sirinrob

Just read this - it is good a blend of mystry/literature/homespun phiosophy.

Yes Nabokov

Yes have started it and what I have read is very funny and written in an easy style.

Managed to get a copy of 'The Eyre Affair' - excellent read. Great fun in spotting the references, puns etc. See what you mean about getting a copy tho, but struck lucky YAY :D

depends how you read - there is a hiden side...

Not sure if you included Malta and Liechtenstein. after a bit of research found some in english written by the Maltese author Francis Ebejer 'Requiem for a Malta Facist' 'In the eye of the Sun' 'The Maltese Baron and I Lucian' 'Aleap of Maltese Dophins'

The problem with the 'Reader' is that it was written in German for a German audience. I'm currently reading it in German and the English translation. Sorry to say the english translation is at times clumsy - maybe why some people hate the novel, if they read the English translation.

Just read 'Caleb williams' by Godwin. Bookjumper made a smart move in not bothering with it The writing is turgid ( even allowing for when it was written) The "whodunit" plot is slim - I guessed the truth before it was revealed. Biggest problem with it is it reads like an essay on Social Justice with a thin plot stuck on to cover that up. Sarte pulled the same trick with 'Nausea' which was at least readable - but was in fact nothing more than 'Being and Nothingness' dressed up as a novel- enough said . I dont recommend 'Caleb williams' as a read, unless you like novels from that period a great deal

'Anna Karenina' -L Tolstoy This is one novel that I know I will reread. The tension gradually builds to superb climax. Anna is a complex character - on one hand wilful and capricious - on the other full of insecuirty. Many of the other characters are well drawn, even when they are mediocre in manner. There is an undercurrent of Tolstoys personal views throughout the novel, but he resists the temptation to preach to the reader.

The one author I really dislike is Sartre. Read 'Nausea' which was ok. Made the big mistake of reading 'The Age of reason'. In my opnion this is a pretentious, longwinded novel with totally superficial and unlikeable characters. Its also depressing. I might finish 'Being and Nothingness' one day, but not making any promises

Can understand about Gravity Rainbow, the first 100 pages are confusing. Having said that it does become clearer and yes I have read it!!

Totally agree here. The first volume is ok-ish, the following two volumes are simply tedious. Some bright spark gave me the second trlilogy - it was discreetly got rid off lol

just finished 'Anna Karenina'. I don't feel I can add much to the comments already made, except to say it is one of the truly great novels.

I agree it is confunsing, mainly due the style of writing. I've found you have to read it carefully.

i really relatye to this book - I was diagnosed dome years back with a very mild form AS, so the way christopher acts i can readily empathise with. a point not to be forgetten is AS covers a range , I'm lucky as its mild e,g I dont interact well socilaly , prefer my own company. i didnt feel it was forced, buthen thats my experience

I'm currently rereading 'TheGift' by V Nabokov. I chanced on an article by S Blackwell recently which touched on the role science played in this novel. My interest piqued, I started to follow possibilities within the novel which , to my knowledege, have not been expored till now. My focus is on the role gemstones play. The first instance occurs in Chapter 1 where Fydor is describing the view from his room. The possibilities from this are manifold. Firstly opaline as an adjective means resemblimg opal esp in colour or iridescence [OED]. In my view this is a literal description of what Fydor saw. Turning to the noun things get a bit more intersting. The definition I have is 'A variety of yellow chalcedony which presents an opaline semi-opacity' [OED] The noun definition is rich in allusions, as subsequent research has shown. Opaline as a precious stone is sometimes referred to as Moonlight-Stone, which would fit with the curds-and whey sky and also the blind sun = moon. given that this early evening it is entirely posible that Fydor could see the moon. Opaline in both cases suggests a veil. Immediately after Fydor drifts into a reverie about his childhood, so the opaline pits could refer to a distant memory. Also as this novel is often regarded as a mature expansion on 'Mary', then it could be an allusion to Ganin's penultimate meeting with Mary. In that meeting Mary was effectively wearing a wedding dress complete with veil and it was a moon lit night. Another possible connection is with Zina who initially Fydor meets at night. So from a simple sentence , many possibilities spring. this is the beauty of Nabokov. As a footnote I'm currently exploring the posibility of submiiting an article to the Nabokovian Journal with the assistance of S Blackwell *gulp*

Like pontalba im working my way through the Master's books. Read all of the russian ones - bar 2 which I'm still trying to get hold of 'Defense' and 'The eye'. Now moving onto the American ones, once i get over my obsession of rereading the 'The Gift' In fact I have read 'The Real Life of sebastian Knight' and 'Bend Sinster' so 'Lolita' next up. From whats been said in this thread cant wait to get to 'Transparent Things' and 'Look at the Harlequins'

One point that seems to come up in this thread several times is that books that have literary worth and are ones that on each rereading you gain something extra from each time are worthy of being labelled "classics". This is my view as well.

I've just acquired this one today - already a third through. What made you give up?

Reading this now and totally hooked even tho im only 50 pages in.

Having read both 'Madame Bovary' by Flaubert and 'The Idiot' by Dostoyevsky I thought it would be interesting to write a short piece showing the parallels between them. The main thrust would be from the point of view of characterization. My only concern is it might detract from others reading of these novels. Thoughts?

I've heard this said but I cant reconcile the opinions he expresses and Existentialism btw I've written those reviews;)

yes for the novel i have read and reviewed this applies

Author: Dostoyevsky Title 'The Idiot' Publisher: Project gutenberg e-text Genre: Novel, classic Theme: Love,Death, social mores, religion, patriotism Background: This is one of the author's novels that he wrote on his return from exile in Siberia, and reflects his now Conservative views. Summary: Prince Lyov Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after a long absence. Myshkin suffers from epilepsy . This has been treated with some success in Switzerland. The Myshkin family line is said to end with him and his cousin. On the train to Saint Petersburg, Myshkin meets and befriends the dark and enamoured Rogozhin. The latter tells the prince about his passion for Nastasya Filippovna, a beautiful woman with a bad reputation. Myshkin arrives at the house of General Yepanchin, who is married to the only other living member of the Myshkin line. Myshkin learns that Ganya, a young go-getter and secretary of the General, wants to marry Nastasya for her dowry. The prince feels an irresistible desire to meet her after hearing about her and even more so when he views a picture of her in the General's office. At Nastasya's name day party, Myshkin sees Rogozhin arrive drunk and offer the young woman a large amount of money to follow him. The prince perceives the despair of Nastasya and proposes to her in order to save her from her situation. However she flees with Rogozhin. Rogozhin later tries to kill his friend with a knife, but is hindered when, due to the stress of the situation, Myshkin falls into an epileptic seizure. This painting of the dead Christ in the tomb, by Hans Holbein the Younger, had an unsettling effect on the character Rogozhin, and later on the consumptive Hippolite. Over the course of the novel, Myshkin grows closer to the General's daughter, Aglaya, but Nastasya's actions culminate in a final meeting between the two women at Darya Alexeyvna's home, where Aglaya confronts Nastasya but soon flees. Myshkin moves to leave with Aglaya, but stops when Nastasya questions the fact that he would leave with her and she faints into his arms. He makes arrangements to marry Nastasya for fear she will return to Rogozhin. On the day of the marriage, however, Nastasya again runs away with Rogozhin, who then kills her. The novel ends with Myshkin and Rogozhin lying together by the body of Nastasya: Myshkin comforts the raving Rogozhin; Rogozhin is sentenced to labor in Siberia; Aglaya rushes into an unhappy marriage with a man who claims to be a Polish count. Reflections: I found this novel interesting as it explored the physchology of the situation. The author puts his opinions over strongly, almost to the point of lecturing the reader. I found this tiresome and one-sided. Many of his opnions I disagree with as they dont accord with my credo. He is obsessed with religion, which on a personal level I dont practise. He is politically a Conservative, whereas I lean towards Liberalism in its widest sense. As to his views on being Russian , it is difficult to form a cogent opinion. Conclusions this is an interesting, if long read. I found the first 200 pages a bit tiresome as its scene setting. Once the plot gets going then gets easier. The lectures he writes do get tiresome tho.