Thursday, March 9, 2017

BESIDES POLITICS - MIDDLEMARCH AND GRANTCHESTER

When I take breaks from watching, reading, and commenting on politics, I'm watching the Middlemarch TV series on Netflix.  The series is well done, with the quibble that the story seems compressed and speeded up, which I suppose is necessary in translating a long novel to a TV series. Thus, Dorothea Brooke leaps rather quickly and jarringly into admiration for Edward Casaubon and acceptance of his proposal.  I remember more description and preparation for her fall in George Eliot's brilliant novel.

The account of her soul-crushing wrestle with Casaubon's "masterpiece" and his inferior character that led to the suppression of her own character and intelligence and the waste of her life seemed endless in the book.  I'll probably reread the novel, when I finish watching the series.

Also, I'm reading the Grantchester series of mystery stories by James Runcie, upon which the Grantchester TV series is based.  I've just about finished the third book in the series, and I've no doubt spoiled the suspense of some of the future episodes of the TV series, but I thoroughly enjoy the books, so I will continue to read.

Much of the dialogue in the TV series seems to have been taken directly from the books, which is all to the good.  I can't help but picture the characters in the stories as the actors in the series.

2 comments:

  1. Well, I'll have to read the books now, I enjoyed "Grantchester" so much on PBS.

    Thanks; I needed a reading recommendation.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you like them. Try the first, and if you decide to read more, it's helpful to read the books in order.

      Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death (2012)
      Sidney Chambers and the Perils of the Night (2013)
      Sidney Chambers and the Problem of Evil (2014)
      Sidney Chambers and the Forgiveness of Sins (2015)
      Sidney Chambers and the Dangers of Temptation (2016)
      Due in May: Sidney Chambers and the Persistence of Love (2017)

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