I am still loving this book as much as I was last week and I have already finished it.
What strikes you most in this novel, what do like or dislike the most?
I don’t actually dislike anything about this novel and I think it makes me like it even more. I am surprised that I don’t dislike everything as I usually find something about a classic novel that I don’t like.
Do you think Fontane likes Effi? Whose side is he on?
I think Fontane likes Effi or he would not be able to write the way he does about her. I feel like I would not like the character of Effi as much, if it did not seem that Fontane liked his character of Effi.
What do you make of the story of the Chinese and the haunted house. How would you interpret it? And what about Crampas’ interpretation?
I love a ghost story and it seems to be an important part in the novel. I think that Effi is very isolated in the life she leads and the mind can play all sorts of tricks on you, when you are as isolated as she is.
Descriptions are an important part in Effi Briest. How do you like them and how important do you think they are for the novel?
I feel that description have an important part in Effi Briest however I feel that descriptions are important in virtually every novel.
I think they are very important in the novel and I love the water symbolism that seems to be running through out the novel (what I have read so far anyway).
It struck me while I was reading this novel how Fontane pairs descriptions of cozy and scary. Did you notice this as well and if so, what did you make of this?
I feel there is a big contrast between Effi warm and cozy family home to the almost gothic and scary house she find herself living in. This contrast seems to be running through out the novel.
What do you think of Crampas?
I don’t feel like Crampas is such a unlikeable character, however it is obvious that he is a womaniser who never should have got involved with Effi.
Fontane chose to describe more than one Christmas in this novel, what do you think Christmas signifies?
Christmas is always seen as a traditional family event and I think this contrasts well within the novel. The first Christmas described is a very lonely one for Effi, the second Christmas is slightly better however I feel like she misses her family. I found it confusing why they did not visit her parents at Christmas, especially as it is a family holiday.
What kind of mother is Effi?
I think she is a traditional mother for the time, a ‘hands off mother’. However that does not mean that she doesn’t love and care for her child.
Where will the novel go from here? What do you think will happen next?
Well as I have already finished the book ahead of schedule, I will leave this question unanswered…..
Thta’s exactly what I thought, I didn’t see why they wouldn’t have gone and visited her parents at Christmas.
I feel pretty much the same about Crampas. A womaniser, yes, but not as bad as Instetten.
I found it interesting to read that some other partcicpants didn’t feel that it was clear whether Fontane likes Effi or not. For me it is quite obvious. I don’t even think he ever blames her for anything.
I’m a bit harsher on old Crampas than you. I think that he was an evil , untrustworthy lech who betrayed his friend’s trust and preyed on a girl too young to know her own mind 😉
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