A topic to throw out there:
There are so many chapters in EII that are titled "Falling in Love", yet Jonathan himself seems removed from or reluctant to love, as we see in his conversation with Alex about "being carnal" and in the way he writes about his grandfather, who Jonathan does not permitted to love the Gypsy girl, as Alex says. What do you think about that? Why are the chapters titled "Falling in Love"? Who is falling in love with whom? How does love tie into the story? Two lines in particular that stick out in my memory are from the conversation between Grandfather, Alex and Jonathan ("Maybe I should go to Odessa...I could fall in love"), and from one of Alex's later letters ("If I were to inform Father, for example, about how I comprehend love, and who I desire to love, he would kill me, and this is no idiom.") All of these make me wonder about the relationship between Alex and Jonathan, but I hesitate to use the word slash, if only because of its "fanon" connotation, and I don't want to trivialize the characters or their relationship in any way.
Have at it. Remember, in-depth discussion is more than encouraged!
Have at it. Remember, in-depth discussion is more than encouraged!