pick5 Stars • Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol follows the cunning Pavel Ivanovich Chichikov as he travels through Russia, buying "dead souls"—serfs who are deceased but still listed in government records. His scheme aims to use these souls as collateral for a loan, exposing the corruption and moral decay of Russian society through his interactions with various landowners. Each character represents a satirical critique of societal flaws.
panI disliked this short story the first time I read it years ago and I forgot I‘d read it. I still don‘t like it. It‘s quite sad though because it could be quite good—about why an old woman gave up gambling. Then the ending falls so flat. Fortunately it‘s very short so there‘s that. #letterQ #halloweenatoz
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#HauntedShelf #BookScavengerHunt Team #HexesandCrows @Catsandbooks
Prompt: Desolate
pickGot behind but finally finished this after the #hashtagbrigade and I must say, I loved this book. It's from 1863 & is the first mainstream novel w a "fallen woman" heroine so you know this thing is devastating, BUT I got the point and always think it's cool when someone from the mid-nineteenth century writes a female character that goes against the grain.
pickRUTH? pub. 1853
MADAME BOVARY? pub. 1856
ANNA KARENINA? pub. 1873
TESS OF THE D'URBERVILLES? pub. 1891
All four are about women adulterers (referred to as “whores/harlots/wicked women“ in some of these novels, thanks to the societies they lived in). Gaskell paved the way for the other (perhaps) more famous novels. Her writing? Exquisite. Ruth's story? Tragic. Do I want to read more Gaskell? Absolutely.
pickMrs. Gaskell broke my heart with this one! I was wondering why I liked this so much when Tess of the D‘Urbervilles just pissed me off. Both are trying to show the humanity in a “fallen” woman. I think Tess just gets really bleak while Ruth‘s life has good things in it (like Leonard), and the only characters who really condemn Ruth are generally unsympathetic.
pickI‘m in the minority of the #HashtagBrigade to say I liked the novel. Gaskell, whose husband was a Unitarian minister and lived near the factories and mills of England, sets as her MC a “fallen” woman and her path to redemption. This was a bit controversial at its initial publication, and it certainly is darker and more rooted in faith and redemption than her other novels. But, I get the sense that she is shaming her Victorian audience ⬇️⬇️⬇️
Ch 36: Donne 🙄 #ihatehim #whataselfcenteteredass #peaceoutloser #leonardwillberaisedbythevillage #theend #hashtagbrigade
