Scan barcode
A review by goodquietkitty
The Meaning Of Night by Michael Cox
2.0
I read The Meaning of Night at the same time as [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255584435s/6185.jpg|1565818], so I've had a bit of an overdose of revenge literature. However, whereas WH ends on a more hopeful note, TMoN felt rather bleak. Perhaps I didn't find Glyver's revenge satisfactory because I was never totally on his side. And I suppose my problem with both Glyver and Heathcliff is that the drag innocents into their machinations. While TMoN has a gripping and memorable opening, I was never able to justify or forgive Lucas Trendle's murder. Without that one action, I would have felt entirely differently about this novel.
Similarly, I don't think Laura Tansor's actions were justifiable. She deprived Lord Tansor of his son and heir, and she deprived Edward (again, a complete innocent) of his rightful title and inheritance. Her choice to conceal his birth is what sets everything into motion. If not for her desire for revenge, then Edward would never have been in his predicament and would not have needed to murder Trendle or Daunt. I suppose then that TMoN, like Wuthering Heights, is a cautionary tale about revenge. Neither Glyver nor Heathcliff ever attain their prizes -- Heathcliff can only be united with Catherine when they are both dead and fails at ruining the Earnshaw and Linton families, and Edward must forfeit his inheritance, his beloved, and his very freedom.
Similarly, I don't think Laura Tansor's actions were justifiable. She deprived Lord Tansor of his son and heir, and she deprived Edward (again, a complete innocent) of his rightful title and inheritance. Her choice to conceal his birth is what sets everything into motion. If not for her desire for revenge, then Edward would never have been in his predicament and would not have needed to murder Trendle or Daunt. I suppose then that TMoN, like Wuthering Heights, is a cautionary tale about revenge. Neither Glyver nor Heathcliff ever attain their prizes -- Heathcliff can only be united with Catherine when they are both dead and fails at ruining the Earnshaw and Linton families, and Edward must forfeit his inheritance, his beloved, and his very freedom.