Thanks for stopping by and for your comment. Ivanhoe has its issues as well, not entirely an accurate portrayal, more of a 19th century romanticized version of the old pagan holdouts (who were likely far less visible and not quite the simpletons Scott seems to make them out). Still, I think there are reasons these are considered classics, and I think they’re worth the read. Main Street is a pretty biting satire of what was then middle-America, I think the blandness is a large part of the point. I’ve actually started it now, I almost get the feeling it’s what a movie of that time period, done now, would be like. Carol is almost a caricature of herself. She’s kind of this empty-headed, albeit high-minded, useless kind of person. She has all these noble ideals, that something tells me she will never act on.

Today’s page-turners are a whole different animal compared to literature published long ago. I often think Tolkien was lucky to be published when he was. His style is certainly not in fashion right now. I’m sure he would have been rejected by every publisher in the country (along with the entire fantasy genre that he almost single-handedly spawned).