Carl’s Reviews > The French Lieutenant's Woman > Status Update
Carl
is on page 289 of 480
Ch.37 — Charles’ interview with Mr. Freeman — epitomizes what is so enticing about this book. It casts a delicate psychological drama within a creatively drawn context of history, class awareness, and science. The narrator’s position in the characters’ minds has rarely been used to greater effect, even if the moves on the chessboard are subtle ones.
— 13 hours, 36 min ago
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Carl’s Previous Updates
Carl
is on page 163 of 480
Such catholicity in its intelligence!
149: Charles’ critique of Victorian conventions
151: yearning for “a world without the tyranny of specialization”
152: “You do not bring the happiness of the many by making them run before they can walk.” (A lesson modern schooling is learning painfully, thanks to inundations of technology.)
— Feb 02, 2026 03:57PM
149: Charles’ critique of Victorian conventions
151: yearning for “a world without the tyranny of specialization”
152: “You do not bring the happiness of the many by making them run before they can walk.” (A lesson modern schooling is learning painfully, thanks to inundations of technology.)
Carl
is on page 66 of 480
So much to appreciate about this novel, which I’m rereading after 35ish years (it’s like new). The narratorial style is extremely engaging; I love the knowing, wry tone, as it dips from 1867 into mentions of the start of World War 2, McLuhan, Proust, British “mods,” Brecht, and so on.
— Jan 22, 2026 06:46PM
