ONLINE BOOK "Adolphe by Benjamin Constant" authors epub djvu tablet cheap ebook wiki
By DuneFrozen
I’m not sure what to think yet, but I’m interested to see where this goes.
Reader discussion: Adolphe
Public reader discussion about Adolphe in the WeRead Catalog by Benjamin Constant.
Books that depict dominant man/submissive woman relationship dynamics
By muddyBowl5041
Honestly, I’m kind of craving that whole power dynamic thing. Like the man being dominant—confident, a bit controlling/possessive, maybe older, maybe more than a little selfish or promiscuous, but still with some caring underneath. The woman being more dependent and shy, needy in a way, kind of devoted/servile, selfless, super in love/desire, tender and sweet… almost like the “daddy/master” or “baby/servant” vibe (or something close). It doesn’t have to be exactly those labels, but I want it to feel similar. And yeah, it can be mainly erotic, I don’t really care. I’ve just had a hard time finding romance stuff that matches what I’m after. Like Lolita sort of goes there, but not really enough for me. Werther touches on some of the same themes, but it wasn’t the way I wanted. White Nights feels like the complete opposite of what I’m looking for. I’ve heard about 50 Shades of Grey, but I’ve never read it—might check it out though.
Favorite Romance (Tragic, Dark Romance included) Classics?
By FallenBear
I pretty much stick to all kinds of stories when I read—sci-fi, fantasy, romance, whatever—but I’d really love to see everyone’s favorite classic romance picks. I’m talking sweet stuff, tragic stuff, messy angsty stuff… none of that “healthy romance” requirement, lol. Anyway, here are mine: 1. **Romeo and Juliet** – Shakespeare will always be my #1. It’s still one of the most well-known love stories for a reason. 2. **Wuthering Heights** – Her only work, but it somehow hits like a truck. It’s definitely not “healthy” in any way, but I honestly don’t care. The whole Catherine/Earnshaw and Heathcliff situation kept me hooked the whole time. 3. **Les Liaisons Dangereuses** – 18th-century French epistolary/literary chaos. It’s basically about people who don’t care about anybody and get off on ruining lives, until they end up in their own mess. Since it’s so heavy on seduction and shifting feelings, I can’t really not count it as romance. 4. **Jane Eyre** – I was obsessed with Edward Fairfax Rochester when I was younger—like, I named my cat after him. He’s that rich, broody, angsty badboy energy that gets “fixed” by love, before it was even really a modern romance trope. 5. **Persuasion** – Not as talked-about as Austen’s other big ones, but it’s my personal favorite from her. 6. **Lady Chatterley’s Lover** – People definitely had a lot to say about it back then. I’m also like… how would they react to romance books now? Either way, I ended up loving how it digs into class and money stuff under the whole relationship. 8. **Anna Karenina** – Classic tragic romance, and it’ll always have a place in my heart. I don’t like adultery at all, but the characters are so layered that they don’t feel one-note, either. 9. **Camille** – I know Dumas for other titles, but I honestly think this one is his best. It’s a gorgeous tragic love story between a courtesan and a writer—and it’s the basis for *Moulin Rouge!* (which I will never not love).
Book Review - Adolphe by Benjamin Constant - perfect book for those who are not sure if this is right time to break up?
By carriesArch
I keep thinking about this whole “should I break up or not?” thing, and somehow I never actually do it. I don’t want to end it… but I also kind of do. It’s like my head just loops on the same thoughts and refuses to move. That’s kind of what this book feels like to me. The relationship with Ellenore and Adolphe just slowly turns into this awkward performance where nobody really wants to face what’s wrong. He’s desperate to get out but won’t admit it, because he tells himself he can’t bear hurting her. So instead he acts devoted and pushes everything down, like if he says the right things she’ll be fine. Ellenore knows something’s off, but she’s also scared of being alone, so she leans into guilt to keep him around. Like, “you don’t love me, you have to leave,” but it doesn’t sound like strength—it sounds like panic. And then you realize he’s basically protecting himself too. He’s terrified of getting hurt, but he can’t say that out loud, so he flips it into “she’ll get hurt” so it feels less selfish. He just waits for her to mess up first, so he doesn’t have to be the villain. It turns into this miserable cycle of fights and accusations that just keeps dragging on. It also makes me think about how often people don’t leave because they’re trying to protect themselves—emotionally or reputation-wise—rather than because the relationship is actually okay. And yeah, that’s usually a pretty shaky foundation.
What Are You Reading This Week and Weekly Rec Thread
By bridge700
So, what did you all end up reading this week? What did you finish, and do you have any recs or anything you’re looking for? Try not to just drop a title list—tell us what you thought about what you read too. If it’s only names of novels with no thoughts, those posts won’t stick.
'The Liberty of Ancients Compared with that of Moderns' (1816), by Benjamin Constant
By tidebeacon1973
Benjamin Constant (the Swiss guy who became a French politician/writer) comes up on Wikipedia as being behind that Adolphe novel that’s kind of psychological/partly based on his life. What I’m trying to wrap my head around is his whole “liberty” idea—he seems to set up a split between the older, more participatory republican kind of freedom (like citizens voting and debating) and the newer kind that’s more about civil rights and not having the state mess with you too much. The page also points to his 1815 book *Principles of Politics Applicable to All Governments*, but it’s throwing a ton of topics at once (law, representation, property/taxes, war/peace, and then especially personal freedom, press freedom, religion). I’m not totally sure I’m getting how all of it fits together, but it’s interesting that other people keep linking it to a bunch of later discussions of liberty too.
Your top 25 books of all time
By SharpSparrow
I saw someone else do this last spring, but I don’t really get the “just one book per author” rule—it feels kinda arbitrary and doesn’t add much to the list. If you’ve got clear favorites, go ahead and show them. I’ll start, no particular order: - Gravity’s Rainbow — Pynchon - Against the Day — Pynchon - Invisible Cities — Calvino - As I Lay Dying — Faulkner - The Sound and the Fury — Faulkner - Moby-Dick — Melville - VALIS — Dick - Sirens of Titan — Vonnegut - Zeroville — Erickson - Antkind — Kaufman - The Waves — Virginia Woolf - Islandia — Wright - Lathe of Heaven — Le Guin - Year of Death of Ricardo Reis — Saramago - Infinite Jest — Wallace - Collected Fictions — Borges - The Savage Detectives — Bolano - The Western Lands — Burroughs - Futurological Congress — Lem - Use of Weapons — Banks - Notes from the Underground — Dostojevski - Heart of Darkness — Conrad - Hopscotch — Cortazar - Book of the New Sun — Wolfe - The Name of the Rose — Eco
What Dickensian London Really Looked Like: Images of the squalor and sadness of Victorian life
By BookmarkBookish65
I can’t believe it, but I actually did a grad school paper on these Dore illustrations. This set has one of my go-tos too—the homeless family sitting on the benches. I just feel like you really can’t judge them on their own, since they’re all from a bigger collection, and you’re supposed to see how they sit next to all the fancy rich London stuff. That’s kind of the whole point with Dore, the contrast is everything.
Exploring The Princess of 72nd Street by Elaine Kraf — why is no one talking about this book?
By QuietStrange
I just finished *The Princess of 72nd Street* by Elaine Kraf and I’m still kind of reeling. It honestly felt unlike anything I’ve read—like trying to explain a super weird dream where your brain won’t let anything line up. One part in particular had me scratching my head: Melita’s giggling while she “gives birth” to this plum that somehow cries and bites her nipples, and then Doctor Clufftrain turns into a roach that scurries around for what feels like forever. Even the scenes with the other characters don’t really play by normal rules—everything is just… off in the strangest way. Even with all that chaos, I really liked listening to Ellen. Her inner thoughts feel crazy-fantastical and honestly kind of brilliant. I also noticed this one moment that made me pause: her inner monologue stops for the first time once her glow/radiance starts fading, and suddenly we get real dialogue between her and George. Did anyone else catch that? To me, Ellen’s rambling made the whole thing feel like a dark fairy tale—magical, wild, and emotionally weird in a good way. It didn’t feel like I was just reading about the Upper West Side; it felt like I got dropped into some completely different world. This is totally one of those “forgotten classics” that deserves way more attention. I’m curious how other people read the structure, or how you all saw Ellen as a character. Also, does anyone know what else Kraf wrote, or why this book didn’t get more notice?