Publication
Melville House (2014), 288 pages
Original publication date
1911
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Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: Zuleika Dobson is a conjurer by trade and a femme fatale by nature. She visits her uncle at Oxford University and all the young men studying there fall in love with her. She is unable to love any man who is not impervious to her charm, and her frustrated suitors are driven to suicide. The novel is a wicked, funny look inside Edwardian Oxford..
User reviews
LibraryThing member Sandydog1
"Whifft, whiffft, whiffft." That's the sound of all that inuendo, irony, obscure Edwardian jargon, and charicature, going over my head.
LibraryThing member John
Zuleika Dobson is one of those books that regularly appears on lists of "100 Best Novels", and it has sat on my bookshelves for quite a few years. Having seen yet another reference to it in A Passion for Books, I took it down to read. It is a delightful satire of many things: on the surface,
There is also a delightful touch of irony at the end. Zuleika is aghast at what has happened with the suicides of the complete undergraduate class and she resolves to get herself to a nunnery, but upon further reflection:
"After all, it didn't so much matter what the world thought. Let the world whisper and insinuate what it would. To slur and sully, to belittle and drag down–that was what the world always tried to do. But great things were still great, and fair things still fair. With no thought for the world's opinion had these men gone down to the water today. Their deed was for her and themselves alone. It had sufficed them. Should it not suffice her? It did, oh it did. She was a wretch to have repined."
And so the novel ends with Zuleika planning the shortest rout from Oxford to Cambridge!
Beerbohm does have one rather good description of men in crowds. It may not be Elias Canetti, but it has a ring of truth to it:
"You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind-legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men. If man were not a gregarious animal, the world might have achieved, by this time, some real progress towards civilization. Segregate him, and he is no fool. But let him loose among his fellows, and he is lost–he becomes just a unit in unreason...A crowd, proportionately to its size, magnifies all that in them pertains to the emotions, and diminishes all that in them pertains to thought."
(Feb/06)
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principally, of the life of undergraduates at Oxford in Edwardian England (the book was published in 1911) where the undergraduates are portrayed as so shallow and so mindless, with such perverted senses of honour, that they drown themselves en masse for the unrequited love of the incomparable Zuleika Dobson, granddaughter of the Warden of the college who comes up for a visit; of the fickleness, not of love itself necessarily, but of what are taken to be the signs of love where passions sweep and then are reversed in the next breath; of the conventions of the class system and each person's part in it (no one looks askance when the main protagonist, the young Duke of Dorset goes to his death in the full regalia of a Knight of the Garter); of the shallowness of attraction: Zuleika is considered a great beauty and she bewitches the entire undergraduate class, but she is in fact shallow, narcissistic, and uninspiring; and finally, of writing itself: the author has a few authorial asides where he claims to have been inspired by Zeus, through Clio, and given powers of omniscience that allow him to describe the emotions of individuals instead of simply recording the history of events. This is an elegant and witty novel, and Beerbohm deserves credit for maintaining the story for as long as he does without it becoming tedious. However, it strikes me that the satirical tone focused on this generation in the Oxford experience, would have been impossible to write after WWI. There is also a delightful touch of irony at the end. Zuleika is aghast at what has happened with the suicides of the complete undergraduate class and she resolves to get herself to a nunnery, but upon further reflection:
"After all, it didn't so much matter what the world thought. Let the world whisper and insinuate what it would. To slur and sully, to belittle and drag down–that was what the world always tried to do. But great things were still great, and fair things still fair. With no thought for the world's opinion had these men gone down to the water today. Their deed was for her and themselves alone. It had sufficed them. Should it not suffice her? It did, oh it did. She was a wretch to have repined."
And so the novel ends with Zuleika planning the shortest rout from Oxford to Cambridge!
Beerbohm does have one rather good description of men in crowds. It may not be Elias Canetti, but it has a ring of truth to it:
"You cannot make a man by standing a sheep on its hind-legs. But by standing a flock of sheep in that position you can make a crowd of men. If man were not a gregarious animal, the world might have achieved, by this time, some real progress towards civilization. Segregate him, and he is no fool. But let him loose among his fellows, and he is lost–he becomes just a unit in unreason...A crowd, proportionately to its size, magnifies all that in them pertains to the emotions, and diminishes all that in them pertains to thought."
(Feb/06)
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LibraryThing member PhileasHannay
For a while this seemed destined to be a light romantic comedy about two monstrously vain young people getting over themselves and falling in love. Not something you'd read for plot and incident, but for the pretty speeches, the wit, the finely crafted prose. It would have been quite good.
But not
And then the spectacularly good and funny Chapter XI arrives, and lo, it turns out to be quite as good as his short stories. And soon it veers about as far as can be imagined from light romantic comedy, into unexpected and terrible, though still funny, places.
If you can, try to avoid finding out about the plot - this may be difficult, as so many people want to tell the internet about it.
But not
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as good as the author's short stories (or at least those I've read, in the collection Seven Men and Two Others). And then the spectacularly good and funny Chapter XI arrives, and lo, it turns out to be quite as good as his short stories. And soon it veers about as far as can be imagined from light romantic comedy, into unexpected and terrible, though still funny, places.
If you can, try to avoid finding out about the plot - this may be difficult, as so many people want to tell the internet about it.
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LibraryThing member Limelite
Zuleika is drop dead beautiful. Her grandfather, Warden of Judas College at Oxford University, invites her for a short campus visit.
Naturally, trouble ensues. In an acid bath.
A satire on love, the novel features wry wit, Woodhouseian humor, and the maneuverings of two hearts shot: In one case by an
This is a sort of "Pride but No Prejudice" novel of manners that turns on a pair of give-away pearl earrings and pearl studs. Old-fashioned but still amusing.
Naturally, trouble ensues. In an acid bath.
A satire on love, the novel features wry wit, Woodhouseian humor, and the maneuverings of two hearts shot: In one case by an
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over-eager (Zuleika) Cupid and a reluctant (the Duke) not-quite-Cupid in the other. Sharp characterizations and various schemes play out against the background of England’s oldest and most prestigious university.This is a sort of "Pride but No Prejudice" novel of manners that turns on a pair of give-away pearl earrings and pearl studs. Old-fashioned but still amusing.
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LibraryThing member miketroll
Cult novel, more heard of than read, by the renowned theatre critic. (The only copy I found for sale was a 1947 edition.)
Beerbohm’s creation, Zuleika Dobson, was the ultimate femme fatale, so beautiful she turned all heads. All men fell in love with her at first sight and were ready to die for
This little satire of Edwardian life at Oxford is exquisitely written. It is to be taken lightly, so silly is the plot. This is a literary soufflé, to be consumed immediately. Ponder over it too long, it will soon deflate.
Beerbohm’s creation, Zuleika Dobson, was the ultimate femme fatale, so beautiful she turned all heads. All men fell in love with her at first sight and were ready to die for
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her - literally, as it turns out.This little satire of Edwardian life at Oxford is exquisitely written. It is to be taken lightly, so silly is the plot. This is a literary soufflé, to be consumed immediately. Ponder over it too long, it will soon deflate.
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LibraryThing member ifjuly
loved it. really entertaining. made me crack a real, physical smile every other page. later i read the puzzleheaded girl by christina stead and the whimsical portrayal of pretty macabre/dreadful-on-the-face-of-it social events echoed. got the same feeling recently reading boris vian. there ought to
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be a tidy term for this--when bizarre and kind of grotesque events and interactions are told in a totally innocent oddly straightforward tone. hipster ish bard lyricism for the hot nerdy college girls, or something like that...what's that boris vian quote about love for beautiful girls and trying to get their attention is all that really matters, was the only modern archetypal story he was concerned with. anyway. Show Less
LibraryThing member meggyweg
This a bit of a peculiar anachronism. The pompous characters and ludicrous plot were somewhat amusing, though probably not so much as they were in 1911 when the book was published. I particularly liked the part where the Oxford dons barely seemed to notice that the entire student body had
I would recommend this to people who like books from the late Victorian/early Edwardian period. And also to those who want to increase their vocabulary -- the dialogue is full of difficult and archaic words.
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vanished.I would recommend this to people who like books from the late Victorian/early Edwardian period. And also to those who want to increase their vocabulary -- the dialogue is full of difficult and archaic words.
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LibraryThing member denmoir
A satirical look at the English upper class in love; a foreshadowing of Wodehouse in more learned language.
LibraryThing member lilysea
Anyone who's spent time as a student at Oxford will certainly love this portrayal of the place. The silly plot is really just an excuse to describe it and I am in complete favor of any such excuse.
LibraryThing member doxtator
Zuleika Dobson is irresistible to young men. Something about her is captivating and utterly riveting. A single look and they fall desperately in love with her. Zuleika, of course, cannot love any of them back--because they love and desire her so. No, she can only give her heart to someone who
This book was originally recommended as somehow being amusing and funny about the topic of mass suicide, which is an odd thing to try to make fun of. I would not say that review was correct. While the book has moments of wry amusement and convoluted logical twistings as can only be wrought by vain youth, it is in the end, a tragedy. The author was certainly well read and versed in many topics, as concepts and references are fluttered throughout the novel on every page, and the crux of the matter in the last few chapters is interesting, but overall it was a disappointing read. I felt like it was a bit of a slog in the middle of the book, and actually put it down for some months, until I determined to finish it.
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doesn't love her. So, of course, the stage is set for tragedy when a stubborn university-attending Duke refuses to look at Zuleika, hence causing her to think she is distained and so she falls in love, but then he does look at her and does fall in love, and so she falls out of love once she learns this. The rest of the novel is the slow and odd narrativeof how *all* the young men at the college come to show Zuleika their ultimate love by their ultimate sacrifice. This book was originally recommended as somehow being amusing and funny about the topic of mass suicide, which is an odd thing to try to make fun of. I would not say that review was correct. While the book has moments of wry amusement and convoluted logical twistings as can only be wrought by vain youth, it is in the end, a tragedy. The author was certainly well read and versed in many topics, as concepts and references are fluttered throughout the novel on every page, and the crux of the matter in the last few chapters is interesting, but overall it was a disappointing read. I felt like it was a bit of a slog in the middle of the book, and actually put it down for some months, until I determined to finish it.
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LibraryThing member js229
It's remarkable that this still endures when quite a lot of its targets have passed on or become unidentifiable. But it's good fun, simply for the thought of the entire (and entirely male) Oxford undergraduate body throwing itself into the Cherwell.
LibraryThing member xenchu
This is a fairly silly little book. I fear I did not see the humor very well. It is about a beautiful, shallow girl who goes to Oxford and enslaves the undergraduates, causing them to commit suicide en masse.
The book is well written with a polished vocabulary. I can't say it was a bad book just
The book is well written with a polished vocabulary. I can't say it was a bad book just
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because I did not care for it. Read it if you will. Show Less
LibraryThing member Rocky_Wing
Morbidly ridiculous, you laugh and feel guilty for laughing. A great look into how the individual can get swallowed up in the whole. Zuleika, I love to hate her. She is a terrible soul, yet worthy of some pity because she seems to be, even near the end, innocent in her own eyes. Shows the
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fickleness of lust (though they called it love) and the folly of acting on this love (though to the extreme we don't really see outside the pages of fiction). Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is a satire on Edwardian university life and chivalric attitudes, published in 1911. Zuleika Dobson is a very attractive young lady who comes to Oxford to visit her grandfather, the warden of the (fictional) Judas College. The Duke of Dorset is stricken with love with her, a condition that
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also afflicts every other male student; despite Zuleika's contempt, they are overcome with the logic of their position, and jointly commit suicide by drowning themselves. It sounds awful, but is handled in a light hearted way that has its own internal logic. The narrative viewpoint changes occasionally, which is slightly jarring. The author has a habit of coining evocative new words such as: tuist; vagrom; Egomet, inelubilable, disbuskined, aseity. An amusing read. Show Less
LibraryThing member miss_read
What a load of rubbish. Beerbohm seems far too intent on forcing the reader to admire his wit, and forced humour always falls flat. This would have made a pleasant short story, but as a novel ... no. No, no, no.
LibraryThing member charlie68
For a work that is supposed to be a farce, I found it mostly unfunny. More in the range of amusing.
LibraryThing member nsenger
The best thing I can say about Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm is that it helped me meet the letter “Z” requirement for my 2017 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge. I forced myself to keep reading this dated satire long after I lost interest in it.
This novel joins Candide and Gulliver’s Travels as
This novel joins Candide and Gulliver’s Travels as
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satires that left me bored and bewildered. Show Less
LibraryThing member ritaer
charming woman causes all Oxford undergrads to sacrifice themselves for love of her
LibraryThing member jwhenderson
This is what one might call a romantic picaresque tale. For the titular character has many romances and is more often than not irresistible to men. This seems to be more of a curse than a blessing. Whatever happens this is a uniquely witty and fantastic satire on the mores of nineteenth century
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England. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Maybe even 4½ stars... This satire of undergraduate behavior is still hilarious over 100 years after it was written! The basic story is about how the young men of Oxford react when Zuleika Dobson, the beautiful niece of the college Warden, arrives in their midst.
LibraryThing member pgchuis
Quitting at 18%. I find the strange writing style with constantly inverted word order annoying, the tone irritating and the 'plot' slow to develop.
Language
Original language
English
ISBN
1612192920 / 9781612192925
Physical description
288 p.; 8 inches
Pages
288