Ford Madox Ford

[Voivod30]

I woulld greatly appreciate some opinions about The Good Soldier and the author in general. I really want to get into the catalogue of a previously unknow author (until now) in my little world. So far this is the only novel I'm aware of and I intend of course to Google his name but any suggestions on whether this book is a yay or nay and about his other work (if there is any) would be greatly appreciated.

[Virgil]

The only book I have read by FMF is The Good Soldeir and I think it's one of the great modernist works. He is also known for a group of interconnected novels called Parade's End. You can read about them here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parade%27s_End.

[Modest Proposal]

It's interesting to note his relationship and advocation of Jean Rhys also, if you are looking for authors of less canonical representation. Her book, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is very interesting.

[Idril]

The Good Soldier is incredible. I have been less impressed with his other work so far. I read the first two books of the novels Virgil mentioned, Parade's End and was bored senseless. I'm not going to bother with the last one but there might be another gem in his catalog.

[Virgil]

It's interesting to note his relationship and advocation of Jean Rhys also, if you are looking for authors of less canonical representation. Her book, "Wide Sargasso Sea" is very interesting.

Oh he was important in getting many writers started. He gave DH Lawrence his start.

[LeavesOfGrass]

I loved The Good Soldier as well. Once you're finished, I'd love to discuss some of the symbolism that Ford used that may have gone unnoticed by most. Or, if you don't mind, I'll post it now.

[Voivod30]

I loved The Good Soldier as well. Once you're finished, I'd love to discuss some of the symbolism that Ford used that may have gone unnoticed by most. Or, if you don't mind, I'll post it now.

Absolutely feel free to post any thing you find interesting or relevant about this novel. I was kind of on the fence but I'm going to start reading the Soldier tonight or tomorrow. A discussion on symbolism would definitely be some thing I'd be into. There are very few people in rural Maine (at least in the town that I reside) who are willing to speak about such mattters. I actually joined this site a few weeks back so I could have at least one out let where I could express my opinions and other matters in the wonderful world of literature. Any way, yeah post away. The more information and opinions of others I can enjoy the better.

[LeavesOfGrass]

Great. Here goes: The story circles around two couples that see each other quite often over a span of many years, typically on vacation. Two of them are having an affair with one another, and this is kept secret for the most part. In the end, the husband whose wife was unfaithful, dies of "heart problems." This could be a long shot, but I'm rather certain that Ford was implying that he died of a broken heart, with the realization that his wife had betrayed him all those years. But Ford mentions his death in a nonchalant manner, so it is easy to overlook the symbolism of this gesture. It's quite touching really. Ford could have killed him off a million different ways, but he chose heart failure. I'll think of a few more examples, but this one stood out in my mind. It's these minor references that made Ford such a great writer.

[Virgil]

It's been a real long time since I read the novel. But you have to keep in mind that the narrator is unreliable. There is no heart problem. Dowell is completely in the fog about his wife's affair. She says it's a heart problem and yes it's a romantic heart problem, not a medical heart problem as Dowell believes.

[kelby_lake]

Hearts are a symbol used in The Good Soldier, though not extensively. I really liked The Good Soldier. I recommend reading 'Quartet', which has thinly-veiled Ford as a character.

[dfloyd]

and fortunately it is not too long since I found it, as I do for most modernist novels, a bit boring. I don't know about Ford's wife having an affair, but Rhys was Ford's lover, Perhaps that's why Ford helped her out in her writing. Hemingway didn't care much for Ford. If memory serves me correct, Hemingway has a short section on Ford in A Moveable Feast.

[keilj]

If memory serves me correct, Hemingway has a short section on Ford in A Moveable Feast.

he does. Hemingway presents him as a guy who did not bathe enough, drank heavily, so on. just based on that, Ford sounds interesting, and I probably want to read some of Ford's stuff just based on that

[Three Sparrows]

I read the book, and I must say, the repetition of the line, "This is the saddest story I have ever heard," was annoying, and the main character seemed a little clueless most the time. It wasn't too bad though, but I don't think I would ever read it again-the plot had something to be desired.

[kelby_lake]

he does. Hemingway presents him as a guy who did not bathe enough, drank heavily, so on. just based on that, Ford sounds interesting, and I probably want to read some of Ford's stuff just based on that

Hemingway was mean about Fitzgerald too.

[dfloyd]

He admired Fitzgerald's writing. He didn't like his drinking or his language puntuated by four-letter words. He couldn't understand how Fitzgerald could behave so abominably and write such a beautiful novel as Gatsby. One of life's paradoxes.

[kelby_lake]

Hemingway drank a lot too.

[Fen]

The Good Soldier is a very good book. One of the best things about it was that I formed an impression of the characters and then the narrator would, quite naturally not in a staged for dramatic purposes way, reveal something about someone and your perceptions would shift then shift again. It truly and excellently highlights that you can think you know someone but how very often you never truly do and that you never truly can.

Voivod30 belated Welcome to Litnet.I hope you enjoy the book:seeya:

[dfloyd]

as Fitzgerald did. That is what Hemingway didn't like about Fitzgerald. Even Fitzgerald's lover, the English woman Sheilah Graham, recounts in her book about Fitzgerald, Beloved Infidel, how Fitzgerald's drinking wrought a pesonality change in him. This is portrayed also by Gregory Peck in the movie about Graham and Fitzgerald.

[Brad Coelho]

Hemingway hated on so many in Moveable Feast it's tough to keep track- even himself a bit, towards the end in his 'pilot fish' chapter where there's a strong sentiment of self-deprecation and he ends in a bit of a confessional.

The bit on Fitzgerald's genitals was totally unnecessary (it's not a question of size but of 'angle'), but his public drunkeness was documented by others than Hemingway. Dostoevsky writes horribly, Fitzgerald is poorly endowed, Gertrude Stein looks like a Roman Emperor, Ford is stinky, Faulkner uses big words to fabricate big emotions...the few that escape the rath were T.S. Elliot, Ezra Pound, Tolstoy & Joyce, w/ the latter being the one he seemed to show the most reverence towards. In spite of his slights to Dostoevsky, he was pretty transparent w/ his appreciation of Russian literature. 'First, there were the Russians...' He probably owes more to Chekhov than any other writer.

[SunnySleepsLate]

Why symbolism? The stuff is pretty straightforward.

[SunnySleepsLate]

Voivod rules though, the thrash stuff.

[kelby_lake]

This is portrayed also by Gregory Peck in the movie about Graham and Fitzgerald.

What film is that?

[Voivod30]

Voivod rules though, the thrash stuff.

I love all Voivod but Dimension Hatross is by far my favorite album with Angel Rat being number two so I suppose I might disagree that just the trash stuff rules. Certainly Killing Technology is among one of the top thrash albums ever if not the best and RRROOOAAARRR is probably the most brutal thrash album I've heard to this day.

[dfloyd]

The film about Fitzgerald and Graham has the same name as her book: Beloved Infidel. The film stars Gregory Peck as Scott Fitzgerald and Debora Kerr as Sheila Graham.

[Brad Coelho]

The film about Fitzgerald and Graham has the same name as her book: Beloved Infidel. The film stars Gregory Peck as Scott Fitzgerald and Debora Kerr as Sheila Graham.

The same director (Henry King) of Tender is the Night...he must have had a thing for Fitzgerald.

[kelby_lake]

Peck looks nothing like Fitzgerald lol.

[grace86]

I just bought The Good Soldier, it's been on my TBR list forever. You guys have piqued my interest.