Dickens Book Club

[IceM]

I voted for Our Mutual Friend because teachers and well-read peers in high school alike have gloated about how brilliant the novel is, and how brilliant they are for reading it when I haven't.

[Three Sparrows]

I would really like to read Nicolas Nicolby, but I do not own the book and I do not know when I can get it, so maybe I will just watch until next time. Looks like this is gonna be a good club though!

[Quark]

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.

With how many votes this poll is getting, I'm guessing that there will probably be interest for another discussion. It might be a while before we finish up this one, though, as Dickens novels tend to be large, intricate, and multi-layered creations that take some time to read and discuss.

I'm happy with your list, it provides a good selection. So unless someone else complains, I wouldn't worry about it.

It does annoy me, however, that I can't remember what I need to do to add a option to the poll. I thought I remembered doing this before, but maybe I'm making that up. In any case, if there's another Dickens discussion, I'll put Martin Chuzzlewit in the list of nominations.

I voted for Our Mutual Friend because teachers and well-read peers in high school alike have gloated about how brilliant the novel is, and how brilliant they are for reading it when I haven't.

Well, prepare to join that club of insufferable geniuses, because it looks like Our Mutual Friend is about to win. There's still five days left for voting, but Our Mutual Friend is up three votes to its nearest rival. Here's the breakdown so far:

Our Mutual Friend: 6
Great Expectations: 3
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club: 3
David Copperfield: 3
A Tale of Two Cities: 2
Hard Times: For These Times: 2
Bleak House: 1

Total Votes: 20

I would really like to read Nicolas Nicolby, but I do not own the book and I do not know when I can get it, so maybe I will just watch until next time.

Nicolas Nicolby is on my list to read, too. I'd like to get to it at some point.

Looks like this is gonna be a good club though!

Oh, it better be.

[dfloyd]

the last complete novel written by Dickens. His last novel, of course, is The Mystery of Edward Drood which was incomplete at his death. Our Mutual Friend was the first Dickens novel I read since I had a copy of it which I have forgotten how I got. Years later I watched the BBC dramatization of the book. It was so good, I read the book again. I would advise anyone contemplating reading this novel to watch the BBC series. It will give you a clearer picture of this Dickens classic.

[mal4mac]

I would really like to read Nicolas Nicolby, but I do not own the book and I do not know when I can get it, so maybe I will just watch until next time. Looks like this is gonna be a good club though!

You can get a copy at "The Old Curiosity Shop", I got my copy of Black Haus there...

[hannah_t]

I'm not voting this time, since I've read 2 Dickens books this year, and am concentrating on other Victorian authors in order to be prepared for my A Level Lit exam at the end of the year But I think this is awesome, and will definately be joining in over the summer holidays when I have a minute to myself to read what I want to. Gotta love Dickens

[Quark]

Years later I watched the BBC dramatization of the book. It was so good, I read the book again. I would advise anyone contemplating reading this novel to watch the BBC series. It will give you a clearer picture of this Dickens classic.

Yeah, and you can get most of the BBC adaptations online at YouTube or elsewhere. I'll post links to the dramatization for whichever book we end up reading.

I'm not voting this time, since I've read 2 Dickens books this year, and am concentrating on other Victorian authors in order to be prepared for my A Level Lit exam at the end of the year But I think this is awesome, and will definately be joining in over the summer holidays when I have a minute to myself to read what I want to. Gotta love Dickens

The thread should last until summer. Good luck on exams!

[Quark]

Great Expectations is catching up.

[Scheherazade]

I wouldn't mind reading Hard Times.

(Moving this thread to the Dickens subforum).

[Jozanny]

All I know is I just popped in and decided that I must steal Sche's signature; it should be my epitaph!

As to Dickens, (and pray tell does he even have an epitaph?) I voted for *Friend* and don't know why. I skimmed, and only skimmed, an enthusiastic great writer is Dickens article over the winter holiday, and it talked about all that tremendous energy of his emotional pain that went into all those lengthy manuscripts, but I cannot keep thinking about how much I hated the death scene of the toy-dollish first wife in David Copperfield.

How much does subjective taste get in the way of appreciating legitimate achievement? I do not consider this spurious; my academic advisor contested with me over Dickens, and the Jamesians broke into a heated argument (wherein I wisely did not post a squeak) between the mostly dead terminal degree scholars, their students, and one of those non-scholar queer fanatic persons who latch onto an author (I had one of my own in the 80's and yes, it is queer in terms of in outer space out there) over what Dickens works achieve or don't, and to be honest, I've always been inclined toward impatience with the melodrama.

[OrphanPip]

Dora is a fairly unsympathetic character, we're apparently supposed to pay more attention to how her childishness and complete lack of character serves to educate David and ignore the fact that she's nearly sickeningly pure even by usual Dickensian standards. What I can't wrap my head around is why Dickens named one of his daughters after the character.

For a novel so much about defining an individual's identity this moment of investing oneself entirely into the happiness of another person fits well, but it would be nice if there was something moderately likeable about Dora. I've always felt that her obsession with the puppy mirrors David's obsession with her.

[Jazz_]

I think I'll vote for A Tale Of Two Cities...

It's been a while since I read any Dickens, I'm looking forward to it

[Quark]

Only one day left to vote! Then, I'll start a new thread on the novel that wins. It's looking like Our Mutual Friend is going to win right now, but there's quite a few books with three votes and one with four that could catch up. In the case of a tie, I'll break the vote, as I haven't put a vote in for anything yet.

[hoope]

Why do we have to vote for one.. ! it was so hard ..

I mean Great Expectation is a great book.. Hard times i read it .. but i find it hard in the begninning .. Yet a good one too.. Tale of Two cities.. all are great works !!
Oh christmas Carol i wanted to choose for once.. but then i said coz its a short story maybe i should go for the big novels.. though from my point of view .. its an amazing story with a motive & goal .. !
However my choice was Oliver Twist the first book i ever read for Dickens , i was only in grade 6 - that is why it makes difference for me .. ! i love it

[Quark]

Just a few more hours until the poll closes!