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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic Novel of French Socialist Writing, July 14, 2004
Written in 1845, just 3 years before revolutions swept Europe, this 887 page five volume novel is a classic piece of French socialist writing that has been swept under the rug of history. It was originally serialized in a French newspaper and created quite a stir with its strong positions on women's rights, worker communes, and anticlericalism.I originally started to read this book because I was interested in the legend of the wandering Jew. This is a mythical person cursed to live forever and wander without rest because he refused Jesus a place to rest as He carried His cross to Calvary. Although the wandering Jew and his equally long-lived sister Herodias, who gained her longevity because of her involvement in the death of John the Baptist, make occasional appearances in the book, the story is really about the heirs of Herodias, seven members of the Rennepont family. So if you are seeking a work on the legend of the wandering Jew, I recommend you do not read this book. The Rennepont family lost their position and most of their wealth during the French persecution of the Protestants. What was left of the Rennepont fortune was entrusted for 150 years to a Jewish banker and his heirs who were loyal to the family. Over the course of time through wise investments, the small inheritance was carefully nurtured into a fortune. Any surviving members of the Rennepont family were directed to meet at a certain address in Paris in 1832 by bronze medallions cast in 1682 that have been passed down from generation to generation. Those present on the given date will divide the inheritance. This book is the story of the seven members of the family left at this time. They are Jacques Rennepont, a Parisian workman who favors drinking and the wild life; Francis Hardy, an enlightened industrialist who has built communal living quarters for his happy workers; Rose and Blanche Simon, twin teens who travel with an old soldier from Siberia where their mother has just died to Paris; Adrienne de Cardoville, a beautiful and independent-minded woman of means; Abbe Gabriel, an orphan who has been raised by the Jesuits, and Djalma, an Indian prince. Two Jesuits and a female accomplice have devised a plan to keep the Renneponts from their inheritance and to claim it for the The Society of Jesus. They hope to obtain the fortune to secure their futures and pay for the rehabilitation of the Order. The story moves from one cliffhanger to another throughout the book as the struggle between the family and the two Jesuits unfolds. The Perils of Pauline and A Series of Unfortunate Events come to mind as contemporary stories with similar plot devices. This structure is a byproduct of the newspaper serialization. However, Eugene Sue is a master of his craft and he develops the various subplots with great skill. Characters are well-developed and scenes are vividly described. It is sad that this book has been out of print for so long. A new edition with a modern translation would be a great literary treat.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
top 100 novel in the world, March 10, 2003
...As soon as the novel THE WANDERING JEW appeared in 1844, a storm of bitter controversy arose that did not subside for a long time. Sue's novel is a monument to his creative ability, for it held a large following of readers spellbound through 1200 pages of blood-and-thunder against the social abuses of his time. The legendary figure from which the novel derives its title actually plays a minor role in the book, as a symbol of restless and exploited humanity. The main theme of Sue's novel is man's inhumanity to man, although within a triple concept of immortality: the immortality of the family; the immortality of property, represented by money; and the immortality of the organization or association. A man can become immortal in the successive chain of his family; in the continuity of his money that increases through interest by the mere passing of time; and through becoming part of a company, an association, or an organization which continues to have a life of its own though individuals in it may pass away. The immortality of the family, according to this novel, conflicts with the immortality of money, which thrives by interest (considered evil and prohibited in ancient times, when all forms of interest were treated as usury); and the immortality of the organization (represented by the Jesuits in Sue's novel) come into conflict with the interests of the family in their claim to the rights in family property. With this theme constantly in the background, Sue presents a gargantuan clash between the interests of these three entities, and uses the device of having the family represented by the Wandering Jew in a complex plot that gives the author ample scope in which to elaborate on his many social theories and on many of his personal prejudices...particularly against the Jesuits...which were the primary cause of the bitter criticism when the novel first appeared....Among these more lasting legends, there are few that have haqd such wide currency over so long a period as the Legend of the Wandering Jew." "`THE WANDERING JEW' remains one of the famous books of the world, for its vigor, its illusion, its endless interest of plot and counterplot, and its atmosphere of romance." "We believe that the first thing that has struck every reader of the `Wandering Jew', has been the very great ability displayed by the author in its composition. So obvious is this, that everyone, educated and uneducated, easy or fastidious, profligate or moral, sinner or saint, has made the same observation. Every page evinces genius of a rare order, a wonderful talent for the discrimination and delineation of character, a teeming invention of details, signal tact in the management and employment of his dramatis personae, remarkable happiness in keeping the principal personages ever in the reader's thoughts and the very ingenious contrivance in the ordering of the action of the piece, so that all thins adapt themselves to the requirements of the work, conduce to the grand movement, and forward its purposes. We can remember no other work of fiction, in which a like number of characters and incidents is introduced and disposed of in so orderly a manner...in which an equally intricate labyrinth of plot within plot is managed with so little perplexity, or in which our attention is so intensely riveted on every actor on the stage, and on every incident connected with the development of the plot." "Of all the legends which have obtained popular currency, not one is more rematkable that the wild story of the Wandering Jew...it has had an influence greater probably than any other myth (with the possible exception of the Faust legend), not only on the minds of unlettered persons, but on the imaginations of poets, artists, and romance-writers." "Yet (Sue's) `Le Juif errant' remains unquestionably the most celebrated single literary treatment of the Legend of the Wandering Jew....He believes that all holy writings...the Bible of the Jews and the Christians, the Book of Avesta, the Book of Sutre, the King of Confucius, and the Koran of Mohammed...are all of equal worth, that the Spirit of God has resided to an equal degree in Moses, Elijah, Buddha, Zarathustra, Mohammed, Confucius, Christ, and all others who have led people to the light."
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11 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
heyyy! This book is delicious! REALLY!, September 12, 2003
A Kid's Review
The Wandering Jew is my absolute favorite book of all time. It shows depth of character, it shows love as love had never affected people before in all times, it shows will, it shows will as a weapon, a weapon that goes hand in hand with the good people, this book shows you what a good, excelent, smooth and breath--taking book is even with all the author's big vocabulary. But most of all, it shows you how to a book that is more human, more real, and still satisfy the common interests. This is a book I can say I want, and I'll say it without hesitation, despite the fact that I've read many worthy rivals, such as Jean Christophe, The Count of Monte Cristo, Les Miserables, and my imaginary friendly rival, Madame Bovary. Now I'll tell you why.
The Wandering Jew should be read of not as a cake as I've said of The Count of Monte Cristo, but it should be read of as a materialistic possession following the personalities of Stonehenge. The Wandering Jew stands out as a moon of diamonds in the treasure planet of literature, like Stonehenge amoungst the other landmarks. It stands out as a tiny treasure, whose popularity might not of been a death defying satisfaction, but then again, so is Stonehenge, pushed away by The Great Wall, Taj Mahal, etc. But most of all, their are reasons behind their rise to fame. Did the Wandering Jew take the easy way out and become cult--classic? A book whose literary talents are yet unknown, but made to satisfy the general population, like Harry Potter? No, it didn't, it matched, if not exceeded, the pickiest of people's standards as a novel, like Stonehenge, standing tall and straight amidst the millions of landmarks charging for more fame.
The Wandering Jew, also like Stonehenge, still stands an object of severe interest to the people. People never mastered what exactly it meant, by its subtleness, and sense of command as it stands tall and proud in an somewhat empty space. The Wandering Jew, in a way contains that special talent that makes people wonder exactly how the author wrote such an aweing novel, and not why it is a horrible novel, and why it is not of its said standards. Why? Because of its movements, because of its well--planned plot, but most of all, it's genius, when separite diamonds come together, meaning the plot, characters, and the truth, we often tend to believe that the book is too good to be true! And in this case we are right! The Wandering Jew is a rare treasure not to be shaken.
Now, a little about what is actually in the book. The different characteristics of the characters tend to make people believe that they are going to become mortal enemies in the future, but the way Eugene Sue convincingly showed us how they band together to form a resistance against the Jesuits makes Eugene Sue quite the over--achiever. Just for those who doesn't know, the Jesuits aren't actually holy fathers who pray for the world and do all that is good and just, and the real ones actually don't either, but the inexperienced might think that, and that is quite the grave mistake. In those times, people think that God is their king. And he is, but every kings got to have his own prime ministers, and in comes the Jesuits, and you know how Prime ministers have basically all the power. And as the stunning end comes for all, we believe, yet we refuse to believe, amazing as that is, that the good guys win whether they win or lose. So Eugene Sue brought back the hero--always--win code--in a more realistic fashion. Pure talent, pure genius.
So now you see why this book has such a touch on me, and if you've read it and agree, then thank you very much, and if you're about to read it, I hope you will find this review rewarding. But most of all, I hope you find the book and its talented author rewarding.
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