DR. ZHIVAGO – BORIS PASTERNAK - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 
Amazon.in

Dr. Zhivago was a Russian novel written in 1957 by Boris Pasternak. The novel takes its name from its protagonist, Yuri Zhivago, who is a doctor and a poet. The sweeping action takes place between the Russian Revolution of 1905 and World War II.

Pasternak proved to have an independent stance on the October revolution which made it impossible for the novel to be published in the USSR because the authorities felt that he was anti-Soviet. As a result, the manuscript was smuggled to Milan. It was published in 1957. When the author was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, it was a slap on the face of the Russian Communist Party.

                                                                       Pinterest

‘Dr Zhivago’ has a long meandering plot with several characters with complicated names. Yuri Zhivago’s mother having died when he was young, Yuri is brought up by his uncle, Kolya. He decides to take up medicine and while studying at the University of Moscow, he meets Tonya and marries her. They have a son, Sasha.

However, Yuri’s true love is Lara, a woman he had met twice earlier, under different circumstances. Lara is under the control of her mother’s lover, an older man named Komarovsky, but she is yearning to be out of his clutches. She is married to Pasha, a young soldier who has gone missing in the war and she sets out to look for him.

Though deeply in love with Lara, Yuri stays with his wife and son and they go through dire straits, as times are difficult, and food is scarce. They move to Varyniko where they start leading a better life. Yuri runs into Lara once again, and he has an affair with her. However, he soon repents and decides to break it off with her.

The war is still raging, and Yuri gets captured. He is conscripted to work as a doctor till the end of the war between the Tsar’s Army and the Communists. Once again he finds Lara, the attraction between them as strong as ever. However, Lara finally takes her daughter and goes away with Komarovsky as her former husband, Pasha, is now a leader, and a wanted man.

Yuri returns to Moscow and runs into Marina, an old friend’s daughter, with whom he has two children. Before he can resolve the mess that his love life is in, he succumbs to a heart attack. Lara comes for his funeral, stays for a few days and then disappears, most likely dying in a concentration camp.

The most famous film version of ‘Dr Zhivago’ was by David Lean which had the Egyptian actor, Omar Sharif, playing the title role. Julie Christie was Lara and Geraldine Chaplin played Tonya. The film was widely considered a classic and won five Oscars. The haunting ‘Lara’s Theme’ created by Maurice Jarre, can never be forgotten for its sheer melody and romance.

                                               Julie Christie and Omar Sharif

Pinterest

In 2002, a British television series starred Hans Metheson, Keira Knightley and Alexandra Maria Lara. A musical by the same name came out in 2011.

 I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

YOGI BEAR - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

                                                                      Pinterest

Yogi Bear is an American cartoon character, a popular character who walks and talks, clad in a porkpie hat and a necktie. He first appeared in various comics, like Dell, Gold Key, Charlton, Marvel, DC and Harvey, each showcasing his adventures and antics in the fictional Jellystone National Park, which mimicked the real Yellowstone National Park. Not surprisingly, these comics were avidly devoured by children across the world. In February 1961, the Yogi Bear comic strip was created by Gene Hazelton, and it ran successfully from then till 1988. The distributors were the McNaught Syndicate.

                                                          Yogi Bear -Wikipedia

Yogi Bear made his debut as a supporting character in the Huckleberry Hound show in 1958. Created by Hanna-Barbera, Yogi Bear was modelled on the character of Ed Norton in the television series ‘The Honeymooners’. Soon, he eclipsed Huckleberry Hound and was given his own show in 1961 called ‘The Yogi Bear Show’. In 1964, a musical animated film titled ‘Hey, There, It’s Yogi Bear’ was released.

                                                                    Amazon.com

There is a reason why Yogi Bear wore a collar, like several other Hanna-Barbera characters. This kept his body stationary, and they only had to redraw his head to change shots when he spoke. This brought costs down reducing the number of drawings required for a cartoon that was seven minutes long from a gargantuan 14,000 to around 2000, which made perfect financial sense.

Yogi Bear had a companion named Boo-Boo Bear, a dwarf bear with a blue neck tie, an accomplice who supported him in all his antics, many of which ended in stealing food from the campers’ picnic baskets. Ranger Parker Smith kept a look-out but his efforts were often foiled by the two bears, much to his chagrin. Yogi Bear’s girlfriend, Cindy Bear, appeared in many of the stories, and ended up frowning at his misdemeanours.

                                                          Boo-Boo - Pinterest

What made Yogi Bear so loved was the way he spoke – the catch phrases he used. His normal greeting was an excitable ‘Hey, Hey, Hey!” He enjoyed pilfering picnic baskets, pronouncing the word as ‘pic-a-nic’. What sent his audiences into raptures was his assumption that he was cleverer than most, and the way he put that across – “I am smarter than the av-er-age bear!” He often tried to use long words and puns on his speech, often even resorting to rhyme.

For decades, Yogi Bear’s voice was done by Daws Butler. After he passed away, many others carried on, lending their voices to the popular character – Greg Burson, Billy West, Jeff Bergman and Scott Innes. In 2010, actor Dan Ackroyd did the honours in the ‘Yogi Bear’ film.

Hann-Barbera went a step further when they created instructional Yogi Bear comics on topics like first aid,  (Creative First Aid: Yogi’s Bear Facts) and earthquake preparedness (Yogi: The Be-Prepared Bear: Earthquake Preparedness for Children -1984 and Yogi’s Bear Facts: Earthquake Preparedness - 1988)

I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

XENA: WARRIOR PRINCESS - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 
Amazon.in

Xena was a warrior princess, the protagonist in a series of eight books by RU Emerson. She was depicted as having a dark past, and to redeem herself, she had made it her quest to help people in need through her amazing fighting skills.

The daughter of Cyrene and Atrius, Xena also had two brothers, one of who was dead. Initially she was portrayed as a villain, who spent her days plundering and looting, but she later turned into a heroine, as she joined hands with the legendary Hercules to defeat her enemy, Darphus, who had robbed her of her army.

Xena had her sidekick, Gabrielle, a bard, who was just the opposite of the reticent Xena. Gabrielle was garrulous and naïve and made life interesting. She was a Greek native and had escaped from her dull life so that she could have some adventures. She soon turned into a close ally of Xena’s, her confidant and soulmate. As the story progressed, both their characters evolved in different ways.

                                                              Gabrielle and Xena

Pinterest

The adventures of Xena had their share of admirers, which led to the television series titled Xena: Warrior Princess, played by the actress from New Zealand, Lucy Lawless. It was no easy task as the actress suffered several mishaps on the sets, right from getting hit on the head, wounded by swords and even breaking her hip.

Xena and Hercules had a short romantic entanglement, and even after they ended the relationship, they continued as close friends, each convinced that the other was needed in this world.

Xena’s favoured weapon was the chakram, a sharp razor-edged weapon with which she could throw and wound her enemies. Also adept at many other weapons, she was inspirational, a master tactician and strategist. Along with her mental and her martial powers, she also used telekinesis and energy projection.

In 2004, Xena found her place in history when she was listed at number 100 in Bravo’s 100 Greatest TV Characters. The comic book adventures of Xena were equally popular where Xena and her allies were involved in a feud that influenced even the heavens, as they took up arms against the ruthless Callisto.

The Comic Book Adventures

Amazon.in

I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

THE WEIRD SISTERS – MACBETH - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 
Amazon.in

First Witch:

“When shall we three meet again,

In thunder, lightning or in rain?”

Second Witch:

When the hurly-burly’s done,

When the battle’s lost and won.

Third Witch:

That will be ere the set of sun

First Witch:

Where the place?

Second Witch:

Upon the heath

Third Witch:

There to meet with Macbeth.

Act 1, Scene 1 - Macbeth

What a brilliant way to start a play! The three Witches, also known as the three Weird Sisters, meet on a dark, stormy night on the heath, setting the ominous theme of the play from the very start. The audience sits at the end of their seats, unsettled by the light and sound effects, as the three hags speak in short, dramatic lines.

                                                                  QuotesGram              

       Macbeth, often known as, Shakespeare’s shortest tragedy was one of his most popular plays as well, maybe because it was dramatic and filled with action. The Weird Sisters were the harbingers of what was to come in the play, and in the protagonist, Macbeth’s, own life as well. Macbeth was an upcoming general, but as in the case of all Shakespeare’s tragic heroes, he had a tragic flaw as well – his blind ambition. It was this flaw that was exploited by the Weird Sisters as they lured him with prophecies that sounded true but were laced with falsehood. As Banquo, Macbeth’s friend, warned him,

“But ‘tis strange./ And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,/ The instruments of darkness tell us truths,/ Win us with honest trifles, to betray ‘s/In deepest consequences.”

However, Macbeth does not heed him, and he believes blindly in the prophecies of the Weird Sisters. Already the Thane of Glamis, when he turns into the Thane of Cawdor as well, according to their prophecies, he then aims at the crown of Scotland.

The plot becomes easy when King Duncan honours the victorious Macbeth by spending a night under his roof. It is then that Lady Macbeth comes into play, a strong woman with a warped mind, and incites her husband to murder the king and seize the throne.

Macbeth’s ambition makes him see his close friend, Banquo, as a threat to the throne through his descendants. He succeeds in getting rid of Banquo, but Banquo’s son, Fleance, escapes to make the prophecy of the Weird Sisters come through. Banquo’s progeny will sit on the throne in due course of time as Macbeth will not have a son to succeed him.

The last time the Weird Sisters meet Macbeth, their prophecies are even more unbelievable. They assure him that he will be safe till Birnam Wood moves to Dunsinane, and no one “of woman born” will be able to harm him. Macbeth is elated to hear this, because he feels that it is impossible for these events to come true.

However, once again, the Weird Sisters have used half truths to convince a man who has lost his wife to madness already. His guilty mind causes him to see the ghost of Banquo. Finally, when events go against him, he realises that he has been played like a puppet by the wicked Sisters who have led him to his doom.

                              The Ghost of Banquo Painting by Theodore Chasseriau
                                                                   Pinterest

The term ‘Weird Sisters’ was first used by Scottish writers to describe the Three Fates of Roman and Greek mythology, who are supposed to have control over men’s lives as they have ultimate knowledge about their destinies.

In Holinshed’s chronicles, the original inspiration for Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the Sisters were shown to be noblewomen with elaborate dresses and hair dos. Maybe the Bard wanted to dramatize them further, and he changed their appearance, making them withered and wild, with beards that belied their gender.

Orson Welles placed ‘Macbeth’ in Haiti in his film adaptation where he made the Weird Sisters voodoo priestesses. Some of the other film versions were the Japanese ‘Throne of Blood’ by Akira Kurosawa, Roman Polanski’s ‘Macbeth’ (1971) and Joel Coen’s ‘The Tragedy of Macbeth’ (2021). In the last mentioned, British actress Kathryn Hunter played the roles of all the three Weird Sisters.

Kathryn Hunter who played all the Three Weird Sisters (The Tragedy of Macbeth)

Indiewire.com

Interestingly, JK Rowling has often mentioned the Weird Sisters as an influence in her Harry Potter series.

I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

 

VIOLA - TWELFTH NIGHT - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

VIOLA - TWELFTH NIGHT

Viola in Twelfth Night is one of Shakespeare’s strongest heroines, who plays a pivotal role in the play. Her actions propel the actions of the play as well. At the beginning, we hear of Viola being shipwrecked off the shores of Illyria. Her twin brother, Sebastian, was also in the ship, but there is no sign of him, and she has no idea if he has survived or not. The captain of the ship informs her that Illyria is being ruled by Count Orsino, and that of late, he has been pining in the love of Lady Olivia.

Viola Has nowhere to go. She decided to dress up like a man and serve the duke. She calls herself Cesario and gets enrolled as a page in the duke’s household. Favourably impressed by the winning manner of his new page, Orsino sends Cesario (Viola) as an envoy to Olivia to declare his love for her.

The comedy of errors begins when Viola herself falls in love with Orsino. Meanwhile, Lady Olivia finds Cesario attractive and thinks that she is in love with him, little realising that she is a woman in disguise. When she sends her ring to Cesario, professing her love, Viola is drawn into the love triangle without knowing how to resolve it.

It is at this moment that Sebastian, Viola’s twin brother, lands up to add to the confusion. Olivia sees him and forces him to marry her, thinking that he is Cesario. Sebastian is only too happy to oblige as she is a beautiful and wealthy lady. He cannot believe his luck.

The absurd love triangle continues, with Orsino getting incensed when he assumes that Olivia has married his page. However, the mistaken identity plot, which is a common motif in many of the Bard’s plays, builds up in momentum till Cesario and Sebastian come face to face and recognise each other, much to their joy.

While Olivia is red-faced at having fallen in love with a woman, she conveniently transfers her affections to Sebastian. Orsino falls out of love with Olivia and suddenly realises that Viola is actually a woman who has been talking about her love for him. He promptly decides to marry her and all’s well that ends well.

Viola is, thus, the most impressive character in the whole play. Her strength of character and her perseverance make her one of Shakespeare’s most popular women characters. Despite being shipwrecked at the start with no place to go to, she plays her cards well and manages to steal the show. She joins the other female characters of Shakespeare like Portia and Rosalind who dress in male garb to achieve their aims.

Twelfth Night was first adapted as a silent film in 1910. This was followed by the Orson Welles version in 1933. In 1996, director Trevor Nunn brought out his adaptation of the play starring Ben Kingsley, Imogen Stubbs and Helena Bonham Carter as Orsino, Viola and Olivia.

‘She’s the Man’ was a modern adaptation of Twelfth Night on the sets of an American high school. The language was also modern, and the film was directed by Andy Fickman , starring Amanda Bynes and Channing Tatum. 

 

  I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

ULYSSES – THE GREEK HERO -#BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 
Amazon.in

Ulysses or Odysseus was the hero of Homer’s epic poem titled ‘The Odyssey’. He also played a significant role in ‘The Iliad’, also by Homer. He was the son of Laertes and Anticlea, and supposedly the great-grandson of Hermes, the messenger god of Olympus. He was married to the beautiful and wise Penelope and had a son, Telemachus. He ruled over the kingdom of Ithaca.

The legend goes that when Helen of Troy eloped with Paris, the prince of Greece, her husband Menelaus, the king’s brother, called all her suitors together to get her back. This step led to the Trojan War, which is the theme of The Iliad.

In those days, it is believed that the gods often spoke to humans through oracles. One such oracle prophesied that if Ulysses took part in the Trojan War, he would spend years abroad before he finally returned home. Ulysses had no intention of going to war, and hence, he pretended to be a lunatic. He tethered together an ox and a donkey on to his plough and started sowing salt on his fields. Agamemnon, the brother of Menelaus, saw through his ruse. He ordered Palamedes to place the little son of Ulysses, Telemachus, in front of the plough. When Ulysses swung the plough away, he revealed the fact that he was as sane as anyone else.

Ulysses was one of the wisest and most influential Greek champions. It was he, along with Nestor and Idomeneus, who kept the Greeks together. He was always the man of reason, a clear-headed warrior known for his wisdom and his diplomatic skills. The stratagem of the Trojan Horse was devised by him, where a giant horse filled with Greek enemy soldiers was offered as an offering to Goddess Athena and hence, allowed into the ramparts of Troy. In the darkness of night, while the Trojans were celebrating, the Greek soldiers disembarked from within the horse, and sacked the city of Troy which had held out for so long. This clearly brings out the cunning of Ulysses.

                                                                  Unsplash

The Odyssey was the saga of Ulysses’ trip home to Ithaca which took ten long years, as prophesied by the oracle, and the adventures he had on his way. He and his men were lost at sea and reached the island of the Lotos-Eaters, from which they escaped. They were captured by the Cyclops, Polyphemus, and entranced by the Goddess Circe and her Sirens. Their ship also narrowly escaped the six-headed monster, Scylla, and the perilous whirlpool, Charybdis.

After twenty long years, when he finally got home, the Goddess Athena disguised him as a wandering beggar so that he could see what was happening back home.

Penelope, his faithful wife, had been besieged by suitors, and she had promised them that she would marry the one who could string her husband’s bow. None of them could do so. Finally, Ulysses strung his bow, revealed himself and slaughtered all the suitors, after which he lived happily (hopefully!) ever after.

Alfred Tennyson wrote his famous poem ‘Ulysses’ in which an aging Ulysses looks back at his life of adventure and seeks out his old comrades “to sail beyond the sunset”. James Joyce also named his novel ‘Ulysses’ and created a protagonist, Leopold Bloom, who spent a day that mimicked Ulysses’ ten-year period of travelling.

                                                                  Pinterest

An interesting book that I recently read is ‘The Penelopiad’ by Margaret Atwood in 2005 that retold the story from Penelope’s viewpoint.

Myriad films have been made on the Greek hero over the years, the most popular ones having Ulysses played by Kirk Douglas (1955) in ‘Ulysses’, John Drew Barrymore (1961) in ‘The Trojan Horse’, Piero Lulli (1962) in ‘The Fury of Achilles’ and ‘Sean Bean’ (2002) in ‘Troy’.

 
Amazon.com

The word 'odyssey' has now come to mean a long, eventful journey filled with adventure or experience.

  I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

TYRION LANNISTER - A GAME OF THRONES - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 
Amazon.in

Even American author, George RR Martin, would never have envisaged how popular his fantasy series titled ‘A Game of Thrones’ would become as people thronged to read the first book, 'A Song of Fire and Ice',  and its sequels. The television series put faces to the characters created by the author, further adding on to his éclat. However, readers savoured the books which satisfied their thirst for details and gave them more information than the TV series could ever do.

Lord Tyrion Lannister was a huge factor in this popularity. Known as ‘the Imp’ or ‘the Halfman’, he was the favourite character of the author’s as well. Tyrion was resented by his father, Tywin Lannister, the patriarch of House Lannister for two reasons. First, his mother died in childbirth and secondly, Tyrion was born a dwarf. He had eyes of two different colours – green and black. His habit of staring at people often made them uncomfortable.

                                                              Tyrion Lannister

Pinterest

Tyrion lived in style to mitigate his inadequacies, enjoying a lifestyle with wine and self-indulgence. His wit was rapier sharp and when a civil war broke out, he was in the thick of it, winning it by a narrow margin. He was a trained soldier and showed his bravery in battle. 

As in many high-class establishments, relationships were rather strained, especially with Tyrion’s sister, Cersei, because she looked down upon the dwarf. Cersei was married to King Robert Baratheon and hence, was Queen of Westeros. In contrast, Jaime, Cersei’s twin brother was fond of Tyrion and treated him with love and respect.

Tyrion had a natural wit which kept him afloat in many a situation. His sense of humour and his cunning revealed that he was the most intelligent character in the book though he was often underestimated. When he was accused of his nephew, Joffrey’s murder, Cersei pointed a finger at him even though he was innocent. Pushed to the brink, Tyrion committed a couple of murders which would haunt him throughout his life.

‘A Game of Thrones ‘meandered across eight seasons, with bloody action, explicit scenes and vigorous action. It was populated with myriad characters, interesting in their own ways, but Tyrion Lannister continued to hold the attention right through.

                                                               Wallpaper Flare

Peter Dinklage, the actor, who played the role in the television series, was a casting coup. He was incredibly smart and witty, and his own nature resembled that of Tyrion’s in many ways. For this role, he has won seven awards and 37 nominations.

 Tyrion’s wit often came out in one-liners like the following:

“A mind needs books like a sword needs a whetstone.”

“One you have accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you.”

“People often hunger for truth but seldom like the taste when it is served up.”

 

                                                                 Pinterest

  I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

SWAMI – SWAMI AND FRIENDS - #BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

                                                             librarywala.com

Malgudi appeared on the Indian landscape when the inimitable R.K. Narayan created this idyllic village which he populated with interesting characters, with all the foibles and characteristics that would appeal to generations of readers across time. Swami is one of his most loveable creations – a spirited ten-year-old Swaminathan and his gang of friends.

Swami lives with his parents and grandmother in Malgudi and attends the Albert Mission school. He enjoys life with his friends – Mani, Somu, Sankar and Samuel. When a new boy, Rajam, joins the school, Swami feels a little overshadowed as the boy is the son of a well-to-do police superintendent. However, after the initial bout of rivalry, they turn into good friends.

Swami, being naturally high-spirited, manages to get expelled from two schools. The first time he breaks the headmaster’s office window, as he participates in Gandhiji’s non-cooperative movement. The second is when he plays truant to play a cricket match. After being expelled, Swami runs away from home, but his fervour does not last long as he gets tired and hungry. When he is finally found and brought home, he is happy.

Meanwhile, his friends have lost the cricket match and Rajam is angry with Swami, and breaks off his friendship with him, something which saddens Swami. The next blow comes when Rajam and his family decide to relocate to another city. Swami rushes to the railway station to bid farewell to Rajam, and hands over a copy of Hans Christen Anderson’s Fairy Tales. It is a poignant moment as he asks Rajam if he would ever return, but the latter’s answer gets drowned as the train leaves, leaving poor loyal Swami in tears.

It was Graham Greene who read ‘Swami and Friends’ and was impressed enough to find Narayan a publisher. He stayed with Narayan through the process and when the book was published, Narayan expressed his gratitude through an inscription on his copy which read – “But for you, Swami would be at the bottom of Thames now.”

‘Swami and Friends’ was R.K. Narayan’s first novel, followed by two others, ‘The Bachelor of Arts’ and ‘The English Teacher’. On 5^th November 2019, ‘Swami and Friends’ was listed as one of the 100 most influential novels by BBC.

                                                                Times of India

Actor Director Shankar Nag adapted ‘Swami and Friends’ into a television series titled Malgudi days in 1986. Musician L Swaminathan’s catchy title music still rings in my ears, and I recall that, at that time, the whole country was before their TV sets, savouring the landscape and the saga of Malgudi, and the adventures of Swami, played by the adorable young actor, Master Manjunath. And who else could have done the sketches but the equally talented R.K. Laxman?

 
                                                     Hotstar

  I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

REBECCA – DAPHNE DU MAURIER -#BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

 
Goodreads

“Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.”

The opening lines of the Gothic novel, ‘Rebecca’ by Daphne Du Maurier stay in the mind of the reader as the story unfolds through the narration of a naïve young woman who is the companion of a wealthy elderly woman holidaying in Monte Carlo. The 24-year-old woman, whose first name is not mentioned in the book, is having a difficult time, pandering to the whims of her employer who leaves no opportunity to belittle her.

It is then that she runs into Maxim de Winter, a rich widower of 42, who sweeps her off her feet. After a whirlwind courtship, she agrees to marry him much to the consternation of her employer.

After the wedding and honeymoon, the couple go to Manderley, de Winter’s beautiful mansion in Cornwall. The narrator is still nameless, described mainly as the Mrs. de Winter or ‘my wife’. It is when she gets to Manderley and meets the sinister Mrs. Danvers, the housekeeper, that she realises that there was another Mrs. de Winter before her, a beautiful creature named Rebecca, the apple of Mrs. Danvers’ eye, who had died a year before in a sailing accident.

From then on, it is a battle between the young lady and the housekeeper. Nothing the former does is good enough; neither her looks, appearance, manners or her bearing. Mrs. Danvers snubs her at every opportunity. Even Maxim seems to have changed in this house and she feels that he regrets having married her. She finds herself isolated in the big cold house.

                                                               Mrs. Danvers

medium.com

The young bride tries to lighten the atmosphere by organising the Manderley costume ball which had been a custom when Rebecca was alive. However, the event goes horribly wrong when Mrs. Danvers slyly persuades her to wear the same costume that Rebecca had worn, at the sight of which Max loses his cool.

The novel meanders on to a chilling climax as horrific truths tumble out and the narrator has a narrow escape from death. The final truth is when Max confesses what a sham his marriage with Rebecca had been and how she had deceived him. All is well that ends well, but the twists and turns supplied by Daphne du Maurier are truly magnificent. Some commentators have noticed parallels between Rebecca and Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. Another book by du Maurier, Jamaica Inn, also resembled Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights. In 1938,Rebecca won the National Book Award for favourite novel. In 2017, it was voted Britain's favourite book over the past 225 years in a poll.The most famous film version of the book was by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. Starring Laurence Olivier as Max, Joan Fontaine as his wife and Dame Judith Anderson as Mrs. Danvers, the film won the Academy Award that year.

                                                                The Guardian 

 

The Nerd Daily 

A Netflix version came out in 2020 with Armie Hammer, Lily James and Kristin Scott Anderson. The novel was adapted for the theatre and the radio as well. In 1939, du Maurier herself adapted Rebecca as a stage play and it had over 350 successful performances. Even today, it remains on of the classics in English literature as in 2019, the BBC listed it as one of the 100 most inspiring novels of all times.

 I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com

QUASIMODO – THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME - BLOGCHATTERA2ZCHALLENGE2022

                                                                        Pinterest

When I was growing up, my mother would tell me stories in her inimitable manner, and I would absorb them like a little sponge. ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ by Victor Hugo was one story that entranced me from the very beginning. This was the tale of a hunchback named Quasimodo who was abandoned at the cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, on Quasimodo Sunday, the first Sunday after Easter. Claude Frollo, the Archdeacon of Notre Dame took pity on the mite and adopted him and named him after the day he was found.

The poor creature, who was deaf and half blind, was born deformed with a hunchback and a huge wart over his left eye. Often described as ‘hideous’ and ‘a creation of the devil’, Quasimodo had a lonely childhood, as he turned into the bell ringer of Notre Dame. He was devoted to Claude Frollo because he looked upon him as a saviour. It is for this reason that he assisted the latter in accosting a beautiful young woman named Esmeralda.

Claude Frollo was fascinated with the young woman. As Quasimodo tried to kidnap Esmeralda, a handsome Captain named Phoebus de Chateaupers arrived and prevented him from doing so.  Quasimodo was captured and flogged in public as the crowd jeered at him. Claude Frollo did not lift a finger to help the hunchback, and as the poor creature pleaded for water, it was Esmeralda who offered him a refreshing sip of water.

That little act of kindness touched Quasimodo and from that moment, he was Esmeralda’s devoted slave. Claude Frollo, who had a malicious streak, stabbed Phoebus in a jealous rage because he realised that Esmeralda was in love with him. In an unfortunate turn of events, Esmeralda was accused of the attempted murder and was sent to the gallows, but Quasimodo came down from Notre Dame and rescued her by carrying her into the cathedral.

The final straw was when Frollo allowed Esmeralda to be hanged and Quasimodo’s mighty heart broke. He avenged her death by killing his master by pushing him down from the heights of Notre Dame. Quasimodo was never seen again.

This tragic saga by Victor Hugo brought attention to the Gothic beauty of the cathedral of Notre Dame which had fallen into disrepair at the time. The story confirmed the influence of destiny strongly. The book became so popular that it led to the much-needed renovations at the cathedral.

                                                 The Cathedral of Notre Dame

Unsplash

Numerous film versions of the book have come out over the decades, the earliest being Esmeralda, a short French film in 1905, followed by The Hunchback of Notre Dame, another silent film in 1911.

In 1939, a version was brought out starring Charles Laughton and Maureen O’Hara as Quasimodo and Esmeralda. Anthony Quinn and Gina Lollobrigida were a famous pair who played the main roles in the 1956 French film with the same name. An animated version also became popular in 2002, with Demi Moore doing the voice over for Esmeralda.

                                                                   Esmeralda 

Pinterest

The book had had such an impact that it was adapted to every medium possible – radio, theatre, music, musical theatre, ballet and even video games.

The name ‘Quasimodo’ refers to someone with “a courageous heart beneath a grotesque exterior”.

 

                                              Antony Quinn and Gina Lollobrigida

Pinterest

I am participating in the #Blogchatter A to Z Challenge! Happy Reading and Writing! :)

https://www.theblogchatter.com