Arthur Schnitzler

Advantages: Schnitzler's writing stands the test of time
Disadvantages: His writing has been emasculated by Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut

...If you mention the name Arthur Schnitzler, most people are likely to shrug their shoulders and walk off, oblivious of his contribution to the works of Stanley Kubrick. Sadly, the Kubrick who directed Eyes Wide Shut, was a mere shadow of the man he once was, and indeed the story of Eyes Wide Shut is little more of an emasculation of Schnitzler’s Traumnovelle. To really appreciate Schnitzler you have to understand that he wrote about fin-de-siècle Vienna, enjoying the twilight years of the double monarchy of Austria-Hungary, with Schnitzler’s sketches cocking a snook at the establishment, in a very decadent way. He first shot to prominence with his series of one act plays, in the collection Anatol, although these plays pale into insignificance in comparison with his later works. For true decadence “Reigen” is one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Schnitzler's writing stands the test of time
Disadvantages: His writing has been emasculated by Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut

...If you mention the name Arthur Schnitzler, most people are likely to shrug their shoulders and walk off, oblivious of his contribution to the works of Stanley Kubrick. Sadly, the Kubrick who directed Eyes Wide Shut, was a mere shadow of the man he once was, and indeed the story of Eyes Wide Shut is little more of an emasculation of Schnitzler’s Traumnovelle. To really appreciate Schnitzler you have to understand that he wrote about fin-de-siècle Vienna, enjoying the twilight years of the double monarchy of Austria-Hungary, with Schnitzler’s sketches cocking a snook at the establishment, in a very decadent way. He first shot to prominence with his series of one act plays, in the collection Anatol, although these plays pale into insignificance in comparison with his later works. For true decadence “Reigen” is one... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Readable, well researched
Disadvantages: None.

..."The Winter King" is the first volume in Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Chronicles trilogy, the story is narrated by Derfel Cadarn, one of Arthur's warriors. The novel (as would be expected in a telling of Arthurian legend) cover romance, battles and sorcery: But in a unique way. The battles are gory (as is usual with Bernard Cornwell), the characters are ofter cruel and unfeeling, and the magic is never obvious but can always be explained. In summary, the series is the most readable and certainly the most realistic telling of the legend of Arthur and "The Winter King" is a powerful mixture of intrigue, magic and warfare.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Easy to read informative book
Disadvantages: Little infomation in some chapters

...Arthur The seeing stone is the first book in the Arthur trilogy. Trying I will try to explain the book as best I can but the plot is fairly complicated basically Merlin gives Arthur, a teenage boy who lived 800 years ago a seeing stone which shows him the life and key moments of King Arthur, the on from the stories and legends we all know and how he becomes king of England and the problems he faces. Arthur (the teenage boy) can also see King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table and Guinevere, his Queen. Kevin Crossely-Holland has cleverly written the book in diary form. This allows us to read what the teenage Arthur is thinking and how he feels about certain events. The book is exactly 100 chapters long with each chapter being quite short at only three or four pages long, this make for easy reading in spare time or when reading in larger... Read review

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