tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post4553117750939706430..comments2024-01-02T15:37:04.858-05:00Comments on Caravana de recuerdos: The MonkRichardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-60980230227830507882010-03-10T23:43:49.158-05:002010-03-10T23:43:49.158-05:00*Stefanie: I dig the roller coaster ride analogy, ...*Stefanie: I dig the roller coaster ride analogy, perfect! And although I'm not really much of a Stephen King fan, that's an interesting little tidbit about him.<br /><br />*Care: It's a super fun read!<br /><br />*Frances: Where were you and Emily when I was writing this post? I could have really used those "the sauciness that lurks between these covers" and "amusing weirdo" lines, I'm telling you! Also like what you say about the <em>The Monk</em>'s realism serving as punctuation marks in the text. It really does give it a different flavor than what I'd expected (goofy, salacious gothic...) although what I'd expected is still present, of course. Very much looking forward to reading Maturin's <em>Melmoth the Wanderer</em> soon for comparison purposes. Do you know anything about that one? Cheers!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-27831547348753529432010-03-09T17:34:21.695-05:002010-03-09T17:34:21.695-05:00Few could suspect the sauciness that lurks between...Few could suspect the sauciness that lurks between these covers from the title and image alone. Especially appreciate your remarks about the realist content of this novel. Those injections always strike me as punctuation marks in the text. Creates the uncomfortable possibility that what appears to be the fantastic is, in fact, not. Perhaps it is a norm, just a secret norm.<br /><br />And Emily - "amusing weirdo." I giggled out loud.Franceshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12597485569740436880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-9225493257025097002010-03-09T16:25:15.653-05:002010-03-09T16:25:15.653-05:00This sound utterly fascinating.This sound utterly fascinating.Carehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06478474870247729611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-88694963352426083552010-03-09T09:58:12.886-05:002010-03-09T09:58:12.886-05:00Read this several years ago and loved it. It's...Read this several years ago and loved it. It's like a roller coaster ride. I think Stephen King has mentioned somewhere how influential The Monk was to him.Stefaniehttp://somanybooksblog.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-64844434559156549062010-03-08T09:45:16.976-05:002010-03-08T09:45:16.976-05:00I'd been lugging around an ugly purple and whi...I'd been lugging around an ugly purple and white Grove Press version of <em>The Monk</em> for years, Simon, but I switched to that cool-looking Oxford one when the binding on my old copy started falling apart in my hands. It was a really fun read after all those years of waiting, so I'm sure you'll get a kick out of it when the time comes!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-24466578939642303972010-03-08T06:32:06.435-05:002010-03-08T06:32:06.435-05:00I got sent this just last week and having now seen...I got sent this just last week and having now seen your thoughts on it Richard am even more excited about the prospect of reading it. These gothic novels do all sound so OTT but then thats part of the joy I am assuming.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-56118214409556275252010-03-07T23:39:33.559-05:002010-03-07T23:39:33.559-05:00Emily: You're totally right, Lewis definitely ...Emily: You're totally right, Lewis definitely belongs to the "amusing weirdo" school of writers! Loved that. Also liked your drinking game idea. And although the revelations about Matilda's demon nature kind of strike me as a cop-out on Lewis' part, I still think she's a meaty character. I mean, why should we take Lucifer's word for her not being a woman anyway, my friend?!?<br /><br />*Ana: Thanks for the kind words! Although <em>The Monk</em> is definitely cheesy in parts, I<br />laughed more at the language here (i.e. instead of saying somebody told a white lie, Lewis says stuff like the character "committed a violence upon the truth"!) than at any unintentional silliness in the plot. If you survived <em>The Castle of Otranto</em>, you should do fine with <em>The Monk</em>!<br /><br />*E.L. Fay: I remember your post on your brother's course! "Questionable fun" is exactly what you'll get with <em>The Monk</em>, but I think you'll find it both funnier and more extreme than a lot of other gothic novels mentioned as its competition. Cool read!Richardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01746599416342846897noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-71111215268191266672010-03-07T17:23:52.439-05:002010-03-07T17:23:52.439-05:00My brother took a course in Gothic literature (luc...My brother took a course in Gothic literature (lucky him!) so we have all these Gothic novels sitting around, including this one. This genre is so extraordinarily kitschy and ripe for parody and yet I love it and it has such staying power. This book sounds like a lot of questionable fun.Eileenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11058705381647529328noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-51415433513010415942010-03-07T13:10:40.379-05:002010-03-07T13:10:40.379-05:00Fantastic review, Richard. I've been meaning t...Fantastic review, Richard. I've been meaning to read this for quite some time - I fully expect it to be unintentionally hilarious, kind of like The Castle of Otranto was, and sometimes I worry that will bother me. But I think that if I'm in the right frame of mind, I'll be able to go along with it and enjoy the experience.Ana S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/16092495983972185943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1911087927983597831.post-68272298466584275532010-03-07T12:04:05.832-05:002010-03-07T12:04:05.832-05:00I kept thinking about the rich drinking-game possi...I kept thinking about the rich drinking-game possibilities of this novel. Drink whenever you encounter a Gothic stereotype! Drink whenever you find an anti-Catholic plot device! One would soon be under the table.<br /><br />On a more serious note, you make some interesting points about Lewis's later influence & some uneasy tensions in the book. I thought the Matilda character was pretty interesting too, in that in the beginning she seems genuinely pious, etc., but by the end she seems always to have been a demon. It's not so much that she goes through a character transformation, as that the beginning & end seem inconsistent in terms of who she is & always has been. <br /><br />In conclusion, Lewis: what an amusing weirdo!Emilyhttp://www.eveningallafternoon.comnoreply@blogger.com