While reading #100, The Magnificent Ambersons, I found that it took a long time before I really "got into" the book. With this one, it never really happened. Written in 1955, the book takes place in Ireland just after WWII and was considered sufficiently obscene to be banned in both Ireland and the US! As I read the book, I could understand why.
The novel centres on Sebastian Dangerfield, an American who fought in the war, his English wife and their infant daughter. Sebastian engages in one sexual escapade after another, never more than thinly hidden from his wife. The overall treatment of women and the institution of marriage seems to seems to imply an almost misogynistic view from at least the character, if not the author. The audacity of Sebastian caught my attention early as I thought I was going to follow him on a reperative journey in which he'd see the error of his ways and the dark cloud of his early behaviour would allow his new self to shine all the more brightly (a la Henry V). I was disappointed. Sebastian never seems to grow up, doesn't understand and in the end, is worse off than he was in the beginning.
I'm not entirely sure what Donleavy was shooting for with this novel, but to my eye, he seems to have missed. While I had questioned why the Ambersons were on the list, I eventually came to understand. I cannot say the same for the Ginger Man.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
100. "The Magnificent Ambersons," Booth Tarkington
Nancy Pearl, librarian extraordinaire, espouses the Rule of 50: if you're under 50 years old, read the first 50 pages of a book. If you're not loving it, give it up and try something else. Well, if I had done this, I certainly would not have finished The Magnificent Ambersons, and I'm glad I did!
Written in 1918, this book took the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It centers on a very wealthy family that spirals out of control during the Industrialization of the United States. It follows the growth of a small town of affluence into a large and dirty city full of perils. The rise of the automobile plays a huge part near the end of the novel, especially in the life of George Minafer, the young heir to the Amberson (mis)fortunes.
I was probably half way through this novel, reading maybe 10 pages at a go, before I finally became absorbed in the characters. I'm not sure if Tarkington intended this sort of evolution for the reader, but I found that it worked quite well. The reader's affections for characters has a natural shift as the events play out.
While I originally questioned how this novel could have possibly made the List, I find myself thankful that it did.
Written in 1918, this book took the 1919 Pulitzer Prize. It centers on a very wealthy family that spirals out of control during the Industrialization of the United States. It follows the growth of a small town of affluence into a large and dirty city full of perils. The rise of the automobile plays a huge part near the end of the novel, especially in the life of George Minafer, the young heir to the Amberson (mis)fortunes.
I was probably half way through this novel, reading maybe 10 pages at a go, before I finally became absorbed in the characters. I'm not sure if Tarkington intended this sort of evolution for the reader, but I found that it worked quite well. The reader's affections for characters has a natural shift as the events play out.
While I originally questioned how this novel could have possibly made the List, I find myself thankful that it did.
Lists, must have lists!
Hi!
My name is Lenard Lawless. I have a BA in English Lit. I have found, time and again, that people ask if I've read book X or Y when they hear this, and more often than not, the answer is no. To try to alleviate this, I am trying to read more now than ever before. Rather than just enter the foray blind, I have chosen a list that will serve as my guide. The list is the Modern Library's Choices top 100 Novels, available at http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/072098best-novels-list.html.
The plan is to start at #100 and work my up to what is apparently going to be the best novel of the 20th Century. At the time of starting this Blog, I've already read some of the novels, so I'll see if I can write up some entries for them based on what I remember of them.
I hope that I can inspire some people to go grab a book and do some reading on their own.
Cheers,
Len
My name is Lenard Lawless. I have a BA in English Lit. I have found, time and again, that people ask if I've read book X or Y when they hear this, and more often than not, the answer is no. To try to alleviate this, I am trying to read more now than ever before. Rather than just enter the foray blind, I have chosen a list that will serve as my guide. The list is the Modern Library's Choices top 100 Novels, available at http://www.nytimes.com/library/books/072098best-novels-list.html.
The plan is to start at #100 and work my up to what is apparently going to be the best novel of the 20th Century. At the time of starting this Blog, I've already read some of the novels, so I'll see if I can write up some entries for them based on what I remember of them.
I hope that I can inspire some people to go grab a book and do some reading on their own.
Cheers,
Len
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