I really hate Victorian melodrama

[de_nial]

I felt like ranting about this earlier, but now I am to tired and in too much of a good mood.
Suffice it to say that I have stopped reading Mary Barton because I am so sick of that melodramatic bullshit (and it's not even good melodramatic bullshit!) and can't stand getting pissed-off every time I sit down to read something I'm supposed to enjoy.

Comments

[de_nial]

Regency novels seem to be pretty safe. Either they're Jane Austen, or they're so silly I can just laugh at them. So. Yes. Regency era to the rescue!

Regarding your title: is it meant to be taken as "Force Sense" and "Sensibility", or does force in this case apply to both of the words that come after it, as in, "Russian language and literature" (in which case maybe it could be "Force Sense/Force Sensibility" or somesuch)? And if it's the later, what exactly is Force Sensibility, and how does it differ from Force Sense? I mean, I'm just askin'. These are important questions!

[spacklegeek]

Good to know. I was thinking about checking out her other books after finishing North & South, but perhaps I will move onto other things. My host just lent me her copy of The Lady in White, and it looks like it could be just the ticket. Have you read it?

[de_nial]

Haven't read The Lady in White--it's been on my to-read list for a while, but now I'm so sick of that field I'm a little leery. Let me know what you think of it.
To be fair to Gaskell, I really quite like her other books I've read. Wives and Daughters is definitely worth a read, as is Cranford, if nothing else. It's just Mary Barton I can't seem to stand--think all the stuff she did with Bessy's character, plus arguments against Trade Unions and defending masters, and you'll see what I mean. Plus, it was her first book, and it very much shows--she hasn't mastered her storytelling yet. Also, I probably shouldn't have started to read this so quickly after Vanity Fair--too many Victorian genre tropes in close proximity.