Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell – author of Mary Barton, my note on this is at https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2023/11/mary-barton-by-elizabeth-gaskell-author.html along with hundreds of other reviews - 8 out of 10

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell – author of Mary Barton, my note on this is at https://realinibarzoi.blogspot.com/2023/11/mary-barton-by-elizabeth-gaskell-author.html along with hundreds of other reviews

 

8 out of 10

 

Elizabeth Gaskell has four books on the 1,000 Novels Everyone Must Read list, Cranford, Mary Barton, Ruth (which I will have to read some time soon, or maybe in the distant future) and the one I most enjoyed so far, North and South https://realini.blogspot.com/2019/11/north-and-south-by-elizabeth-gaskell.html

 

What brings joy to the reader is the feeling that he/she/they can identify with the characters, specifically the most important ones, feel they have shared experiences, values, they long for the same things, and then we can admire what Aristotle gave as his recipe, the magic formula if you will which was verified by Unforgiven…

The master work I have seen again the other day – a new note on it is coming today or tomorrow – wherein you have the protagonist fall down, because he has some flaws, otherwise Aristotle says we would hate it, if he were perfect and downtrodden for no reason, and then we see him at about the same level with us…

 

In moral terms, the great philosopher https://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/aristotle-in-ninety-minutes-by-paul.html wrote about the revelation, and then the reversal of fortune, which could coincide, if we are to obtain maximum effect, just as it happens in Oedipus Rex, the chef d’oeuvre that is one of the 100 Greatest Books of All Time…

Oedipus finds that he has killed his father, he had not known during the encounter, that he is facing his own parent, and then he had married his mother, again, he was unaware that this woman is related to him, and as a consequence, he takes a knife and blinds himself https://realini.blogspot.com/2017/03/oedipus-rex-by-sophocles-and-adapted-by.html

 

Cranford is a small, fictional small town, based on a real place, where we have only women, until Captain Brown arrives – at least this is how I have it – and they have spartan, stoic ways, something I appreciate so much – I identify with the main personage in The Miser https://realini.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-miser-by-moliere.html

Moliere invented this anti-hero, amusing, ludicrous most often, who has though an excellent point ‘we eat to live, and not live to eat’, which in his case was a defense of the cheapness, the manner in which he refused food, and much more to family, guests, servants, something I have complete understanding for, since I also do it

The women of Cranford dress in modest attire, and they say it has to be comfortable, which shows a stoic approach, confirmed by modern studies, there is a phenomenon called Hedonic Adaptation, and then the revelations from the Stumbling On Happiness by Harvard Professor Daniel Gilbert, a fantastic book

 

We assume that we would be happy, if only we were moving to California, a Caribbean or Pacific Island https://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/stumbling-on-happiness-by-david-gilbert.html and when this theory is tested, we see that people adapt to the changes, hence the term Hedonic Adaptation, which applies to a lot of money as well

There is a good sense of humor in Cranford, one woman has a cow, which is kept as a pet, and the poor thing has an accident, captain Brown says it should be put out of its misery, but then another solution is found, put her in oil, have her dressed up, which is amusing, but also shows the good heart that creature had

 

Captain Brown and Miss Jenkyns argue over literature, and the fondness (a bit excessive in her case) for Mister Johnson, then Captain Brown is at the railway station, stumbles, and the train kills him, one of his daughters, the younger is dying and they try to spare her the tragic news, and then they speak to her about meeting her father

Miss Matty Jenkyns is a character I like, although she is not very educated, has trouble spelling, when she writes to Mary Smith, the narrator and a friend, she makes the effort, but when the father is addressed, the letters become illegible, for they don’t know what words she put in there, she does not have enough skills…

 

And she will need them, for due to a bad investment, Matty Jenkyns is left with almost no income, Mary Smith is trying to break the news as genuinely as possible to Martha, the longtime maid, because Miss Jenkyns will have trouble feeding herself, never mind find nourishment for the servant, it will be a crisis soon

Different ways out of the conundrum are envisaged, only with her trouble spelling, also reading difficult words, before she gets there, Matty Jenkyns starts coughing, she would not be able to become a teacher, what can she do to earn a living, and then members of the community offer to help, and anonymously, to avoid office

 

Martha, the maid, shows determination and initiative, she had been allowed to see an initiative suitor – in the beginning, her employment terms provided she has no male acquaintance, or dates – and then she brings him over, says they will marry – he does not want to rush, and embarrasses her by appearing to be hesitant…

Once they are husband and wife – never mind his reluctance – they will be happy to have Matty Jenkins, the former mistress, as their tenant – here again, the would-be husband does not cooperate in the charade, he says he does not like strangers in the house, but would make an exception – and so the maid wants to help the downtrodden woman, the latter would sell tea in the end, and be too generous with her wares…

 

 Now for my standard closing of the note with a question, and invitation – maybe you have a good idea on how we could make more than a million dollars with this http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/unique-in-world.html?q=unique+in+the+world – as it is, this is a unique technique, which we could promote, sell, open the Oscars show with or something and then make lots of money together, if you have the how, I have the product, I just do not know how to get the befits from it, other than the exercise per se

 

 There is also the small matter of working for AT&T – this huge company asked me to be its Representative for Romania and Bulgaria, on the Calling Card side, which meant sailing into the Black Sea wo meet the US Navy ships, travelling to Sofia, a lot of activity, using my mother’s two bedrooms flat as office and warehouse, all for the grand total of $250, raised after a lot of persuasion to the staggering $400…with retirement ahead, there are no benefits, nothing…it is a longer story, but if you can help get the mastodont to pay some dues, or have an idea how it can happen, let me know

 

As for my role in the Revolution that killed Ceausescu, a smaller Mao, there it is http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/realini-in-newsweek-participant-in.html

 

Some favorite quotes from To The Hermitage and other works

 

‘Fiction is infinitely preferable to real life...As long as you avoid the books of Kafka or Beckett, the everlasting plot of fiction has fewer futile experiences than the careless plot of reality...Fiction's people are fuller, deeper, cleverer, more moving than those in real life…Its actions are more intricate, illuminating, noble, profound…There are many more dramas, climaxes, romantic fulfillment, twists, turns, gratified resolutions…Unlike reality, all of this you can experience without leaving the house or even getting out of bed…What's more, books are a form of intelligent human greatness, as stories are a higher order of sense…As random life is to destiny, so stories are to great authors, who provided us with some of the highest pleasures and the most wonderful mystifications we can find…Few stories are greater than Anna Karenina, that wise epic by an often foolish author…’

 

‚Parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus’

 

“From Monty Python - The Meaning of Life...Well, it's nothing very special...Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.”