The Old Curiosity Club discussion
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General Discussion
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The George
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It would certainly be an improvement if drinking whisky during a seminar were no longer frowned upon ;-)
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You no longer drink Scotch? I am not much into Bourbon but there is one fine Kentucky whisky I know - and that one is Maker's Mark.
Tristram wrote: "John wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Here's to the Inimitable! A glass of Laphroaig and a ten-minute introduction into the world of Dickens in my teacher's seminar this morning. Okay, the introduction was..."Yes, no longer drink alcohol for health reasons. I was not much of Bourbon drinker, but interestingly enough, the only one I liked was Maker’s Mark. I preferred Kentucky bourbon like MM and found the Tennessee sour mashes too harsh. Although I somewhat miss the Scotch days, it is leavened by lower blood sugar and enzymes, and weight control, which makes both my doctor and me happy.
It's Super Bowl Sunday here in the US. I can't express how little I care about this, and I usually have my own indulgent day of chick-flicks, classic films, or Dickens or Austen adaptations. I'd love to watch "Little Dorrit," but will fight the urge until we've finished the book. Perhaps today will be a day to binge watch "Dickensian," which I've only seen once all the way through. But it's also been a few years since a Super Bowl viewing of "Gone With the Wind" which has been popping into my head a lot recently. Usually Super Bowl Sunday comes with gluttonous eating of the worst kind. Even though I don't watch the game or go to Super Bowl parties, society has brainwashed me into feeling deprived if I don't gorge on chips and guacamole, football shaped baked goods, etc. For years I gave in to it, but now I try to make good choices. Still, it's astounding how programmed we can become. My mouth is literally watering just thinking about all the snacking that will be done all over the country today.
What are our other American Curiosities doing today? Am I the only one who can't stand football?
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I have not watched the Super Bowl in years. I just find it too much of a spectacle dragged out for what seems like forever. The playoffs are usually enjoyable, though.
I did watch a little of the game but mostly for the commercials and then I went up early to read. I'm not too much for football unless it is our home team but they never do very well anymore. I do like the college games if it is one of my kids teams and then I may watch.
My family enjoys watching football so I sent them up to grandma's house to watch the Bowl, then followed them up just after halftime and brought Little Dorrit to read between commercials. Usually I play the New York Times Spelling Bee game, but I was behind on my reading this week, so. Like Mary Lou, I also enjoy the snacks.
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Mary Lou
I don’t watch American or Canadian football, or baseball, or basketball. But then there is hockey … I am a huge Toronto Maple Leaf fan and still remember the last time we won the Stanley Cup. Ah, 1967. I’ve been waiting a long time for a repeat.
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https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/fea..."
John
Now that we have deciphered the code and know what the letter says hopefully someone will figure out what the letter is about. A mystery wrapped in a mystery.
John wrote: "This article is nicely written.https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/fea..."
If there are other pages in this mysterious shorthand, I hope they'll find the rest of Edwin Drood. ;-)
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I have just finished watching a wonderful and insightful presentation by Malcolm Andrews titled “Dickens Through the Looking Glass.” A YouTube search will bring it up for you. As usual, I can’t figure out how to post it directly. My apologies.
The content is wonderful. Andrews discusses the many ways Dickens used the looking glass (mirror) in his novels and in his personal life. Each section of his presentation is clear, well illustrated and very informative. The presentation runs about an hour but I believe is well worth your time.
There is much from his presentation that can be carried forward in our readings.
Peter wrote: "CuriositiesI have just finished watching a wonderful and insightful presentation by Malcolm Andrews titled “Dickens Through the Looking Glass.” A YouTube search will bring it up for you. As usual..."
Sounds interesting, Peter. I'll add it to my list of things I need to watch/read. I'm so very behind. :-(
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I have just finished watching a wonderful and insightful presentation by Malcolm Andrews titled “Dickens Through the Looking Glass.” A YouTube search will bring it up for you. As usual..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PgdM...
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I have just finished watching a wonderful and insightful presentation by Malcolm Andrews titled “Dickens Through the Looking Glass.” A YouTube search will bring it up for..."
Kim
Thank you for is. It’s a very insightful presentation and I think people will enjoy it.
… and by the way … if we had both attended the same high school we may have gone to the prom/formal together. ;-)
Kim wrote: ""
Buy e-readers to be able to get and read more books ... I was guilty this afternoon :-P
Buy e-readers to be able to get and read more books ... I was guilty this afternoon :-P
Can someone please call the waiter over? I want to order the group a round of this libation:https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/6...
The ad I saw (which I couldn't copy here) had this in the description:
A fruity and exotic rum paying tribute to Dickens character Reverend Stiggins, whose favorite drink was pineapple rum.
As much as he drank, it must be very good. :-)
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https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/p/6...
The ad..."
Mary Lou
Delightful. The Curiosities needed a bit of a tipple and visit.
Cheers!
I went on CNN for literally 45 seconds and had to look away. Putin’s Army is targeting civilians. I have been trying to delve deep into my books.
I have the same, John. It feels wrong to look away, but at some point there's only so much we can do after all. Working myself into a mental breakdown over the news helps no one. I know it is a privilege to be able to look away, but I am glad I have that privilege, and I do use it at times like this.
There are non-profits doing good work. Those of us who are in a position to do so, despite the inflation that we're all dealing with, can donate to groups that are getting people out, providing for the refugees, etc. I don't know about storage, shipping, and shelf-life, but donating blood certainly can't hurt. As Mr. Rogers wisely said, "Look for the helpers."
Oh, I absolutely did. That is indeed something we can do, donate to the right sources, and that already helps a lot. I mostly meant that we unfortunately cannot stop Putin from bombing civillians. I wish we could though. It feels so empty to just donate and then go on with our lives.
It's terrifying. I agree donating is a good constructive move. But I assigned Germaine de Staël in class this term, and she has this to say of books:
the entire universe may be in motion, but such eloquent, tender writing stays near him as his most faithful friend, the one who understands him best. Yes, a book must be right if it offers even one day's distraction from pain: it helps the best of men.... I respect the suffering heart, even when it is unknown to me; I take pleasure in fictions whose only effect might be to comfort this heart by capturing its interest."
She published this as a French aristocrat in 1795, who had just seen her friends executed and come close to execution herself. Reading this made me feel a little better about taking time to step away from the news--after I donate.
Love that quote too! Thank you :-)
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Bah, humbug! Don't get too excited, Kim. Our squall came through quickly and the snow/hail melted immediately. But as long as I don't have to deal with it, I hope you get as much snow as your heart desires.
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Ours did the same thing, it was still fun to see though.
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Well, I am behind in the Little Dorrit reading, but that's because I got behind in *everything* while I was setting up to travel out of the country to teach study abroad. I am in Ireland through mid-May, Dublin at present, and now that the dust has settled on all the confusion of arrival, I am getting caught up on my reading, and even enjoying some in-person pubs.
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It sounds wonderful, except for that teaching part. :-)
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Kim wrote: "Julie,It sounds wonderful, except for that teaching part. :-)"
Yes, exactly. Mary Lou, you would not have been jealous when the students were knocking on my door at 1:30 in the morning the first night. ;)
I just glossed over that tedious business about teaching and focused on the Irish pub. In my fantasy there are no pesky students. :-)Kim, can't wait to share that link with some of my cat-loving former colleagues.
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Here's hoping you are having a good time in Ireland. And I even envy you the teaching there! :-)
A nice piece about Dickens’ amateur magician forays. I’ve always loved that Dickens was perhaps the first writer to use magical realism in his writing — Bleak House being the example.https://lithub.com/charles-dickens-wa...
John - can you elaborate? I'm trying to think of any magical realism in Bleak House, but can't come up with any examples.
Mary Lou wrote: "John - can you elaborate? I'm trying to think of any magical realism in Bleak House, but can't come up with any examples."Sure, Mary Lou. In Bleak House, Krook goes up in flames by spontaneous combustion. Dickens believed spontaneous combustion could happen, though the critics in the Victorian era were like, whoa, you cannot have this in a book. They wanted only the literal, not the magical.
From my studies of Dickens, it appears that many writers who subsequently used magical realism (Gabriel Garcia-Marquez, for example) pointed to Bleak House as the very first example.
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Julie
Dublin. Pubs. Have a great time. Can you extend your visit so you can experience Bloomsday? If not, do an early one with friends and colleagues.
Okay. I never thought of that as magical realism so much as, perhaps, unsettled science. Interesting.
Peter wrote: "Julie wrote: "Well, I am behind in the Little Dorrit reading, but that's because I got behind in *everything* while I was setting up to travel out of the country to teach study abroad. I am in Irel..."No, can't extend it, but one of the best trips of my life was for a conference in Dublin on Bloomsday for the 100th anniversary of the publication of Ulysses. It felt like the whole town turned out!
Julie wrote: "Peter wrote: "Julie wrote: "Well, I am behind in the Little Dorrit reading, but that's because I got behind in *everything* while I was setting up to travel out of the country to teach study abroad..."Very nice, Julie. I’ve never been to Ireland. My mom’s family on her father’s side were from Limerick. I always enjoyed that “literary” connection, in a way, as an old English major.
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I remember Laphroiag from my old Scotch drinking days. Mighty fine. I also enjoyed back then Lagavulin, Springbank, and the tried and true original Glenfiddich.