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| Plot Summary of The Rebel Angels |
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"In the first book of the Cornish Trilogy, Davies introduces many characters, all in some way associated with a Canadian university. In a plot entirely too involved to describe - it involves, just as a sample, a suicide, a lost Parcelsus manuscript, gypsies, defrocked monks, love of several different kinds, and some rather unsavory academic research - Davies both lampoons academia and shows his love for it and for the wisdom it produces. This book is astoundingly funny, fun, and fascinating - a masterpiece."
Ivy, Resident Scholar
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"The questions asked in this review engine do not begin to do justice to what's going on in this book. For starters, there are two protagonists, the grad student Maria Cornish, in love with her deep and inscrutible professor, Clement Hollier, and Prof. the Rev. Simon Darcourt, writing "The New Aubrey" about the University at Toronto and in love with Maria.
This book is an enlarging and engaging marvel, from its discourses on Paracelsus and the nature of health and identity to its excurses on identity and Rabelais, on the history of belief, on academic hubris and perfidy, and on pride and authorship, to its tale of how Maria comes to choose banker Arthur Cornish, a "priest of money" who proves to be also a man of musical and artistic taste, as her life's partner and husband.
That's not the spoiler it seems; one does not read this book to be surprised but rather to ponder the ideas its characters encounter in their lives and their readings. It ends like all good comedies end; it proceeds in a manner both picaresque and poingant.
Just go read it already! And finish the Cornish Trilogy (THE REBEL ANGELS, WHAT'S BRED IN THE BONE, and THE LYRE OF ORPHEUS) to boot."
Kate Sherrod, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Rebel Angels |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- 1960's-1970's
Romance/Romance Problems
Yes
Kind of romance:
- GENERAL--no other subplots apply
Internal struggle/realization?
Yes
Struggle over
- vague finding self/purpose in life (i.e. no plot to book)
- nature of existence (heavy philosophy)
Is this an adult or child's book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Lover is
- much younger/older
Wisdom from homeless/bum?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- student
Age:
- 20's-30's
Eccentric/Mental
Yes
Eccentric:
- eccentric
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Eastern European
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
- average physique
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- teacher
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb:
Yes
Eccentric:
- obsessed
- eccentric
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- an above average amount
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Genius
Physique
- bulging muscles
Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings?
- 3 (some)
The Americas (not US):
Yes
The Americas:
- Canada
City?
Yes
City:
- wealthy
Misc setting
- scientific labs
Style
Person
- rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death?
- moderately detailed references to deaths
- explicit references to deaths
Sex in book?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- vague references
- male homosexuals doing their thing
Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English?
Yes
Unusual Style:
- a lot of play on words
- a lot of flashback and forwards
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
- roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
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Click here for more information about this book
Robertson Davies Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 A. Antonow
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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