Index Liborum Liberorum

Index Librorum Liberorum
Toast the taste makers of the religious world

I finished another challenge. This one was difficult.

1.) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert<>France
2.) Les Misérables by Victor Hugo<>France
3.) The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo<>France
4.) Justine by the Marquis de Sade<>France
5.) Candide by Voltaire<>France
6.) The Prince by Niccolὸ AMachiavelli<>Italy
7.) The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene<>England
8.) Paradise Lost by Milton<>England
9.) Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift<>Ireland

Both of the books by Victor Hugo were huge. It was my second time reading Les Mes. Candide and Gulliver's Travels were both fun to read. Justine was a waste of time, money and brain space. It was the only one I agreed with the Vatican on. My favorite off the List was The Power and the Glory. I'll reread that one someday.

Paradise Lost

Paradise Lost by John Milton

"Paradise Lost" is the story of the exile of Adam and Eve from Eden. The book is a 12 part poem. It begins with the fall of Satan from heaven. He then decides to corrupt men to get back at God. It's a wonderful fictionalization of a story we all know well.

I have a special edition from Barnes & Noble complete with the illustrations of Gustave Dore. That's half the beauty of the book.

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo

The hunchback is Quasimodo. He was orphaned at the age of 4 and adopted by Claude Frollo. Frollo is an archdeacon at Notre Dame. Quasimodo is the bell-ringer. He loves the bells but they have left him deaf. He is also deformed. He's an outcast in Paris.

Claude Frollo is devoted to learning. And he falls desperately in love with Esmerelda, a beautiful young gypsy dancer. One night he attempts to abduct her with the help of Quasimodo, but an army officer thwarts their plan. Only Quasimodo is caught. Esmerelda gives him water and he also falls in love with her. He's never had much human kindness. But Frollo isn't giving up. And Paris society decides Esmerelda is a witch and must hang.

Naturally, being Victor Hugo, the book is a commentary on humanity. This time in Paris in the 15th century.

The Prince

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

Machiavelli was born in 1469 in Florence, Italy. His father was a poor lawyer and his mother was a poet. Being a natural politician, he entered into government service. He often accompanied diplomats to neighboring countries, but being of "low" birth he was only an assistant. But his shrewd observations were noticed.

Machiavelli lived in a very volatile era. Italy was divided into city-states. France, Spain and the Holy Roman Empire were continuously invading these territories. The Medici family had controlled Florence for a century, but in 1494 Charles VIII dove them out. Florence becomes a republic until 1512 when the Medici family regain power. Machiavelli is ousted from government and exiled to his country farm. Here he begins writing.

The Prince was his attempt to regain favor with the Medici's and return to government service. In The Prince he attempts to council a new ruler on the methods he should use to keep his kingdom secure. He writes advice on the military, the public, nobility, foreign relations, etc. He picks through battle after battle and explains what went wrong and what should have been done.

The Prince is the book which gave rise to the current Machiavellian definition-cunning and deceptive. He writes "...one looks at the outcome." This has been take to mean "the end justifies the means." But what Machiavelli is saying is that people don't care what a prince does as long as it benefits them. This is true enough.

Justine

Justine by The Marquis de Sade



Justine follows a young girl from the age of 12 to 26. She's determined to be virtuous but circumstances are against her. She keeps getting kidnapped and imprisoned by perverts. Of course, she usually walks into the situation. Some man will tell her he'll give her a job and then lock her in a dungeon when she follows him home. She'll try to talk him into leading a virtuous life and he'll rant on about how Nature makes a man what he is and he shouldn't ignore Nature.

I read this for the ILL challenge, but it is certainly not my cup of tea.

The Power and the Glory

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

The last priest in Mexico is running for his life. The government has decided all priests must be killed or forced to marry. The Power and the Glory is about an unnamed priest who is traveling among the poor towns trying to serve his church as best he can.

He's what's known as a "whiskey priest." During one night of drinking he fathered a child. He remembers better times where he was living good in the priesthood, not thinking much about the poor people in his parish. And now he's hiding from the authorities and depending on those same poor people to help him. He's tired of hiding but considers surrender a sin akin to suicide. He only sees his failures, not realizing he is making a difference in some peoples lives still.

This is a wonderful book. The priest is a great character---full of humility. And he has a nobility he is unaware of.

Madame Bovary

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

Madame Bovary is a bored housewife. A farmers daughter educated in a convent, Emma married the first man she met whim she returned home. Charles Bovary is an uninspiring, unambitious health official for the village/

After Charles assists the Marquis d'Andervilliers, the Bovary's are invited to a ball. Emma thinks they've "arrived". But there is no invitation the next year and Emma becomes depressed. Charles moves her to another town thinking she needs a change of scenery. She meets a law student, Léon Dupris, and the two are attracted but nothing happens. So Léon leaves to continue his studies.

Rich landowner Rodolphe Boulanger meets Emma and decides to seduce her. They carry on an affair for several years, but slowly Emma decides this is not enough.She and Rodolphe decide to run away together. But Rodolphe sends her a Dear John at the last minute. Depression and illness hit Emma again.

After her recovery, she meets Léon again. They begin the affair they missed the first time they met. But, as usual with Emma, this is eventually not enough.

First published in 1857, Madame Bovary caused quite a stir. Considered obscene, it was put on trial the following year. With all the publicity, the book went on to be a bestseller.

There are few likable characters in the book but it's still a great read.

Les Misérables

Les Misérables by Victor Hugo

Les Misérables is the story of Jean Valjean. He lost his parents very young and his older sister raised him. But when he was 25 years old his brother-in-law died. His sister was left a widow with seven children. Jean helped provide for them, but during one period of unemployment he steals some bread. This act gets him 5 years in prison. Various attempted prison breaks eventually lead to a total of 19 years before he is free.

But times in France in the early 19th century are hard and soon after his release, Jean robs a bishop of his silver. He's caught by the police, but the bishop covers for him. He makes Jean Valjean promise to use the silver to become an honest man. But before he commits to this, he steals a coin from a young boy and is identified as a repeat offender.

Years later, after changing his name, he becomes a rich factory owner. One of his employees dies, and Valjean sets out to find her child. But he has raised the suspicion of a policeman named Javert. Once Valjean finds the child, Cosette, He takes her to Paris to raise as his own.

Hugo uses Jean Valjeans life to expound on politics religion and society in general during the turbulent years following the execution of Louis XVI. He adds chapters on history as the book progresses to help set up the events to come. So, educational as well as entertaining. All in all, one of the best books I've ever read.

Gulliver's Travels

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift

Gulliver is a ship's doctor. The book covers 16 years of his adventures at sea. He has gone to the end of the earth and keeps finding strange new countries. There's Lilliput where the people are six inches tall. Next is Brobdignag, where the inhabitants are giants. He finds the flying city of Laputa. And finally the country of Houyhnhnms which is run by a race of intelligent horses who are served by the savage humanoid Yahoos.

Swift writes a satire that covers religion, politics and human nature. It's amusing and thought provoking at the same time. And it was banned. It is critical of the politics of the time. It also critical of the different religions. It was considered wicked and obscene.

Candide

Candide by Voltaire

Candide lived in the magnificent castle of Thunder-ten-tronckh with the Baron and his family. Candide was rumored to be the illegitimate son of the Baron's sister. The tutor to the children, Pangloss, teaches the philosophy "all is for the best in this best of all possible worlds."

The Baron's daughter, Cunégonde, sees Pangloss in an intimate moment with the servant Pacquette. This leads her to tempt the naive Candide. Caught by the Baron, Candide is expelled from the castle.

As Candide travels the world and sees one evil after another, he begins to question the optimistic philosophy taught by Pangloss. During one voyage he meets Martin. Martins philosophy is pessimism that sees evil as the dominate force of the world.

Voltaire's satire pokes at philosophy, religion and government. It's a small book, but it's action-packed and very witty. It's a thought provoking book I'd recommend to everyone.

Challenges

I've been neglectful of my blog---again. I've joined two new challenges and have had to co-ordinate my lists. It's been a chore and involved spreadsheets. Along with my book clubs and reading all the Pulitzer winners, I also have to get in books out of the Book of Great Books. So for the Index Librorum Liberorum I've chosen 8.
1.) Candide by Voltaire
2.) Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
3.) Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
4.) The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
5.) The Prince by Niccolὸ Machaivelli
6.) The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene
7.) Justine by Marquis de Sade
8.) Paradise Lost by Milton

And along with that, I had to rethink my Unread Authors Challenge. By the time the challenge started I had already read 3 of the books. But that's no sweat. I have oodles of authors I haven't read yet. So here's the final choices.
1.) The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
2.) The Locket by Richard Paul Evans
3.) Rose's Garden by Carrie Brown
4.) Notes on a Scandal by Zoë Heller
5.) The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett
6.) O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

Looking forward to reading these.