If you notice, I only commented on a few of the responses in the area that says "le plot" etc. My primary comments there are a discussion with Larry about Umberto Eco's "porn" theory of the book, and indeed, it is an ongoing discussion with Camilla and Larry that take up most of the replies that I've made. There are plenty of posts that I've replied to numerous times when I get interested in a debate.
You're entitled to your opinions, but I don't share them. I think this was and is the right place to discuss most of what has been discussed here. IN FACT, when I discussed them prior to the book club I was told to save that sort of discussion for the book club.
You're entitled to your opinions, but I don't share them. I think this was and is the right place to discuss most of what has been discussed here. IN FACT, when I discussed them prior to the book club I was told to save that sort of discussion for the book club.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - Book Club now open!
- 25/01/2010 10:54:37 PM
2594 Views
Les characters.
- 25/01/2010 10:56:23 PM
1462 Views
Why does the book have enduring appeal?
- 25/01/2010 10:57:37 PM
1450 Views
Or rather, does this book share any traits in common with pornography?
- 25/01/2010 11:14:01 PM
1551 Views
I think the revenge plot is actually fairly weak.
- 26/01/2010 03:43:04 AM
1486 Views
Re: I think the revenge plot is actually fairly weak.
- 26/01/2010 11:12:19 AM
1530 Views
In that case, the "release" is quite unsatisfying.
- 27/01/2010 01:42:28 PM
1635 Views
Which is precisely part of what makes the book interesting
- 27/01/2010 02:06:58 PM
1522 Views
He would not have known the book would be ruined by water. He thought he was being buried.
- 27/01/2010 02:15:02 PM
1436 Views
Oh, and your point on revenge - that's just reading too much into the text.
- 27/01/2010 02:16:05 PM
1355 Views
There is no such thing
- 27/01/2010 02:18:46 PM
1404 Views
I fundamentally disagree with your post-modern take on the novel.
- 27/01/2010 02:25:25 PM
1457 Views
Re: Which is precisely part of what makes the book interesting
- 27/01/2010 03:40:36 PM
1412 Views
Maybe it's of the same importance as the Lost Symbol.
- 27/01/2010 03:44:55 PM
1473 Views
I think one important question to ask is...
- 26/01/2010 12:00:17 AM
1508 Views
I like it, but it is purely on the adventure story level, and I've read the unabridged version.
- 26/01/2010 12:03:01 AM
1362 Views
I'm fairly certain I read the unabridged version. It was 1500 pages. *NM*
- 26/01/2010 02:36:10 AM
776 Views
I have read the abridged version a couple of times. I am reading the unabridged version this time.
- 26/01/2010 03:25:50 AM
1450 Views
I have read both
- 27/01/2010 01:37:00 AM
1538 Views
I actually didn't mean the people here on the site so much as readers in general.
- 27/01/2010 01:44:46 AM
1524 Views
Re: I actually didn't mean the people here on the site so much as readers in general.
- 27/01/2010 01:48:11 AM
1452 Views
Re: I got here too late, so I offer Umberto Eco's thoughts on the matter:
- 22/02/2010 06:59:13 PM
1645 Views
The book was very childish.
- 26/01/2010 03:05:01 AM
1564 Views
Granted, The Master and Margarita is also very much a fantasy book. *NM*
- 26/01/2010 03:07:45 AM
781 Views
No, it really isn't.
- 26/01/2010 03:10:08 AM
1525 Views
You know, this is a problem.
- 26/01/2010 03:43:14 AM
1502 Views
Thank God, I've never even heard of "Skol". Popov, yes, but Skol?
- 26/01/2010 03:49:08 AM
1490 Views
I've not tried it, but every time I go into liquor stores, it sits on the bottom shelf.
- 26/01/2010 03:57:03 AM
1392 Views
There's really nothing I can say to this that Greg didn't just say above.
- 26/01/2010 06:32:02 AM
1562 Views
Re: No, it really isn't.
- 26/01/2010 10:57:19 AM
1431 Views
Having Camilla concur with me on literary matters is very encouraging. 
- 26/01/2010 01:37:23 PM
1491 Views
- 26/01/2010 01:37:23 PM
1491 Views
I do not agree with your complete dismissal of The Count of Monte Cristo, though
- 26/01/2010 04:58:58 PM
1455 Views
You make some rather odd claims here, Tom
- 27/01/2010 12:43:41 AM
1532 Views
My claims are far from odd. In fact, they're quite common.
- 27/01/2010 01:57:41 AM
1474 Views
In some circles; in others, they're rather antiquated nowadays
- 27/01/2010 02:21:03 AM
1423 Views
If you were trying to write literature, wouldn't the label sting for you?
- 27/01/2010 01:25:14 PM
1477 Views
I think it's easier to think of stories fitting into genre(s) than to think the same of authors
- 27/01/2010 02:40:29 PM
1533 Views
Allow me to clarify: I'm talking about authors' reactions to their books being so labelled.
- 27/01/2010 03:08:47 PM
1577 Views
But yet their reactions vary widely
- 27/01/2010 11:33:25 PM
1460 Views
My fundamental premise is that genre has the most utility when applied to derivative fiction.
- 28/01/2010 09:39:17 PM
1426 Views
And yet that term is mostly used as a non-loaded term that doesn't attempt to ascribe quality levels
- 29/01/2010 02:49:20 AM
1363 Views
I like my definition of science fiction better than the one you quoted.
- 29/01/2010 05:16:36 AM
1421 Views
I think estrangement is a key element, though
- 30/01/2010 11:00:19 PM
1396 Views
I don't think estrangement is a necessary element.
- 30/01/2010 11:47:07 PM
1592 Views
I mean it as a literary effect, that of creating a distance between text and reader
- 31/01/2010 12:03:34 AM
1414 Views
Even if that's the meaning, I still disagree.
- 03/02/2010 12:49:58 AM
1398 Views
Depends on how you view SF, I suppose
- 03/02/2010 04:20:56 AM
1266 Views
I thought that was what we were mulling over
- 03/02/2010 04:38:35 AM
1398 Views
Your unscientific anecdotal evidence sounds very odd to me.
- 28/01/2010 12:15:10 AM
1467 Views
It might. I'm not purporting to speak for all of humanity (at least on this point). 
- 28/01/2010 09:43:40 PM
1520 Views
- 28/01/2010 09:43:40 PM
1520 Views
approve of this message.
So, what you're saying is that watching the 2002 movie was sufficient? Good! *NM*
- 26/01/2010 06:34:53 AM
748 Views
*NM*
- 26/01/2010 06:34:53 AM
748 Views
I'm not through it quite yet, but I do have a question
- 26/01/2010 12:24:14 PM
1413 Views
Wait...you VOTED for this book?
- 26/01/2010 01:41:00 PM
1463 Views
I honestly can't remember.
- 26/01/2010 01:55:39 PM
1430 Views
Doctor Zhivago is one of the best novels ever written.
- 26/01/2010 02:12:35 PM
1442 Views
Right, so now we all know that if we'd just listen to me more often, the world would be better.
- 26/01/2010 02:20:56 PM
1436 Views
The problem was that the suggestions were generally not that good.
- 26/01/2010 02:32:50 PM
1488 Views
You really are ignornant of what A.S. Byatt writes, aren't you?
- 27/01/2010 12:51:00 AM
1461 Views
- 27/01/2010 12:51:00 AM
1461 Views
Oh, I fucking hate epistolary novels. Thank you for warning me.
- 27/01/2010 02:00:34 AM
1366 Views
It's funny because I think it's a question of taste level.
- 26/01/2010 02:32:08 PM
1515 Views
Curious George is a tale of many layers, as told by Werner Herzog
- 26/01/2010 02:34:27 PM
1568 Views
On what basis?
- 26/01/2010 02:51:40 PM
1520 Views
It's a children's book. Get over it. Democracy failed.
- 26/01/2010 02:55:03 PM
1515 Views
Usually does, when those who know better keep silent.
- 26/01/2010 02:57:54 PM
1405 Views
Regarding comfort zones
- 26/01/2010 05:08:50 PM
1526 Views
Camilla, let's be honest here...
- 26/01/2010 05:40:08 PM
1557 Views
Re: Camilla, let's be honest here...
- 26/01/2010 09:10:47 PM
1507 Views
If that's your goal, Camilla, you failed.
- 27/01/2010 01:35:52 PM
1579 Views
Possibly
- 27/01/2010 01:38:39 PM
1433 Views
I have not been ranting and raving. I've been highly critical of the book, with much justification.
- 27/01/2010 01:45:05 PM
1452 Views
Re: I've been highly critical of the book, with much justification.
- 27/01/2010 01:53:28 PM
1435 Views
I was wondering how long it would take for you to blame me and Greg.
- 27/01/2010 02:26:12 PM
1566 Views
Don't you get it? We bring this place down.
- 27/01/2010 02:42:32 PM
1405 Views
Heh heh heh. Pink cardigan-wearing suburban cul-de-sac. I like it. *NM*
- 27/01/2010 03:11:25 PM
749 Views
*NM*
- 27/01/2010 03:11:25 PM
749 Views
Re: I was wondering how long it would take for you to blame me and Greg.
- 27/01/2010 02:43:11 PM
1429 Views
While that was not the intent, that is an added bonus.
- 27/01/2010 02:48:47 PM
1426 Views
why is it a bonus?
- 27/01/2010 02:52:58 PM
1387 Views
I said see above. You should have before the thought police, Rebekah, started to delete.
- 27/01/2010 02:59:07 PM
1672 Views
Well, you wouldn't grow tired of us calling a novel shit if you chose a novel that wasn't shit.
- 27/01/2010 03:11:57 PM
1417 Views
Re: Regarding comfort zones
- 27/01/2010 11:57:03 AM
1491 Views
So. I really liked it.
- 26/01/2010 08:57:02 AM
1582 Views
Yes, fearless leader, this is where I stand.
- 26/01/2010 11:04:23 PM
1433 Views
Re: Yes, fearless leader, this is where I stand.
- 26/01/2010 11:49:03 PM
1485 Views
We were talking about this last night.
- 27/01/2010 11:14:21 AM
1559 Views
Re: We were talking about this last night.
- 27/01/2010 11:37:04 AM
1561 Views
If you do that, I'm posting on the deeper meaning of Dan Brown.
- 27/01/2010 01:46:35 PM
1531 Views
Feel free to.
- 27/01/2010 01:51:23 PM
1503 Views
Your post-modern take on the novel is shit, shit, shit.
- 27/01/2010 02:28:56 PM
1460 Views
Re: Your post-modern take on the novel is shit, shit, shit.
- 27/01/2010 02:45:41 PM
1500 Views
I'm not setting up a straw man. I'm challenging your touchy-feely approach.
- 27/01/2010 03:15:00 PM
1379 Views
My touchy-feely approach?
- 27/01/2010 05:09:04 PM
1410 Views
Yes...using passing references in the text to justify a deeper analysis.
- 27/01/2010 05:16:10 PM
1440 Views
Doesn't touchy-feely mean that it is steeped in or based on emotion?
- 27/01/2010 06:40:31 PM
1414 Views
I think between the two of you I agree more with Tom here.
- 27/01/2010 07:01:08 PM
1390 Views
Re: I think between the two of you I agree more with Tom here.
- 27/01/2010 08:29:32 PM
1476 Views
See my reply to Tom for clarification, then.
- 27/01/2010 08:57:18 PM
1521 Views
Re: See my reply to Tom for clarification, then.
- 27/01/2010 09:09:47 PM
1432 Views
Er. Whose position are you arguing - mine or yours?
- 27/01/2010 10:33:01 PM
1320 Views
- 27/01/2010 10:33:01 PM
1320 Views
Mine. Which is more complicated than a simple rejection. That is what I am saying.
- 01/02/2010 12:53:58 PM
1303 Views
Do it. I'd read that.
- 27/01/2010 01:55:23 PM
1556 Views
All righty, that's enough of that. For Tom, Greg, and... no, pretty much just you two.
- 27/01/2010 04:33:00 PM
1483 Views
I call bullshit. I have been conducting the debate in a measured fashion.
- 27/01/2010 04:50:35 PM
1437 Views
And ANOTHER THING
- 27/01/2010 05:05:17 PM
1348 Views
Not everyone has finished reading it yet *NM*
- 27/01/2010 05:12:10 PM
814 Views
Okay, so you'll get one or two stragglers in a week to a month. It changes nothing.
- 27/01/2010 05:17:51 PM
1513 Views
Re: Okay, so you'll get one or two stragglers in a week to a month. It changes nothing.
- 27/01/2010 06:41:11 PM
1462 Views
We are discussing this book. We're discussing its faults.
- 27/01/2010 07:30:49 PM
1393 Views
In the interest of discussing Dumas' intentions...
- 27/01/2010 08:03:24 PM
1564 Views
Re: We are discussing this book. We're discussing its faults.
- 27/01/2010 08:30:19 PM
1518 Views
The text doesn't warrant "close attention" any more than Dan Brown's works do.
- 27/01/2010 09:10:45 PM
1396 Views
Also, do you think a good book would have generated this level of discussion? Of course not.
- 27/01/2010 05:21:45 PM
1430 Views
What discussion?
- 27/01/2010 06:42:32 PM
1454 Views
I said that we couldn't discuss the book on its own terms.
- 27/01/2010 07:35:32 PM
1538 Views
Which I still think we can.
- 27/01/2010 08:35:35 PM
1421 Views
Perhaps you shouldn't be breaking things down at all.
- 27/01/2010 09:06:59 PM
1518 Views
Re: Perhaps you shouldn't be breaking things down at all.
- 27/01/2010 09:12:22 PM
1475 Views
I apologize if I'm part of the reason you feel ganged up on.
- 27/01/2010 10:40:36 PM
1446 Views
Re: I apologize if I'm part of the reason you feel ganged up on.
- 01/02/2010 12:56:03 PM
1364 Views
Deary me.
- 27/01/2010 05:19:58 PM
1645 Views
By "respect" do you mean that you want me to drop my debates?
- 27/01/2010 05:24:03 PM
1396 Views
Not at all.
- 27/01/2010 05:35:34 PM
1559 Views
I'm sorry as well - if I had any kind of willpower, it wouldn't have gotten that far.
- 27/01/2010 06:29:43 PM
1469 Views
On the nature of the "Book Club"
- 28/01/2010 09:23:23 PM
1315 Views
Any chance of seeing some shorter suggestions?
- 28/01/2010 10:20:59 PM
1531 Views
Yes, shorter would be good.
- 28/01/2010 10:23:28 PM
1378 Views
Well, you should have known better!
- 29/01/2010 01:29:40 AM
1425 Views
- 29/01/2010 01:29:40 AM
1425 Views
All I can say is The Master and Margarita better be one by March. WE WAS ROBBED. *NM*
- 29/01/2010 02:31:48 AM
712 Views
*NM*
- 29/01/2010 02:31:48 AM
712 Views
Well I'm late to the party
- 29/01/2010 06:21:18 AM
1362 Views
No, you're early
- 01/02/2010 01:26:10 PM
1272 Views
I still have yet to see that discussion, Camilla. *NM*
- 03/02/2010 12:46:24 AM
772 Views
A few comments
- 04/02/2010 06:39:18 AM
1702 Views
If I kept you from participating, that's your fault.
- 04/02/2010 01:01:46 PM
1351 Views
Interesting way of dismissing what has already been discussed about the book
- 03/02/2010 04:22:26 AM
1518 Views
Nah, there's been discussion, here and there inbetween the fighting. *NM*
- 03/02/2010 04:39:24 PM
718 Views
*NM*
- 03/02/2010 04:39:24 PM
718 Views
An interesting quote from the book - does it jibe with your experience?
- 29/01/2010 11:23:54 PM
1436 Views