The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

How the months are flying by already. My head says it's still January, when in reality, we are halfway through February. Let's do a bit of armchair traveling in March. I hear Paris is beautiful in the Spring. Please nominate French authors only. Nominations will be open until February 18th or until the list appears to be growing too long (whichever comes first).

I nominate Consuelo by George Sand

Bel-Ami by Guy de Maupassant

Good idea Deborah! I'll have a think though Sand would be good.

I'm adding Honoré de Balzac's A Harlot High and Low; where we will find ourselves immersed in early 19th Century Paris and meet "the greatest villain in world literature," according to Goodreads. I've nominated this elsewhere in the past, but would love to read it here...

I nominate Sentimental Education by Gustave Flaubert

Ooh. This is going to be hard. They are all great choices.

Victor Hugo: The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Dumas' The Three Musketeers.

I would like to nominate Les Fleurs du Mal by Charles Baudelaire.

How about Candide. I always felt like I should have read it but I never have.

Put the names in a hat and draw one out!

MadgeUK wrote: "Put the names in a hat and draw one out!"

Smiling, not sure I want to be the one responsible for that, but it already is a great selection

Anpermel, I possess "Sentimental Education" unread. I've read Flaubert's excellent "Madame Bovary," passion run amuck, to say the least.

Having never read any Zola and feeling that is a gap I should fill, I suggest The Flood

Craig wrote: "Anpermel, I possess "Sentimental Education" unread. I've read Flaubert's excellent "Madame Bovary," passion run amuck, to say the least."


I loved Madame Bovary very much. I hope Sentimental Education is just as good!

I would love to read any Balzac, Maupassant and Zola.

anpermel wrote: "Craig wrote: "Anpermel, I possess "Sentimental Education" unread. I've read Flaubert's excellent "Madame Bovary," passion run amuck, to say the least."


I loved Madame Bovary very much. I hope Se..."


For those of you who have mentioned Zola, there is a group of us reading Zola. Click on Readers Review and all the threads will come up.

I want to read all of these!! Perhaps we should have a French Project?! But called something more bijou - French Project sounds like something I did for O Level. Or worse...

I'd like to nominate E.T.A. Hoffman's The Devil's Elixirs. Published in 1815, this innovative German Romantic novel by the author of "The Nutcracker" was way ahead of its time. With an unreliable narrator and a bizarre plot that constantly keeps you unsettled, you feel almost as if you're reading a modern novel. I've read it before but would love to revisit it with this amazing group of insightful readers. There are a couple of translations out there.

Harrison wrote: "I'd like to nominate E.T.A. Hoffman's The Devil's Elixirs. Published in 1815, this innovative German Romantic novel by the author of "The Nutcracker" was way ahead of its time. With ..."

Harrison, I will put your nomination on our TBR shelf. We are going to read a French author in March. When we have an open nomination, I usually put at least one book from the Tbr shelf into the poll.

Pip wrote: "I want to read all of these!! Perhaps we should have a French Project?! But called something more bijou - French Project sounds like something I did for O Level. Or worse..."

Armchair travels in France? That might be less school like Pip

In a similar vein for your "French Project" must be Stendhal's "The Red and the Black." That's a fast read, not because it's pages are few, because it's a hard book to put down owing to the bizarre behavior of the characters.

Craig wrote: "In a similar vein for your "French Project" must be Stendhal's "The Red and the Black." "

I hope that's a nomination.

We have already done The Red and the Black - I think it was a couple of years ago.

Lynnm wrote: "We have already done The Red and the Black - I think it was a couple of years ago."

I believe it was 2011 or 2012. I checked on it yesterday.

Since we already have ten titles, I'm going to close nominations. Poll will be posted shortly.

Deborah wrote: "Harrison wrote: "I'd like to nominate E.T.A. Hoffman's The Devil's Elixirs. Published in 1815, this innovative German Romantic novel by the author of "The Nutcracker" was way ahead o..."

Thanks, Deborah. Sorry about that. I'm still fairly new and trying to get used to tracking the flow of these multiple discussions over time....

Harrison wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Harrison wrote: "I'd like to nominate E.T.A. Hoffman's The Devil's Elixirs. Published in 1815, this innovative German Romantic novel by the author of "The Nutcracker"..."

Harrison, no problem. I did put your title on our tbr (to be read) shelf.

Barbs wrote: "French authors! I would have had to Google to see who they are, but the Hunchback of Notre Dame is high on my tbr, so I need look no further!"

Does anyone have an accurate assessment of the length of the The Hunchback of Notre-Dame ? Of 14 editions I just looked at on Goodreads, the range was from about 440 to 630 pages, with a graphic novel edition at 69 pages.

Likewise, since I believe Hugo wrote in French, what are the "preferred," i.e., viewed as "good" English translations, editions, and publishers?

(I have never gotten through the thing in the past, but I highly suspect one reason was the quality of the translation I was using, or maybe I should say lack of quality thereon. It has been years, and I have since learned how much difference translation can make.)

I'll teach you all French before March, and we'll all be able to read it in the original :-))

I started using the Barnes & Noble edition and I was enjoying it before I had to put it down. The translation is Isabel Roche and it's 544 pages.

Pip wrote: "I'll teach you all French before March, and we'll all be able to read it in the original :-))"

That would be wonderful. When do we start

I'm a penguin classics, and oxford fan. The most recent Barnes and noble editions I've used have been very good,

Hunchback is one if my all time favorite books. For a while it was THE favorite. It's brilliant.

Deborah wrote: "Pip wrote: "I'll teach you all French before March, and we'll all be able to read it in the original :-))"

That would be wonderful. When do we start"

Quand la caissière lui eut rendu la monnaie de sa pièce de cent sous, Georges Duroy sortit du restaurant.
When the cashier to-him had returned the change of his coin of five sous, Georges Duroy left of restaurant.

See? It's easy to translate ;-))

Deborah wrote: "...The most recent Barnes and Noble editions I've used have been very good,"

If not translations, I quite agree. For translations, however....

To keep costs down (admirable), B&N tends to use material in the public domain for its classics editions. Those may or may not be adequate, even wonderful, depending on the specific case.

Pip wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Pip wrote: "I'll teach you all French before March, and we'll all be able to read it in the original :-))"

That would be wonderful. When do we start"

Quand la caissière lui eut re..."


Lol Pip. Ok, I'm looking forward to your translating the entire March book for me. Of course, you have to start early as I'm moderating :)

Lily wrote: "Deborah wrote: "...The most recent Barnes and Noble editions I've used have been very good,"

If not translations, I quite agree. For translations, however...."

Lily, I haven't used one for translations so you got me there.

Deborah wrote: "Lily, I haven't used one for translations so you got me there..."

Clearly (hopefully), no gotha intended, Deborah. Just an observation from so many discussions and experiences, especially with people on the Western Canon board, at one time, with me leading the probing and prodding, now often with others commenting and taking the lead in bringing understanding and pros and cons to the fore.

Lily I just meant you were better informed :)

Deborah wrote: "Lily I just meant you were better informed :)"

Nope. Doubt it. Just a different piece of the many puzzles.

I have downloaded the original Isabel Hapgood translation (1896) from Kindle @ 99p which is the one used by Gutenberg and Libravox. It will have to do:)

EDIT!!! I thought we were doing Hunchback ND, hence the above!!

Here is a link to a searchable online version of BEL AMI:

http://www.online-literature.com/maup...

General question here - will people be reading these in French or English?

One person that I know of is reading it in French. Most of us are reading it in English