3 posts tagged “character title”
As with the last few classic books I have read, I am surprised by the dissimilarity between this book and the ideas of the book in pop culture.
Neither Frankenstein nor his creature are anything alike between film and novel. Frankenstein comes across as shallow and cowardly--at least until it is too late. The scientist reminded me of all those bad horror movies where the female lead is running without thought. Frankenstein needed a plan and he needed to protect his family. Instead, he ran around until he twisted his ankle and fell to the ground.
The "monster" is less like a monster than an exile and an outcast. He is erudite, articulate, and athletic. It took a while to adjust to this "new" image of the creature.
The pop culture images of the creature are actually just the image that the character fights against through the book. It seems Shelley failed to get the point across. Or, we really are more like the humanity Shelley represented in her novel than we would like to believe.
Neither Frankenstein nor his creature are anything alike between film and novel. Frankenstein comes across as shallow and cowardly--at least until it is too late. The scientist reminded me of all those bad horror movies where the female lead is running without thought. Frankenstein needed a plan and he needed to protect his family. Instead, he ran around until he twisted his ankle and fell to the ground.
The "monster" is less like a monster than an exile and an outcast. He is erudite, articulate, and athletic. It took a while to adjust to this "new" image of the creature.
The pop culture images of the creature are actually just the image that the character fights against through the book. It seems Shelley failed to get the point across. Or, we really are more like the humanity Shelley represented in her novel than we would like to believe.
This book was not on my list. And I've never read anything by Balzac. So why did I read it?
Besides the fact that I'm easily distracted I had heard that it mentions Madame Bovary in the end and it's a very short book.
First off, the title is awful. It makes sense in the end, but still, it just distracted me the entire time since the story is about two Chinese boys. The book and the seamstress come in about midway.
I was a little offended that the "little Chinese seamstress" was never given a name even though all the other characters were. Perhaps it was a commentary on how the boys saw her more as an object than a person, but I'm probably reaching on that.
Most of the book was superfluous and boring, but the ending was very good. It perfectly illustrated the "dangers" of knowledge. And I'm a sucker for books about censorship.
Oh, and unlike Madame Bovary, the "little Chinese seamstress" escapes from the trappings of family, love, materialism, and sensuality.
Besides the fact that I'm easily distracted I had heard that it mentions Madame Bovary in the end and it's a very short book.
First off, the title is awful. It makes sense in the end, but still, it just distracted me the entire time since the story is about two Chinese boys. The book and the seamstress come in about midway.
I was a little offended that the "little Chinese seamstress" was never given a name even though all the other characters were. Perhaps it was a commentary on how the boys saw her more as an object than a person, but I'm probably reaching on that.
Most of the book was superfluous and boring, but the ending was very good. It perfectly illustrated the "dangers" of knowledge. And I'm a sucker for books about censorship.
Oh, and unlike Madame Bovary, the "little Chinese seamstress" escapes from the trappings of family, love, materialism, and sensuality.
The fascinating thing about Madame Bovary is, well, Madame Bovary. Is she a sympathetic but flawed character, or is she a cruel and selfish woman?
Emma Bovary's main problem is that she believes money will end all her problems. But then most people today hold that same false belief.
I think how a person relates to this character says a lot about who he/she is.
It's sort of a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't kind of question though.
On one hand, if you sympathize with her you have to admit that you understand such a heightened level of egoism and self-delusion.
But if you don't sympathize with her it feels a bit sexist since it was a repressive, patriarchal class structure that undoubtedly created women similar to this fictional woman.
I'm still trying to figure out what I think of the character of Madame Bovary, but what I found particularly engaging about this book was its narrative form. I bet one could take a whole class on what Flaubert did with the narrative in just this one book.
One thing I can say with certainty is that my heart has never broken so much for a character as it did for the equally flawed Charles Bovary. I wonder what that says about me?
Emma Bovary's main problem is that she believes money will end all her problems. But then most people today hold that same false belief.
I think how a person relates to this character says a lot about who he/she is.
It's sort of a damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't kind of question though.
On one hand, if you sympathize with her you have to admit that you understand such a heightened level of egoism and self-delusion.
But if you don't sympathize with her it feels a bit sexist since it was a repressive, patriarchal class structure that undoubtedly created women similar to this fictional woman.
I'm still trying to figure out what I think of the character of Madame Bovary, but what I found particularly engaging about this book was its narrative form. I bet one could take a whole class on what Flaubert did with the narrative in just this one book.
One thing I can say with certainty is that my heart has never broken so much for a character as it did for the equally flawed Charles Bovary. I wonder what that says about me?
