That created a whole subgenre The options are sheer endless, because everything is possible with such a main character(s). WhoOldschool schizophrenia
That created a whole subgenre The options are sheer endless, because everything is possible with such a main character(s). Who is/are they, what is real or just fiction, how long is which personality taking control, who is the really good or bad character, what is their motivation and how is it triggered, are just the tip of the iceberg of ways to tell a story that way. In this classic, there are of course also
The conventions of the time the novel was written in So what is good and evil, regarding faith, social norms, and traditions, changed since then. But the most freaking, disturbing, and for each one possible fate is, including the immense fear of,
Going bonkers without realizing it at first Everyone is afraid of sickness and suffering and in this case, it could be a hell tour the force without end, except for a more or less natural death. Just google how it begins, how many manifestations it has, and how thin the line between mental sanity and madness is. How Stevenson uses a brilliant plot and writing style to show these inner struggles and construct credible characters out of one person is the
Reality for many people beginning to deal with dissociative personality disorder and schizophrenia It´s not as if one suddenly wakes up and has two or multiple personalities she/he is aware of. The variety of options for how, when, and how hard it kicks in is as manifold as the personalities a sick human brain creates. How severe the effects are can be seen in MRI scans of the brains of diagnosed patients that have to cope with much more than
Their good and evil twin There is also so much personal history integrated into the construction of these personalities, another story element ingeniously implemented into the plot by Stevenson. Without, at the time simply not existing, much knowledge about the biological causes he described an amazingly accurate picture of the illness and didn´t just build a literary monument of how fragile the human psyche is. But also sensitized society for forgotten, haunted individuals in the shadows, literally fighting their inner demons that came to life and could materialize at each moment.
Although it might get used far too often Instead of trying out new plots and ideas, Dickens keeps focusing on his maiNever change a running plot system
Although it might get used far too often Instead of trying out new plots and ideas, Dickens keeps focusing on his main premises, recycling himself a bit and especially losing control over the inner logic, coherency, and credibility, not ever to talk about suspension of disbelief, because this thing feels so constructed.
Kind of a franchise of social critique Not bad, but one of his weaker works, it reminds me a bit of a certain behemoth company always following the same scheme, adoring the running system, never changing much if it brings sweet money money. I do appreciate any kind of social criticism and that´s, along with all the ethics, moral, capitalistic evil, etc. what makes Dickens´work so special, but he just didn´t put that much effort into this one, maybe there were personal reasons or problems, maybe he needed to get it published, maybe he just mehed and thought https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.ph... , who knows.
Definitely did see it coming I was pretty disappointed after about half to two thirds of the book, because I could guess that there won´t be space for more dynamic plotlines (as if Dickens would have used such) and the ending was the ultimate Deus ex machinagasm. I can´t get behind the fascination of this novel for some readers, it´s an uninspired, stale infusion of Dickens topics in an unmotivated attempt to make more money by using his position as a moral guardian, a kind of national symbol ("our great writer to be proud of BS patriotism", no matter what she/he writes), and progressive critic of society, and copying his tropes until they began to fall into pieces.
Not close to Oliver Twist and Chrismas Carol Because the story isn´t that amazing, I would like to focus on dissecting Dickens, so let´s take a short look at the strengths and weaknesses of his writing in general, by comparing best and worst, instead of talking about a story close to redundancy. In contrast to Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist, there seems to be less real lifeblood and the true self of the author in it, instead, it becomes a kind of next part of the literary brand Dickens was able to establish himself as.
A bit more complex characters, please Dickens writes stereotypically, overusing the good/bad ugly/beautiful, and simple characterization scheme without the second layer and avoids describing realistic inner conflicts and anything giving characters more depth and complexity. There are no real cliffhangers, second and third plotlines, dynamic changes of perspective, and a general lack of pace and suspense, it´s as if an ultra stoic person tells one a story without any mimic or emotion and one has to struggle not to fall asleep while listening.
Not everyone ages well toward ingenuity What irritates me the most is that his 2 great classics weren´t that average, although many other authors get better and better while they age and become specialists in the game of writing, but he lost parts of his motivation and/or talent while getting older. Without his established name, the last few novels wouldn´t have sold in the way Christmas Carol and Oliver Twist did, he would probably even didn´t have had the option to write more novels without the money and success.
Without the positive intent of showing grievances and dysfunctions in civilizations, this would have been a 3 star. I am the last one to say that activism, progressivism, etc., aren´t good, but as soon as money and economic interests become more important than the work itself and ethics are hypocritically used to boost sales, the writer has lost her/his street credibility. It just reminds me more of the daily, average „each year a new novel“ mainstream mentality, not of a real classic.
Mario the lone bookwolf
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