Dickens Book Club

[Quark]

There's been a lot of Dickens-talk on the forum recently, and, given how scheming and opportunistic I am, I thought this would be a good time to get a discussion going on one of his works. If anyone has any interest in reading a Dickens novel soon, vote for it above. Most votes wins--no run-offs, no recounts, no filibusters. If there's a tie, I'll break it. I'm ruthlessly determined to get this going soon, so I'll close the vote in one week. Then, we can start the discussion, and much fun, socializing, and learning will be had by all.

Any Dickens novel would give us plenty to talk about. I've listed twelve of his works in the poll. Having just read Dombey and Son, I left that off the list (as well as many of the short stories and more obscure novels), but there's still most of the major works up for vote. I'm holding back my vote to break a potential tie, but secretly I'm pulling for Little Dorrit to win. Never read it, and it sounds like a very important nineteenth-century novel with heart, humor, and humanity. Votes for that would make me happy, but maybe picking a more popular novel would attract more posters to the thread. A book like Great Expectation has more name recognition, and it's something that everyone should read at least once. Anything would work, though.

Perhaps it's time to do some grown-up reading?

Feel free to make a pitch for a certain novel, or tell me how stupid of an idea this is. I don't mind what happens in the chat below, as long it's loosely related to Dickens, book clubs, or Quark. If I left off a major work in the poll, let me know and I can put it up there. For summaries of the books, you can check reference books like Dickens A-Z (1999) or Critical Companion to Charles Dickens: a Literary Reference (2006). Many are available online, too.

Oh, and if you don't take part in this book club, go participate in some other one! Without book clubs, LitNet is just another forum.

[OrphanPip]

Well I voted for the Pickwick Papers, because it's his first full novel and a book club might as well start from the beginning.

I'd be happy with Great Expectations, David Copperfield, or pretty much any of the others.

[johnw1]

I've plumped for A Tale of Two Cities since I've not read it and heard very good things about it - and it's short. Possibly would join in with a re-read of Our Mutual Friend though.

[L.M. The Third]

Are you going to do this during specific months? As in a book a month, or just as it works for readers? I presume that you'll keep on doing Dickens book-club reads, so hopefully I'll be able to join for some.

[dfloyd]

until you have seen some of the Dickens' dramatizatons, especially those made by Masterpiece Theatre. However, some older ones in B&W are great because of the actors/director in the film versions. The two David Lean produced in the late 1940s, Oliver Twist and Great Expectation, are exceptional with a heavily made up Alec Guiness as Fagin. John Mills as a grown up Pip is unforgetable. Pip's friend, Herbert Pocket, is a not so made up Alec Guiness. Jeanne Simmons, in one of her first roles, is a memorable Estella when she humiliates Pip when he comes to play at Miss Haversham's.

And who can forget Ronald Coleman as the dissolute Sydney Carton. He is so good that you don't mind the Bastille made out of paper maiche.

In the twilight of his career, Alec Guiness portrays Little Dorrit's father who is condemned to spend his life in a debtor's prison. Diana Rigg is the haughty, but beautiful, Lady Dedlock of Bleak House. In another black & white movie, Allister Syms is the best ever Scrooge.

All of Dickens' novels plus a Christmas Carol have been dramatized with the exception of Barnaby Rudge and Dombey & Son. See the movies, then read the book. Dickens novels are not mysteries!

[Quark]

I presume that you'll keep on doing Dickens book-club reads, so hopefully I'll be able to join for some.

I actually hadn't that far ahead. I was just testing the water to see if there was any interest. Suddenly, though, eight people have already voted in the first two hours. If there's this much support for another Dickens book, yes, I'll definitely start another poll and a second discussion.

Are you going to do this during specific months? As in a book a month, or just as it works for readers?

Just as it works out for readers. I don't want it to drag out over a year (see the Aeneid thread), but I think we can just let it play out and see what happens. Besides, if we end up reading a large novel like Bleak House, it will be hard to keep everyone to a set timetable--since we all read and post at different speeds.

[Dark Muse]

I have only recently started reading Dicken's and haven't read much by him thus far, but I have enjoyed what I have read, I would be interesting in this. I went for Tale of Two Cities, becasue I have been wanting to read that one, but could never quite self-motivate myself to do so.

[novelsryou]

I just finished ATOTC so I voted for Great Expectations which is sitting on my shelf.

[mal4mac]

I've read all of these except for Our Mutual Friend, but I'd be happy to re-read any of them.

Martin Chuzzlewit, The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Barnaby Rudge are not obscure! Not as likely to appear on lists, perhaps. Out of these three, I've only read Martin Chuzzlewit, and I think it deserves to be on this list.

Reading Dickens is al lot easier than reading the Aeniad. Why not set a target for reading the chosen novel in a month?

[Quark]

I went for Tale of Two Cities, becasue I have been wanting to read that one, but could never quite self-motivate myself to do so.

A Tale of Two Cities is a good one. Besides having some of the most memorable opening and closing lines in literature, it also has one of the best character arcs in all of literature. I'd read it again. You know, it's actually a little like a sensation novel--if you're familiar with that genre. It's all about wrongful imprisonments, mistaken identity, shifting laws, narrow escapes. It was published in All The Year Round's alongside many other sensation tales like Wilkie Collin's novel The Woman in White, and some of that seemed to rub off on Dickens during the years he was writing A Tale of Two Cities.

I've only read Martin Chuzzlewit, and I think it deserves to be on this list.

Agreed, but I'm finding that I have no idea how to add an option on a poll. Anyone know how to do that?

Why not set a target for reading the chosen novel in a month?

There are still a lot of variables--like how many posters will participate, what novel we're going to read, and the speed at which everyone reads--so I'm a little loath to set a target when so much is undecided. If there's eight people posting and we're trying to read through all of Our Mutual Friend, then this will take more than a month. I intend to move us through the novel a few chapters at a time, and we can have a string of mini-discussions about each part of the text. As long as there's sizable interest I'll keep the discussion on that part of the text before moving on. This seems like a successful strategy for going about these book clubs, and it's worked on both the Lawrence Short Story Thread (which has over 3,000 posts) and the Chekhov Short Story Thread (which has gotten over 1,000 posts). That being said, maybe there will be a loose, informal target for when we should get to the end of the novel (like a month or two).

[L.M. The Third]

I won't be able to join this months, as I've too many books going at once. But if you keeping doing Dickens-reads, then hopefully I can join you soon.

[mal4mac]

Agreed, but I'm finding that I have no idea how to add an option on a poll. Anyone know how to do that?

I'm happy with your list, it provides a good selection. So unless someone else complains, I wouldn't worry about it. Anyway, Martin has now lost the chance to attract early votes, so you will just make the poor chap look worse by adding him to the list now

[MagicalSoul]

I've read the Tale of Two Cities and was okay. I read it to improve my English and then was caught by the way this auther writes, so I read Hard Time which was great. I read it twice, analyzing as much as I can.

Dickens is one of my favorite authors. I look forward to read all of his books. After getting rid of university, soon I hope.

[cgrillo]

I voted for Our Mutual Friend. I have a new, untouched copy that I've been dying to read...

[prendrelemick]

I think I'll vote for Pickwick Papers, but a very difficult choice.