Last night as I was clipping a billion coupons I turned to PBS to see what was on. I immediately got sucked into Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which was originally a novel written by Thomas Hardy and published in 1891. (See? Wiki-awesome.) But I was wiki-pissed when I realized that what I watched was just the first episode of a miniseries on Masterpiece Classics and I was gonna have to wait an entire week to see the next segment. I also remembered I'm going to be out of town next Sunday night and was therefore able to justify reading the entire synopsis on Wikipedia, all the way to the bitter end.
And when I say bitter, I mean bitter.
Thomas Hardy was seriously disturbed you guys. This is the most depressing story I've ever read. I was wondering how I'd be able to fall asleep after learning the fate of Tess the milkmaid, and then I remembered the voiceover dude saying the next miniseries will be Wuthering Heights. I've never read it, and for some reason I thought that one might be less depressing, so I hit up my new best wiki-friend... big mistake. What's with these old school authors? Is a nice, murder-free love story with a few twists and turns followed by a warm and fuzzy happy ending too much to ask for crying out loud?
I am glad that I discovered my own little version of wiki-Cliff's Notes so that I didn't waste many more hours falling in love with Tess only to see what becomes of her and that wussy guy who convinced her to marry him and then kicked her to the curb. I'm really okay. Really. I just need a wiki-pick me up in the form of trashy reality TV that doesn't end with a lynching.
So... will it be Momma's Boys or True Beauty? Decisions, decisions.
11 comments:
i watched true beauty last night. don't tell anyone.
Lord, don't get me started, but that Angel Clare needs a beating, for sure. And yes, you lucked in to one of the more depressing moments/authors in English literary history. Lucky you! I tivo'd that last night but have yet to watch it.
Hardy's novels are really beautiful though.
I watched True Beauty too. :)
Becky, it's worth watching, especially if you won't be caught off guard/disappointed with the ending. ;) Perhaps you can recommend another of Hardy's works that won't leave me feeling like I want to jump off a cliff? One that I can *actually* read so I don't completely dismiss him as a nutter.
And for the record, I flipped back and forth between True Beauty and Momma's Boys. If you listen very carefully you can probably hear my IQ dropping.
We read very few "classics" at LHS...
Jobi, you're right. We did the typical Jane Eyre, Hamlet and a smattering of short stories which sadly were not enough to cultivate a true love of classic literature in me. Reason #57 that I'm bitter about my high school experience.
Definitely stay far away from Jude the Obscure. People need therapy after that one. But I like Return of the Native--it's got a great, scheming girl in it.
Only read it if you really like long descriptions of landscape.
Scheming girl... love it. Off to add it to my library queue! Thanks. =)
I loved Wuthering Heights when I read it. It's the best story of unrequited love ever, and an interesting commentary on classism. I'm kind of excited that it's going to be a miniseries.
And I read that one at LHS, so props to Mr. Moran for bringing the real lit to the table.
See, that's just it Becky, as much as I appreciate great literature I want to read stories of *requited* love. =) My goal right now is to escape from my sorrows, not to dive into other peoples'. I got my own problems!
I do love me some Mr. Moran, though. Oh how I miss that guy.
haha, well at this point in my life, I don't sit around and read Wuthering Heights for fun. Truthfully, I read a lot of young adult fiction because it doesn't require me to think, and I need that sometimes.
Mr. Moran is the principal at Dexter High School now.
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