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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
From BBC Radio 4:
With the arrival of an orphan girl, the old recluse vows to change. Stars Michael Williams, Edward Woodward and Jenny Agutter.
Page 10:
If there is an angle who records the sorrows of men as well as their sins, he knows how many and deep are the sorrows that spring from false ideas for which no man is culpable.
Page 11:
Minds that have been unhinged from their old faith and love, have perhaps sought this Lethean influence of exile, in which the past becomes dreamy because its symbols have all vanished, and the present too is dreamy because it is linked with no memories.
Page 140:
In old days there were angels who came and took men by the hand and led them away from the city of destruction. We see no white-winged angels now. But yet men are led away from threatening destruction: a hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so that they look no more backward; and the hand may be a little's child.
4* The Mill on the Floss
5* Daniel Deronda
4* Middlemarch
3* The Lifted Veil
3* Romola
3* How Lisa Loved the King
3* Adam Bede
3* Brother Jacob
2* Silas Marner
TBR Scenes of Clerical Life
TBR Felix Holt: The Radical
With the arrival of an orphan girl, the old recluse vows to change. Stars Michael Williams, Edward Woodward and Jenny Agutter.
Page 10:
If there is an angle who records the sorrows of men as well as their sins, he knows how many and deep are the sorrows that spring from false ideas for which no man is culpable.
Page 11:
Minds that have been unhinged from their old faith and love, have perhaps sought this Lethean influence of exile, in which the past becomes dreamy because its symbols have all vanished, and the present too is dreamy because it is linked with no memories.
Page 140:
In old days there were angels who came and took men by the hand and led them away from the city of destruction. We see no white-winged angels now. But yet men are led away from threatening destruction: a hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so that they look no more backward; and the hand may be a little's child.
4* The Mill on the Floss
5* Daniel Deronda
4* Middlemarch
3* The Lifted Veil
3* Romola
3* How Lisa Loved the King
3* Adam Bede
3* Brother Jacob
2* Silas Marner
TBR Scenes of Clerical Life
TBR Felix Holt: The Radical
This book is part mystery story, part redemption narrative, and part morality tale. It was a little slow to start but easy reading once I found my stride. I don't have much to say about this short novel. It did have wonderful use of language and imagery, but the characterization felt a bit like cardboard cutouts.
Man those Victorians could write a good book. Then Ernest Hemingway had to come along and ruin all literature from that point forward. Oh well. We still have all the old classics to re-read 4eva
“A man falling into dark waters seeks a momentary footing even on sliding stones.”
Eliot is predominantly praised for her realism in the subject of the poor, firstly the fact that she gives them rich inner lives outside of being reformed and converted, and secondly that there is not endless disparity between the extremely poor and the extremely rich. The novel falls very much within this early characterisation of Eliot's works as a transitional piece that she wrote in just 6 months before she went on to write Romola, which she had been researching before she found that she could not go on without first creating Silas Marner. However, it is the fantastical elements of the novel that most interest me. Whilst the religious dimensions of Church vs. Chapel are surely a deep reflection on Eliot's own issues with miraculous acts in the Bible, I was drawn to the magical aspects of the narrative that had Silas as a Rumpelstiltskin character and the flat simplicity which Hardy would go on to recreate in Under the Greenwood Tree that is not a break from reality, but a pleasant mix of an imagined realism and fictitious narrative. The most delicious moments being, to my mind, quite neglected such as Nancy's refusal to take on the responsibility to make Godfrey a better man (Mansfield Park vibes), and Eppie's utter refusal to recognise her lawful father, inverting both religious and legal circles. It is a conflicting mix of status quo and radical that made it a speedy read.
Eliot is predominantly praised for her realism in the subject of the poor, firstly the fact that she gives them rich inner lives outside of being reformed and converted, and secondly that there is not endless disparity between the extremely poor and the extremely rich. The novel falls very much within this early characterisation of Eliot's works as a transitional piece that she wrote in just 6 months before she went on to write Romola, which she had been researching before she found that she could not go on without first creating Silas Marner. However, it is the fantastical elements of the novel that most interest me. Whilst the religious dimensions of Church vs. Chapel are surely a deep reflection on Eliot's own issues with miraculous acts in the Bible, I was drawn to the magical aspects of the narrative that had Silas as a Rumpelstiltskin character and the flat simplicity which Hardy would go on to recreate in Under the Greenwood Tree that is not a break from reality, but a pleasant mix of an imagined realism and fictitious narrative. The most delicious moments being, to my mind, quite neglected such as Nancy's refusal to take on the responsibility to make Godfrey a better man (Mansfield Park vibes), and Eppie's utter refusal to recognise her lawful father, inverting both religious and legal circles. It is a conflicting mix of status quo and radical that made it a speedy read.
Eh. That would about cover my feelings about this book. For such a short book, it took a surprisingly long time to read, probably because the sentences were rather long and involved. I did like Silas and his curmudgeonly ways. Also, as such a short book, it was fairly developed, but there were a lot of characters, and I don't think they all needed to be in it. It took forever to get to the point where the kid comes in, and then I did like the relationship between the kid and Silas, and also why the kid came in. And how. I thought that was fun and well done. I liked the feeling of the setting, which was so different and yet the same as today's world. But I also just wanted a more fleshed out book, with explanations as to why certain things happened, such as the oldest Cass' marriage. But at least a decent book.
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is slightly hard to get through in the beginning; however, there is something about the prose that closes part one and opens part two that completely draws you into the story and characters. George Eliot (aka the wonderful Mary Ann Evans) did a marvelous job at portraying the first Industrial Age of England and the lower classes of that time. Beautifully written and a wonderful read.
Ahora que he terminado de leer "Silas Marner", hay una pregunta que no deja de perseguirme, esa pregunta no está relacionada con la historia narrada en este precioso libro que todo el mundo debería de leer; lo que yo no soy capaz de descifrar es si George Eliot era, tal vez, la mejor escritora de su generación. Su estilo, sus personajes, la forma en la que emplea el lenguaje, pero sobre todo los temas tratados en este pequeño libro, de menos de trescientas páginas, nos hacen ver que estamos ante una escritora única y que era totalmente consciente de el poder de sus creaciones literarias.
Το απόλαυσα, ένα πραγματικά καλό βιβλίο. Επηρεασμένο φυσικά από το ρομαντισμό της εποχής που κυριαρχούσε στην τέχνη, αλλά πολύ όμορφα δομημένο με εξαιρετικά δουλεμένους χαρακτήρες. Το εντυπωσιακό είναι ότι δε συμβαίνει κάτι το απίστευτα ενδιαφέρον ή συνταρακτικό στις σελίδες του βιβλίου και παρόλα αυτά διαβάζεται με εξαιρετικό ενδιαφέρον