Madame Bovary Readalong - crinolines, carriages and lovers this way, 1 October

[StColumbofNavron]

Following the successful Anna Karenina readalong (almost coming to a close), Emma Bovary has come up in conversation as a comparison piece. You don't need to have read Anna Karenina though to join in.

We start on 1 October, mark your spot.

The goal is to read one chapter per day. There are three parts, 35 chapters and we'll take a day break between each part. It is fine to post as we go along but no further than the chapter for that day.

I have opted for the Aveling Marx translation (Wordsworth Classics) as that is what is on my shelf, however, more on translations below.

https://welovetranslations.com/2022/04/08/whats-the-best-translation-of-madame-bovary-part-1/
https://welovetranslations.com/2022/04/08/whats-the-best-translation-of-madame-bovary-part-2/
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/21/translating-madame-bovary-adam-thorpe

Part 1
1 01-Oct
2 02-Oct
3 03-Oct
4 04-Oct
5 05-Oct
6 06-Oct
7 07-Oct
8 08-Oct
9 09-Oct

BREAK 10-Oct

Part 2
1 11-Oct
2 12-Oct
3 13-Oct
4 14-Oct
5 15-Oct
6 16-Oct
7 17-Oct
8 18-Oct
9 19-Oct
10 20-Oct
11 21-Oct
12 22-Oct
13 23-Oct
14 24-Oct
15 25-Oct

BREAK 26-Oct

Part 3 27-Oct
1 28-Oct
2 29-Oct
3 30-Oct
4 31-Oct
5 01-Nov
6 02-Nov
7 03-Nov
8 04-Nov
9 05-Nov
10 06-Nov
11 07-Nov

Wasn't there a suggestion of Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell?

Elizabeth Gaskell's Ruth (1853) was the first mainstream novel to make a fallen woman its eponymous heroine. It is a remarkable story of love, of the sanctuary and tyranny of the family, and of the consequences of lies and deception, one that lays bare Victorian hypocrisy and sexual double-standards. Shocking to contemporary readers, its radical utopian vision of a pure woman faithfully presented predates Hardy's Tess by nearly forty years.

But we may wish to move on from the fallen woman theme!

I would like to do one more book on the fallen woman theme, so I'll put in a vote for Ruth :)

Are there any fallen men novels? The handsome young hero is led astray by a scheming and predatory older heiress who ruins his life and abandons him to a life of shame and poverty? Can't think of any off hand!

Actually, just googled and tracked down a thesis on Fallen Men in Victorian Literature (after a short detour via the Fallen Men Erotic Novel Series which "each feature a dirty talking alpha male and the sassy and strong women who win their hearts.")

Kristian Einarsen argues that "the fallen man is very much present in Victorian novels. The research shows that the fallen man is a complex concept, and that the fall is not strictly linked to sexuality and loss of purity as it often is with the better known female counterpart, the Victorian fallen woman. The thesis examines how fallen men are depicted in Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth (1853)..."

Microsoft Word - Einarsen-Master.docx (uio.no)

So maybe Ruth sounds like a good bet!

Gosh, Bishy! Fascinating.

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about Ruth, sounds good to me

Happy with Ruth. I've never read it.

But how does it work? How do we know if it will work with a daily chapter/chunk? Does someone have to lead us out?

ChatGPT tells me there are 30 chapters estimated to be 20- 30 pages long. It can autogenerate chapter summaries but they might not be totally accurate?

Interesting idea. I'd say Hardy plays with that with both Angel Clare and Alec.

Tess isn't really a fallen woman because of her social class.

I'd be up for reading Ruth - but perhaps not a chapter a day as they're quite long? Would something like 2 chapters a week work, or would that be too complicated?

I’m up for Ruth too but prefer a slow pace as not going to have much reading time in the new year 😞

I don't mind taking it slowly.

Very happy to stay on theme and happy with Ruth and new year seems a good start. I’d also like slow and steady. A Woman in White was a certain amount a month and worked well.

@StColumbofNavron are you happy to lead it off again? Or do you want someone else to have a go? I don't know the etiquette here!

Very happy for someone else to lead.

I'm tempted to give it a go but worried I might forget sometimes and let people down. I've not done very well at posting regularly on the two readalongs I've done, though I finished both books and got lots of out it. I do have another weekly online commitment I virtually never forget though, so i think maybe committing to lead might be a good discipline for me.

Would it work to agree a structure and then anyone can post, within those guidelines, when they are ready? And I'll try and do a ChatGPT chapter summary but if I haven't done it for some reason, anyone else is welcome to - or to post anyway?

Would a weekend chapter and a mid week chapter be about the right pace, or a weekly chapter?

That approach sounds great Bishy. I think I could do 2 chapters a week unless others would prefer just one?

Yes! Two chapters per week sounds fine to me too. Any one of us can post something to keep the thread going, so no worries on that count, Bishy!

Brill - a collective effort then. I will start it off on 1st Jan and we'll see how we get on. Looking forward to it.

Yes, do! Thanks Bishy.

Perfect, sounds fab.

I'm going to give this one a miss, January and February I'll be busy writing essays. Hope you all enjoy, though!

Thanks so much @BishyBarnyBee , I'm excited about reading Ruth! Am definitely in. Two chapters a week also sounds like a good manageable pace.

@InTheCludgie , best of luck with the essays!

Thanks to @StColumbofNavron for setting up this thread; I've really loved it.

@StColumbofNavron @Almahart @AnotherSue @Beckafett @Buttalapasta @CornishLizard @EmmaOvary @FuzzyCaoraDhubh @Greentrilby @InTheCludgie @JamesGiantPledge1 @Lamelie @EnoughIsay @Longlist @Piggywaspushed @Sadik @StephanieSuperpowers @Tarahumara @TattiePants @cassandre @cornflakegirl @dnac @goodthinking99

Just getting ready for the start of our shiny new readalong on 1st Jan.

Get ready for the highs and lows, passions and pains of a vulnerable orphan betrayed by a dastardly rake. Shockingly ahead of its time, and pre-dating Hardy's Tess by 40 years, will we be cheering Ruth on or watching in despair? Please do join us to find out.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/4971680-new-year-new-fallen-woman-elizabeth-gaskells-ruth-readalong?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share

Just in case anyone fancies a new Fallen Woman Readalong - we start Dangerous Liaisons on 1st May.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/what_were_reading/5050452-did-she-fall-or-was-she-pushed-dangerous-liaisons-readalong-2024?utm_campaign=thread&utm_medium=share