nonaeth's review
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
a_chickletz's review against another edition
2.0
So, as a Phantom of the Opera fan. Meaning, I don't forget there is a book and I do love the book dearly... I have made it my quest to read all the books that may have inspired the novel. There is Jules Verne's 'Castle of the Carpathians' and then there is Trilby.
...
Trilby is a very interesting story, one of those that is a sad tale for two reasons. One, because of the fate of the main character. The other reason is how fucking antisemitic this book is.
So, once upon a time in France, there were three friends (all male) who lived in one of the famous open-use studios that people would come to play piano, fence, box, model... Our villain and his lackey, a 'gypsy' (another wonderful term) use this flat to play the piano. Apparently this book inspired the use of the world Svengali into common language. (It also inspired Trilby hats, too, but I don't understand.) The villain is very good at playing piano, but he sings like shit and hates everyone and everything. He also hates music too, but he loves playing it just because he can.
A little waif of a girl, Trilby, comes walking in one day to speak to her friends (the three men). Svengali sees Trilby and asks her to sing, she sings and it is downright horrid. But, she is so beautiful and speaks so interestingly (she is a London-er living in France) that he keeps belittling her to sing and poke and make awful comments about her voice.
Now, you ask where does the antisemitism come in? Well, lets just say our villain is described as the stereotypical Jew of 1800's literature: tall, dark eyebrows, beard, ghastly teeth, hoarding money or tricking people into giving money, etc. Every time he is on the scene or when the author refers to something, he has to drop like all these references of how nasty of a Jew he is. In one sentence alone I counted five words that could be used in that way. I couldn't deal.
The youngest of the three friends falls in love with little Trilby and she in return. However, Trilby does have some slight doubts because she is nothing but a milk seller and he is destined for great things (he is a painter and a good one too). So, one evening, he asks her (for the billionth time) to marry him, she accepts. The same night, Svengali apparently causes her eye sight to return to her - she complains that her eyes are poor and that he is able to fix them with hypnotism or reverse psychology. She is indebted to him.
The young man tells his mother and uncle that he wishes to marry her, and so, his mother goes to Trilby and tells her to break his heart and leave him. Trilby does by giving him a letter and leaving France. The young man is heartbroken, and he then goes and ends up having a famous career as a painter and sleeps with other women while hating his newfound fame.
Five years goes by and everyone is talking of the famed 'la Svengali' who sings ever so beautifully. The young man, who recollects with his two friends, goes to see this famed singer that everyone is talking about and to their shock it is her. She is singing so beautifully and they can hardly believe their eyes and ears. She is also the wife of Svengali, which breaks the young man's heart.
... And so, the rest of the story you have to find out is this really Trilby or is there something sinister about this woman?
Let me tell you, if you read the rest of the book to the end you will find out the answer. I suspected as much what happened to Trilby but what I did not understand is what happened to her by the end of the book. It is not really explained and the reason I come up with doesn't really make sense.
Du Maurier, like Verne and Hugo, and other writers of the time, has moments where he speaks about society or Parisian life and it somewhat goes on tangents or derail from what is going on. I honestly skipped over those bits because it didn't seem to add or detract from the story since the story IS about her, Trilby.
Do I recommend you reading this book? Well, in this day and age, we take issue to antisemitism. I don't know if Daphne Du Maurier's dad was antisemitic or that was just 'normal' at the time (which is, in the end, antisemitic) but honestly, it really brought the story down. I was also disappointed to see there have been adaptations of the story and kept to the physicality of Svengali right down to the awful stereotypical Jewish characteristics given in the book.
I think there is an interesting story buried within the gross comments, the mistreatment of Trilby and the boredom of pages of Parisian lifestyle. I'd like to see a movie done that retools Svengali's character, makes the ending more understandable. I just don't get why this book was a sensation but I guess I had to be around back then.
...
Trilby is a very interesting story, one of those that is a sad tale for two reasons. One, because of the fate of the main character. The other reason is how fucking antisemitic this book is.
So, once upon a time in France, there were three friends (all male) who lived in one of the famous open-use studios that people would come to play piano, fence, box, model... Our villain and his lackey, a 'gypsy' (another wonderful term) use this flat to play the piano. Apparently this book inspired the use of the world Svengali into common language. (It also inspired Trilby hats, too, but I don't understand.) The villain is very good at playing piano, but he sings like shit and hates everyone and everything. He also hates music too, but he loves playing it just because he can.
A little waif of a girl, Trilby, comes walking in one day to speak to her friends (the three men). Svengali sees Trilby and asks her to sing, she sings and it is downright horrid. But, she is so beautiful and speaks so interestingly (she is a London-er living in France) that he keeps belittling her to sing and poke and make awful comments about her voice.
Now, you ask where does the antisemitism come in? Well, lets just say our villain is described as the stereotypical Jew of 1800's literature: tall, dark eyebrows, beard, ghastly teeth, hoarding money or tricking people into giving money, etc. Every time he is on the scene or when the author refers to something, he has to drop like all these references of how nasty of a Jew he is. In one sentence alone I counted five words that could be used in that way. I couldn't deal.
The youngest of the three friends falls in love with little Trilby and she in return. However, Trilby does have some slight doubts because she is nothing but a milk seller and he is destined for great things (he is a painter and a good one too). So, one evening, he asks her (for the billionth time) to marry him, she accepts. The same night, Svengali apparently causes her eye sight to return to her - she complains that her eyes are poor and that he is able to fix them with hypnotism or reverse psychology. She is indebted to him.
The young man tells his mother and uncle that he wishes to marry her, and so, his mother goes to Trilby and tells her to break his heart and leave him. Trilby does by giving him a letter and leaving France. The young man is heartbroken, and he then goes and ends up having a famous career as a painter and sleeps with other women while hating his newfound fame.
Five years goes by and everyone is talking of the famed 'la Svengali' who sings ever so beautifully. The young man, who recollects with his two friends, goes to see this famed singer that everyone is talking about and to their shock it is her. She is singing so beautifully and they can hardly believe their eyes and ears. She is also the wife of Svengali, which breaks the young man's heart.
... And so, the rest of the story you have to find out is this really Trilby or is there something sinister about this woman?
Let me tell you, if you read the rest of the book to the end you will find out the answer. I suspected as much what happened to Trilby but what I did not understand is what happened to her by the end of the book. It is not really explained and the reason I come up with doesn't really make sense.
Du Maurier, like Verne and Hugo, and other writers of the time, has moments where he speaks about society or Parisian life and it somewhat goes on tangents or derail from what is going on. I honestly skipped over those bits because it didn't seem to add or detract from the story since the story IS about her, Trilby.
Do I recommend you reading this book? Well, in this day and age, we take issue to antisemitism. I don't know if Daphne Du Maurier's dad was antisemitic or that was just 'normal' at the time (which is, in the end, antisemitic) but honestly, it really brought the story down. I was also disappointed to see there have been adaptations of the story and kept to the physicality of Svengali right down to the awful stereotypical Jewish characteristics given in the book.
I think there is an interesting story buried within the gross comments, the mistreatment of Trilby and the boredom of pages of Parisian lifestyle. I'd like to see a movie done that retools Svengali's character, makes the ending more understandable. I just don't get why this book was a sensation but I guess I had to be around back then.
augiereads's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
It is not out of character for literature of the age. Long winded, and a degree of antisemitism that is jarring. It is a good example of that kind of casual bigotry in the late 19th century. The plot of the book is just slow.
megan_burgess's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism
thesubmariner's review
adventurous
challenging
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
After reading a few novels and collections of short stories by Daphne du Maurier I decided to read a book written by her grandfather George du Maurier, a cartoonist and illustrator by craft, but also a novelist. This novel was published first as a magazine serial in 8 parts in 1894 and then as a novel a year later. It is interesting to me that George du Maurier died 1896 after the novel sold 200000 copies in the USA alone. This novel inspired a fashion movement called Trilbyana based on the illustration from the novel and the description in the text. Gaston Leroux was also inspired by this novel when he decided to write The Phantom of the Opera. The novel follows Trilby O'Ferrall, an Irish woman who works in Paris by posing as a model. At the beginning she poses with perfect feet and it is then where she befriends the trio of British painters Taffy, Laird, and Little Billee. There she also meets and master musician Svengali accompanied by his servant Gecko. Svengali is fascinated by her, but especially her voice, which is grand. The only problem is Trilby is tone deaf. This doesn’t stop her from being charming. Svengali wants to train her voice and his shadow constantly looms over her. Trilby dreams of him, but just doesn’t want anything to do with him. She strikes a romance with Little Billee, but with his noisy mother and uncle, she is forced to end any contact. As she is forced to leave Paris, she also sadly loses her brother and it is here where Svengali puts his hypnotist spell on her making her a singing diva, controlling her voice. Svengali is depicted in a lot of antisemitic stereotypes, but it worth pointing out that he is also described as an extremely intelligent, has absolute (or perfect) pitch, master of piano, has a great ability to learn and master languages with accents and is respected as an artist. While the Brits struggle with French with Taffy and Laird being depicted as brute, but not as intelligent and for the most part are average painters. I understand the criticism of the depiction of Svengali and I agree it’s wrong, but you must also consider that this was written in 19th century and antisemitic propaganda sadly was extremely present. Some of the slurs thrown by the British characters at him are in my opinion out of pure envy. Not to mention the fact that they in a way made him into a villain when Taffy slapped him busting his nose. Now, sadly there are some other implications in the novel separate from the Svengali character and that also is wrong, but sadly this is a product of its time. This novel in a lot of way is a love letter of 1850’s bohemian Paris that George du Maurier clearly knew. I loved all the pop culture references from this time period. The other complaint is that Svengali is barely in the novel and the focus is not on Trilby enough. A good amount of time the focus is on the three Brits who are dull. The explanation in the last chapter is super unnecessary. I think that the core of this story is great, but this novel is very flawed. The focus should have been on Trilby and Svengali with Little Billee as a love triangle.
If you are going to read this novel, I suggest reading an edition with illustration because they will help you follow the story better. Many of these editions are in public domain.
https://archive.org/details/isbn_2900192833517/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/trilby39858gut/39858-h/images/cover.jpg
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39858
If you are going to read this novel, I suggest reading an edition with illustration because they will help you follow the story better. Many of these editions are in public domain.
https://archive.org/details/isbn_2900192833517/mode/2up
https://archive.org/details/trilby39858gut/39858-h/images/cover.jpg
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39858
ruthiella's review
3.0
Ultimately this was worth reading for (a) the origin of the reference “Svengali” (but does anyone even use that term anymore?) and (b) its nostalgic look at la vie Bohème in 1850s Paris which du Maurier (grandfather to Daphne) experienced firsthand in his youth. Certainly the books popularity when it was published in 1894 must have been in part due to its scandalous depiction of bohemian life with its more casual mores about sex and nudity compared to that of Victorian England.
Three young men share a Left Bank studio in Paris where they meet Trilby, the beautiful, jejune orphan who models for painters and sculptors. All three are in love with Trilby, but especially Little Billee, whose love she returns. Unfortunately, she has also caught the eye of the manipulative musician Svengali. Events conspire to tear the young lovers apart and to bring Trilby under the sway of Svengali.
I am glad to have read it but it was a bit meandering; there was lots of description that slowed me down, not to mention the untranslated French, not to mention the untranslated French written phonetically in a German accent. Whew! Also, it is very anti-Semitic. Svengali, like Fagin in Oliver Twist is not bad and a Jew, he is bad because he is a Jew.
Three young men share a Left Bank studio in Paris where they meet Trilby, the beautiful, jejune orphan who models for painters and sculptors. All three are in love with Trilby, but especially Little Billee, whose love she returns. Unfortunately, she has also caught the eye of the manipulative musician Svengali. Events conspire to tear the young lovers apart and to bring Trilby under the sway of Svengali.
I am glad to have read it but it was a bit meandering; there was lots of description that slowed me down, not to mention the untranslated French, not to mention the untranslated French written phonetically in a German accent. Whew! Also, it is very anti-Semitic. Svengali, like Fagin in Oliver Twist is not bad and a Jew, he is bad because he is a Jew.
paperbookmarks's review
5.0
Read as part of my A2 English Literature Gothic Coursework. I chose this book as my third text to study and I'm so glad I did. I really loved the story and characters and it was a surprisingly intriguing read. It's not a typical Gothic novel but Svengali is a brilliant villain and all of the characters are so well written. I also really enjoyed reading about Du Maurier and his life, children and the literary world he surrounded himself in.
briartherose's review
4.0
Enjoyable, readable Victorian high melodrama, with an uncomfortable anti-Semitic undertone