George Eliot’s assertion - "What greater thing is there, for two human souls, than to feel that they are joined to strengthen each other, and to be at one with each other, in silent unspeakable memories?" Adam Bede (1859) - is not merely a reflection on love, but a profound meditation on the nature of human … Continue reading The Profound Communion of Souls in George Eliot’s Words
Tag: classic-literature
The Painted Veil: A Saucy Dissection of W. Somerset Maugham’s Sublime Slap in the Face
W. Somerset Maugham’s The Painted Veil is a bit like finding a deceptively lovely flower in a poisoned Chinese river. Ostensibly a story of love, betrayal, and redemption, it teases the reader with a delicate veneer of romance, only to plunge us headfirst into a cynical, uncomfortably reflective look at the human soul. If you thought you … Continue reading The Painted Veil: A Saucy Dissection of W. Somerset Maugham’s Sublime Slap in the Face
The Count of Monte Cristo: Revenge à la Française
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, is the literary equivalent of a French seven-course meal: rich, complex, and occasionally leaving you wondering if you just ate a snail. But fear not, for we shall dissect this gastronomic delight with the precision of a food critic at a Michelin-starred restaurant, with just enough humour … Continue reading The Count of Monte Cristo: Revenge à la Française
The Art of Elegant Ineptitude: Flaubert’s Sentimental Education
With Madame Bovary still fresh in my mind, I decided to dip into more of Flaubert's ink. Gustave Flaubert’s Sentimental Education is a masterpiece that invites readers into a world of youthful aspirations, romantic disillusionments, and political upheaval, all set against the backdrop of 19th-century France. However, if we peel back the layers of sophisticated … Continue reading The Art of Elegant Ineptitude: Flaubert’s Sentimental Education
Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth: A Perilous Slog Through Moral Terrain
Drop, drop, slow tears!And bathe those beauteous feet,Which brought from heavenThe news and Prince of peace.Cease not, wet eyes,For mercy to entreat:To cry for vengeanceSin doth never cease.In your deep floodsDrown all my faults and fears;Nor let His eyeSee sin, but through my tears. Phineas Fletcher At the heart of Ruth, published in 1853, is the tale … Continue reading Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth: A Perilous Slog Through Moral Terrain
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