Indecision

This weekend, I finished George Eliot's The Mill on the Floss (also for the British novels class). It's hard to say what I thought of it. I want to call it a dense book, but that isn't the right word. Analytical is better. Detailed I like more. It takes a very long time to say anything, even for Victorian novels. It definitely has its moments of beautiful language, and some of the plot is engaging, but is that enough? Is that enough when many times the text feels so dry in its detailed account? It depends on the reader. I can't say it was my favorite book, and I can hardly say I'll be rushing out for more George Eliot.

I'm reminded of my thoughts on her Silas Marner a few years ago. That book is much shorter, so I decided that it was a "nice little book." I believe I specifically said that it was nice, being the short length that it is, and if it was longer, it wouldn't be so worth reading. The Mill on the Floss is a long book, not a short, hence my indecision. If it, too, had taken less time to get its point across, I think I would think better thoughts on it. (Which isn't to say I have anything against long books in general; they just need to merit their length).

Now that I'm finished with this one, I've started Ovid's Metamorphoses for another class. Spring Break tempts me to do no work, but I know I'll regret it later if I don't make use of this extra time, so here it goes. I read Book I this morning; hopefully Books II and III will follow this afternoon and evening. I am pleasantly surprised, though, at how enjoyable it is so far. I was under the impression that the verse would slow down the reading, but it quickens it, instead. Certainly a much lighter read than The Mill on the Floss, I say.