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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
A sour lemon of a book. Beerbohm's satire of Edwardian Oxford hits its mark sometimes--it illustrates the tragic consequences of the delayed adolescence brought about by academic pursuits, especially when fueled by wealth. Otherwise it's just depressing. Beerbohm's stance is of someone too worldly-wise to have sympathy for any of his characters. All it does is render the entire novel unsympathetic.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The tragedy of comphet. lol
debated over dnfing this but i had to. i would've really enjoyed this as a novella, it was far too long. i liked the plot, but jesus christ did this book drag.
"To calculate, catch, distribute, seemed in her but a single process, She was one of those who are born to make chaos cosmic."
Chapter 2, p 10
"They had availed thousands and innumerable thousands of daybreaks in the broad, these Emperors, counting the long slow hours till the night were over. It is in the night especially that their fallen greatness haunts them. Day brings some distraction. They are not incurious of the lives around them - these little lives that succeed over one another so quickly. To them, in their immemorial old age, youth in a constant wonder. And so is death, which to them comes not. Youth or death - which, they had often asked themselves, was the goodlier? But it was ill that these two things should be mated. It was ill-come, this day of days."
Chapter 14, p 125
Chapter 2, p 10
"They had availed thousands and innumerable thousands of daybreaks in the broad, these Emperors, counting the long slow hours till the night were over. It is in the night especially that their fallen greatness haunts them. Day brings some distraction. They are not incurious of the lives around them - these little lives that succeed over one another so quickly. To them, in their immemorial old age, youth in a constant wonder. And so is death, which to them comes not. Youth or death - which, they had often asked themselves, was the goodlier? But it was ill that these two things should be mated. It was ill-come, this day of days."
Chapter 14, p 125
Oh, my heck. Totally the funniest book about mass suicide ev-er! Zuleika Dobson was, like, such the Paris Hilton of her day -- except a bazillion times hotter.
But seriously, the novel is a slim, arch, stupendously written thing of horror and hilarity that also has one of the oddest narrators in all of literature and some totally bizarre narrative digressions. One of the best satires I've ever read.
But seriously, the novel is a slim, arch, stupendously written thing of horror and hilarity that also has one of the oddest narrators in all of literature and some totally bizarre narrative digressions. One of the best satires I've ever read.
Read again finally, and I feel basically the same. There are good parts here, some even laugh-out-loud funny parts, but I still feel like I’m missing something. I think this is one of those books where not being English is a problem. Oh well. Glad I read it again.
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Parts of this I really enjoyed, but I think I should read it again sometime...
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Parts of this I really enjoyed, but I think I should read it again sometime...
Zuleika Dobson or, An Oxford Love Story killed me in the best way. A satirical and scathing undressing of Oxford society in the early twentieth century, Beerbohm's wit flashes through his characters and prose. Since I am currently studying at Oxford, I especially enjoyed the integration of the features of the city of Oxford with the narrative: "Oxford walls have a way of belittling us." I absolutely had to purchase this book after spotting it at Blackwell's because of its tantalizing preface and the fact that it is not printed in the US. In my opinion, Max Beerbohm's wit in Zuleika Dobson overshadows Oscar Wilde, which is a big statement coming from a Wilde lover! BIG FAN
This book was odd. I read this one because it is on the first page of the google doc I use to keep track of the Guardian novels. When I open that doc up I like seeing that I’ve read something.
It stars Zuleika Dobson, a beautiful young woman who visits her uncle at Oxford. While visiting she manages to make every young man on the Oxford campus fall in love with her. She is a siren and apparently does this quite often. However, her affections are not returned. She can only love one who does not love her. There are some pretty funny scenes where she think that a man doesn’t love her, and so falls in love, then finds out he does love her, and falls out of love, only to find that he has now rejected her, and falls back in love. Her visit ends in calamity when the entire campus resorts to drastic measures to get her attention.
The Author Max Beerbohm paints a lovely portrait of the Oxford grounds and culture before World War I. One that I have absolutely no idea is actuate or not. The vocabulary and literally style are supreme. For plot-minded readers like me, it was okay. For readers who love a good vocab lesson and literary expression, it was be fantastic.
I am guessing that is in the Guardian Top 1000 for several reasons. Its satire of uptight Oxford culture reveals some the mystery and prestige surrounding that name, especially in the early 20th century. Beerbohm also is a literary master and uses sentences I had never seen before. He coins the phrase “Death cancels all engagements” and generally makes a significant contribution to English literature.
It stars Zuleika Dobson, a beautiful young woman who visits her uncle at Oxford. While visiting she manages to make every young man on the Oxford campus fall in love with her. She is a siren and apparently does this quite often. However, her affections are not returned. She can only love one who does not love her. There are some pretty funny scenes where she think that a man doesn’t love her, and so falls in love, then finds out he does love her, and falls out of love, only to find that he has now rejected her, and falls back in love. Her visit ends in calamity when the entire campus resorts to drastic measures to get her attention.
The Author Max Beerbohm paints a lovely portrait of the Oxford grounds and culture before World War I. One that I have absolutely no idea is actuate or not. The vocabulary and literally style are supreme. For plot-minded readers like me, it was okay. For readers who love a good vocab lesson and literary expression, it was be fantastic.
I am guessing that is in the Guardian Top 1000 for several reasons. Its satire of uptight Oxford culture reveals some the mystery and prestige surrounding that name, especially in the early 20th century. Beerbohm also is a literary master and uses sentences I had never seen before. He coins the phrase “Death cancels all engagements” and generally makes a significant contribution to English literature.