Esther Racah Writer & Literary Blogger

Tag: books

  • A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens – First Part

    A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens – First Part

    A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a brilliant historical novel, which finds its roots in “The French Revolution: A History” by Thomas Carlyle. Dickens published this book in 1859 and his analysis during his travels to Paris had a significant impact in this masterwork.

    The three books inside the book

    A Tale of Two Cities consists of three books: “Book the First: Recalled to Life”, “Book the Second: The Golden Thread” and “Book the Third: The Track of a Storm”. This historical novel takes place in London and Paris, during the French Revolution and the Terror. The main characters are the French doctor Alexandre Manette, his compassionate daughter Lucie, the arrogant Sydney Carton, the revolutionary Madame Defarge, the businessman Jarvis Lorry and, the French aristocrat Charles Darnay. In this novel, the brightness and obscurity represent the virtue and sin personified by the different characters.

    The peculiarity of A Tale of Two Cities

    A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens is a peculiar novel where, at the same time, the reader travels in London and Paris. We find the chronicles of the historical events, which simultaneously occur in these two cities and the personal circumstances of each character’s life. It is the tale of human tragedies inside the grand picture of historical dramas such as the French Revolution. The struggle of each character is a reflection of the tragedies of Dickens’s life in that period. He shows a life’s vision, where humans are victims of misfortunes. In this novel, the villains of this tragedy are the poor and the oppressed ones. Their violence and cruelty is a reaction to all the abuses they had to suffer.

    Part I – Recalled to Life 

    I’m currently reading the first book. I find exciting and unique how Dickens narrates all the life occurrences of the characters such as Jerry Cruncher, who works as a bank employee and brings a message for Jarvis Loris, a bank manager. This message concerns a man, Alexandre Manette, a French doctor, who was finally set free from the Bastille prison. Lorry helps the daughter of Manette, Lucie, to meet her father in France. One of my favourite parts is at the beginning of Chapter Three. Indeed in this section, every human creature is described as a profound secret and mystery. Every house and room enclose secrets, and subsequently, each heart is a secret itself. 

    I’m in the last chapter of this first book, Chapter VI, The Shoemaker. I find fascinating the ambience of this book, a microcosm inside a historical macrocosm. We can consider how fragile and dainty is life mostly when terrible and uncontrolled occurrences happen. And as James Joyce wrote in the Ulysses, “To learn one must be humble. But life is a great teacher”.

  • The lifestyle Of Emma

    The lifestyle Of Emma

    The lifestyle of Emma Woodhouse consists of several social gatherings. She divides her time between dinners, social meetings and parties with friends and acquaintances. Nowadays, she could be the perfect influencer with a large number of followers. Indeed, she fulfils the role of a mentor efficiently since she never refrains from providing advice and guidance; mostly to young women such as Harriet Smith.  

    The character of Emma Woodhouse

    Emma Woodhouse has a polyhedric personality. Undeniably, at the same time, she is a sophisticated and charming young lady. Sometimes Emma shows an immature and naive nature. Indeed, sometimes Emma misjudges her acquaintances, and her glamorous lifestyle includes the time she spends with her father and Mr Knightley, her closest friend.  

    Busy and cheerful as Miss Woodhouse is, she has an engaged life. This beautiful, brilliant, and smart girl (besides being very wealthy) is determined not to get married. She takes care of her father, Mr Woodhouse, who prefers an indoor and reserved life. Emma is a blend between a matchmaker and a life coach, following her excellent intuitive sense, which sometimes fails. 

    Emma is influenced by a society where marriage and economical-social status are essentials. Indeed, she thinks it is essential to classify people because of their financial and social situation. Most of the novel, Emma Woodhouse has a narrow-minded point of view of society. Only, in the end, she realises that she was wrong in her social evaluations. 

    A modern heroine 

    I find Emma character and this novel very modern. Nowadays, society did not change so much in the evaluation of persons. The glamorous lifestyle of Emma Woodhouse is not related to her historical period. Undoubtedly, she is a modern heroine because she could be the perfect influencer with a million followers, a well-known matchmaker, and a life coach as well.

    She is an independent woman, and she always keeps herself busy without taking care so much about the other’s opinion. This young lady is relentless and doesn’t need a man in her life. Emma has all that she needs. Indeed, she is wealthy, and she doesn’t need a profession. Nevertheless, Miss Woodhouse spends her time helping friends and neighbours find their soulmates and giving them the right advice to live a better life.  

    Emma is a winner even when she is wrong in some matchmakings and misjudgments of some friends. She controls her emotions, elegantly, and charmingly. She also has style when she falls into her mistakes and is an unconventional and modern heroine. Occasionally Emma can contradict herself and be naive.

    She never gives up, and she keeps going even without any moral support nor aid. When Mr Knightley tries to correct occasionally her behaviour, she explains her reasons kindly and firmly. She grew up without her mother, with the assistance of her governess and her father. Emma is used to be in solitude, although she is very social. 

    We recognise a woman of our time in all her aspects; indeed, Emma is not strictly related to her Regency period. Miss Woodhouse is feminine but never submissive because she knows her price, and she is proud of herself. Even if Emma Woodhouse is very young, she is conscious that she doesn’t need any man to improve her life and status. Her independence is impressive for a woman who lives during the Regency era. 

    The boundless imagination of Emma

    Emma lives in two parallel worlds. She interacts with the real world, and she lives in an inner world, which is in her mind. Her imagination is endless and boundless, and it gives her a pulse to defends her ideas and points of view because, in the end, there is a balance between her inner world and reality. Her strong temper meets a naivety, which is due to her young age.    

    Sometimes Emma’s imagination collides against the harsh reality. In other occasions, she employs her creativity in her matchmaking, and, in this way, Emma tries to improve the society surrounding her. In that period, it was essential for a woman to marry. Mostly when the lady in question wasn’t so rich, it was more respectful for her and her family to find a husband. 

    I’ve just finished reading the novel, Emma by Jane Austen, and I’ve found that it is a fantastic book, which everyone should read. I identified myself with this heroine, who uses her imagination to escape in another reality and comfort herself from pains until she finds her love.  

  • The Uniqueness Of Macbeth

    The Uniqueness Of Macbeth

    The uniqueness of Macbeth is because of the combination between its characters and the gloomy aura surrounding them. Indeed, Macbeth is a masterwork by William Shakespeare, although it is a short tragedy. It is a rare and extraordinary literary work. 

    The first tragedy in my list of books

    In my first list of books, I included as first book Macbeth. Macbeth is the shortest play among the most remarkable tragedies of William Shakespeare, who wrote it around 1606. A dark and gloomy aura lingers in this drama. The main characters are the thane of Glamis Macbeth with his wife, the three Weyward sisters (the witches), the king of Scotland Duncan, Duncan’s elder son Malcolm and the Scottish thane Banquo. In the tragedy of Macbeth, the metaphysical world meets the worst aspects of human nature. We find corruption, murder, power, lust, and extreme ambition besides avidity, misery, and desperation. It is the tragic story of Macbeth, who is instigated by his enthusiasm and his wife to commit murders to become king of Scotland. He will end up a victim of the crimes he committed in the past, once he realises his crimes’ gravity. 

    The darkness and tension 

    The dark ambience of Macbeth is the first thing, which captivates my attention. This play develops in five acts, and each act contains different scenes. At the beginning of the first act, Shakespeare started this tragedy with Thunder and lightning and three witches’ entrance. In the third scene, they greet Macbeth as Thane of Glamis and Cawdor; also, the third witch prophesies him to be king hereafter. Macbeth is a loyal general in the service of Duncan, the King of Scotland. Suddenly the situation changes, once Lady Macbeth receives the letter of her husband, the tension increases. Indeed, she plans the murder of King Duncan, evoking evil spirits to help her fall victim to the direst cruelty. And she exerts a strong influence over Macbeth, persuading him to commit this disgraceful action. 

    An evil portrayal of the women

    What it’s impressive in this drama is Shakespeare’s perspective regarding the women, how they can be wicked and, at the same time, powerful. The Weyward sisters, i.e., the witches, prove the persecution against witchcraft in that period. It can be legitimate to think that this tragedy added another stone in a wall made of superstitions, which will lead to a witch hunt. The witchcraft trials led to the murder of many innocent women because they represented an evil force. Although Macbeth committed all the crimes, the witches manipulated his mind, and Lady Macbeth hatched the plan, instigating him. The three witches have the power to prophesy and govern the climate, and lady Macbeth has a powerful influence on her husband’s mind.

    Conclusions

    Even though I love Shakespeare and Macbeth is a must-to-read drama, I’m perplexed by his vision of the woman as wicked and hideous. Without any doubt, this was the period of public condemn of every type of witchcraft as Reginald Scot attested in his The Discovery of Witchcraft in 1584, where he described the horrendous mass execution in 1582 in Kent. Of course, I don’t have doubts about the uniqueness of this opera. The edition I’m reading is from the British publisher Wordsworth Editions. To be continued in the next post because I’m continuing to read it!

  • My First List Of Books

    My First List Of Books

    My first list of books, which I will read in the first part of 2020, includes nine novels. These books are real masterpieces and literature classics. During my life, I’ve always read several books. During high school, I developed a passion for literature. Moreover, I also studied Greek, Latin, art, philosophy, and history. Let’s check these nine novels:

    • Macbeth by William Shakespeare   

      Macbeth is the shortest play among the most remarkable tragedies of William Shakespeare, who wrote it around 1606. The dark and gloomy air lingers in this drama, which sees as main characters the thane of Glamis Macbeth with his wife, Lady Macbeth. The other figures are the three Weyward sisters (the witches), King Duncan, Duncan’s elder son Malcolm and the Scottish thane Banquo. In Macbeth, the metaphysical world meets human nature’s worst traits, such as corruption, murder, lust, and avidity.

    • Emma by Jane Austen

    The hero of this novel by Jane Austen is Emma, a charming, smart, and rich young girl. She doesn’t enjoy studies, and she categorises people because of their social-economical status. Nevertheless, she loves to match her friends and acquaintances, intending not to marry. Another main character is Mr Knightley, who is a wealthy close friend of Emma. Sometimes he criticises her behaviour, although he is a kindhearted and benevolent person. The other characters of the novel are Mr and Mrs Weston, Emma’s closest family, the wealthy Frank Churchill, the selfish Mr and Mrs Elton, the beautiful Jane Fairfax, the naive Harriet Smith, and Emma’s father, Mr Woodhouse.

    A Tale of Two Cities is the most famous historical novel by Charles Dickens, who published it in 1859. This book finds its roots in “The French Revolution: A History” by Thomas Carlyle. Also, Dickens’ analysis during his travels to Paris has a significant impact on the book. The novel consists of three books: Book the First: Recalled to Life, Book the Second: The Golden Thread and Book the Third: The Track of a Storm. This historical novel takes place in London and Paris, during the French Revolution and the Terror. The main characters are the French doctor Alexandre Manette, his compassionate daughter Lucie, the arrogant Sydney Carton, the revolutionary Madame Defarge, the businessman Jarvis Lorry and the French aristocrat Charles Darnay. In this novel, the brightness and obscurity represent the virtue and sin personified by the different characters.

    In my list of books that I plan to read in the next months, I couldn’t miss Little Women, a novel by the American author Louisa May Alcott. The plot is about the life of four sisters March, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. They live with their mother Marmee in Massachusetts, New England. They are a low-income family whose father is away because he works as a pastor in the American civil war. Each of them has a different personality. Meg is pretty and classy; Jo is a butch girl, Beth is an introverted pianist, and Amy is a dreamy artist. Although they have different personalities, they love each other. Louisa Alcott found inspiration from her family, and she identified herself with the character of Jo March.

    • Good Wives by Louisa May AlcottGood Wives is the continuation of Little Women. We find the March sisters after three years of their lifetime. Meg is now a wife and mother; Amy travels to Europe, Jo is a nanny in New York, writing and learning German, and Beth’s health worsens. Although their life paths take different directions, they will always remain a very close family.

    • The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin

      The Queen of Spade is a small book, which Alexander Pushkin published in 1834. This mysterious and minimal story takes place in Petersburg city. It is a tale where gambling and the supernatural find space in a bizarre and disillusioned ambience. The protagonist is Hermann, an army engineer,  who loses his mind and becomes mad. In The Queen of Spade, there is a detached and minimal description of events involving Hermann, the old countess, and her godchild Lizaveta. Hermann wants to know the secret of the three cards in a game, and hence he seduces the naive Lizaveta to meet the old countess. Ultimately, Hermann will fall into a mad obsession because of the unrevealed secret of the three cards.

    • Vanity Fair Fair by W. M. Thackeray       

      Vanity Fair is an 1847 English novel. This satiric novel doesn’t have a hero. Indeed, the protagonist is a treasure-hunt and rapacious crowd. They live without any morality, and they merchandise everything in their life. Thackeray describes London as a marketplace and a flat store. The society is a human jungle where there are predators and preys. There is no authenticity, but only performers pretending to show an opulent and extravagant facade. Vanity Fair is an authentic seriocomic tale.  

    • Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf   

      Mrs Dalloway is the fourth novel of Virginia Woolf, and its publication year is 1925. The main character is Clarissa Dalloway, who is a rich woman in her fifties. Clarissa is organising a party, and she recalls memories. The second main character is Septimus Smith, who is a war veteran. He struggles in his recovery from the post-traumatic stress disorder. The happening of the party of Clarissa is simultaneous with the decline of Septimus’s life. Virginia Woolf expresses a subtle critic of the medical profession and a hypocrite society. There is a correlation between the personal experience of the author and the characters of this fictional book. Indeed, Woolf had a bipolar disorder, and the suicidal theme anticipates the end of Virginia’s life.   

    • Orlando by Virginia Woolf 

      Orlando is the last novel in this list of books. This novel dates back to 1928, and it is a famous fantastic story by Virginia Woolf. The main character is an English nobleman who becomes a woman in his thirties. Orlando lives an adventurous three-century life starting from Queen Elizabeth I period. After different adventures, Orlando finds themselves as ambassador in Constantinople, and one day they awake as a woman. Lady Orlando goes back to England and lives as a woman for the following two centuries. They are a writer winning a prize for their poetry. The tale ends up in the year 1928, the publication year of the novel. In this book, there are different historical periods of Britain, from the Renaissance to Virginia Woolf’s contemporary period.      

  • My Literary Blog All About Books

    My Literary Blog All About Books

    Welcome to my literary blog, which is all about books! I love books and literature, so I opened a blog about books and poetry. A literary blog is like a personal virtual library. It allows me to express my point of view about my favourite books.

    During my childhood, I always enjoyed reading books; hence I’ve become interested in literature. Being an avid reader, I love to write book reviews. At an early age, I started to read books in three languages: Italian, English, and French. And, of course, I preferred to read fairy tales by The Brothers Grimm, C. Perrault, H. C. Andersen, and J. Jacobs. Among my favourite fables, which I was reading several times, I can list The Frog Prince, The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, Rapunzel, Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

    I focused on novels by Jane Austen, the Brontë Sisters, W. Shakespeare, C. Dickens, A. Pushkin, T. Mann, and other European writers during my teenage years. In general, I’ve always been very interested in English literature. I’ve read books by British authors such as G.Chaucer, W.Shakespeare, J.Austen, Brontë sisters, C.Dickens and V.Woolf ( to cite some of them ).

    One of my purposes is to express my perspective on the book I read. Although I do read in French, and my native language is Italian, I will mainly write reviews about English and American novels because I’m more acquainted with the English language. I want to show a different side of classic books, which can connect with our daily life.