The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

It is never too soon to start thinking about our next group read. Consequently, I would like to invite any interested member to submit three nominations for books that they'd like to read following the conclusion of our group read of Charlotte Bronte's "Jane Eyre". The only rules are--

(1) It must be fiction;
(2) It cannot be written by an American or British author; and
(3) It must have been written within the timeline of the group, i.e., late-18th century to the early-20th century

Are we having fun yet?

Marcel wrote: "This will be my first group read here, so this is also my first nomination (hope this is alright).

How about Laclos's Les liaisons dangereuses?"

And you have two more, Marcel, if you so desire. And very well done on your first nommie!

What are we thinking in terms of length? Or are we relatively open in that area?

Here is one I have been wanting to read for a while

The Red and the Black by Stendhal

Silver wrote: "Here is one I have been wanting to read for a while

The Red and the Black by Stendhal"

I'll second this one! It keeps getting sent back to my bookshelf because I've commitments for something else, so I'd love for it to be a read with a group!

Oh... I second the following nominations:

Les liaisons dangereuses - Laclos

The Red and the Black - Stendhal

Effi Briest - Fontane

I nominate the following:

Lost Illusions
- Balzac

Hadji Murad - Tolstoy

Dead Souls - Gogol

EDIT: I have edited this to include links to my nominations. I have also added in my third nomination, Dead Souls (by Nikolai Gogol).

How about "Les Fleurs Du Mal" ("Flowers of Evil"), by Charles Baudelaire? This one's been on my to-read list for ages, and as it was published originally in 1857 it definitely fits the period. What does everyone think?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/69...

Ellen wrote: "How about "Les Fleurs Du Mal" ("Flowers of Evil"), by Charles Baudelaire? This one's been on my to-read list for ages, and as it was published originally in 1857 it definitely fits the period. What..."

I'm not sure if Flowers of Evil would be okay, Ellen. One of the rules was that the work had to be "fiction"--and Flowers of Evil is poetry.

Historybuff93 wrote: "I'm not sure if Flowers of Evil would be okay, Ellen. One of the rules was that the work had to be "fiction"--and Flowers of Evil is poetry..."

Well, Pushkin's Eugene Onegin is written in verse (poetry), but it seems to me that it is definitely a work of fiction. Guess ones like these need a moderator's moderation/arbitration.

I suggest:
The Idiot by Dostoevsky
Eugenie Grandet by Honore de Balzac

EDIT: I thought of the third one: Nana

Lily wrote: "Historybuff93 wrote: "I'm not sure if Flowers of Evil would be okay, Ellen. One of the rules was that the work had to be "fiction"--and Flowers of Evil is poetry..."

Well, Pushkin's..."

I don't know, Lily, we will just have to see what Chris thinks. I took fiction to mean that a nomination must be either a novel or short story collection.

Historybuff93 wrote: "Ellen wrote: "How about "Les Fleurs Du Mal" ("Flowers of Evil"), by Charles Baudelaire? This one's been on my to-read list for ages, and as it was published originally in 1857 it definitely fits th..."

Uh, like DUH! I posted the wrong book, Lily and Historybuff! Sorry about that. I was just thinking that a French novel from the correct time period might be good for a change. Thanks!

Historybuff93 wrote: "Lily wrote: "Historybuff93 wrote: "I'm not sure if Flowers of Evil would be okay, Ellen. One of the rules was that the work had to be "fiction"--and Flowers of Evil is poetry..."

Well, [author:P..."

I'd agree. I think we are nominating fiction - novels, short stories, novellas, and the like. My mistake!

Diana wrote: "Oh... I second the following nominations:

Les liaisons dangereuses - Laclos

The Red and the Black - Stendhal

Effi Briest - Fontane"

And I second the first two:). Nana is a good choice too and one of my earlier suggestions.

May I suggest Notre-Dame of Paris by Victor Hugo? It is half read on my bedside table for a decade now. I would love to read it with this group.

Granuaille wrote: "May I suggest Notre-Dame of Paris by Victor Hugo? It is half read on my bedside table for a decade now. I would love to read it with this group."

This one sounds great to me, Madge!

I would like to suggest Bel-Ami

how about The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy? it's a novella published in 1886. it fits the time period, and it's not american or british :)

i just read The Idiot and Notre Dame de Paris very recently, so i would probably opt out of those choices.

So many great books! :D

Bel-Ami, Effi Briest The Doll and Lost Illusions sound good. Everything else would be a re-read for me, but I'd have no problem giving Dead Souls another go. It's really good.

Some more suggestions:
Therese Raquin
Kokoro

Ellen wrote: "Granuaille wrote: "May I suggest Notre-Dame of Paris by Victor Hugo? It is half read on my bedside table for a decade now. I would love to read it with this group."

This one sounds gr..."

Oooh! 'The Bells, the Bells'!!

Of the two Zola suggestions, Therese Raquin may be the best one to start with as Nana is part of the Les Rougon Macquart series of 20 psychological novels covering the lives of two families during the Second French Empire. They are sometimes very harrowing and Zola wrote this about them: 'I want to portray, at the outset of a century of liberty and truth, a family that cannot restrain itself in its rush to possess all the good things that progress is making available and is derailed by its own momentum, the fatal convulsions that accompany the birth of a new world.'

Therese is pretty grim too and was perhaps a 'practice run' for the others. The novels are imbued with Zola's ideas about heredity and eugenics, pseudo-science of the time.

Of the series, I actually prefer Germinal, which is a harsh and realistic story of a coalminers' strike in northern France in the 1860s but it ends on a note of hope, which others in the Rougon series do not. It was Zola's masterpiece and was a sensation when it was published. It is now the best selling of all his novels. Like Dickens, Zola was a political journalist, who sought to expose the evils of ths society around him.

Notre Dame de Paris is fantastic - or Indiana by George Sand?

Granuaille wrote: "May I suggest Notre-Dame of Paris by Victor Hugo? It is half read on my bedside table for a decade now. I would love to read it with this group."

I'll second this one.

These three fit the bill I think and have been on my TBR pile for an embarassingly long time. I would love to try them in a group read:

Der Schimmelreiter (Rider on the White Horse) by Theodor Storm

Fortunata y Jacinta by Galdos

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Hugo (Is this the same book as Notre Dame of Paris mentioned above? Sorry for my ignorance if so!)

I thought I'd suggest a book from one of the most interesting Italian authors who fit into our period limits: "Zeno's Conscience",
by Italo Svevo. It doesn't appear that we've read much in the way of Italian literature, and this one, admired by Pound, sounds really interesting to me. What does everyone think?

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/84...

Lauri wrote: "The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Hugo (Is this the same book as Notre Dame of Paris mentioned above? ..."

It is the same book. Notre Dame of Paris is the literal translation of the French title.

Ellen wrote: "I thought I'd suggest a book from one of the most interesting Italian authors who fit into our period limits: "Zeno's Conscience",
by Italo Svevo. It doesn't appear that we've read much in the way ..."

I think this looks very interesting. Expanding to authors beyond France would be my vote.

Kim wrote: It is the same book. Notre Dame of Paris is the literal translation of the Fre..."

Thank you!

Zeno's Conscience looks interesting to me too, although published in 1923, it goes past the time period of the group. Maybe we could sneak it in? :P

Kristen wrote: "Zeno's Conscience looks interesting to me too, although published in 1923, it goes past the time period of the group. Maybe we could sneak it in? :P"

I forgot about the restriction when I nominated this book, but if we could "sneak it in" it would be a fun read, I think. Or how about nominating another book by an Italian writer that does fit our time frame?

Where have we got to with these non-British/American nominations? I think it is time we had a vote so that we get something set up for July. Perhaps Rochelle could do this for us as Chris is very busy at the mo? We have the following listed so far (have I got them all?):-

Les liaisons dangereuses by Laclos
Effi Briest by Fontane
The Doll by Boleslaw Prus
The Red and the Black by Stendhal
Lost Illusions by Balzac
Eugenie Grandet by Balzac
Dead Souls by Gogol
The Idiot by Dostoevsky
Notre-Dame of Paris by Victor Hugo
Bel Ami by Guy de Maupassant
he Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy
Germinal by Zola
Nana by Zola
Therese Raquin by Zola
Indiana by George Sand
Der Schimmelreiter (Rider on the White Horse) by Theodor Storm
Fortunata y Jacinta by Galdos
Kokoro by Suseki
Zeno's Conscience by Italo Svevo

I have tried to get in touch with Chris about what he had planned for the next discussion and if a poll should be put up, but as I have heard nothing back, I have been thinking of just going ahead with putting up the poll.

Ok, a poll has been established, so please everyone come and vote for which book you would like to read following Jane Eyre. There are a lot of great choices.

Oh Thanks Silver!I had forgotten that you were the new Moderator, which is why I suggested Rochelle:).

Silver wrote: "I have tried to get in touch with Chris about what he had planned for the next discussion and if a poll should be put up, but as I have heard nothing back, I have been thinking of just going ahead ..."

This is my first new book vote. As there are no votes here, I'm unsure where to post.

There is a poll in which you vote in. You can find the poll either by scrolling down to the bottom of the groups home page, or if you look on the right hand side there will be a list of links which starts with "group home" and there will be one called polls and if you click on that it will take you to the poll.

Jenny wrote: "This is my first new book vote. As there are no votes here, I'm unsure where to post. "

On the menu near the top right of the home page the bottom choice is "polls." Click on that, then in the top poll click on your choice.

Or, click on this link:
http://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/37...

Thank you both. Vote is in.

I didn't know how the next book was selected either. Good to know.

Gosh, the run-off poll is very close too!

http://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/37...

Heads up! I note that there is a book called The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Marc Cerasini but I am assuming that the one on our list is a translation of the old one by Victor Hugo, Notre Dame de Paris? Be careful you do not purchase the wrong one, should it be chosen!

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/hunch...

I half remember the scary old film with Charles Boyer? - might hire it this weekend!

Because Hunchback of Notre Dame and the Death of Ivan Ilyich have remained consistently neck in neck and it does not look like that is libel to change, I have and considering how short Ivan Ilyich is, we will be reading The Hunch Back of Notre Dame following Jane Eyre and than we can fit Ivan Ilyich in after that.

Good decision Silver - thanks! (BTW are you able to close Cafe thread Fourth and move folks on to the Fifth, as Chris suggested on the 19th June. See the discussion there.)

Who will be breaking down Hunchback into a reading schedule?

If Silver doesn't do that, I will:).

BTW both these choices are online and searchable here:-

http://www.online-literature.com/vict...

http://www.online-literature.com/tols...

MadgeUK wrote: "If Silver doesn't do that, I will:).

BTW both these choices are online and searchable here:-

http://www.online-literature.com/vict...

http://www.online-literature.co..."

I can help with the schedule, too. I've had a copy for years... ever since I finished Les Miserables. So it would be easy for me to scan it and try to figure a schedule out. :)

I've read them both already, but I might have some difficulties catching up with group discussions, judging by the volume of posts on the "Jane Eyre" threads.

I'm thinking of taking a pass on "Hunchback" this time around. I've gotten myself all backed up on books to read, bunches of which shall be due back at the library in two to three weeks or so, and I've read the "Hunchback" several times already. Please forgive! I might have fit "The Death of Ivan Ilyich" as it's a shorter book, but this one's too long to fit into the schedule. Please forgive? Thanks!