Zuleika Dobson - Libroj.org

Lingvo: English

Eldonita je 20-a de februaro 2010

ISBN:: 978-1-162-72548-2

(1 recenzo)

Zuleika Dobson, full title Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story, is the only novel by English essayist Max Beerbohm, a satire of undergraduate life at Oxford published in 1911. It includes the famous line "Death cancels all engagements" and presents a corrosive view of Edwardian Oxford.In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Zuleika Dobson 59th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. The book largely employs a third-person narrator limited to the character of Zuleika (pronounced "Zu-lee-ka"), then shifting to that of the Duke, then halfway through the novel suddenly becoming a first-person narrator who claims inspiration from the Greek Muse Clio, with his all-seeing narrative perspective provided by Zeus. This allows the narrator to also see the ghosts of notable historical visitors to Oxford, who are present but otherwise invisible to the human characters at certain times in the novel, adding an element …

Zuleika Dobson, full title Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story, is the only novel by English essayist Max Beerbohm, a satire of undergraduate life at Oxford published in 1911. It includes the famous line "Death cancels all engagements" and presents a corrosive view of Edwardian Oxford.In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Zuleika Dobson 59th on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. The book largely employs a third-person narrator limited to the character of Zuleika (pronounced "Zu-lee-ka"), then shifting to that of the Duke, then halfway through the novel suddenly becoming a first-person narrator who claims inspiration from the Greek Muse Clio, with his all-seeing narrative perspective provided by Zeus. This allows the narrator to also see the ghosts of notable historical visitors to Oxford, who are present but otherwise invisible to the human characters at certain times in the novel, adding an element of the supernatural. Dr Robert Mighall in his Afterword to the New Centenary Edition of Zuleika (Collector's Library, 2011), writes: "Zuleika is of the future ... [Beerbohm] anticipates an all-too-familiar feature of the contemporary scene: the D-list talent afforded A-list media attention."Beerbohm began writing the book in 1898, finishing in 1910, with Heinemann publishing it 26 October 1911. He saw it not as a novel, but rather as "the work of a leisurely essayist amusing himself with a narrative idea." Sydney Castle Roberts wrote a parody, Zuleika in Cambridge (1941).

1 eldono

Stephanie Jane recenzis Zuleika Dobson de Sir Max Beerbohm

An amusing read

4 steloj

My primary reason for choosing to read Zuleika Dobson was that its title begins with the letter Z and I am rapidly running out of time to complete this year's Alphabet Soup Challenge! When I saw the novel acclaimed as one of Modern Library's Top 100 Novels it occurred to me that it would be ideal for my Classics Club Challenge as well - and its low Kindle price decided the purchase! While reading, the era and style reminded me of Aldous Huxley's Chrome Yellow which features a similarly upper class cast and wickedly observed humour.

Beerbohm was primarily an essayist and caricaturist - I believe this is his only novel - and this comes across throughout the work. Individual characters, especially among the supporting cast, are vividly portrayed. I loved the aloof Warden, the unfortunate Mr Noaks, and the wonderful Mrs Batch. Beerbohm's love of Oxford shines through as …

My primary reason for choosing to read Zuleika Dobson was that its title begins with the letter Z and I am rapidly running out of time to complete this year's Alphabet Soup Challenge! When I saw the novel acclaimed as one of Modern Library's Top 100 Novels it occurred to me that it would be ideal for my Classics Club Challenge as well - and its low Kindle price decided the purchase! While reading, the era and style reminded me of Aldous Huxley's Chrome Yellow which features a similarly upper class cast and wickedly observed humour.

Beerbohm was primarily an essayist and caricaturist - I believe this is his only novel - and this comes across throughout the work. Individual characters, especially among the supporting cast, are vividly portrayed. I loved the aloof Warden, the unfortunate Mr Noaks, and the wonderful Mrs Batch. Beerbohm's love of Oxford shines through as well. I've only visited the city for one day, but he obviously knew its streets and colleges very well. He captures the sense of history in both its serious and its dafter incarnations. The story itself is silly, but entertainingly so and, for a novel written over a century ago, there aren't many diversions into pretentious speeches or philosophy so Zuleika Dobson is a well-paced read.

I am not convinced I would include Zuleika Dobson in my own Top 100 Novels list, but I am glad to have found an opportunity to read it and would happily recommend the novel as an amusing and diverting read - particularly if you need a Z!