jessicalee
First piece published in the school’s newspaper
Posts: 79
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Post by jessicalee on Aug 24, 2007 18:58:23 GMT -5
oooo I'm going to read chapter 8 tonight, now I'm looking forward to it. It sounds great!
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Post by Carma on Aug 28, 2007 8:39:24 GMT -5
ok, I believe we are allowed to post about the final part?
I liked it, because we finally get to know something about tjitsjikow(sp!) the reason for him buying the dead souls isn't clear to me yet, because he can get money for them.. but those landowners.. they can get money for them as well? so why don't they do that themselves...? 'm a bit confused about that part...
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Michelle
First novel published
Posts: 2,563
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Post by Michelle on Aug 28, 2007 18:49:01 GMT -5
I just finished and I'm confused, too. I thought we would find out why he was buying the souls, but we didn't (or did I completely miss something?). Is he just buying them to appear rich?
I liked this book at first, but I got bored with it. I'm not going to go on with the other parts. But maybe the answer is in them?
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Michelle
First novel published
Posts: 2,563
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Post by Michelle on Aug 28, 2007 18:53:10 GMT -5
This is wikipedia's answer to why he is buying the dead souls:
Chichikov's macabre mission to acquire "dead souls" is actually just another complicated scheme to inflate his social standing (essentially a 19th century Russian version of the ever popular "get rich quick" scheme). He hopes to collect the legal ownership rights to dead serfs as a way of inflating his apparent wealth and power. Once he acquires enough dead souls, he will retire to a large farm and take out an enormous loan against them, finally acquiring the great wealth he desires
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Lu
Administrator
Posts: 5,469
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Post by Lu on Aug 29, 2007 2:31:09 GMT -5
I think that reason makes sense, I've read somewhere (maybe in the introduction to edition of Dead Souls I own..but I'm not sure because I can't find it now) that he's also planning to get some sort of financial help, for owning so much dead serfs I suppose, I'm not sure about that because I can't understand why the other landowners haven't asked for that "financial help" if there was one.
I liked that part. The conversation between the two ladies (I think it was chapter 9) was very funny, when they also attributed the plan of carrying off Governor's daughter to Chichikov, I'd like tou know how that idea came into their minds.. I thought that reading Chichikov's story was interesting, at least to know something about the character, I also think that part can help to understand why he wants to buy dead serfs by giving us an idea of what kind of person he really is and what kind things he's trying to achieve in his life.
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Aug 29, 2007 14:10:26 GMT -5
Okay, I haven't quite yet finished the part we're supposed to have read for the new posting, but I have a question: Is anyone going to want to read the two chapters of Part 2 and discuss them? I have them in my book and I provided a link earlier in the thread of where to find it online. But if not enough people want to read it, I see no point in going on, right?
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Post by Carma on Aug 29, 2007 14:16:07 GMT -5
I'm not gonna read the second part.. I'm really not that interested in it.. My mind wonders off all the time when I was reading the book, so I don't think I'll be able to read the rest.. I do like to find out what happens.. Maybe some day I'll read the second part...
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Kristie
Novel turned into BBC miniseries
"If a book is well written, I always find it too short."
Posts: 7,214
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Post by Kristie on Aug 29, 2007 14:36:17 GMT -5
I have Part 2, but I don't really want to finish it either, just finish Part 1. Will anyone get angry if we don't do all of it?
Hopefully if we've finished it by now (in theory) we should be focusing more on picking a new book.
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bookworm
Collection of short stories published by an independent editor
"Everything you can imagine is real" - Pablo Picasso
Posts: 973
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Post by bookworm on Aug 30, 2007 2:03:07 GMT -5
I've read the second part... It has many parts missing, since the manuscripts are not complete... it's not much different than the first part, so if you were bored with that, there's not much point in reading it... I read it cause I had to return the book to the library and I hate not finishing a book...
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Lu
Administrator
Posts: 5,469
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Post by Lu on Aug 30, 2007 7:59:29 GMT -5
I've read the second part and the last chapter (or third part). As bookworm already said there are many part missing and I think it's a bit confusing, although there are some notes, in the edition I own, explaining what probably happens in those missing parts. I think those suppositions may be the only interesting things to be discussed.
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Isa
Administrator
Posts: 6,995
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Post by Isa on Aug 30, 2007 9:19:57 GMT -5
I have Part 2, but I don't really want to finish it either, just finish Part 1. Will anyone get angry if we don't do all of it?
Hopefully if we've finished it by now (in theory) we should be focusing more on picking a new book. Since the discussion seems to be winding down, I'll make a poll for the next book.
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