i want to read Eugene Onegin but i’m scared i’m not gonna fully grasp and appreciate its literal poetic form since it’s a novel in verse… should i learn more about form or jump into it anyway ?
No, I think you should just jump into it!! Just keep in mind it’s different to reading prose. I see it as mini poems or scenes that form the complete story, and within these stanzas there is (usually) so many details or hidden meanings, so I like to analyse or write notes as I go ( eg. the underlying tones, maybe repeated motifs, guessing at what the protagonist will do etc.) to get the most out of it and to make it more enjoyable. For me, verse is immediately immersive (whereas with normal prose novels there is often a slow build. To be immersed, one must continue reading from start to end and only then do things make sense. If you were to randomly read five sentences in a novel, it would, most likely, not mean much - in verse, five lines can be extremely meaningful without the greater context) so I like to approach it as such. I think you just have to start reading and the beauty of the form will be obvious. You’ll be able to appreciate and grasp it as you read! That was an unnecessarily long answer hahah sorry, the answer: just jump into it. If you read Onegin, let me know your thoughts!! I’m currently reading it atm and it’s (so far) perfection :)
@@keeleyalanalestrange oh don't even apologize for the (not unnecessary) long answer, i love it and, after all we're talking about Russian Literature :) Thank you for taking the time to write it. Well, i'm gonna follow your advice then :D never read Pouchkine and i was gonna start with a more shortstory-like work like the Belkin Tales, but i'll dive into Eugene Onegin first as soon as i'll finish my current read. By the way i'm thinking about what you said about the feeling of translations VS source material and, isn't it even more true and crucial for poetry / verse novels... as a french native speaker (i don't feel confident enough to read classics in english haha) i'm hoping the french translation will correctly convey the authentic feelings of the book. Anyways, i'm gonna think of your things to keep in mind as i'll read it, and in the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on it on your channel :)
All such great reads
So many books and so little time! Best wishes and happy reading!
Thank you!
Love how you're obviously erudite and thoughtful, but also modest about it.
That’s very kind, thank you!
love it so much
Thank you! 🤍
i want to read Eugene Onegin but i’m scared i’m not gonna fully grasp and appreciate its literal poetic form since it’s a novel in verse… should i learn more about form or jump into it anyway ?
No, I think you should just jump into it!! Just keep in mind it’s different to reading prose. I see it as mini poems or scenes that form the complete story, and within these stanzas there is (usually) so many details or hidden meanings, so I like to analyse or write notes as I go ( eg. the underlying tones, maybe repeated motifs, guessing at what the protagonist will do etc.) to get the most out of it and to make it more enjoyable.
For me, verse is immediately immersive (whereas with normal prose novels there is often a slow build. To be immersed, one must continue reading from start to end and only then do things make sense. If you were to randomly read five sentences in a novel, it would, most likely, not mean much - in verse, five lines can be extremely meaningful without the greater context) so I like to approach it as such.
I think you just have to start reading and the beauty of the form will be obvious. You’ll be able to appreciate and grasp it as you read!
That was an unnecessarily long answer hahah sorry, the answer: just jump into it. If you read Onegin, let me know your thoughts!! I’m currently reading it atm and it’s (so far) perfection :)
@@keeleyalanalestrange oh don't even apologize for the (not unnecessary) long answer, i love it and, after all we're talking about Russian Literature :) Thank you for taking the time to write it. Well, i'm gonna follow your advice then :D never read Pouchkine and i was gonna start with a more shortstory-like work like the Belkin Tales, but i'll dive into Eugene Onegin first as soon as i'll finish my current read. By the way i'm thinking about what you said about the feeling of translations VS source material and, isn't it even more true and crucial for poetry / verse novels... as a french native speaker (i don't feel confident enough to read classics in english haha) i'm hoping the french translation will correctly convey the authentic feelings of the book. Anyways, i'm gonna think of your things to keep in mind as i'll read it, and in the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on it on your channel :)