😍

Your videos are so therapeutic. I wish we had a professor like you in our country. I'm currently reading the Romantic and Victorian period of English Literature and your insight on Shirley and The Romance of the Forest is really worthwhile.❤❤❤

@TheEclecticLibrary

9 ай бұрын

Thank you, that's so kind! I'm very glad that KZread allows us to share the bookish love all across the world. Hope you're having a lovely time with the Romantics and Victorians, they're some of my favourites!

I appreciate your thoughts on Shirley. I've only read JE but I own two of Charlotte's books so I'll keep in mind what you said. I've read all of Emily's and Anne's books.

@TheEclecticLibrary

9 ай бұрын

I hope you enjoy Charlotte's other works! They seem to be quite hit or miss for people. I only have one book left for Anne I think

I appreciated your views on Shirley, on AR’s books & on Siddhartha/Alchemist. Shirley feels like 2 different books almost. Thankyou for sharing about her loss and asking if her grief colored her writing later on. I consider JE a fluke after reading Shirley and Villette, but realize the grief must have played a role in that also. I have yet to read the professor or Emma.

@TheEclecticLibrary

9 ай бұрын

I'd be interested in reading a biography on Charlotte, just to learn a bit more about the context she was writing in. She's an excellent writer, but like you say, her books differ a lot in terms of quality

I think you're right about Radcliffe's Gothic approach being more about suspense. It's Gothic mystery rather than Gothic horror which seems like it came later. It's very much like a modern drama series that uses little hooks and hints to keep you going - who is playing that instrument in the middle of the night? What will the manuscript say? That said, Romance of the Forest dragged for me in a few places just because parts were a bit over the top. Enjoyed your thoughts on Shirley - I need to reread it at some point.

@TheEclecticLibrary

9 ай бұрын

I've heard that The Monk by Lewis (who published around the same time as Radcliffe) writes more in recognisable horror style - he's still on my to be read list. Ha, you're right about Radcliffe's techniques being close to the little cliffhangers of modern drama! That's such an interesting parallel.

@tillysshelf

9 ай бұрын

@@TheEclecticLibrary I read and reviewed The Monk for Jane Austen July this year. I have to say it wasn't my favourite work, and in many ways Radcliffe is more readable and enjoyable. But a good comparison point.

I’m reading the mysteries of udolpho right now. This book by Radcliffe sounds interesting. I’ve also never read Shirley, and I feel like I need to. I like your take on that. It would be interesting to read with that in mind.

@TheEclecticLibrary

9 ай бұрын

Hope you're enjoying Udolpho! I haven't gotten to it yet.

I read half of Shirley, and since then the book has sat unread on the shelf for over ten years. I really liked the first part of the novel, especially the writing style and the characters, and the plot was developing in an interesting direction. I recently read the novel again, this time to the end. And it was not clear to me what had happened, whether I had changed, or the author. The plot of the novel took a completely unexpected direction. It's not that I don't like the second part, but I think that a lot more time and effort was invested in the first part, especially related to the writing style. The references to Shakespeare are particularly interesting, so I also read Coriolanus. But you have to admit that towards the end the novel is really funny, the character of the little boy is great, and the ending is also magical.🧚 So I completely agree with your interpretation of the novel. kzread.info/dash/bejne/dHxtzcqaZZi8hMY.htmlsi=jG4D_AmJMqawaEEc By the way, what is your favorite Virgin Wool novel? ☺

@TheEclecticLibrary

6 ай бұрын

Thank you for sharing! I'm really glad I'm not the only one who had this kind of experience with Shirley, where the two halves of the book seemed so different. I haven't read Coriolanus yet, but am looking forward to it! My favourite so far is Orlando, but I still have quite a few of Woolf's novels to go 🙂

@kresimirkurtic989

6 ай бұрын

@@TheEclecticLibrary Thank you too. I was also pleasantly surprised. Have you started reading Villette? I only read two chapters, and the poor book is now buried under the pile of books I'm currently reading. Yes, Orlando is probably her most entertaining novel, very Sternian. Mrs Dalloway is quite an accessible novel, it is excellent but not as demanding as her later more experimental works. I just read The Waves and Jacob's Room. Those two are much more demanding, but if you read them together, I think it's easier to understand them that way. I think you were unlucky to read To the Lighthouse first. It is a relatively short novel, but I read it for two months. One of the most challenging novels I've read. I have to read it again soon to see if I've gotten smarter in the meantime.😁 All her novels are quite different from each other. Because she was always experimenting and looking for new possibilities to express herself linguistically. These are my favorite adaptations of Shakespeare: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ga6Ck8usfLzJj6Q.htmlsi=_wXwwpihpw8Muhwe kzread.info/dash/bejne/hHiDz5NxmpfKdZM.htmlsi=4v-EPzFW8v9wfvOp Yes, I know they are Russian ...and something fun between acts kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZY18qqp-l5bPn8Y.htmlsi=w_IKI_xxeKi9SW70

I loved your video and the introduction to the books :) thank you for sharing your insights :) I also started a small booktube channel recently and am making a series on Gothic & Romantic Literature :) if you're interested in exchanging views and getting into contact, I'd be really happy 😊

I was thinking I should give Siddhartha a try until you compared it to alchemist, the Coleen Hoover of spiritual novels.

@TheEclecticLibrary

10 ай бұрын

If it helps, I detested The Alchemist, and enjoyed Siddhartha! Hesse did win a Nobel Prize for literature, so at the very least the man can write. (Describing it as the Colleen Hoover of spiritual novels really made me laugh)