We are currently reading The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot in my English seminar. It's not perfect (I'm still trying to wrap my head around the way Eliot ended the novel... it was a little reminiscent of Slideshow's bus accident ending for Mixed Signals), but I do like it very much. Eliot's writing is lush and vivid, and it's a style that I admire. A sophomore friend and classmate of mine pointed out that the summary on the back cover of the book is rather reminiscent of a Korean drama.
"Brought up at Dorlcote Mill, Maggie Tulliver worships her brother Tom and is desperate to win the approval of her parents, but her passionate, wayward nature and her fierce intelligence bring her into constant conflict with her family. As she reaches adulthood, the clash between their expectations and her desires is painfully played out as she finds herself torn between her relationships with three very different men: her proud and stubborn brother, a close friend who is also the son of her family's worst enemy, and a charismatic but dangerous suitor..."
I'll spare you all from the rest of the summary, but I think you get my point.
As it turns out, Maggie really does become torn between those three leading male characters. I won't spoil the plot for those of you who actually have time or are interested in reading this novel, but I admired how Eliot managed to lock Maggie into a stalemate. No matter which move Maggie made, she would either hurt her family, hurt her friends, or hurt herself. I couldn't help but imagine myself in her position. Which decision would I make? Would I forsake my family to remain loyal to my friends? Would I forsake my friends to pursue my own selfish desires? Would I suppress my desire, my love -- for the sake of family?
I am really glad I did not load myself with math and science courses this semester. This English class is quite refreshing, and I feel like there's a very different kind of thinking involved. Lots of critical thinking, self-reflection, and analysis.
On another note... I REALLY want to write. I've reached the point where I'm starting to feel that it's now or never. It's a little sad how one of my life goals is to finish writing EP, because at the rate that I've been updating, I probably won't finish until my first grandchild is born. Sadly, this goal seems less attainable than many of my other life goals, which include:
Watch "The Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway
Raise my own Japanese Spitz puppy.
Travel around France. (Maybe live there for awhile, if my French is still functional.)
Spend a year in New York City (that actually ties back to Broadway...)I'd like to add more to this list, actually. But it's almost 3 am and I need to go to bed.
1 comment:
lucky. that book sounds interesting. i'm reading about greek philosophers (socrates, aristotle, etc.) right now in my english class, and that is definitely not my cup of tea. i think we'll be moving on to either Jane Austen or Toni Morrison next, though, so yay (despite me not liking the latter so much...).
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