☯Emily ’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2011)

☯Emily ’s comments from the Classics for Beginners group.

I took a class several years ago at NYU on Forster's books. We read and discussed all but one of his books. We would read one book and discussed it and then the following week, we saw the movie. In class, we discussed Forster, his style of writing and his lifestyle. I thought all of his books were weird, but easy to read.

I think the class agreed with RitaSkeeter's assessment of the cave incident.

I think the second half of the book is much better than the first half.

So what did happen in the cave?

So do I. I hate people who take advantage of others, but act like they are doing everyone a favor because they are personable.

I agree with everything you commented on. I am stuck on this chapter because Skimpole is talking...LOL.

Thanks for the encouragement, Theresa. I'm currently stuck on a Skimpole section and I have little energy or patience to read this part.

I nominated this book because I had started it several years ago for a class, but never made it through. I got the chapters in this section read, but I am stuck in Part II. I do not like Horace Skimpole and I get bogged down every time he makes an appearance. He is the type of character I hate. Everyone in the books seems to like his "child-like" persona, which is in reality a lazy, selfish egoist. He would have been a great actor, if that profession were available to him.

Heather L wrote: "Here's one from NPR on our upcoming February group read:


Bulgakov's 'Master' Still Strikes A Chord In Today's Russia


Talk about timing!"

Interesting article. I won't be reading this book next month, but the article is informative and maybe I'll read it sometime in the future.

Welcome to more classic options!

Esther's narration is readable and fun. The remaining chapters are not as interesting because Dickens editorializes in them or has descriptions that go on way too long.

What does everyone think about Esther's narration? Does she have a good grasp of people's characters? Is her narration suspect?

I suspect she is "spot on" when she describes Mrs. Pardiggle and her five sons. I loved the thought that Esther had about Mr. Pardiggle and Mr. Jellyby meeting: "Suppose Mr Pardiggle were to dine with Mr Jellyby, and suppose Mr Jellyby were to relieve his mind after dinner to Mr Pardiggle, would Mr Pardiggle, in return, make any confidential communication to Mr Jellyby? I was quite confused to find myself thinking this, but it came into my head."

I'm thinking that Dickens must have been the recipient of many letters from different groups (women) asking for money or for his help. His revenge was the portrayals of Mrs. Jellyby and Mrs. Pardiggle.

This book was written before India and Pakistan into two nations as you read how the two religious groups viewed each other. This antipathy goes back hundreds of years.

Great book. Read it a few years ago when I took a course called Literature of Imperialism. We should have some great discussions.

Don't get discouraged reading the first chapter. It gets better after that.

Even though the first chapter plods along, it is a not just describing the mud and filth of London. Dickens is actually showing the decrepitude and inefficiency of the Court of Chancery in Great Britain at that time. If you want to read more about the Court of Chancery, here is the Wikipedia link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Court_of...

I hope many of us have gotten this far! This thread will discuss chapters 50-67. We can also write our thoughts about the book as a whole.

This is the place we can discuss chapters 33-49.

This thread will discuss chapters 17-32.

We are scheduled to begin discussing this book on January 1. This might be a good time to begin reading the book. But, no pressure. You can join the discussion at any time! Enjoy.

This thread will discuss chapters 1-16.

I'm still trying to figure out what the meaning is!