...what is this novel? is it a novel? is it a collection of vignettes? is there a plot? honestly, who knows?
Following up the critical failure of Moby-...what is this novel? is it a novel? is it a collection of vignettes? is there a plot? honestly, who knows?
Following up the critical failure of Moby-Dick, Melville decided to pen his final novel, The Confidence-Man. I'm not even sure if I can give a plot summary here. It's set on a steamboat on the Mississippi and we sort of jump from character to character as they each are involved with backstories and plots that don't particularly amount to anything.
This book is just so odd. I genuinely have no idea what to think of it. In parts it's funny and in other parts it's completely incomprehensible and inpentrable. Honestly, I can only really compare it to something like Finnegans Wake or other famously obtuse novels.
I do have a feeling that the problem is with me, however. I think I have to admit defeat. I've a feeling that this is a novel I'll have to revisit, maybe in 40 years time. So, please, await my review....more
The fact that George Eliot called this novel Adam Bede and not Hetty Sorrel proves that there is no justice in this world.
The novel itself, Eliot’s fiThe fact that George Eliot called this novel Adam Bede and not Hetty Sorrel proves that there is no justice in this world.
The novel itself, Eliot’s first, is a fairly quaint pastoral romance. Everyone’s in love with the wrong person. You get the picture. The plot doesn’t really wear the novel’s weight well. It just about breaches 600 pages and there is absolutely no need - no need.
It’s a pity that Adam Bede is such a meh tale, considering that for the novel Eliot invented a character as complex and as loveable and as utterly tragic as Hetty Sorrel. I adored Hetty, and judging by most of the other reviews on here, everyone else did as well. Her story is just so completely harrowing, which is impressive, as most characters from Victorian literature really just go through it.
I have to admit that at points I really became fed up with this novel, only for everything to pick up again when Hetty comes along. But I’m also not going to recommend a 600 page long minor Victorian novel just because one character is good. So I guess that’s that....more
Anthony Trollope is one name that has always eluded me in Victorian literature. I’ve read Dickens, Hardy, Collins, Gaskell and Eliot but I’d never reaAnthony Trollope is one name that has always eluded me in Victorian literature. I’ve read Dickens, Hardy, Collins, Gaskell and Eliot but I’d never read Trollope. I don’t know how I missed him but that’s just how it was. So I read Trollope. I read the first in his famed “Chronicles of Barsetshire”, The Warden (1855). The short novel tells the tale of a warden of a hospital who is accused of earning too much money due to a loophole that he found in the will of the hospital’s founder. Riveting stuff, I know. While the plot (especially in the first half) is genuinely quite boring, the novel does pick itself up in the final third which is really its saving grace. I’m thankful Trollope didn’t follow Dickens’ example by making this 1000 pages, instead he rounds this story off (in my edition anyway) at well below 150 pages. It is a welcome lenght in Victorian fiction. Since I’ve began the Chronicles I may as well continue on with them so I’m guessing I’ll be reading Barchester Towers some time in the future. Wish me luck....more
Throughout The Yellow House, Gayford comments on Van Gogh’s penchant for the novels of Émile Zola, especially the Rougon-Macquart series. This remindeThroughout The Yellow House, Gayford comments on Van Gogh’s penchant for the novels of Émile Zola, especially the Rougon-Macquart series. This reminded me of an aborted project that I planned some while back in which I was going to read the Rougon-Macquart novels but I never began. I did however buy the first two and, encouraged by Van Gogh himself, I read The Fortune of the Rougons (1871). Vincent Van Gogh gives some brilliant book recommendations. The novel follows the story of Silvère and Miette – young lovers who are caught in the midst of violent coup d’état. However, this being Zola and the beginning of a twenty book cycle, the plot takes the back seat about fifty pages in and you must very slowly and meticulously read on as Zola attempts to explain the family tree of the Rougon-Macquart family. I know that sounds horrible but… it isn’t. Zola somehow makes genealogy interesting. It is a joy to learn about the origins of the Rougons and the dastardly Pierre and his siblings. Whilst the lineage actually takes up most of this novel, the plot is really wonderful despite its brevity. There are some passages that make you want to just die with their utter beauty. Instead of thinking, “oh no there are nineteen more of these books”, I’m thinking of the wonderful time I am going to have travelling through these reticulate novels....more
Charlotte's first attempt at a novel comes across as... well... an attempt. It can be clearly seen that elements from this novel reappear in both JaneCharlotte's first attempt at a novel comes across as... well... an attempt. It can be clearly seen that elements from this novel reappear in both Jane Eyre and Villette. However this novel pretty much lacks everything that made both of those novels such classics. It's a basic 19th-century romance novel with Charlotte this time writing from a male POV. Even though this is the second shortest Brontë novel (Agnes Grey is the shortest) it still felt vastly overlong. While bits of humour seep in now and again, leaving you with a faint smile, they are not enough to save this somewhat boring misstep. On the plus side however, this is a fairly easy read and won't trouble anyone who isn't familiar with Victorian literature. Reading it though will explain to you why this wasn't published in Charlotte's lifetime. ...more
David Copperfield is an early queer novel by Charles Dickens. It follows David Copperfield, a gay man in early 19th century England, as he tries to seDavid Copperfield is an early queer novel by Charles Dickens. It follows David Copperfield, a gay man in early 19th century England, as he tries to seduce and betroth another gay man, James Steerforth. Copperfield first sets his eyes on Steerforth at Salem House where they both must subdue their love for each other, giving their age difference and the society of the time. However, as the novel progresses, Copperfield and Steerforth live openly as a homosexual couple.
Their relationship comes into peril when Dora Spenlow, a jealous fag hag, refuses to continue living as Copperfield's beard and forces him to marry her. Thus, Copperfield and Steerforth break apart. All seems lost until Copperfield befriends Tommy Traddles, another boy whose acquaintance he had made at Salem House. They partake in a salubrious love affair to which Dickens pens several hundred pages of steamy man-on-man action. However, once again this relationship is cast into peril by that bitter old queen Uriah Heep.
Uriah Heep is a mean gay and the epitome of masc4masc culture. Heep sees Copperfield as fit young otter and attempts to kill off Traddles by throwing pearls beneath his feet à la Showgirls. However his plan is spoiled after his findom daddy, Mr. Micawber (the man who famously threw the first brick at Stonewall), repossess his pearls because Heep refuses to send him any more daguerreotypes of his feet.
Or, in other words:
David Copperfield is more of the same from Dickens. More straight-forward than some of his previous novels, Dickens instead relies on verisimilitude rather than ridiculousness in order to tell this story. It is a pity as the more outrageous Dickens is, the more I enjoy him. However, despite this novel only receiving three-stars from me, it is still better than most novels ever written. It is only 'three-stars' within Dickens' own bibliography and not the greater Western canon. It probably would have been four-stars if he had included more chapters with Miss Mowcher....more
As with most short story collections, you have hits and misses. However in this collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, Conan Doyle writes far too manyAs with most short story collections, you have hits and misses. However in this collection of Sherlock Holmes stories, Conan Doyle writes far too many misses to be it to be enjoyable. As the collection went on I found myself getting less and less invested in the stories of the great detective. I tutted and sighed at how formulaic and ridiculous some of the stories were. My utter frustration came to a vocal climax when Holmes was pushed from the Reichenbach Falls and I muttered, "thank god".
I'm glad this was a novella. While the plot is interesting and the writing is just superb the entire concept of "oh she's a vampire, no wait, she's a I'm glad this was a novella. While the plot is interesting and the writing is just superb the entire concept of "oh she's a vampire, no wait, she's a lesbian vampire" gets tired quite quickly. However this is one of those works that you have to read just off of its sheer influence alone. The trope of the lesbian vampire was so important in early horror movies, B-movies and especially Giallo horror.
(Also I love the fact that two of the most pioneering and influential works of vampire fiction were written by two Irish guys, go us!)...more
I've been meaning to read this one for a while. It's one of those Russian classics that's always on those lists. A Hero of Our Time has an interestingI've been meaning to read this one for a while. It's one of those Russian classics that's always on those lists. A Hero of Our Time has an interesting format. It's split into sections but these sections are all very different and sometimes don't even involve our "hero" Pechorin. This is all well and good but for a novel that's under 200 pages you'd think that Lermontov would have actually focused on some sort of plot instead of piss arseing around with the structure. Not to mention that this novel is basically Caucasus fanfiction. At points you'd think Lermontov got off with the mountains or something the way he writes about them. It's like Tolkien and his blades of fucking grass. However, eventually the story does actually being at some point near the end and we are presented with an enjoyable and classic love story, Russian style (which is shorthand for death). Why would you read this? Well because it's basically Russian literature's equivalent of David Copperfield and the main character, Pechorin, is a whiny cunt. I mean he hates everything and is constantly complaining about women and life and life and women, he's basically the Russian Holden Caulfield but without the brother issues. I saw a lot of myself in Pechorin. Which worried me slightly. ...more
Even though the entire plot of this novel can be summed up as, "woman sits around and does nothing while having feminine thoughts", there is a resoundEven though the entire plot of this novel can be summed up as, "woman sits around and does nothing while having feminine thoughts", there is a resounding beauty in its monotony. The Awakening is a quick and affecting novel (especially with that ending). While I do think that it may be slightly subject to over-hype, there is no contesting its importance as an early feminist work. And on that account, I would recommend it. ...more
There's a reason why this is one of the most performed plays in the world. It's just wonderful. I mean, who doesn't love that endinA Doll's House ★★★★
There's a reason why this is one of the most performed plays in the world. It's just wonderful. I mean, who doesn't love that ending? It's so subversive (especially for the time). This is the best play in this collection.
Ghosts ★★
I didn't really care for this one. It bored me. I understand its inclusion because of the slight parallels with A Doll's House but otherwise it isn't anything spectacular.
Hedda Gabler ★★★
I went into this book thinking that Hedda Gabler was going to be the one that blew me away because well... it's Hedda Gabler. However while I did enjoy it, it wasn't exactly amazing. It reminded me a lot of Chekhov's The Seagull (which I think is a better play) and that comparison may have affected my enjoyment of this work.
The Master Builder ★★★★
My favourite play from this collection. It's a lot more "talkie" than the others and I really enjoy that. While the ending is a bit... odd, it's still wonderfully tragic and stayed in my mind longer than the other three plays....more
Oh Branwell, how you confuse everyone. This biography of the Brontë family which focuses on Branwell has been out of print for years. Luckily it was wOh Branwell, how you confuse everyone. This biography of the Brontë family which focuses on Branwell has been out of print for years. Luckily it was written in 1886 so it's available on Project Gutenberg if you want to read it. I highly suggest that you do. I feel that this entire 600 page biography was written with the sole intent to completely thrash Elizabeth Gaskell's controversial "Life of Charlotte Brontë". The author of this book interviewed Patrick Brontë (their father) and many other family friends and all of them basically agree that Gaskell fabricated the majority of her book. It's beautiful. I have never seen so much 19th Century shade in all of my life.
Of course this book is also great at giving a very general overview of the life of the sisters and Branwell. It also has a couple of very interesting chapters on how Branwell influence his sisters' books. The author may not be the greatest writer (there's a lot of very long, fragmented sentences) but I feel that this book should most definitely be more well known. Oh well. ...more
This may be Dickens' most underrated book. It's right in the middle of what I like to call his forgotten period which is made up of three books, writtThis may be Dickens' most underrated book. It's right in the middle of what I like to call his forgotten period which is made up of three books, written consecutively, which I think are commonly ignored; Barnaby Rudge, Martin Chuzzlewit, and Dombey and Son.
This novel is interesting because a lot of it actually takes place in America, as opposed to England. It's written from Dickens' personal voyage to the States in the months prior to writing this novel. And guys, oh my god, Dickens rips the shit out of America. He says he gave a "satirical" view of the US but guys, Dickens basically mocks America and Americans and it's honestly the best thing. There's also a great perspective on slavery and the deep South in this novel (spoilers: Dickens' doesn't tolerate either).
Why the average rating then Barry? Well, because the second-half of this novel exists. They come back from America and then it turns into a murder mystery. It's honestly as if Dickens' just stitched on a completely different novel to the end of this book. Eh, it's kinda disappointing but this is what you get with serialised novels.
Overall, I liked this novel though. The America bits and the scathing social commentary make up for the saggy second half. I still think this is criminally overlooked in his canon though. ...more
This is just fabulous, obviously. The ending may be a tad optimistic for Dickens but oh well. This is an amazingly quick read, if you don't read it inThis is just fabulous, obviously. The ending may be a tad optimistic for Dickens but oh well. This is an amazingly quick read, if you don't read it in one sitting then there is no hope for you. This story really epitomises Christmas and is an easy place to start with Dickens if you haven't done so already. ...more
This was the more enjoyable work in this collection. I enjoyed the narrator's pithy voice while he went over the events Notes from Underground ★★★
This was the more enjoyable work in this collection. I enjoyed the narrator's pithy voice while he went over the events which lead to his "living underground". It also contains Dostoyevsky's infamously morbid black humour which has you smiling at the most desolate of images. I strangely found myself relating with the narrator which probably says a lot about my outlook on life.
The Double ★
Good god this story is 150-pages long and it took me two months to get through. Seriously. I read Crime and Punishment in 24 hours but this novella took me longer to read than Dostoyevsky probably took to write it. It is a juvenile piece of melodramatic garbage, a black smudge on Dostoyevsky's almost perfect oeuvre. Its inclusion in this collection baffles me. The Double was written when Dostoyevsky was only 25 while Notes from Underground and his other major works were written when he was in his 40s and 50s. He was clearly not a wunderkind. Even at the beginning of this Penguin edition it even notes that The Double was not successful when it was first published. I can hardly wonder why. It's so boring that it gives solitary confinement a run for its money. Now we know why the narrator of Notes from Underground was so bored, he has to share the same book with the characters from The Double. Poor guy. ...more
Well this is a very different one. Dickens has decided to do a historical novel, meaning that some of the events of this novel actually happened in reWell this is a very different one. Dickens has decided to do a historical novel, meaning that some of the events of this novel actually happened in real life. The only problem is that the events that are covered in "Barnaby Rudge" really aren't that well known anymore. The novel takes place during the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780 (I mean everyone's heard of them right? Right? *crickets chirp*). There's basically a series of riots because the Protestants aren't happy (as always). The plot is very dry and historical and really does feel like you're reading a history book at some points.
The characters are classic Dickensian characters. Just like in "Oliver Twist", Barnaby Rudge is very much a secondary character despite his name being eponymous with the title. This is very odd but it happens in Dickens a lot because he likes to give practically equal time to each character, no matter if they're primary or secondary.
If you haven't read any Dickens before know then I really wouldn't suggest that you begin here. This novel is very different from the rest of his oeuvre. However this is a short one that you can speed through quite quickly (I read the majority of this novel in two big sittings). I found this to be good but I have a feeling that the common reader would find this quite boring so read this if you are a Dickens fan because that's the only way that you could really enjoy this novel....more
Meh. Meh meh meh meh. Meh. What a boring novel. Everything that made Jane Eyre such a masterpiece is completely missing from this novel. What was CharMeh. Meh meh meh meh. Meh. What a boring novel. Everything that made Jane Eyre such a masterpiece is completely missing from this novel. What was Charlotte thinking? I don't even think Brontë purists can find any pleasure in this novel. It's empty. It has no heart. The reason why I'm not giving this one-star is because I only give books that I hate one-star. I don't hate this novel, I'm just severely disappointed. People have told me not to get excited about The Professor either so I don't know what to expect from it. Oh Charlotte. ...more
*sigh* This novel was a chore. None of the characters or the plot interested me in any way. I applaud its interesting use of epistolary narrative thou*sigh* This novel was a chore. None of the characters or the plot interested me in any way. I applaud its interesting use of epistolary narrative though. I have a feeling that I would have enjoyed this much more if this was one of my first introductions to Victorian literature. It has all of the common elements of Victorian lit. (especially the page number, 700+!) but this really isn't a good example of the writing of the time. Wilkie Collins was of course best friends with my bae Charles Dickens, you'd think that even an ounce of Dickens' brilliance would have rubbed off but no, nothing. So disappointing. Even the mystery element wasn't all that spectacular. I mean Agatha Christie shits all over this novel. Yes, get that mental image in your head. Read this if you are new to Victorian lit, don't read this if you aren't....more
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