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Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars "But I do love him!" she told herself. What difference did it make; she wasn't happy, she'd never been happy! Why did life fall so far short of her expectations, why did whatever she depended on turn instantly to dust beneath her hand? - Flaubert Emma Roualt, a young and exceptionally beautiful woman catches the eye of a humble country doctor, Charles Bovary. The doctor frequently visits her father's household, and unbeknownst to him he falls in love with her. However brief their encounters might have been, Charles asks for her hand in marriage and Emma's eagerly accept it with a certain child nativity. In her mind's eye, she can already picture a blissful life with Charles, never-ending love and passionate moments just as she has observed in the romance novels that she covetously read in her early adolescence. Reality sets in, and to Emma's horror she realizes that her hopes and dreams can never come to fruition. Charles is a good, steady lad, but he lacks the ambitions and heroic spirit that epitomizes the romantic lovers in her beloved novels. Dissatisfied with the humdrum quotidian lifestyle that she must endure on their old country farm, Charles decides to relocate to a more populated town to revive her spirits. Little does the poor doctor know the great lengths his wife will take in order to fulfill her passionate dreams, even if she must sacrifice her own family's happiness in the process. This is the first book that I have ever read by Gustave Flaubert. I am somewhat familiar with his writing style, since I have heard he painstakingly wrote this novel with several drafts, never truly satisfied with the outcome. I suppose all artists are their own worst critics. Flaubert wrote an exceptionally piece of work! His attention to detail is exquisite. I could almost imagine the rolling landscapes, the garden outside of Bovary's household, the exotic aura of the small hotel where Emma frequently engaged in rendezvous with her lover. The dialogue felt so intensely real, it felt as though I was sitting there beside the characters, silently taking in their conversations. Indeed, this French writer has an incredible knack with his attention to detail, a quality that is often lacking in in novice writers. The frequent allusion to religion was something I thoroughly enjoyed. The constant debate about Christianity in the background of a woman gradually falling into the role of a tempting mistress was highly amusing. I could sense that the author was battling with his own feelings of religion, pitting Christianity against rational idealism and well-known philosophers of that time that extolled a more secular worldview where the Holy texts are merely "moral guidelines" and that "prayers can do no good." I can understand the reasoning's behind the difficulties of publishing this book, it would have been horrendously difficult, especially with the scandalous subject matter of a woman having multiple affairs. I am certainly glad that Faubert was able to publish this book in the end, it was a delightful read. In relation to this novel, I believe the reader is forced to question their own moral codes; test their own sense of morality when it comes to the hardships and pitfalls that the main character, Emma, inevitably faces in life. Can we really blame her for falling so far from grace? Was it truly the romance books that corrupted her mind? Or was it the men that she encountered, their carnal lust that was gradually transferred onto her? In the end, she spurns all men, and can you really blame her? "Madame Bovary" is without a doubt a tragedy, but an incredibly beautiful one. Flaubert magnificently pulls the heart-strings of the reader with subtle ease. I confessed at the end I did get a bit teary-eyed. But how could I not? It was truly a wonderful read! Sensational, erotic, shockingly immoral, but wonderful all the same. I highly recommend this to any reader that is looking for a world of escapism, or a deeper reflection upon their own thoughts of morality and extramarital affairs. View all my reviews
MELANCHOLIC MADNESS by ALARKA SHIVA
My rating: 5 of 5 stars A thought provoking read. Shiva's short stories dive into the inner consciousness of man. There is an element of self-awareness for the characters, a knowledge that their ideas can lead them to self-destruction or inevitable heartache. For me, I felt the stories were deeply philosophical. The reader can gain a lot into the character's mind, whether it is their dependency to alcohol, cigarettes or sex, all of them stem from a deeper problem which lies in the character's subconscious mind. In each story there are memorable quotes, a few lines that make me stop and deeply contemplate over the melancholic muses that storm the mind of the brooding character's. I think my favourite story by far is "Four o'clock," because the story is highly relatable. It deals with an unyielding obsession with a woman that the main character has loved and lost. Her sudden departure has dogged him all his life, ruining his relationship with his wife and disrupting his job. All of that time he is fixated on that person he fell in love with when he was younger, and when he finally see's her once more it just stops- the dream dies and then he comes to the sudden epiphany that he lost almost ten years waiting for someone that is not the same girl he first met at a bar all those years ago. It is stories like these that make the reader contemplate about their own life. It also makes me consider whether I am guilty of making the same mistakes, if I let my obsessions from the past effect my future. I will leave two memorable quotes down below just to show the brilliancy of Shiva's writing: "Sometimes good and sometimes bad, but the craving is compulsory. Sometimes I feel the mind is a monster who just needs to get fed, irrespective of good and bad. Maybe it's trying to hug the temporary hoax to forget reality, but the soul will be like "No, you can't do this. This can destroy you." "Human nature is so nomadic and human feelings are unstable. But there are many who, in spite of all this, are loved and get loved till they die." View all my reviews
Dark romanticism is distinguishable from the Romanticism period because there is emphasis on human fallibility, specifically the capability to fall from grace and relish in our carnal desires and sin. Similarly, their view of nature can fall into the same category. Nature suddenly turns into a cold, dreary, darkened place; it is violent and uncontrollable, which makes it all the more dangerous. Some would argue that dark romanticism has a pessimistic worldview, and perhaps there is some merit in this scholarly argument. While Romanticism looks upon human nature in a positive light, it is the Dark Romantics that highlight the corrupted nature of our hearts and the sheer anguish and terror we can place upon others. For some artists in this field they blame social reforms, a direct result that mangles mankind into a darker form of themselves. There is evidence of this in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The Scarlet Letter," a popular piece of literary work in his time. In contrast, other literary writers believed that it was not social reforms that made them fall from grace, but purely their susceptibility to be self-destructive, thereby, indulging themselves in sin, orgy and a defiance towards God. I would argue that this period of literary writing explores the morality of man, it is a time of spiritual and emotional exploration, where the writer can dive into this fictional world and reexamine the inner workings of man. One of the most prolific writers of Dark Romanticism is Edgar Allan Poe. When you analyze his stories such as "The Raven," or "The Tell-Tale Heart," you can see that he is examining the darker side of human emotion, ranging from deep despair to the macabre. Poe does not highlight the lightness of our nature, but the deeply mutilated, grotesque and fearful side that lies within our soul. There are some other artists that embrace this genre of literature, such as Emily Brontë, Mary Shelley, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Emily Dickenson. This literary subgenre of Dark Romanticism is still prevalent today. There are artists and writers that still feel the need to explore the corrupted side of human nature and their tendency to fall into sin and disgrace. I have come across a marvellous short story by Monica Crosson called "The Ode to Dark Romanticism," which you can read by clicking in on this link here. There is also a range of poets in the twenty-first century that are inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe and H.P. Lovecraft, one of which is an interesting curated set of poems that can be found in Cassandra L. Thompson's "Crow Calls: Volume One."
My published work the "Far from Home" series will fall into this subgenre too, especially in the final edition which will premiere in the year 2022 or 2023. In "Far from Home: Book Three," the main character, Amelie, will have to battle with her conflicting emotions when she encounters a strange man that has a mystical connection to her. The idea of reincarnations will be explored in "Far From Home: Book Three," as well as human fallibility and the great temptation of sin when being lured by a powerful forces that verge on the edge of the supernatural. Vampires have always had a desirable lure upon the female sex; their immorality, unnatural beauty, and the sexual aura which they exude makes the main female characters fall into their grasp. In the first two editions of "Far from Home" we know that young Victoria Reeds is no exception, but will Amelie Stewart have a chance to fight against her own carnal desires? For the reader we see that the enchanting engima- the delectable presence of Aodhan McVeigh has made many women fall to his charms, but when it comes to Amelie Stewart the situation is altered because she so closely resembles the woman he loved. "Far from Home: Book Three" examines the range of human emotions- pain, anguish, despair, but it also sheds light upon the nature of man and whether it can lead them to salvation or utter destruction. I hope this short article enlightened you upon this interesting subgenre. It is not only prevalent in literary works, but also in music and art works. I highly encourage you to explore this brave new world! Dark Romanticism gave birth to Gothic Fiction, and it is the reason we have such famous works such as Horace Walpole's "The Castle of Otranto," Hawthorne's "The Birthmark," and Poe's "The Fall of House Usher." Their writings are still an inspiration today, especially for myself as I continue my journey as a self-published author. Be sure to check out my works, such as "The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven" or "Far from Home: Book One," if you enjoy dark Gothic reads. Thank you for taking the time to read this article, Peter |
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