Post by bookaddict on May 13, 2009 20:04:23 GMT -5
1) How is the book living up to your expectations?
I expected to have a hard time with the language, since it was a classic. However, I'm finding the language very simple. His writing reminds me of Dickens. I had a hard time figuring out the characters since there are so many of them. It seems like typical victorian literature and this was also published serially. I'm interested in how the installments were published. Were they published by the book?
2) What do you think of the importance of French (both language and culture) in Russian society?
The french doesn't seem to be significant in my edition. There really aren't many french phrases, and the phrases that I see are not really important to the novel itself.
3) What are your initial thoughts on the gender roles in early 1800s Russia? Does it compare to books of the time from other societies (English, American, French, etc.)?
The gender roles really portray victorian literature. The society parties, and the roles of men and women. The men seem to be lost in their world. They are caught up in the war, and they seem displaced. They are not sure what to do with the war, they all want to support it but don't seem to know all the facts. The facts are simply gossip passed around in their inner circle. The women of course, know nothing about the war and are not very interested. Prince Andry's wife has to deal with her husband going off to war. She does not want him to go, and he does what he wants anyway. Her opinion has no weight on his decisions. Marya has a father who is mean and treats everyone around him as if they are in a lower rank. He demands respect, but everyone fears him. Fear and respect are two different things.
The women are into parties and the social gossip. Everyone seems to be apart of an inner circle. They are all looking out for their own interests. They pretend to worry about others but it seems that the fear is how it will impact their own family. The illegitimate son is typical to the time. Although, the women do seem to be less proper than I expected. They seem to be scheming to benefit their own families. The women seem bold to me, especially Natasha.
I'll post more when others reply.
I must say I am really starting to enjoy this novel. I was intimidated at first, but now I'm getting more interested.
Sorry, this seems very disorganized...
I expected to have a hard time with the language, since it was a classic. However, I'm finding the language very simple. His writing reminds me of Dickens. I had a hard time figuring out the characters since there are so many of them. It seems like typical victorian literature and this was also published serially. I'm interested in how the installments were published. Were they published by the book?
2) What do you think of the importance of French (both language and culture) in Russian society?
The french doesn't seem to be significant in my edition. There really aren't many french phrases, and the phrases that I see are not really important to the novel itself.
3) What are your initial thoughts on the gender roles in early 1800s Russia? Does it compare to books of the time from other societies (English, American, French, etc.)?
The gender roles really portray victorian literature. The society parties, and the roles of men and women. The men seem to be lost in their world. They are caught up in the war, and they seem displaced. They are not sure what to do with the war, they all want to support it but don't seem to know all the facts. The facts are simply gossip passed around in their inner circle. The women of course, know nothing about the war and are not very interested. Prince Andry's wife has to deal with her husband going off to war. She does not want him to go, and he does what he wants anyway. Her opinion has no weight on his decisions. Marya has a father who is mean and treats everyone around him as if they are in a lower rank. He demands respect, but everyone fears him. Fear and respect are two different things.
The women are into parties and the social gossip. Everyone seems to be apart of an inner circle. They are all looking out for their own interests. They pretend to worry about others but it seems that the fear is how it will impact their own family. The illegitimate son is typical to the time. Although, the women do seem to be less proper than I expected. They seem to be scheming to benefit their own families. The women seem bold to me, especially Natasha.
I'll post more when others reply.
I must say I am really starting to enjoy this novel. I was intimidated at first, but now I'm getting more interested.
Sorry, this seems very disorganized...