Two Heavy-Hitters and a change of pace

Recently I have begun reading two different, but similarly famous and important works. One of non-fiction, a scientific book of ground-breaking discovery still hotly debated today. The second is fiction, but of such vast scope in terms of theme and plot that it has spawned many tropes used successfully by other authors for over a century. They are namely –

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin
And
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (pere)

Oh how to “review” either book when I’m finished? Oh how to parse meaning from individual passages and chapters? Oh how to summarize and condense such mammoth and important works? I can’t even try it. It would be insulting to both. So I’m taking a different tack. I’m going to break down my reading into multiple entries in more of a diary or journal style. Usually when I’m reading I take notes as I go along and later use them for reviews. This time I’m going to use those notes for this ongoing reporting type approach. I’ll keep one entry to one book and probably alternate as I go along.

As a preface, I’ll describe the editions I’m reading since both books have many and the variations can be important. The Darwin book is a sumptuously illustrated and annotated version from Sterling Publishing, edited by David Quammen. Published to coincide with the 150 year anniversary of the original publication of the book, this one is extraordinary in the fact that it’s illustrated. Rich with drawings, paintings, diagrams and excerpts from Darwin’s earlier book, The Voyage of the Beagle, it is a treat to read. And read you must. With close scrutiny that often has me reading aloud just so I can understand what Darwin meant. Not that the language so far is difficult or imprecise, but it is 19th century English so takes a 21st century brain a bit of getting used to. The text is from the 1st edition and is unabridged and complete. I’ve wanted both to read this book and this edition for a long time and so it’s really a joy to finally be able to. If you want to see more about this book, hit the Amazon website. It’s the only one I found so far that has pages scanned in so you can see what makes it special. LINK HERE

The Dumas book is an audio. Yes, I admit it, I was daunted both by its sheer length and French origin. The narrator is John Lee and he’s doing a very good job so far. His normal speaking voice is English accented, but his pronunciation of French terms and place-names is French. He has a subtle range of voices he uses for the characters that have appeared so far and I can tell who is speaking just by the sound. I expect that if there is a long time between the appearances of a character, I might have to rely on Dumas’s text to fill me in, but that’s OK. I’ve read from a source on audible.com that this is the Lorenzo Carcaterra translation if that means anything to anyone. It doesn’t to me since I’m unfamiliar with either his or others work in general terms or specific to The Count of Monte Cristo. I also have a Project Gutenberg PDF version, but it does not list a translator.

One thing I appreciate about reading these books in the internet age is that I can search for and find information that will help me understand the world as it was when these men wrote their books. Why Bonapartism was important and how it affects the plot of Monte Cristo. Also a handy list of characters and their relationships which I’m sure will confuse me in the dozens of chapters to come. What the commonly held beliefs and norms were that Darwin was challenging and why his ideas were so revolutionary. Ah the information age.

So anyway, expect to see multiple entries for both books in the upcoming weeks (months?) and feel free to chime in and start conversations about both as I go along. Half of what’s great about these books is the dawning awareness and understanding that bubbles in my brain as I read them and I’m happy to be able to share it with so many.