Somewhere at the end of the chapter it says that Polly is six years old.
Somewhere at the end of the chapter it says that Polly is six years old.
Do, or do not. There is no try. - Yoda
Yes, I finally just got to that part where it states how old she is.Originally Posted by papayahed
Also I was wondering, are Lucy's parents dead?
I do not recall the book making any mention of them, but it said she was living with kinfolk before she went to stay with Mrs. Bretton and after she leaves, she talks about being alone, and having no one she can depend upon and the fact that circumstances have forced her into a role a self-reliance.
One of the things I find interesting about the book thus far is the way in which Lucy seems to enjoy studying other people, particularly considering that the book is being told through the first person narrative. She does appear as this figure always sitting off quietly in a corner somewhere just watching what is going on around her. She likes to make her observations about the personality of Polly, and than one of the things she really enjoys about working for Miss Marchmont is the benefit she gets from finding out just who Miss Marchmont is and studying her character and personality.
I thought that scene right before the death of Marchmont was beautiful, and I found the prose work within that chapter to be particularly beautiful and remarkable. I loved the passage or Marchmont's speech about her beloved Frank and her belief that she was on her way to reunite with him.
Last edited by Dark Muse; 02-02-2010 at 02:30 PM.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
I started this one a while ago, but lost interest while moving. I guess I'll finish it now. I like Polly so far, she's cute.
__________________
"Personal note: When I was a little kid my mother told me not to stare into the sun. So once when I was six, I did. At first the brightness was overwhelming, but I had seen that before. I kept looking, forcing myself not to blink, and then the brightness began to dissolve. My pupils shrunk to pinholes and everything came into focus and for a moment I understood. The doctors didn't know if my eyes would ever heal."
-Pi
Which was why I was confused too. Initially she came across as a toddler but she sounded much maturer -both emotionally and intellectually- later on.Thank you, Caspian, but please do not remain silent! It'd be great to read your commentsI think I can help you with this.Lucy is 14. 'Vilette' is based on Bronte's memories of Brussels. That makes the book interesting. I read it years ago in russian. It would be nice to read it in original now, but I don't think I'll do it. I'll just follow your discussion; in silence of course
.
Yes but till then I was quite wonder-full!
I get the impression that Lucy is far from being a reliable narrator; she likes to tell us her observations but everything we have read so far is exactly that: her observations. Also, she does not mention how she feels about anything, which I find very interesting (I still believe that she has a crush on GrahamWhat did he die of? I did not quite catch that.I thought that scene right before the death of Marchmont was beautiful, and I found the prose work within that chapter to be particularly beautiful and remarkable. I loved the passage or Marchmont's speech about her beloved Frank and her belief that she was on her way to reunite with him.
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
I just started to read this last night; I got through chapter two before going to bed. It reminds me slightly of Bronte's Jane Eyre in that the child seems similar to me; smart, somewhat strong willed and about the same age. Glad we determined her age; I was also confused about that at first. Age 6 would make more sense. In the beginning she did sound like a toddler with mention of crib and how they had her all bundled. I think the prose is well written so far and I am getting more interested as I got along. Hope to read more again tonight. Haven't read a book this length in awhile.
"It's so mysterious, the land of tears."
Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Ah, I got about halfway through this and then was forced to stop for uni stuff. I have been meaning to return to it as I dislike leaving books half-finished, so I'll try to place it higher up my list of priorities. I might be able to read it near the end of this month? My impression was that it was relatively solid enough for this sort of thing, but didn’t quite feel as competent as Jane Eyre, nevertheless readable though.
I have to say I personally do not think she is truly an unreliable narrator, it is true that all we have are her observations, and how she personally perceive things, but she does not appear to be someone thus far at least, who would be given to great fancies, exaggerations, or overtly emotional in a way which could alter her perception into misinterpreting things, or giving too much of her own imagination into events.I get the impression that Lucy is far from being a reliable narrator; she likes to tell us her observations but everything we have read so far is exactly that: her observations. Also, she does not mention how she feels about anything, which I find very interesting (I still believe that she has a crush on Graham
In a way perhaps for me, the fact that she does not put her own personal feelings into her observations is what allows her to be more believable as a narrator. There is something about her which gives the impression of remaining detached so her own emotions will not influence what she observes.
I have not seen enough you to suspect anything regarding her and Graham. He came off as being a bit childish and immature in the way in which he made Polly his playmate and the fact that most the time if one did not know any better they could not distinguish any age difference between them when they were fooling around together.
They never really said what Franky dies of, one night he was just brought to the house dragged behind a his horse and then after being tended to by the surgeon died.
I thought perhaps he died from a fall off his horse, because Miss Marchmont spoke about his reckless and fast riding.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
The very fact that she does not share her exact thoughts and emotions is what makes me feel that she is not an honest and reliable observer; cannot help feeling that she is holding back an important part of what she actually she sees.
If she is really as detached as she sounds on the page (what a weird thing to say!), then, I am not sure I would like her personally, anyway.Oh, I did not mean that there was something concrete making me feel that way; it is just the usual thing to expect while reading such classics
I have not seen enough you to suspect anything regarding her and Graham.That is what I thought as well but was wondering if I missed something.I thought perhaps he died from a fall off his horse, because Miss Marchmont spoke about his reckless and fast riding.
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
LOL and it is probably because of her detachment that I am so drawn to her and that I like her so much. I could not help feeling sorry for her when she was stuck in Mrs. Breton's house with Polly and Graham and the way they carried on with each other.
I could see myself like her, just sitting in a corner rolling my eyes, and trying to stay out of the whole thing.
Though she was a bit more sympathetic to Polly than I would have been. Maybe it is just because I don't like kids in general, but Polly just came off as a completely obnoxious spoiled brat to me.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
If anyone is interested, this free public domain site has the book download for audio in zipdisk format; you can also choose to listen to it on the net without downloading:
LibriVox
Interesting thing about this reading is that every chapter is read by a different person. I sampled them all and liked what I heard. I think I will be listening to the book read, after I download it to my iPod or other MP3 player. I find reading at night, my eyes really hurt me in the winter months and thus they are blurry, so this might be very helpful.
Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
I have just read the chapter where Lucy goes off to London, and I have to say I thought it seemed a bit unconventional for a young girl to go off completely on her own without a chaperone or a companion, and then to check into and stay at an inn all by herself. It does not strike me as a the sort of thing that would be commonly accepted within the society of the day.
Perhaps it has to do with her station in class, as she clearly does not come from a wealthy background since she is actively having to try and find a way to support herself and does not seem to have any family she can be depended upon.
Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. ~ Edgar Allan Poe
Yes it is has everything to do with her class - only the middle/higher orders would be chaperoned. It is however, still quite a bold venture in the same way that Jane Eyre ventured forth quite independently into the world. Of course the trip to London is one thing, the trip further afield is quite another too, quite brave.
Agreed.
What do you think of Isidore? Just started that chapter... Is he the guy who guided Lucy on her first night there?
Janine> I think it sort of makes sense why different chapters are read by different people; seems like different chapters are focusing on different people as well. First we had Polly, then Miss Marchmont, the spoilt girl on the ship, the school mistress and now Isidore...
~
"It is not that I am mad; it is only that my head is different from yours.”
~
Tomorrow, as an experiment, I'm going to start listening to the audio link that Janine supplied.
After reading the comments on this thread - I'm not sure it's going to be the best book in the world!
Last edited by Michael T; 02-03-2010 at 07:08 PM.
Ok good; then, maybe that is an interesting idea and makes perfect sense; however, some of the chapters are read by men; most are read by women. I didn't find it interuptive at all; but rather enjoyed the parts I started to listen to. I am hoping I can figure out how to get the chapters into a MP3 player or my itunes for the iPod so I can listen on headphones. I concentrate better that way. I could also read the chapters and then next day review them by listening to the narration.
Chapter 7, The Little Prince ~ Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
