For many reasons, this blog has been a real surprise package, fortunately, most welcome. Especially emphasize the relationship has been created with many who pass by here regularly leave their opinion, views and really appreciate that, very often, I have to reflect deeply on many of the titles of which I speak so lightly. And, of course, views are used to much.
As such this book was totally unaware of its existence and if I knew him for the comment of one of the visitors to this page (and am truly sorry to say that I do not remember who in particular). That comment piqued my curiosity, I bought it and, really, I'm glad I did. Just for details like this is worth pursuing with the blog.
"seems reasonable" is a collection of three children's stories of Christina Rossetti, originally published in 1874. They are, without doubt, what most peculiar fairy tale that has given Victorian literature and, in my belief that this was a time of abundance peculiarities.
Christina Rossetti is primarily renowned as a poet and sister of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, painter and poet as pre-Raphaelite it and similar sensitivity. In life, Christina was a rarity. In a deep religiousness, which pervades most of his poetry was, in turn, a fiercely independent woman, who gave up two marriages, in theory, religious differences, and spent much of his time working with works charity (today we would say that in an NGO, belonged to an association that helped prostitutes "repentance"). A woman really paradoxical, bitter spinster in a period in which this condition was almost a crime but at the same time, doubting the right of women to vote. Christina Rossetti a handful of novels left unpublished at his death and has been very claimed in recent years by trends as diverse as feminist critic Harold Bloom or himself.
The fairy tales that are collected in this volume are no exception in Rossetti's career. In fact, the first poem that made him famous ("The market elves") also has a child intentionality, at least apparently. Just as these stories, as so often in fairy tales (and more with the Victorians) hide much more than what they show.
Much of his fame comes from the similarities with the work of Lewis Carroll. Indeed, Rossetti has just unbridled imagination that the author of Alice, are united by the same taste I like word games and penchant for dazzling dreamlike atmosphere and somewhat disturbing. As always happens when I reviewed these classics, the feeling that I have is that they are reading is not how far a child can enjoy or understand and that very often hide a dark and sinister rather peculiar. And this sinister
around all these stories, especially the last where the childhood cruelty to reach almost Dickensian limits. Why cruelty is one of the most striking features in these stories. Cruelty in the tone of the narrator, an aunt scolding and demanding child with his audience, and cruelty on the characters: children who have committed petty offenses, probably unforgivable for any Victorian pro, and therefore are punished in a way that verges on sadism.
course, if the intent of the story is a warning, children at the time they made it clear that the slightest failure would bring irreparable consequences and disproportionate. This exaggeration between crime and punishment do not know to what extent it is an aspect of time that embodies Rossetti convinced, or a way to criticize the prevailing teaching methods in those years. In this sense, the British author is shown as ambiguous as in many other aspects of your life. The end result is fascinating, as I said before disturbing.
A book worth having, among other things, that the tightrope Editorial threw the boat out with editing. Vale, the size is similar to a pocket, and only a hundred pages How much for 15 euros? Maybe not if we consider that the translation is impeccable, the role is of extreme quality that the edition is in hardcover with dust jacket, and includes all original artwork, a delight to make this issue into a virtual facsimile. A job well done that it becomes more attractive if this title.
