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A Modern Lover
Excerpt from A Modern Lover
No, I really can't; I have at least a hundred and Odd drawings by you, and half of them aren't even numbered: it will take me a week to get through them.
No, I really can't; I have at least a hundred and Odd drawings by you, and half of them aren't even numbered: it will take me a week to get through them.
338 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1883
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47 people want to read
About the author
George Moore
545 books91 followersGeorge Augustus Moore was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a Roman Catholic landed family who lived at Moore Hall in Carra, County Mayo. He originally wanted to be a painter, and studied art in Paris during the 1870s. There, he befriended many of the leading French artists and writers of the day.
As a naturalistic writer, he was amongst the first English-language authors to absorb the lessons of the French realists, and was particularly influenced by the works of Émile Zola. His writings influenced James Joyce, according to the literary critic and biographer Richard Ellmann, and, although Moore's work is sometimes seen as outside the mainstream of both Irish and British literature, he is as often regarded as the first great modern Irish novelist.
As a naturalistic writer, he was amongst the first English-language authors to absorb the lessons of the French realists, and was particularly influenced by the works of Émile Zola. His writings influenced James Joyce, according to the literary critic and biographer Richard Ellmann, and, although Moore's work is sometimes seen as outside the mainstream of both Irish and British literature, he is as often regarded as the first great modern Irish novelist.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 19, 2017
'He was.. bad only because he had not strength to be good'
So this is a very Hollywood novel despite being set in 1870's London. The plot, a young artist moves to the big city but finds it hard to make his mark.
Hence why i describe it as Hollywood-like. Its all about celebrity and talent and trying to be one of the few to succeed.
Interestingly though, unlike most of these kinds of stories our hero isn't all that talented, he's the artistic equivalent of a soap actor he's really not in it for the art either but simply the fame and fortune.
The novel follows the up's and down's of his career and the various women who he uses along the way. Like Hollywood the art industry is often about who you know and this guy has no problem using the various women he meets to open doors for him.
It's a very realistic novel and all of the characters are well drawn. You never really hate the protagonist, he's quite a practical guy really, sleeping his way to the top. This would definitely be written with a gender reversal if done today so its nice to see a man in this position.
There are a few downsides. Its a little longer than i think it needs to be and the story moves in and out of focus.
So at times its an intimate piece and then it moves to a more distant narrator view and then back in again. So there are times when you feel like your losing touch with the characters. Also probably due to this method of storytelling it occasionally feels like people change their minds and opinions a bit to suddenly.
Overall though a pretty interesting story, good characters, its social scene including tennis matches make it feel like its set in the 1920's at times rather than the 1870's. Speaking of which there's quite a few similarities with Lady Chatterley's Lover at times.
A surprisingly realistic and very unromantic romance, written with a sort of cynical glimmer in its eye. Also some good discussions of Art and how public taste changes over time.
So this is a very Hollywood novel despite being set in 1870's London. The plot, a young artist moves to the big city but finds it hard to make his mark.
Hence why i describe it as Hollywood-like. Its all about celebrity and talent and trying to be one of the few to succeed.
Interestingly though, unlike most of these kinds of stories our hero isn't all that talented, he's the artistic equivalent of a soap actor he's really not in it for the art either but simply the fame and fortune.
The novel follows the up's and down's of his career and the various women who he uses along the way. Like Hollywood the art industry is often about who you know and this guy has no problem using the various women he meets to open doors for him.
It's a very realistic novel and all of the characters are well drawn. You never really hate the protagonist, he's quite a practical guy really, sleeping his way to the top. This would definitely be written with a gender reversal if done today so its nice to see a man in this position.
There are a few downsides. Its a little longer than i think it needs to be and the story moves in and out of focus.
So at times its an intimate piece and then it moves to a more distant narrator view and then back in again. So there are times when you feel like your losing touch with the characters. Also probably due to this method of storytelling it occasionally feels like people change their minds and opinions a bit to suddenly.
Overall though a pretty interesting story, good characters, its social scene including tennis matches make it feel like its set in the 1920's at times rather than the 1870's. Speaking of which there's quite a few similarities with Lady Chatterley's Lover at times.
A surprisingly realistic and very unromantic romance, written with a sort of cynical glimmer in its eye. Also some good discussions of Art and how public taste changes over time.
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December 28, 2014It took some doing to get this book. I had to suffer many librarians and they likewise suffered me, but I got an interlibrary loan and they sent a copy from the University of Minnesota to the Moorhead Library.
I guess this book was tooken out of the library system when it was written. His other classic is called Ester waters, I like the tone of this book so far so I'll have to try to read some of his others, along with other writers from this era, when industrialization hadn't quite yet strangled the life out of art and life.
I guess this book was tooken out of the library system when it was written. His other classic is called Ester waters, I like the tone of this book so far so I'll have to try to read some of his others, along with other writers from this era, when industrialization hadn't quite yet strangled the life out of art and life.
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