Sylvia

Sylvia #1

by Upton Sinclair

"It may be said at once that this is the best novel Mr. Sinclair has yet written--so much the best that it stands in a class by itself"--"The New York Times," lauding this 1913 work about "a much-discussed theme." Sylvia, a flirtatious socialite, is forced into marriage, only to discover the perils of sexually transmitted disease.

420 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Upton Beall Sinclair, Jr. was an American author who wrote close to one hundred books in many genres. He achieved popularity in the first half of the twentieth century, acquiring particular fame for his classic muckraking novel, The Jungle (1906). To gather information for the novel, Sinclair spent seven weeks undercover working in the meat packing plants of Chicago. These direct experiences exposed the horrific conditions in the U.S. meat packing industry, causing a public uproar that contributed in part to the passage a few months later of the 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act. The Jungle has remained continuously in print since its initial publication. In 1919, he published The Brass Check, a muckraking exposé of American journalism that publicized the issue of yellow journalism and the limitations of the “free press” in the United States. Four years after the initial publication of The Brass Check, the first code of ethics for journalists was created. Time magazine called him "a man with every gift except humor and silence." In 1943, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Sinclair also ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a Socialist, and was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of California in 1934, though his highly progressive campaign was defeated.

Reviews

[Kristine Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

"See on Sylvia Castlemani, tema armastuse ja abielu lugu."
Sylvia oli lõunaosariikide kaunitar, pärit rikkast, lugupeetud ja privilegeeritud perekonnast, kellelt ei oodatud muud kui sobivat abielu samasse klassi kuuluva mehega.

"Sylvia oli ballide kuninganna, kosilasi surus tema ümber nagu ööliblikaid küünlatule ümber. Kirkalt ja kohkumatult sammus ta läbi elu - nagu valgusallikas, mis kiirgab rõõmu igasse hinge.../---/ Oo, Sylvia oskas valitseda mehi! Enamasti tegi ta seda nende endi kasuks; aga kui temas pääses valla vallatusekuradike, siis tegi ta nendega, mida tahtis."

Kuigi Sylvial, kes oli kuulus oma ilu poolest, oli austajaid jalaga segada, armus ta ometi kõige ebasobivamasse mehesse, keda ei seltskond ega tema perekond heaks ei kiitnud. Sylviale saab selgeks, et naise valikud on piiratud ning väga keeruline on jälgida südame häält, kui sellega kaasneb avalik hukkamõist ja häbi. Milline tee valida: kas isiklik õnn või oma lähedaste heaolu ja ühiskondlik arvamus? Upton Sinclair valutas südant paljude sotsiaalsete probleemide pärast ning selles romaanis on ta luubi alla võtnud naiste iseseisvuse, hariduse ja klassikuuluvuse teemad XX sajandi alguse Ameerika Ühendriikides. Tuleb välja, et vaba ühiskond andis vabaduse vaid meestele, kuid naiste õigused ja vabadused, eriti lõunaosariikides, olid ehk isegi piiratumad ning sotsiaalsed normid jäigemad kui Euroopas.

"Lõpp tuli ootamatult - ja põhjus oli kaugel. Wall Streetil oli paanika, millest Sylviagi oli midagi ebamäärast kuulnud; talle ei tulnud pähegi, et nii kauge sündmus võiks teda isiklikult puudutada. Rahanduse aastaraamatuid lugedes saab teada, kui palju ärimehi läks pankrotti, milliseid kinnisvarasid tuli maha müüa selle paanika tõttu, kuid ükski statistika ei registreeri tütarde arvu - vaeste ja rikaste meeste tütarde arvu - kes selle paanika tõttu maha tuli müüa.

Vaatamata ühiskondlike probleemide puudutamisele, on siiski tegemist väga kergelt loetava, romantilise, põneva ja meelelahutusliku teosega. Romaan lõppeb pulmadega ning seda, milliseks kujunes Sylvia edasine saatus, saab lugeda juba raamatust "Sylvia abielu".

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book, mostly as a time capsule. Social issues as they were viewed by educated and aristocratic people are discussed, and much hypocrisy is displayed. However, I don't understand how this book was meant to stand alone as a novel. It ends with the words "And that, reader, was the strange way of my coming into the life of Sylvia Castleman!" In the last scene, someone named Claire shows up and gives a dire prophesy, but never was it explained who Claire is or how this scene leads to the narrator meeting Sylvia. Very strange ending. It almost seemed like part of the book was missing. I plan to get my hands on the sequel, which hopefully will explain many things.