kafka - Metamorphosis. Certainly memorable, though not exactly pleasant! Poor ole Gregor...
Berkley wrote: "No, I think that was an unfortunate comment by Robert. Don't let it put you off Thackeray. I don't think he's any more moralistic than any other Victorian novelist - probably less so than most. There's no sense of preaching or brow-beating when reading his books. If anything he's more distant and clinical than some readers might find to their taste. Vanity Fair is sub-titled "A Novel Without a Hero", which should tell you what he thought about simplistic good guys vs bad guys scenarios."Thank you for taking the time to make those points - it was very kind of you. For reasons I find it hard to remember or explain fully, I have never been much attracted to 19th C. English authors... I have read far more Russians from that period. Must be something to do with the temperament, I suppose... I think it's a little late to develop a taste for it now.
scarletnoir wrote: "I have never been much attracted to 19th C. English authors... I have read far more Russians from that period. Must be something to do with the temperament, I suppose... I think it's a little late to develop a taste for it now. "To be clear, I don't think Robert is necessarily wrong - though I don't remember hearing myself about the comparison between Fielding and Thackeray - but I think it could be misleading if taken out of context.
And more specifically, I think the context here would include an awareness that any Victorian novelist would appear moralistic relative to the 18th-century Fielding, and perhaps also that it might be particularly difficult for any 19th century woman to appreciate the freedom and mild ribaldry of Fielding because the consequences of that freedom could be dire for them in their time.
As an aside, I think this is something modern readers forget to keep in mind when they criticise Jane Eyre for not being spirited enough (as it seems to them) to spurn convention and accept Rochester's proposal to become his mistress: they forget or severely underestimate what an extremely precarious position this would have put her in.
Charlotte Bronte's dedication to Second Edition of Jane Eyre:There is a man in our own days whose words are not framed to tickle delicate ears: who, to my thinking, comes before the great ones of society, much as the son of Imlah came before the throned Kings of Judah and Israel; and who speaks truth as deep, with a power as prophet-like and as vital-a mien as dauntless and as daring. Is the satirist of “Vanity Fair” admired in high places? I cannot tell; but I think if some of those amongst whom he hurls the Greek fire of his sarcasm, and over whom he flashes the levin-brand of his denunciation, were to take his warnings in time-they or their seed might yet escape a fatal Rimoth-Gilead.
Why have I alluded to this man? I have alluded to him, Reader, because I think I see in him an intellect profounder and more unique than his contemporaries have yet recognised; because I regard him as the first social regenerator of the day-as the very master of that working corps who would restore to rectitude the warped system of things; because I think no commentator on his writings has yet found the comparison that suits him, the terms which rightly characterise his talent. They say he is like Fielding: they talk of his wit, humour, comic powers. He resembles Fielding as an eagle does a vulture: Fielding could stoop on carrion, but Thackeray never does. His wit is bright, his humour attractive, but both bear the same relation to his serious genius that the mere lambent sheet-lightning playing under the edge of the summer-cloud does to the electric death-spark hid in its womb. Finally, I have alluded to Mr. Thackeray, because to him – if he will accept the tribute of a total stranger – I have dedicated this second edition of “JANE EYRE.”’
Yeah, as I say, I think many Victorians would have found Fielding too coarse for them, times and sensibilities had changed so much - not always for the better, though of course the Victorians wouldn't see it that way.What I find more interesting is that the reason CB was making a comparison between the two in the first place is that Thackeray was considered Fielding-like in some ways by at least some of his contemporaries - which I would agree with.
So for us today, an admiration of Fielding is no reason to stay away from Thackeray - quite the contrary, I would say - unless you want to avoid the Victorians altogether, of course.
I enjoyed @Berkely's comments. Satire is a tricky thing-- the person in the comic mask ascends to the pulpit for a few observations about vice and folly. Satire has an icy streak comedy lacks. Perhaps the clearest contrast is between, say, Wodehouse and Waugh. No matter what humiliations Bertie lives through, nothing permanently bad will happen. Jeeves will show up, pretend to be a Scotland Yard man arresting him for use of an illegal golf club, and Bertie will be spirited right back to his comfortable bed. Wodehouse loves his young men in spats-- at least, too much to hurt them.
Contrast that with Waugh's Black Mischief. The British envoy, his wife, and daughter are a trio of comic butts. However, late in the book, an airplane carrying the daughter goes missing. Her parents are seen in port, waiting for news. Her black-sheep lover knows her strange end, but can't reveal it. There will be no consolation for these people, and the reader knows it.
Fielding could write satirical comedy-- I'm thinking of his life of Johnathan Wilde-- but it's mixed in with a strong sentimental streak. The master criminal will go the gallows, an unrepentant crook, and at least some justice will be meted out to victims.
by François-Henri DésérableThis was a slow read for me - not because I didn’t enjoy it (I did) or because it was poorly written (it isn’t) - but for three reasons. First, the language - not only is French not my first language, but also Désérable’s use is so precise that he eschews the obvious and often uses rather unusual terms and phrases. In this book, too, he frequently employs outdated language which (I am guessing) may have been an attempt to represent the language used at the time of the Terror - to some degree, anyway. Despite this, it’s fluently written - I just didn’t have the language to be a fluent reader, having to check with various online dictionaries quite often. I was inordinately proud of my ability to track down even the most obscure words and usages, which at times didn’t appear in the standard dictionaries - ‘griache’, for example:
griache
Seau à ordures dans les prisons, tinette
synonyme : WC, pot de chambre
usage : Argot de la prison, argot carcéral
in other words, a bucket used in prison as a chamber pot. This particular site notes the usage in the Conciergerie prison from 1790 onwards, and tracks the growth and decline in its frequency of use:
https://www.languefrancaise.net/Bob/6843
which may be of interest to historians of language.
Secondly - there are many references to Greek mythological characters - and again, I am guessing that this reflects the style of discourse current in France at that period. Not having studied Greek myths (though I have dabbled occasionally in my own time), these references also needed to be chased down to fully understand Désérable’s meaning and intent.
Finally - the dramatis personae. I have never studied French history - indeed, at my grammar school our teacher took the entirely logical approach of starting from pre-history and working forwards. As I went into the Science stream after two years, my knowledge of History stops with the ancient Egyptians… Since this book includes not only the main protagonists of each chapter, but also a very large cast of movers and shakers, gaolers and executioners, movements and counter-movements, artists and journalists - that I spent probably around four times longer researching background as I did actually reading the book. For a week or two, until I forget everything, I am probably one of the world’s foremost Terror experts (only joking!).
Each chapter is devoted to a single individual, most of whom ended up under the guillotine. The narrative point of view chosen varies according to the chapter. For example the first, dealing with Marat’s assassin Charlotte Corday, is written from Corday’s POV, mostly in the form of a dialogue with David’s disciple Jean-Jaques Hauer. Both Hauer’s portrait of Corday and Jaques-Louis David’s of the dead Marat in his bath still exist. The point is made that David flattered Marat, whose bathing was an attempt to reduce the discomfort he felt from a painful and disfiguring skin condition - so, art as propaganda.
The second chapter is narrated by Marie-Antoinette’s gaoler in the form of a diary - if accurately portrayed, it is difficult not to feel repelled by the indignities heaped upon her, especially as regards the use of her son. In the third, another gaoler recounts the last supper and execution of the Girondins. The fourth is narrated by Adam Lux, who apparently fell in love with Corday as she was taken to the guillotine, and sought the same fate. Danton recounts his own fate in the chapter which gives the book its title.
The great scientist Antoine Lavoisier did not escape, being condemned by these words (apparently - it is disputed): "The Republic needs neither scholars nor chemists; the course of justice cannot be delayed.”. The judge was himself executed three months later…
And so it goes on… reading about the Terror, you realise not only that those who acted as judges and executioners very often ‘enjoyed’ the same fate a short time afterwards, but also that the pace of executions picked up considerably towards the end of the period:
On 22 Prairial (10 June), the National Convention passed a law proposed by Georges Couthon, known as the Law of 22 Prairial, which simplified the judicial process and greatly accelerated the work of the Revolutionary Tribunal. With the enactment of the law, the number of executions greatly increased, and the period from this time to the Thermidorian Reaction became known as "The Great Terror" (Wikipedia)
Clic! Clac! Boum! indeed.
The remaining chapters are a little different… Lantenac à la Conciergerie deals not with a real person, but a fictional character from Victor Hugo’s Ninety-Three, and in addition other characters from fictional accounts are introduced in that section - specifically, the great (and fictional) painter François-Élie Corentin, whose depiction of the Girondin’s last supper is displayed at the Louvre, and rivals the ‘Mona Lisa’ in acclaim, comes to portray Lantenac just before his execution. (The character is introduced in Pierre Michon’s Les Onze.)
The poet André Chénier’s life and death are recounted by his brother Marie-Joseph, who is himself nearing his end many years later and suffers from ‘survivor’s guilt’ - whether rightly or wrongly remains ambiguous. (This chapter is especially heavy in Greek references.)
Then, there is a chapter recounted by an executioner in person - not ‘Monsieur de Paris’ Charles-Henri Sanson, who was the executioner in Paris during the Terror (other cities also had their ‘Monsieur de…’), but his grandson who - sick at heart with the work - becomes a drunk and mired in debt. He was the last of the line of Sansons as executioners, going back six generations. The final chapter has Charles-André Merda making a career from his claim to have shot Robespierre during his arrest. (It is more likely that Robespierre shot himself…) The chapter (and book) ends like this:
Mon plus grand fait d’armes n’est pas d’avoir tiré sur le tyran, mais de l’avoir pretendu, tout simplement. L’Histoire balbutie, tâtonne, et parfois c’est la légende qui finit par l’emporter. Elle se nourrit de ses lacunes, et c’est très bien comme ça.
(My greatest feat in battle wasn’t to have shot the tyrant, but to have pretended to have done so, quite simply. History stammers and gropes, and sometimes the legend finishes by winning the day. She is fed by her flaws, and it’s all the better like that.) - My very approximate translation.
I’m sorry that this is such a long review, but it reflects the complexity of both the language used and the various narratives. It was hard work, but I really enjoyed it. Who else, though? Only attempt it if you are first-language French or fairly fluent (my level). Either accept that you’ll have to skim over passages naming a good number of individuals, or be prepared to research at least the main players - and the main groups and their publications. Don’t expect a straightforward history of the Terror - this is anything but (see the last few lines above). A love of language will help anyone enjoy this book.
Only one Désérable left now, then - Évariste … onward and upward!
I've been reading Billy Summers by Stephen King. What started out with great promise - a hired gun who writes his life story has descended into a story that is both farcical and boring.I am going to be stubborn and finish the book because King had just about managed to create characters I have an interest in.
I'm off work until Thursday and so I began those household tasks that that rarely get done. A trip to the recycling centre to drop off old electrical equipment/bikes and other detritus. I am convinced the ratio of electrical items to cables is 1:10. There is a kitchen cupboard with more cables. I have no idea what they are for.
I had an eyetest yesterday. Mr fuzzywuzz was waiting elsewhere until I needed to pick the frames - the staff were very kind and allowed him in. Picking frames is usually a torturous experience, but thankfully found a pair I like. I have to go back to the opticians and have drops put in so they can get 'a better look'.
Whilst waiting, Mr fuzzywuzz went book shopping (I was very jealous) and came back with The Men Who Stare at Goats by Jon Ronson and A Narrow Door by Joanne Harris.
Most of the books I read are paperback - Billy Summers is hardback - it certainly feels luxurious to read hardbacks. They also have the benefit of an in-built bookmark.
scarletnoir wrote: " by François-Henri DésérableThis was a slow read for me - not because I didn’t enjoy it (I did) or because it was poorly written (it isn’t) - bu..."
Have you read Farewell, My Queen? Yet another viewpoint on the world of Versailles-- Marie Antoinette's reader. Her job was to read favorite books to the Queen as she did her everyday activities-- rather as a modern-day queen might have a talking book or music playing. I enjoyed the film version of this story enough to track down an English translation of the novel. Odd point; the reader is a young woman in the film, and middle-aged in the book, which gives the story a very different flavor.
Robert wrote: "Charlotte Bronte's dedication to Second Edition of Jane Eyre:There is a man in our own days whose words are not framed to tickle delicate ears: who, to my thinking, comes before the great ones of..."
Thanks for quoting that, Berkley.
She obviously not only respected or admired him, she adored him.
What is more interesting, however, is that she seems to be at pains to play down his "wit, humour and comic powers" (which I guess were crucial for his success as a writer) to remove him as far as possible from Fielding.
It is almost like saying: ah, Fielding had (only) wit, humour and comic powers to offer, but Thackeray is a "serious" genius who merely uses these devices as a means to an end.
The eagle-vulture comparison is quite drastic, considering that, AFAIK, vultures have always been viewed as repellent creatures.
Maybe my interpretation is completely off the mark, but I wonder whether CB had any sense of humour.
Has she, apart from Esther, ever made other comments about Dickens?
You have read a lot of Dickens and Thackeray: why do you think Thackeray's work hasn't stood up to time nearly as well as Dickens' has?
Robert wrote: "Have you read Farewell, My Queen? Yet another viewpoint on the world of Versailles-- Marie Antoinette's reader."No - indeed, I have very little interest in royal families, and tend to run in the opposite direction... there was only one chapter in the book about a royal, and that was it. I read the book because I admire Désérable's writing. I was surprised to find myself sympathising with Marie Antoinette's conditions and fate at the end of her life.
BTW - in the book, MA writes a letter, so she was not illiterate. Why did she need a 'reader'?
Georg wrote: "What is more interesting, however, is that she seems to be at pains to play down his "wit, humour and comic powers" (which I guess were crucial for his success as a writer) to remove him as far as possible from Fielding.It is almost like saying: ah, Fielding had (only) wit, humour and comic powers to offer, but Thackeray is a "serious" genius who merely uses these devices as a means to an end."
Many people have commented in the past that 'serious' books or movies are far more likely to win prizes than humorous ones. I find it difficult to enjoy books (or movies) which are completely devoid of humour, though... it can happen, but not often.
Life's too short to be a miserabilist! (Especially at my age ;-))
Last week there was some discussion about places in Liverpool and the Philharmonic was mentioned a couple of times. I have never been there and confess that I thought that this refer to a music centre, concerts and the like. How surprised was I when my daughter sent a photo of a Victorian pub and later told me that this was the Philharmonic! . To give the proper title the Philharmonic Dining Rooms and she told me that it was the central meeting place for artists and musicians.I posted the photo on photos just in case there is anyone else who did not know.
Charlotte Bröntes letters do not give the impression of a humourless person at all.
scarletnoir wrote: "Georg wrote: "What is more interesting, however, is that she seems to be at pains to play down his "wit, humour and comic powers" (which I guess were crucial for his success as a writer) to remove ..."in that vein, I have just put this one on hold at the library - Rachel to the Rescue.
Fuzzywuzz wrote: "I've been reading Billy Summers by Stephen King. What started out with great promise - a hired gun who writes his life story has descended into a story that is both farcical and boring."I just read James Lasdun's review in the NY Times Book Review. Though I'm unlikely to read any more King, I was curious about the novel - I guess to see what a lot of other people are going to be reading. Some of the things he mentions reminded me of what I didn't like about 11/22/63: King alluding to some of his other books and the inclusion of a lot of other book titles that, I guess, King thinks his readers should pick up, but that do nothing to carry the plot forward or develop character (other than making the narrator seem more like Stephen King). Plus there's the protagonist's relationship with a 21-year-old rape survivor that apparently has a high "ick" factor.
Aside from the creaky coincidence, there’s something at once prudish and prurient about the ensuing relationship that’s hard to take. Post #MeToo, the conventional sexual dynamics of the pairing obviously wouldn’t work, and King tries hard to square them with those of our own moment, keeping things chaste while also keeping sex very much to the fore. The result is a weird sort of latter-day Hays Code effect, all separate bedrooms and nobly resisted temptation, offset by graphic anatomy shots and regular moments of accidental intimacy: “Her butt is socked into his basket.” Alice herself seems a throwback to an old idea of womanhood. She’s happy to let Billy avenge her rape rather than do it herself (the passage, featuring Billy in a Melania mask with a hand mixer, might have made for a vintage King scene in another era but feels dated now), and she adapts herself to Billy’s plans with a gratingly chipper obligingness — “‘Roger that,’ Alice replies, smart as you please” — uncomfortably reminiscent of the “cool girl” male fantasy skewered by Gillian Flynn in “Gone Girl.”(Now I'm more eager to read Gone Girl since I have no idea what the “'cool girl' male fantasy" is. Is it anything like a manic pixie dream girl?)
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/bo...
@Veufveuve. Have mentioned recently that Lucasta Miller’s The Bronte Myth is worth reading, if you haven’t already done so.
CCCubbon wrote: "Last week there was some discussion about places in Liverpool and the Philharmonic was mentioned a couple of times."The reason for its name is that it is about a 1 minute walk from... the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Hall - both are in Hope Street! I saw the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra give a cycle of Beethoven's symphonies there in 1979 (I think). Indeed - they are diagonally opposite each other, or 'catty corner' to each other. That was how I remembered it, and just checked it out using Google street view.
MK wrote: "in that vein, I have just put this one on hold at the library - Rachel to the Rescue. "The problem with people like Trump is that they are very difficult to parody, as they do a good job of that themselves. Let us know how you like it, though!
This afternoon I was delving back into Alice Robert’s Ancestors reading more about human remains found in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar, Somerset.Some bones, well parts of human bones , date as far back as the Mesolithic, the Middle Stone Age about 13/14,000 years, bones from six individuals, 3 adults, 2 teenagers and a child. This period came at the end of the last Ice Age and things were warming up again, the countryside was open with wooded valleys and plenty of game.
After careful analysis over a long time, cut marks on the bones showed clear evidence of cannibalism. Scientist were not certain for a long time whether this defleshing was part ritual but the discovery of tooth marks, gnawing by humans decided matters. Bones were also smashed with something like a stone hammer to get at the marrow.
The exception proved to be the skull, no gnawing although it was separated from the jaw and used as a bowl or cup.
There was another set of human bones dating from around 10,000 years ago. No evidence of cannibalism on these but what fascinates here is that analysis revealed a strong probability that his skin was quite dark and the he had pale blue eyes. With long black hair he would have been thought a striking figure today. He evidently hunted with a bow and arrow.
I wondered whether if the same analysis could have been carried out on the older bones whether the same colouring would have been probable.
While I have been offered (and enjoyed) some lovely desserts containing rose water, I can’t say I have ever been keen on chewing roses – much different from the protagonist of my current read, Lucius, or, at the moment, The Ass (no gold yet, as far as I can tell).He is desperate to chew his way through these flowers:
Luckily there’s a ready cure for your transformation. A mouthful of roses to chew and, in a trice, you’ll be no ass but my own Lucius.The cure is not quite as ready as assumed, it turns out!
Started reading Apuleius’ The Golden Ass yesterday (posts by Sandya, Robert and others reminded me that I would like a reread). You can’t say those very early novels are missing action! Just sixty pages in, we have had a discussion on which stories are believable and what’s too much (just like here sometimes), a mock trial devoted to the god of laughter (here, I see occasion to refer to Depeche Mode’s “Blasphemous Rumours” with god and his “sick sense of humour”), robbers and an assnapping, powerful witches, a rich miser, a passage on the praise of hair which is at least as enthusiastic as the musical, drunkenness, feasting, uninhibited extramarital sex, and, not least, stories within stories within stories. And this is just a selection!
Really needing an escape read just now (news etc., as others have mentioned) – these other worlds, so far, seem to be doing the trick. The novel, unsurprisingly, is not exactly feminist (rolling my eyes on occasion). Some women are shown as enjoying a lot of freedom, though. So far.
Let’s see what happens with the rose feed! (Read the novel almost twenty years ago, I think. Don’t remember a lot of it.)
(Edit: My edition contains illustrations by Max Klinger.)
Sandya (#145): You are very welcome! Beside Händelhaus, there is also the amazing Sky Disc of Nebra: https://www.landesmuseum-vorgeschicht.... Moritzburg art museum is great and, @scarletnoir, presents some Feiningers, too: https://www.kunstmuseum-moritzburg.de...
In addition, there is the fascinating Franckesche Foundation, which bettered orphans’ situation at the end of the seventeenth century and now holds a museum with a permanent exhibition and a wide range of special exhibitions: https://www.francke-halle.de/en/cultu... They are also reflective, and not uncritical, of their religious origins.
What is more, the Foundation has a very old library: https://www.francke-halle.de/en/exhib... and a cabinet of natural artifacts and curiosities (thanks for the Crowley tips, @ Bill), both allow visitors: https://www.francke-halle.de/en/exhib... Great set of buildings overall, too!
I would recommend going there during Händelfestival. It brings a great atmosphere, adding to the usual, only partly studenty vibe of the city.
Cabbie wrote (#154) Ah, you reminded me of The Post-Office Girl that I read a few years ago. Do you have any other Stefan Zweig recommendations?Ha, thanks for this! I don’t know this one yet. You see, it is a long time ago that I last read works by Stefan Zweig, some exchanges of letters and some of his biographies more recently. I can’t recommend his biographies of historical figures unreservedly, though they are very well-written. (As Georg wrote some weeks ago, they are often fiction with twists to suit his narrative.) The letters are fascinating (to me), but maybe too special interest?
If you can manage a beautiful but anguishing read just now, I would go for The World of Yesterday. And thanks to AB for another good pointer!
scarletnoir (#164): Yes, Feininger was astonishingly versatile. If you ever plan to visit Quedlinburg, Feininger Galerie is worth seeing – they have some rare items. https://www.feininger-galerie.de/en/m...
You can see from many of his drawings and accompanying comments that art, to him, was often fun. Not great art, I know, but I love his little wooden houses: https://www.feininger-galerie.de/file...
Usedom is great, we went there in my student days a few times. Don’t know the series you mention, as I am very much not up to date as regards more recent ones… more recent ones starting from the Nineties, ahem. Call me Jon Snow - I know nothing.
Oops. I think I should mention that I don’t work for any tourist office, despite recent posts!
Georg wrote: "Robert wrote: "Charlotte Bronte's dedication to Second Edition of Jane Eyre:There is a man in our own days whose words are not framed to tickle delicate ears: who, to my thinking, comes before th..."
Thanks for quoting that, Berkley.
She obviously not only respected or admired him, she adored him.
What is more interesting, however, is that she seems to be at pains to play down his "wit, humour and comic powers" (which I guess were crucial for his success as a writer) to remove him as far as possible from Fielding.
It is almost like saying: ah, Fielding had (only) wit, humour and comic powers to offer, but Thackeray is a "serious" genius who merely uses these devices as a means to an end.
The eagle-vulture comparison is quite drastic, considering that, AFAIK, vultures have always been viewed as repellent creatures.
Maybe my interpretation is completely off the mark, but I wonder whether CB had any sense of humour.
Has she, apart from Esther, ever made other comments about Dickens?
You have read a lot of Dickens and Thackeray: why do you think Thackeray's work hasn't stood up to time nearly as well as Dickens' has?
I'm probably the wrong person to ask, since I think Thackeray's work should stand higher in current-day opinion than it does! Perhaps it's that authorial distance, that satiric eye, the flawed, sometimes less-than-sympathetic protagonists, ... Thackeray's heroes, though they have to strive and struggle to make their way in the world, don't fit into the underdog rôle as obviously as do Dickens's. I haven't actually read all that much Thackeray - three of the major novels and a slender children's book, The Rose nd the Ring. Fully intend to explore more fully.
CB had a good sense of humour - Gaskell's Life of CB has an amusing account of how funny a Haworth reader found certain passages in Shirley (I thnk it was), in which she caricatures some local personalities. The Gaskell book is full of fasciniating anecdotes and glimpses of CB
BTW, that was Robert quoting Carlotte Brontë's introduction to Jane Eyre, and I thank him as well for providing that context.
Reading about the Unabomber at Harvard reminded me of a book I picked up at a book sale a few years ago: The Class. It’s a thickish 1985 novel by the author of Love Story “17 weeks on the New York Times best seller list”, which I thought would do when I needed something absorbing but undemanding.I’m about halfway through and find that it’s pretty much highly readable trash: the characters are all kind of pop culture stereotypes so they’re easy to fit into mental slots created by any number of popular magazines, movies, TV shows, as well as other bestsellers. They’re all much more successful and better in bed than you are and, since they all attend and graduate Harvard (Class of ’58) in the book’s first half, needless to say they’re all smarter than you, too. Well, except for one guy, who’s the token underachiever; he’s a kind of feckless preppie, but nevertheless a very nice guy from a very rich family, and a close friend of all the other movers and shakers in the novel so the reader is able to envy him as well.
Rather than upscale brand names (which may have become fashionable in bestsellers after this date), the author drops the names of famous people in the characters’ fields of endeavor which the reader will immediately recognize, such as Henry Kissinger and Arthur Rubinstein, who cross paths with the fictional characters. He also includes in speaking parts actual Harvard instructors from the period such as John H. Finley and Walter Piston. One of his characters becomes a Classics scholar, so we’re treated to characters that read Homer in the original, quote Virgil in Latin, write dissertations on Socrates, and fall in love translating Sappho; all this I suppose might allow the reader to feel less stupid for reading a book like this in the first place.
(Erich Segal himself was a Classics scholar when not in bestseller mode, though I don’t think one could deduce that from this novel. The Classical learning on display is no greater than that most authors could rack up after doing a few weeks’ research, at most. Though one might have hoped that his greater familiarity with ancient Greece might have led him to include at least one gay character somewhere in his cast.)
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I've seen and liked many of Feininger's works - there's something pleasing about the geometrical lines in his fine art - I knew of his connection with the Bauhaus, but had no idea that he was also a cartoonist (as well as a photographer and composer according to Wikipedia) - we live and learn! It is also mentioned that he liked to summer on the island of Usedom, a reference which would have meant nothing to me until a few weeks ago... we watched a slightly strange German TV series - Engelmacher (Baltic Crimes) set on that island. I think we were as much fascinated by the setting - the way it looked and its proximity to Poland and Denmark - as anything else.