Vicky’s Comments (group member since Apr 10, 2011)

Vicky’s comments from the Should have read classics group.

Everyman wrote: "Vicky wrote: "Tastes are something that shouldn't be discussed... "

I don't know why not, as long as it's done with respect for each other's opinions.

But I note that Cleo didn't contend that E..."

If you read a few posts before you'll find what I was referring to, her exact words being :" Too many overused cliches in regards to the characters and the plot."

Tastes are something that shouldn't be discussed but everything is else fair game...

That said, even though I told myself I wasn't going to say anything, i'm sorry but I do have to say I fell off my chair when I read that one of the most respected contemporary literary theoretician, a pioneer in semiotics, intertextuality, metatextuality, a medieval scholar being accused of "Too many overused cliches in regards to the characters and the plot. "

I guess all the teachers who made us, linguistic and literature students in University, study his respected work in literary theory must have been wrong.

I am the first one to say that Eco can be difficult to read, I can easily understand why someone would give up on him, I myself gave up on Foucault's Pendulum but I've read a lot of Eco (especially his literary theory) and will keep reading him and if it's going to comfort any of you, he is not an author I usually recommend and I'm never surprised to hear that someone gave up on him.

I don't mean to gang up on you Cleo because I do value your opinion and you are entitled to one, but I didn't expect to read one day that someone qualified Eco's work of being cliché... I couldn't, for the love of literature, let that go by without saying anything..., that said I'll go back to my silent role.

I find it amusing how it is asumed that the reader is a man; "Study your wife closely,..."

Thanks for the info Cleo, it does make sense. I'm glad to read that you had a similar experience as well.

It was a strange reading experience... First things first, for me, all the way through, it was a thought provoking read, and I was lucky enough that my other half had read it a few years ago so I could discuss it but... Up until about half of the novel I didn't enjoy it at all, the third quater I grew a little warmer to it and when I closed the book last night, I couldn't help but admit that, in the end, I finally enjoyed it! So yes, I'm giving it four star, can't give it a lower note, it has a lot more qualities than it had faults. I loved so of the descriptions, I admire a writer who can convey a feeling, a mood with an economy of words and Wilde certainly can; my ebook copy is full of notes I've added and passages I've highlited.

There's a few things I just have to comment on. First, none of the characters were truly likeable, I, as a reader, had no sympathy for them (or hardly any) and because of that I couln't identify in any way with any of them. Not that identifying with a character is a must but sometimes it makes the reading experience more enjoyable. I can help but think of Valmont, from "Les liaisons Dangereuses" by choderlos de Laclos, he was a despicable character in most ways, bent on destroying reputations and on satisfying his sinful wants and putting his enjoyment first, yet readers like him...? Why is that??? The first hafl of Dorian Gray made me feel as if we were observers from a distance, little by little, as I got further in the novel I felt as if The point of view of the reader got closer to the character, that we were finally right there besides Dorian and not watching from a distance. That certainly made a difference for me. It almost felt as if there was two different type of novel in the same novel (not sure if I'm getting my meaning successfully accross). That point still puzzles me but as my tender half was trying to find which movies from "the portrait of Dorian Gray" he had seen, he came accross something on wikipedia that might just give a clue as to why the novel doesn't quite feel as an homogenous entity:

[edit]Uncensored edition
In 2011 Harvard University Press published under its Belknap Press imprint an annotated and uncensored edition of the work that includes material that was removed prior to its first publication in 1890.[25][26][27][28]

That leaves me wondering if the novel would have flowed better between the first and second half without the censored scenes??? I don't feel up to rereading it just now (if ever) and since I didn't have that particular edition there's no way to know. ...Unless one of you read that edition and can tell me whether they had the same feeling that there was two different novel in there. I have a feeling the missing part might have unified it a bit, sometimes a little can make a big difference?

I'm late in reading this one I know. I'm about half way through ang I can't say that I'm enjoying it but, strangely enough, I seem to have a lot to say about it. I'm reading this on my IPad and I keep highliting passages and adding notes to myself here and there... Isn't that strange? Usually a novel that would draw so much reaction out of me is a novel that I like, not in this case? ...

Shame on me Lisa, despite my extensive reading background, I've never read anything of Faulkner's. But you know, it's not because it's a classic that we should necessrely like them, don't you think? I have the same approach with books as I do with food LOL, until you've tasted it you're hardly entitled to an opinion but, once you've tasted it, it's simply a matter of taste and no one has to debate or justify their taste. That said there's plenty of classics I've read and didn't really enjoy as well!

And Magda, I know exactly how you fell about time! Same problem here!

Here's another great link, with the e-reader taking a larger part of the market every month, in a short time there won't be a need for bookmarks anymore...
http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...

Emily wrote: "Congratulations. I'm still reading my first giveaway book."

Thank you Emily, congratulations to you as well!

Lisa wrote: "Vicky wrote: "I won a book, I won a book!!! As if my to read list wasn't long enough as it is! But it's my first giveaway win!"

Woohoo! Congratulations! What book did you win?"

The first one "ahem" ;) was Carpathia, you've noticed before all the vampire novels on my shelf! I actually did a paper on the vampire myth in litterature when I was in University, so it's all fun for me! And yesterday I had an e-mail saying that I won another one, completely different style this time, it's about conflict between members of a reconstituted family: Another Piece of My Heart

I won a book, I won a book!!! As if my to read list wasn't long enough as it is! But it's my first giveaway win!

I thought some of you might be interested by this:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.ph...

I'll be participating too, I still have 3 children's classic to read; big red, black beauty and four feathers but I think I can make it by the 27th and if not i'll just leave those questions blank, after all the fun is in the participating!

It was a pleasurable read, especially since we've taken our four years old to see the ballet three weeks ago and she's been talking about "Casse-Noisette" ever since. She even asked Santa Claus for one, and it's her favorite gift! Even thought I've seen the ballet countless times, I had never read the tales and I found it amusing to read both Hoffman's tale and Duma's, although he says in the beginning that it is Hoffman's tale... It did make me wonder if it wasn't simply a translation? A liberal one, agreed, kind of like Baudelaire's tranlations of Poe which has gained so much in the process that it has almost become a common work, well maybe not as much as that but you get my point!

I was expecting something quite different, I was surprised at the similarities. I mean what is the interest of publishing a book that contains both versions if the two are so alike, who besides the litterary types would enjoy such a book, it's not exactly mainstream, it targets a very specific audience. But then again I didn't exactly read this book, I read both Hoffman's and Duma's tales but from different books and in French (can't read Dumas in English, and Hoffman is a translation anyway so I figured I might as well read it in French) so I'm left wondering if both version in the edition that was featured as a group read were very different? I'd love an answer from those who actually read that edition, maybe the translation I read (by Émile de la Bédollière) was simply very close to Dumas?...

Don't get me wrong the stories weren't identical but they were extremely close, not only in the "big lines" but in some of the détails as well, too close to warrant, in my opinion, both being published under the same cover... but since there's been so many traductions, who knows...

As for my personnal impressions, well I enjoyed Hoffman's tale, which I read first, for all that isn't part of the ballet and added to the story that I knew through the ballet. I have to admit it was more of an intellectual interest and although I did enjoy it I wasn't really charmed or caught in the story. I kept Dumas for last knowing I'm already sold to Dumas, I've been a fan fo what seems like forever. I recognized his voice right away, that talented story teller voice who's been charming me for so long, dare I say seducing me, and I tremendously enjoyed it, having fun at discovering once more that the story is not all but that the teller makes such a différence!

I did enjoy it, a comfortable kind of enjoyment, the same kind comfort food brings you but I am surprised at not having found more in the novel than in all the different movie versions I have seen... Perhaps I have seen so many than even though each one probably have it's own faults, together they cover pretty much every single detail of the movie?! There was no big "Ah ah" moment, no charming discovery of a new aspect, nothing unexpected... And I guess that's somewhat of a disapointment, I wanted to find more in the novel than I did in all those movie versions. The thing is I probably would if I considered the movies individually against the novel, but I can't do that anymore because I know the story by heart and have know it for too long... It was a familiar kind of enjoyment, not the magical one I would have liked.

Lisa wrote: "I hate to admit this,but I'm having a really hard time getting into this book. I feel like I'm slogging through it. Please tell me it gets a little more exciting! Feeling very guilty considering..."

I think Lisa this is one of those novels you have to read in long sittings in order to get into it, not much action and very long ideological discussions means, for me at least, that I wouldn't be able to get into the story if I read it in small doses. Up until now I am enjoying it though but I've given it long sittings.

Zuzana wrote: ".At the age of 19 with responsibility for both her ailing mother and undecisive and impractical father, practically managing the household, it's no wonder she got to her head that she knows it all (It reminds me a little of Jane Austen's Emma)...."

I am also tempted to compare Margaret with Emma (who's my favorite Austen character!), they do share some similarities, they are very opinionated, quick to judge and without perhaps the experience required to back up that judgement but they are loving, compassionate creatures, so full of good intentions. I'm only about a third through so I'm only giving my opinion on what I've read so far.

Because of all the talk about a strike, the sickness, poverty and determination of the workers, I also can't help being reminded of Zola's
Germinal.

Debbie the "Silk" I'm referring to is by Alessandro Baricco. He's an Italian author, contemporary. It's a very short novel, his writing is very poetic and it is generally said that his texts are music, as a matter of fact it is known that he says his sentences aloud before writing them down, testing the sonority, the music of the words (yes he is also a musician). He makes me wish I could read Italian, unfortunately that is not the case but even the French translation is beautiful. I have no idea what the result is in English though, I don't know how the musicality and the poetry survived the transition to a non-Latin language? Still, even stripped down to only the story it is a touching story and must still be worth reading.

Lisa wrote: "I had forgotten that part about TCOMC. After reading last night, I must say that Parisian high society at that time was rather tolerant of extra-marital affairs. Maybe, that was why the Victorian..."

LOL tolerant is a nice way to put it, you're too kind! Now I feel mean cause I would have said depraved!

I found myself laughing out loud too! It seems a pretty woman is almost always a threat to another woman, I should find this sad but it's too ridiculous, I can't help laughing.

Rastignac seems to be torn between what he wants to do and his ego...he's full of good intentions but seems to forget them quickly.

You have that right ! That was also present in "The count of Monte-Cristo", the resentment for the sympathizers with the change of systems, it had a big part to play in the fact that Dantès was imprisoned. It is a very common theme with a lot of novels that take place during that time.

You have it right then monarchy had another go after Napoleon (Louis 18 for eleven years then Charles ten for five years then another revolution then Louis Philippe, etc...).