A Tale Of Two Cities Review

A Tale Of Two Cities By Charles Dickens 

     …Louder, Vengeance, much louder, and still she will scarcely hear thee.

The subtitle will emanate the feeling that the novel brings about. A tale of two cities is a paradigm of novels intertwined with history. The title of this story is the eponym of what it contains…a tale of two cities. One city is in France and the other is in England and yet they are not greatly asunder. The people are the same, the way is the same, and the revolution affects them the same. This is a heart-rending story of a family affected by the French revolution and what that “revolution” meant for some.

This story is written as an omniscient narrative in which Dickens tells the tale of both the cities in interposed slices. The language is not simple and eloquent. It is overly descriptive and plumped up with words. It is not verbose but laborious and slow. The only evasion from this language comes in dialogues. Albeit the language is difficult to read, the poetic comeliness of the text deserves admiration. The plot is also magnificent with a few apparent loopholes, which I think are really parts of my failed understanding ;rather than Dicken’s obscurity. The story is not a flight of unbridled creativity and capricious freewill; it is a structured plot of trying circumstances, and impressible people who fail to understand the real meaning of a republic.

I recommend this novel to all and sundry because of its historical significance and structured plot.

The death of Ivan Ilych Review

The death of Ivan Ilych by Tolstoy Leo Nikolayevich 

                                    …He tried to add, “Forgive me” but said “Forego”

What is death? Can a dying person know death before death? The death of Ivan Ilych is biography of a Judge who realizes that his life of propriety and appropriateness was not what he wanted, and not what he could rectify. He had suppressed his instincts all throughout his life for public approval, and in the end the people were indifferent to his pain only hoping to get his job.

The language of book is easy to follow and lucid. The words used are accurate and efficacious in depicting the wont of a dying person to live his life once more. The metaphor of sack bag is mind wringing and novel. It appears as if the author had actually gone through the experience that he has penned down. This story is neither of a great conquest, nor of a romantic death but a death so commonplace that its realism in the story urges you to think what might become of yourself. The moral of the story is to know happiness by your instincts and not by public propriety alone. Tolstoy’s omniscient narrative is obtrusively neutral and simple…simple enough to make you realize that death is not a phenomena which occurs to “mortals” but it is the end of all phenomena for “yourself” as an individual.

I recommend this book to all those who have a taste for biographies and don’t mind stories without thrills.

Crime and Punishment Review

Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
                                     …Extraordinary men have the right to kill

This book is undoubtedly one of the best works of literature I’ve ever my hands upon. It would be an understatement to say that this book is a motion picture taking you along with it; this book is much more than that. The wringing of hands, the exquisite anger turning into love…and love being hated by the protagonist…all the hidden feelings are confessed. On the day of the funeral supper, the lady is not only moaning her husband’s death as some of the authors might have expounded; she is bothered by trifling things such as pride,vanity and self-esteem. She wants everybody to pay attention to her, as if it’s her wedding day. She speaks of the laurels she’s earned by her “shawl dance”; she tells everyone that her children are genteel. Could anything be closer to the shrouded reality we daren’t concede even to ourselves?

Judging by the translation, the book seems to have been written in Russian vernacular. It is easy to see that Dostoevsky wrote for the masses, not for a “target audience”. The story is related to everyone, for it is the story of a stinging conscience; a story where delirium is not exaggeration inasmuch as river is not an ocean. The dialogues are appealing, meaningful and even repository of knowledge. This novel is not a thriller; it is a psychological chronicle without sense of time…a mammoth paradox in literature. I recommend this book to all those who exist.

De Profundis Review

De Profundis By Oscar Wilde 

                      ...Art only begins where imitation ends

De Profundis is latin for “From the depths”. It is difficult to review a letter since it is a personal correspondence only to be judged by the addressee, but I shall attempt the same. This letter contains Wilde’s changing views on morality and meaning of life. A general idea of the content of the letter can be grasped from an excerpt: “Behind joy and laughter there may be a temperament, coarse, hard and callous. But behind sorrow there is always sorrow”

Wilde has elaborated little on the details of his imprisonment.He only talks about the influence that Christ as a poet, has had on Wilde. He revisits Christian Gospels to point out that Christ does not love a man who has never sinned;he loves a true romantic.A man who is imperfect is perfect to him. Wilde has discoursed on this paradox beautifully using metaphors and similies. Then he explains the meaning of art. According to him art is a connection between artist and his work more than the work and world. Notwithstanding the fact that letter is filled with Wilde’s true romantic spirit, it lacks the essence of true feelings. Wilde has consciously dropped the discussion when it was at the verge of reaching his true self. He just flatters his vanity by choosing words that imply that his infamy was martyrdom. Those familiar with Wilde’s biography will see this as an appalling matter.

I recommend this letter to only those who are interested to know Wilde as a person.

Third Class In Indian Railways Review

Third Class In Indian Railways By M K Gandhi 

                 …appeal has gone not to the heart but to the stomach

It is not easy to empathize with people until you put yourself in their shoes; So was Gandhi’s maxim. This book is a compilation of his letters and essays on Swadeshi movement, Co-operation, Ahimsa and national dress.

Unlike several political philosophers Gandhi does not talk using larger concepts; he does not burden people with words. He is eloquent and simple.He talks about smallest things like closets and sanitation which have immediate concern to individuals; he is equally concerned with the nature of pestilent activities that are hovering over the nation. The language used is grammatically sound and simple. The author appears to be well read; he uses phrases and idioms at apt places. Another point that will appeal to reader is the politeness of Gandhi when he addresses people.Even if he’s strongly opposed to a certain viewpoint, he does not disparage the concerned person.There is a certain divinity attached to the text which does not come out of its religious inclination but the simplicity of what is true for Gandhi. The author does not begrudge his criticizers; he makes his point clear with reason and logic. This book is the crux of what Gandhi believed in; what he vouched for till the end of his life. Even a person living in a foreign country will appreciate the principles that it elaborates upon.

This book is recommended for readers interested in Political Philosophy.

Political Ideals Review

Political Ideals By Bertrand Russell                     
                     …Diplomacy is in essence nothing but the threat of war

What seems radical now won’t be radical tomorrow; political jargon will incorporate more polysyllabic terms. The only thing that remains is the maxim on which the satisfaction of an individual rests: Unrestrained creative wisdom. This book is based entirely on the life of individuals; it does not give priority to the sovereign power, which controls him/her.

The text has minimal political jargon and its language is easy to understand.The author does not stand for any particular viewpoint .He talks about popular policies that a state can adopt and gives his views on each one of them. The suggestions provided by him in the book have not become obsolete even now. The brilliance of analogy of an individual with a nation is self-evident.According to him,a nation has no purpose other than to cater the needs of its individuals. He professes Self –Governed establishments in which the workers get to choose the working hours, the resource management schemes and the wages. The reader is impelled to revisit his mindset on politics. One of the commendable features of this book is that the author is not trying to revolutionize masses through his work. He never tries to persuade the reader to breed cynicism against his own country. Contrarily, he promotes patriotism and faith in the nation. International disputes have also been looked into with appropriate suggestions for reforms.

This book is a MUST READ for everyone; this will open the mind of readers to radical ideas of science and art.