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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
P. 169-170 love vs passion, emotional significance for men vs. women
P. 211 "can anything be more practical in the world than to learn how to live to best advantage?"
P. 247 "it only means putting the idea in the sufferer's mind"
P. 250 "amused tenderness"
P. 251 "I felt that I was at home with infinitude"
P. 253 "Our wise old Church... has discovered that if you will act as if you believed belief will be granted to you" (in regards to Protestantism); "The distance that separates you from faith is no greater than the thickness of a cigarette paper"
P. 256- 257 "You are a deeply religious man who doesn't believe in God. God will seek you out. You'll come back. Whether here or elsewhere only God can tell."
Brahma by Ralph Waldo Emerson
P. 265 "But it's easy enough to bear our own evils, all we need for that is a little manliness; what's intolerable is the evil, often so unmerited in appearance, that befalls others. If you can persuade yourself that it is the inevitable result of the past you may pity, you may do what you can to alleviate, and you should, but you have no cause to be indignant."
P. 266 "That's a very difficult question to answer. I don't think it's possible for us Occidentals to believe in it as implicitly as these Orientals do. It's in their blood and bones. With us it can only be an opinion. I neither believe nor disbelieve in it."
P. 269 - 270
P. 278 "Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it. If change is of the essence of existence one would have thought it only sensible to make it the premise of our philosophy. We can none of us step into the same river twice, but the river flows on and the other river we step into is cool and refreshing too."
P. 281-282
P. 211 "can anything be more practical in the world than to learn how to live to best advantage?"
P. 247 "it only means putting the idea in the sufferer's mind"
P. 250 "amused tenderness"
P. 251 "I felt that I was at home with infinitude"
P. 253 "Our wise old Church... has discovered that if you will act as if you believed belief will be granted to you" (in regards to Protestantism); "The distance that separates you from faith is no greater than the thickness of a cigarette paper"
P. 256- 257 "You are a deeply religious man who doesn't believe in God. God will seek you out. You'll come back. Whether here or elsewhere only God can tell."
Brahma by Ralph Waldo Emerson
P. 265 "But it's easy enough to bear our own evils, all we need for that is a little manliness; what's intolerable is the evil, often so unmerited in appearance, that befalls others. If you can persuade yourself that it is the inevitable result of the past you may pity, you may do what you can to alleviate, and you should, but you have no cause to be indignant."
P. 266 "That's a very difficult question to answer. I don't think it's possible for us Occidentals to believe in it as implicitly as these Orientals do. It's in their blood and bones. With us it can only be an opinion. I neither believe nor disbelieve in it."
P. 269 - 270
P. 278 "Nothing in the world is permanent, and we're foolish when we ask anything to last, but surely we're still more foolish not to take delight in it while we have it. If change is of the essence of existence one would have thought it only sensible to make it the premise of our philosophy. We can none of us step into the same river twice, but the river flows on and the other river we step into is cool and refreshing too."
P. 281-282
reflective
I've been trying to finish this book for a while now. I started it because I thought I would probably love the protagonist but hate the writing style. As it turns out I loved the writing style and feel rather apathetic about the protagonist. I rather suspect something was lost on me because by other's accounts Larry Darrel is supposed to be a vital and compelling character of great feeling and intrigue. And while I would not go so far as to call him dull, I was a bit disappointed in him as a main character. I saw almost nothing of the self-sacrifice and transformation which is supposed to be the fulcrum of the story. Perhaps I expected too much, but it just seems to me that Larry begins and ends as more or less the same person- someone a little too saintly and detached from the real world to be entirely sympathetic to the reader. Whatever hardship he faces he seems to glide through, unperturbed.
His main character aside, Maugham writes in such perfectly human and gritty detail- revealing with irony and acceptance all the contradictions and subtle flaws of humanity. It is the supporting characters and the narrator's voice that raise this book to be worth mention in my opinion. These side characters and the narrator himself are both likable and dislikable at times, the way real people are- they are petty, vain, snobbish, material creatures and yet natural, pitiable, and affectionate in their mannerisms and moments of candor.
Overall this book was a bit of a let down for a book I've been trying to read for so long, but ultimately I think a consummate piece of good writing.
His main character aside, Maugham writes in such perfectly human and gritty detail- revealing with irony and acceptance all the contradictions and subtle flaws of humanity. It is the supporting characters and the narrator's voice that raise this book to be worth mention in my opinion. These side characters and the narrator himself are both likable and dislikable at times, the way real people are- they are petty, vain, snobbish, material creatures and yet natural, pitiable, and affectionate in their mannerisms and moments of candor.
Overall this book was a bit of a let down for a book I've been trying to read for so long, but ultimately I think a consummate piece of good writing.
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very well spun story that entertained and had me reflecting again and again about the options one faces in life, especially depending on circumstances acquired through unearned advantage. I understand when it was written, but the rampant sexism (present constantly although the women are fairly fleshed out characters), racism and imperialism were jarring (in particular the narrator’s perspective of Isabel, which reminded me of Lolita, without the acknowledgment that his perspective was sick).
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
No
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Interesting account of the time period and philosophy. Very readable. But in the end I’m not sure that I liked it that much.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes