It is only while reading this that I thought about how much Batman in particular and masked heroes in general owe to Zorro - the similarities of masksIt is only while reading this that I thought about how much Batman in particular and masked heroes in general owe to Zorro - the similarities of masks, twin identities and black costumes used to hide in darkness aside; Bruce Wayne was watching a theatrical adoption of Zorro when his parents were killed in the original version of atman. McCulley also apparently wrote in another book about another person who was inspired by a bat to fight against crimes. As if this wasn't enough, he also seem to have laid seeds of contribution toward creation of Joker in another book where he apparently wrote about a villian who leaves a mark behind. And all this from a writer who doesn't even have a profile picture on goodreads!
As for actual reading experience, you will have to look past racism of the book. Apart from that it is even funny at times. You will probably guess from very early on who Zorro is but thats hardly the point after decades of masked hero genre inspired by the work,...more
To me personally, this is far superior book than EG's most widely read novel 'North and South'. Thiugh the centeral theme of inequality of wealth and To me personally, this is far superior book than EG's most widely read novel 'North and South'. Thiugh the centeral theme of inequality of wealth and differences between capitalists and factory workers is shared by two books (EG seems to have a love for poor and underdogs), 'North and South' is, at the end of the day, a romantic novel with a 'happily ever after' that seems too fantastic and characters that don't seem capable of evil at all.
Mary Barton, on other hand, has a murder in its center. Thus characters are capable of evil - though often, it is argued, the acts done by them when they were 'not quite themself'; acting like Jungian archetypes.
Moreover, along with a boring romantic story (the adjective 'boring' almost seems redundant before 'romantic story'), there is a tragedy in this book - the act of murder arising out of misunderstandings between workers and capitalists which benifits no one.
Another thing that makes this book better is that Mary Barton is significantly better written and flawed than the goody two shoes heroine of other. The change of heart that the capitalist has in the end of the book is also not that fantastic.
This is EG's first novel and one of reasons why she took to writing was to get over loss of her son and a mourning father is one of most impressive images that occur here.
There are a lot of things that some reviewers consider 'flaws' in book like excessive religious and moralising tones which I don't think as faults. A good book has a part of author's personality in it and this personality can just as frequently be religious or moral. Moreover it is not EG who is religous in the end but characters who are religous and use it to examine their own characters. There are a few chapters I should like to cut to make it smaller but that seems to be my problems with most books. ...more
The racism, lookism and other bad -isms might be said to be values of characters narrating the story rather than author's. Ayesha is definately one ofThe racism, lookism and other bad -isms might be said to be values of characters narrating the story rather than author's. Ayesha is definately one of the most fascinating characters and single-handedly holds like about 70 percent of what makes book enjoyable. The other 30 is shared between ideas discussed, humor and occassionally beautiful prose. The Adventures weren't half as interesting....more
If you are a passionate, adventuresome woman in an Eliot novel, you will probably get married to some control freak iMiddlemarch except more religion.
If you are a passionate, adventuresome woman in an Eliot novel, you will probably get married to some control freak idiot but don't worry your husband will die at about the middle of the book....more
I didn't expect to like that much. But there I'd so much to love in it - the central characters were developed from a very young age.Possible spoilers
I didn't expect to like that much. But there I'd so much to love in it - the central characters were developed from a very young age. I like it when stories start with children and develop with them over years.
Maggie is as close as a character gets to Woolf's idea of 'Shakespeare's sister' in English literature I have read (being supposably based on Eliot's own life) - sensitive, artistic and intelligent spirit being constantly smothered by gender prejudice and social expectations. Almost all characters in the book seem to believe that women and books don't belong together. Even Maggie's devotion to her father and brother has much stink of patriarchy in it. Her mother too showed preference toward son rather than her daughter.
The loss of mill seems symbolic of how futile men's patriarchal sense of honor (more like arrogance) is. Though it didn't change the patriarchal attitudes of characters (except Maggie's mother was no longer blindly devotional to her husband and her husband was a little more humble). And yet, no character is completely despicable.
Tom and Maggie's sibling love is another amazingly realistic thing. Their characters are juxtaposition of practicality and passion respectably.
Maggie's commitment to marry her hunchbacked friend seems to be metaphor of luggage we have to carry after once having suffered from bad times even circumstances take a turn for better. Her choice is between morality and happiness. There is much to talk about price one has to pay to stay moral - and whether it is not right to seize one's own happiness at cost of failing to keep promises and hurting your loved ones.
The titular mill has story built around it though the mill much like other property so much valued by everyone in book will be lost by the end.
Eliot seems to be better able to write these big books with a number of characters than Dickens or Tolstoy. She can also be humous which is something you can't say about Tolstoy. All characters in here are drawn realistic.
Lots more can be added here but I am sleepy....more
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