Melissa’s Comments (group member since Jan 02, 2020)

Melissa’s comments from the #ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge group.

oh, i will join in this ! recently picked up my childhood copies of these lovely books and would love the experience of re reading x

are we reading and discussing both the ' the magicians nephew' and 'the lion, the witch and the wardrobe' by November 20th?

I would be in
adore Jane eyre xx

You make some really good points. im going to have to have a think haha x

Hey,

How are you ?

we have started but you're free to read when ever is good for you and discuss!!

Ashley, I feel the same !! It has been good discussing this book in a group because it had helped me process.

Again, I havent picked it up in a few days. need to start book 5 today haha!! I think that I make so many notes, that it stops me from picking it up. if that makes sense ?

Yeah, it seems that both the hero worship and the gentile class of Russians are both being mocked quite openly in the book (in fact, the humour is one of the aspects that makes it more readable lol)!

Ironically, the background of Napolean thay you discuss is what Tolstoy would respect (rising up from the bottom) but never experienced because he was an arisocrat himself.

that is a really interesting point x

and maybe this is the reason why they idolise their leaders so much!
Also, the tone is cutting and quite sarcastic and I wonder whether Tolstoy is exaggerating this hero worship to prove the ridiculousness of it and to mock it xx

they spoke French in gentile company and that their class would be judged by their ability to speak French. It feel like France reprensented a noble lifestyle and that they mimicked them in a lot of ways. I wonder whether that is a lot of the reason why many of the characters idolised Napolean even though he is the enemy at this point. I think that the book will be a representation of how the Russians rediscover patriotism and a love for all things Russian

Li, yeah, I think that the book is a lot more readable than I first thought too. I really enjoy Tolstoy's turn of phrase and think that (for such a long book) gets to the point with limited waffled meandering (unlike many classics). Pleased that you are enjoying! I need to start Book 5 today x

Ashley, I think thay Russia in general were very inspired by the French and what they represented. It is is interesting that

It is clever how Tolstoy Has used characters to represent different aspects of human behaviour and opinions on war xx

neele, thanks for the chapter summaries also !!!

Neele ,
im so pleased that you're enjoyong it!!
yes, i do feel so sorry for Pierre, no-one seems to genuinely care for him and he is so insular that it is sometimes hard to read about. I do find his thought processes so interesting though!

Yes, i agree also with your point about P. Mary. She is such an indepth female character and Tolstoy has had brilliant intuition about the experiences of women. It has really made me want to read Anna K.

It has intensified my enjoyment of the novel as it continues because I am beginning to see the links between characters and know a lot more about who is who. At the beginning, I foind i had to flip back to remember who certain characters were.

You're good influence though with W and P. I picked it up yesterday and read a good chunk of part 4 and hope to finish that part today.
It always takes ages because I annotate as I go along and write discussion points in a notebook (which takes longer than reading the section in the first place haha).

Wow !! That sounds like you must have a real gift for languages x
What country are you from ? what's your first language ?
I only speak English and feel that I mess that up half the time haha x

Wow, reading such books in a second language is so impressive.
how many languages do you speak?

ah, so you're reading it as an intellectual challenge ? x x

Strangely, I'm the opposite to you when it comes to who I prefer reading about. I enjoy the continuation of the development of the main characters, though that is a personal preference (for example, I've always preferred characterisatoon over world building. A big bibliophile debate I know lol ).

Also, a funny example of it being hard to show depth where there is only shallowness is Anatole (even his father admits he is not the brightest)!!

whay are people's thoughts on Sonya and Natasha and / or Bruno and Nicholas in terms of their own individualism and how their relationships work ??

What Victor Hugo are you reading ?
is it good ? x

I also liked how people were accepting ij the ways that you point out in part 2.

I shall have to look out for less shallow traits of the princess as I read through. Maybe she is more like Princess Mary's perceptions of her rather than that of her own husband x

Yes, again you make a very valid point about reading the book within its historical realm of context. I suppose that Tolstoy didn't feel the need to describe social expectations of class, depth and humour because he was writing in his own era for his own era and country (his continual use of 'us' when he is describing Russia is very interesting, especially when contrasted with the constant use of French speaking in the narrative. I'll be interested to see as the novel continues whether Russian is spoken more as patriotism and the war against France grows)