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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
love. dont know why but i liked it. also a fast read. also u go miss tina slayyy
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
What did I think?
It's really hard to think feeling weak in the presence of sheer beauty, having your breath taken away and being hypnotised!
Two weeks later
Not much has changed since I finished reading. I still feel almost as infatuated with this novella as the nameless narrator was obsessed with Jeffrey Aspern's papers. I am constantly not capable of ‘Jola thinks rationally’ mode, so instead of sharing logical musings I will tell you what happened when I was reading this amazing book by Henry James, who was absent from Linda Grant’s murdered library. She explains: 'I have never been able to remember the beginning of his sentences by the time I get to the end’.
The first thing that struck me was Henry James’ ornate writing style, which is his hallmark. It’s the third book by this author that I’ve read, so I was already familiar and ready to face the challenge. Words, words, words… They were like a window pane, separating me from the world of ‘The Aspern Papers’. They not only express thoughts and feelings. They shamelessly shimmer, enchant and dazzle as well. Sometimes I was overwhelmed by never-ending phrases and a bit tired with James’ flamboyant eloquence. I felt like breaking the cold glass between me and the narrator, Miss Tita, 'such a terrible relic as the aunt' - Miss Juliana Bordereau and 'the golden glow of Venice'.
Then suddenly I noticed something totally unexpected: the story had touched me to the core, imperceptibly and stealthily. Believe me, I was literally shaky when I was finishing ‘The Aspern Papers’. By the way, in my opinion the last meeting of the narrator and Miss Tita is one of the best literary scenes ever.
I discovered the second surprise after I had finished reading James’ novella. I found out that the prototype of Jeffrey Aspern was Percy Bysshe Shelley, who happens to be one of my all time favourite poets. It makes the story even more attractive!
I adore Venice depicted in James' novella. It’s picturesque, full of changeable light, but also disquieting – even windows watch the characters discreetly: ’Their motionless shutters became as expressive as eyes consciously closed’. Truth be told, if I hadn't already got a soft spot for La Serenissima in my heart, I would fall in love reading ‘The Aspern Papers’. It would be truly delightful to read James' novella on spot, so if Venice is your holiday destination this year, please, make sure you take this book with you. If a trip is out of the question, indulge in James' vivid descriptions.
One more thing I love about ‘The Aspern Papers’ is its ambiguity. James’ novella is not only about les liaisons dangereuses between literature and life. It is also an ode to relativity. You can’t label the characters easily. It’s hard to decide who is the victim and who is the tormentor, what are their real intentions. The author provides us with questions, we have to find answers and they most probably will differ, depending on the reader. Anaïs Nin said: ’We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’
Lastly, special thanks to Orsodimondo, whose mesmerising review inspired me to read ‘The Aspern Papers’ at once.
It's really hard to think feeling weak in the presence of sheer beauty, having your breath taken away and being hypnotised!
Two weeks later
Not much has changed since I finished reading. I still feel almost as infatuated with this novella as the nameless narrator was obsessed with Jeffrey Aspern's papers. I am constantly not capable of ‘Jola thinks rationally’ mode, so instead of sharing logical musings I will tell you what happened when I was reading this amazing book by Henry James, who was absent from Linda Grant’s murdered library. She explains: 'I have never been able to remember the beginning of his sentences by the time I get to the end’.
The first thing that struck me was Henry James’ ornate writing style, which is his hallmark. It’s the third book by this author that I’ve read, so I was already familiar and ready to face the challenge. Words, words, words… They were like a window pane, separating me from the world of ‘The Aspern Papers’. They not only express thoughts and feelings. They shamelessly shimmer, enchant and dazzle as well. Sometimes I was overwhelmed by never-ending phrases and a bit tired with James’ flamboyant eloquence. I felt like breaking the cold glass between me and the narrator, Miss Tita, 'such a terrible relic as the aunt' - Miss Juliana Bordereau and 'the golden glow of Venice'.
Then suddenly I noticed something totally unexpected: the story had touched me to the core, imperceptibly and stealthily. Believe me, I was literally shaky when I was finishing ‘The Aspern Papers’. By the way, in my opinion the last meeting of the narrator and Miss Tita is one of the best literary scenes ever.
I discovered the second surprise after I had finished reading James’ novella. I found out that the prototype of Jeffrey Aspern was Percy Bysshe Shelley, who happens to be one of my all time favourite poets. It makes the story even more attractive!
I adore Venice depicted in James' novella. It’s picturesque, full of changeable light, but also disquieting – even windows watch the characters discreetly: ’Their motionless shutters became as expressive as eyes consciously closed’. Truth be told, if I hadn't already got a soft spot for La Serenissima in my heart, I would fall in love reading ‘The Aspern Papers’. It would be truly delightful to read James' novella on spot, so if Venice is your holiday destination this year, please, make sure you take this book with you. If a trip is out of the question, indulge in James' vivid descriptions.
One more thing I love about ‘The Aspern Papers’ is its ambiguity. James’ novella is not only about les liaisons dangereuses between literature and life. It is also an ode to relativity. You can’t label the characters easily. It’s hard to decide who is the victim and who is the tormentor, what are their real intentions. The author provides us with questions, we have to find answers and they most probably will differ, depending on the reader. Anaïs Nin said: ’We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.’
Lastly, special thanks to Orsodimondo, whose mesmerising review inspired me to read ‘The Aspern Papers’ at once.
reflective
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I tend to not like books written in first-person that have male manipulator narrators (that are absolutely insufferable), and this book held true for that. Miss Tina in the end is amazing.
Spoiler
He is a publisher looking for some lost works of Mr Aspern. She is the niece of Aspern's lover, a centenary lady whose eyes are as bright as the first day they met Mr Aspern's ones. He's evil, sort of, and she's ingenuous, sort of. He thinks he's going to do everything he can to get the papers, even seducing the not-so-young maid. But when the time comes and he get caught in the act of stealing (well, attempting stealing), he run away, scared and ashamed.The ingenuous woman, who nows what he wants, propose marriage in exchange for the papers. Maybe is not so ingenuous after all: the aunt is dead and she has no connections or means to sustain herself.
Obviously, he run away. She burns the papers, or so she says. Good act of revenge.
It's a decadent drama in a decadent part of Venice. You can picture the house and the garden, few minutes away from the city life, always in the shadow I like the way James creates suspence in his novels. This is as good as the more famous Turn of the Screw. I definitely want to read more of him
Painfully boring. I love Venice, but I don't love James.
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some of the most beautiful prose I've read, but found the ending disappointing, to say the least.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated