This book analyzes the iconographic traditions of Jeremiah and of melancholy to show how Donne; Herbert; and Milton each fashions himself after the icons presented in Rembrandts Jeremiah Lamenting the Destruction of Jerusalem ; Sluters sculpture of Jeremiah in the Well of Moses; and Michelangelos fresco of Jeremiah in the Sistine Chapel.
#1915529 in eBooks 2014-05-27 2014-05-27File Name: B00KLOVWZ2
Review
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful. The book itself is five stars!By BVLenciThis is a review of the Oxford Classic Kindle edition.The book itself is one of the greatest novels ever written; this is maybe the third time Ive read it. Fielding is a master of irony; by which I mean genuine irony; not the mean sarcasm that often passes for irony these days. Fielding is never mean-spirited. His irony is generous and his humor is benevolent. His characters are three-dimensional; never all good or all bad. Before reading this; I had been re-reading several Dickens novels; and the contrast is enormous. A Dickens villain is a villain to the core; and his heroes (and especially his heroines) are saints. Tom instead is a young man with many faults; but a great heart. Sophia; his beloved; is a genuinely good person; but shes got a certain fiery spirit; and has her moments of doubt and remorse.I advise you to read every word of this novel. Its divided into books; and the first chapter of each book is an address to the reader; expounding Fieldings theories on literature and on human nature. An impatient reader might be tempted to skip these; but that would mean missing a lot of worthwhile and enjoyable reading.I have some quibbles with the Kindle edition. There were some mistakes in the passage from print to pixels; but they were not excessive. The biggest problem is that the excellent notes often have a reference to another note; with the page number; e.g.; a note might be only "See note on page 85." As the book proceeds; more and more of the notes are references to earlier notes. However; there is never a link to these earlier notes; and when reading a Kindle; finding the note on page 85 is not an easy matter. Other than that; the Kindle edition is a pleasure to read.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Surprisingly readableBy UmbrasI took a break from it in the middle; but now I finally finished it. Its worth it for the writers voice and sarcastic observations. Much easier to read than I expected. There is even a plot. The only real obstacle to enjoying it is the characters.The world created by the author is a hostile place. 95% of the characters will hang you for a penny. Another 4% will do it out of pure malice. The remaining 1% will condemn you because youre not up to their grotesque moral standards. Chances of survival: 0. But theres a way out of this: simply marry the money or have a title drop into your lap. Then your enemies will turn into your friends; insurmountable obstacles will dissolve; and the hostile world will embrace you; becoming a welcoming place. I didnt enjoy that world; and Im glad it ended with the book.The only sensible character was the "whore" Mrs. Waters. To compare this to space; she is the only one coming from Earth; while all the others are from Neptune and dark reaches of outer space. But I dare not say more; lest I be compared to the "devils most welcome guest".0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. A great novel with helpful footnotesBy Charles KeeI started reading this book in version which included artistic illustrations. I bought this (the Modern Library Classics version) to obtain the footnotes. The notes were helpful. A few of them referred to events later in the book; but this was not a distraction. The first chapter of each book is an essay bearing little relation to the main story. I found it interesting that authors of this period paused the narrative to address the reader directly.
