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The idea is good and it's charming but this long book (5 parts) is very repetitive. It's the same joke again and again. Svejk is like the classical fool in the court. He pretends to be stupid and this way he tells the truth and gets away with this. Now when this happens again and again it becomes rather tired.
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
"A monarchy as idiotic as this ought not to exist at all."
And so the eponymous Josef Svejk summarizes this book in one sentence. This book is, above all, a parody of the Habsburg Empire during World War I--especially in regards to its bureaucracy and its nationalities policy. Scholars have been perplexed for years over whether Svejk really is an idiot, or if he fakes it with absolute success. Although the story is centered on Svejk himself, we readers--between all of the "Sir, I humbly report that..."s and time in prison--develop a reasonable understanding of the society Hasek is criticizing (from his perspective, at least).
However, the majority of the good material in this book takes place in part 1 and earlier chapters of part 2. After that, Hasek seems to lose sight of Svejk and he unfortunately becomes de-centered. With that, the humor is more forced and other--less sympathetic--characters gain more space. The second half of the book is worth skimming, but is not necessary to read closely to gain a good sense of why Svejk is so popular.
Undoubtedly, I will teach early chapters of this book alongside lectures on the Habsburgs and the outbreak of World War I. High recommend.
And so the eponymous Josef Svejk summarizes this book in one sentence. This book is, above all, a parody of the Habsburg Empire during World War I--especially in regards to its bureaucracy and its nationalities policy. Scholars have been perplexed for years over whether Svejk really is an idiot, or if he fakes it with absolute success. Although the story is centered on Svejk himself, we readers--between all of the "Sir, I humbly report that..."s and time in prison--develop a reasonable understanding of the society Hasek is criticizing (from his perspective, at least).
However, the majority of the good material in this book takes place in part 1 and earlier chapters of part 2. After that, Hasek seems to lose sight of Svejk and he unfortunately becomes de-centered. With that, the humor is more forced and other--less sympathetic--characters gain more space. The second half of the book is worth skimming, but is not necessary to read closely to gain a good sense of why Svejk is so popular.
Undoubtedly, I will teach early chapters of this book alongside lectures on the Habsburgs and the outbreak of World War I. High recommend.
Tras una buena primera parte de 190 páginas, 410 más repetitivas, sin chispa ni gracia: las batallitas se hacen larguísimas y las anécdotas, pesadas e iguales. Todos los personajes son tan idiotas que se hace bola.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Very long, but still pretty fun. Extra fun if you know old card games, Central European geography or WWI really well.
Полная сатиры и пропаганды против политики и религии, книга повествует о мытарствах простого, а временами и откровенного глупого "бравого солдата Швейка", смесь Платона Каратаева из войны и мира и фольклорного Ваньки-дурака, олицетворяющего собой житейски мудрого, в большинстве своем невольного участника первой мировой войны, пытающегося пройти через все те ужасы с наименьшим уроном. Все герои романа - типичные представители людей тех времен, рассказывающие об обыденности зла, обыденности человеческой глупости и невозможности со всем этим что-либо сделать, скорее зрители, чем непосредственные участники событий.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked all the stories Svejk tells and then he tells someone a story about something that happened to him earlier in the book and you say wow, now that's good writing