Introduction to The Dickens Project

[Abigail]

I would be interested in this side read.

[Robin P, Moderator]

The side read sounds great.
I've been around since the beginning with Pickwick. I happened to join this group just around the time the project was starting. I know Zulfiya has always been here, not sure who else.

[Robin P, Moderator]

Odd, I thought I just added a post, I'm sorry if this shows up twice. The side read sounds great. I was surprised I'd never heard of it but I see that it only came out a couple weeks ago.

I've been with the group since the beginning and it's been great!

[Hedi]

Robin, I have been reading with the Dickens project since Nicholas Nickleby, in theory even since Oliver Twist, but wit that one I got caught up in an intercontinental move, so I did not fully follow it. I also read The Pickwick Papers at about the time of Nicholas Nickleby and have since been with the project continuously, well up to A Tale of Two Cities which I hope to finish within the next two weeks.


Zulfiya, you mentioned we might start with Great Expectation (which I loved some years back) in August. Do you have a plan when?
I hope I will be able to participate in a better way this time. ☺️ I still feel bad for not following properly with ATOTC.

[Lynnm]

I am really struggling through A Tale of Two Cities - I still have about 60 pages to go.

Happens every time I try to read it. I don't know why - it's a great book. Maybe it is because I already know the ending, an ending I don't like. I felt bad not participating in the discussion, because I've been with the project since the beginning.

But...I'm looking forward to Great Expectations and will be back, reading on time, and participating.

[Robin P, Moderator]

I also didn't participate much in ATOTC. I had read it at least once in the past and thenmy in-person book group read it a couple years ago and I really didn't want to reread again, just glanced at it. Looking forward to Great Expectations, which is the first Dickens I ever read, around age 11. I don't think I've read it since though I've seen film/TV versions.

[Kat]

When does the Great Expectations conversation begin?

[Sara]

Great Expectations is my favorite Dickens, although there are several I have not yet read, among them Bleak House. I enjoyed re-reading ATOTC and hope I can find the time to join in with GE.

[Lynnm]

I just bought my copy of Great Expectations.

If we haven't heard from Zulfiya by Monday, I'll send her an Goodreads email.

[Deborah, Moderator]

While in unable to lead the discussion, if you need help with threads I can do that :)

[Lynnm]

Deborah wrote: "While in unable to lead the discussion, if you need help with threads I can do that :)"

Thanks, Deborah.

I can do the threads, but once we figure out a start date, if Zulfiya isn't back, we might need you to just change the home page to say that the group is reading Great Expectations.

I figured out a reading schedule. I can post that tomorrow, and see if everyone agrees. I thought beginning, Monday, August 17, would give everyone time to purchase the book.

[Lynnm]

Hi Deborah,

I started a thread for the Great Expectations reading schedule.

The one thing I can't do is bump it to the top of the Dickens forum.

Would you mind doing that?

Thanks!

[Deborah, Moderator]

I've moved the thread closer to the top, and added the book to the currently reading status. Send me a goodreads email if you need anything else. I do t always check the Dickens thread

[Hedi]

Thanks, Lynnm and Deborah, for organizing everything.

[Lynnm]

We are coming to the end of Great Expectations so time to think about the next novel (which is the second to the last novel): Our Mutual Friend.

It looks like a long one.

Question: Should we start it on December 1 or January 1? Since we read his novels so slowly, I don't see a problem with reading over the holidays, but others might feel differently.

Let me know.

[Frances, Moderator]

As we often take a Christmas Break and read one of the Seasonal works, I wondered if any others in the group would be interested in doing either The Haunted House or A Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire both of which come in under 150 pages (these were nominated but didn't win over at the Victorians bookclub). We could easily do one over the holidays and then look at starting Our Mutual Friend January 1st.

[Linda2]

Neither of these is totally by Dickens, who contributed just a few entries in two entire books of short stories. But either one fine by me, as long as I can find it online.

[Lynnm]

Frances wrote: "As we often take a Christmas Break and read one of the Seasonal works, I wondered if any others in the group would be interested in doing either The Haunted House or [book:A Round of ..."

Sounds good to me, Frances! Let me check them out and see availability, etc.

[Linda2]

I have an article bookmarked somewhere (I have 1401 bookmarks) that ghost stories, not A Christmas Carol alone, were traditional for Christmas Eve.

ETA--here it is:
http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/12/24/t...

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/70...

[Lynnm]

Frances wrote: "As we often take a Christmas Break and read one of the Seasonal works, I wondered if any others in the group would be interested in doing either The Haunted House or [book:A Round of ..."

The Haunted House is only 99 cents on Amazon (ebook).

But A Round of Stories by the Christmas Fire is more expensive and only available as a paperback ($13.95).

Both appear to be available online but I've never heard of the web sites so I don't want to click on them.

And both are available at the library in the state I live in (The Haunted House as an ebooks, and A Round of Stories in hardcopy at only one library) so people might want to check their local libaries.

I'm up for both of them...I can put up a thread and let people comment as they wish. What do you think?

[Lynnm]

Rochelle wrote: "I have an article bookmarked somewhere (I have 1401 bookmarks) that ghost stories, not A Christmas Carol alone, were traditional for Christmas Eve.

ETA--here it is:
http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/1..."

I'm definitely up for the ghost stories. We did the traditional Dickens Christmas stories - I believe - last year.

[Linda2]

For those of us without Kindles:

Here's the 2nd one free at Google Books, along with its sequel, Another Round:

https://play.google.com/store/search?...

Haunted House for $.99 at Google Books:
https://play.google.com/store/books/d...

[Andreea]

You can also get Haunted House for free through University of Adelaide's ebook repository:

https://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dick...

[Lynnm]

Thanks for all the online options!

What I will do is post the threads for both on December 1. People can then post when they feel they have something to say.

And we can start Our Mutual Friend on Sunday, January 3. Sometime in December, I'll put up a reading schedule.

[Lynnm]

Nice article on Dickens' A Christmas Carol:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-secon...

[Hedi]

This might be interesting at least for the ons in the UK of those who can get the BBC.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-preview...

[Hedi]

Sorry for the typos :-(

[Robin P, Moderator]

Lynnm wrote: "Nice article on Dickens' A Christmas Carol:

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-secon..."

The experts agree with something I've said for years, that the best movie version is, surprisingly , the Muppet one. It includes things that other versions left out and doesn't change the important things (even if there are singing vegetables and two ghosts of Marley!)

[Robin P, Moderator]

Hedi wrote: "This might be interesting at least for the ons in the UK of those who can get the BBC.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-preview..."

Looks great, possibly we'll get it in the future on PBS.

[Lori, Moderator]

Robin wrote: "The experts agree with something I've said for years, that..."

The Muppet Christmas Carol is one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies! I made the mistake of showing it to my students one year - it was a mistake because it always makes me cry like a baby!

[Lynnm]

I've never even heard of the Muppet Christmas Carol....where have I been? :-) I'm going to have to check it out.

[Will]

I'm sorry, but must speak up. A Christmas Carol, best version in my humble opinion stars Alastair Sim and was done in 1951.

[Pip]

My favourite version is the 1984 TV adaptation with George C Scott. Marley's ghost and the whole build-up to his appearance is my almost sole criterion; he should be absolutely terrifying and Frank Finlay hits the spot for me.

Waldorf and Stadtler come a close second ;-)

[Deborah, Moderator]

Will wrote: "I'm sorry, but must speak up. A Christmas Carol, best version in my humble opinion stars Alastair Sim and was done in 1951."

I agree completely

[Will]

An excellent version I agree. George C. Scott is good.

[Robin P, Moderator]

Will wrote: "I'm sorry, but must speak up. A Christmas Carol, best version in my humble opinion stars Alastair Sim and was done in 1951."

That is a good one too, I think it is the best "serious' one I've seen.

[Lynnm]

I saw this mentioned on a BBC site. First I've heard of it.

It is a BBC show called "Dickensian," and the 20-part series began this past December.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia...

Has anyone seen it?

And I can't see to find information on when it is coming to BBC America.

[Pip]

Lynnm wrote: "I saw this mentioned on a BBC site. First I've heard of it.

It is a BBC show called "Dickensian," and the 20-part series began this past December.

http://www.bbcamerica.com/anglophenia......"

I've seen it Lynn. It's an interesting experiment, though has a few inevitable flaws; once you've got over the initial excitement of recognising the characters, it flags a bit. The main problem is that you sort of know how most characters will end up. The central murder mystery is fun though, and most of the acting is fabulous. Well worth a watch as long as your Expectations aren't too Great ;-))

[Lynnm]

Thanks for the feedback, Pip.

And I won't allow my Expectations to become too Great. :-).

If we ever get it here. And if I know it is on. Sadly, BBC America gives us a steady stream of Top Gear, a show I really dislike, so I don't check the channel very often.

[Pip]

Oh, Top Gear. #%*#*%!!!!!!!!! Horrid programme, horrid presenter. I really can't understand why it is so incredibly popular internationally, but it is. Shhhh, sorry, way off topic.

An interesting point about "Dickensian" is that it was written by Tony Jordan, one of the main writers of a very popular soap in the UK "EastEnders". He's a life-long Dickens fan and I remember seeing him present an episode of a series whose name I can't remember (it was different writers discussing their favourite Dickens books) and he discussed Great Expectations. He referred a lot to the serialisation of the novels and how it influenced him when writing 30 minute soap episodes.

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

I used to watch Eastenders back in the 80's and early 90's. It was shown on the Buffalo PBS station.
If any of you have read any Jasper Fforde, Miss Havisham is a very interesting character in his series of novels about Thursday Next.

[Lynnm]

Pip wrote: "Oh, Top Gear. #%*#*%!!!!!!!!! Horrid programme, horrid presenter. I really can't understand why it is so incredibly popular internationally, but it is. Shhhh, sorry, way off topic.

An interesting..."

It is a horrid program! I was so glad when it was cancelled, but now, sadly, they are bringing it back.

I've always wanted to watch East Enders, but we don't get it in the States.

[Lynnm]

Interesting article on the origins of some bizarre idioms in the English language.

And, fun fact, "it was a dickens of a job" doesn't refer to our very own Charles Dickens, but it is a phrase from Shakespeare.

http://indy100.independent.co.uk/arti...

[Robin P, Moderator]

Somewhere I read that Dickens chose funny names for his characters partly because he had a somewhat funny name (maybe that was in the biography)

[Lynnm]

Sadly, we have reached the end of our Dickens Project. Makes me sad. What will I do without a weekly dose of Dickens?

I personally am going to spend the summer watching some of the TV series/films from his novels. I'm not ready to give up Dickens yet!!!

And, we get to start our Trollope project, starting with the Barsetshire series. I will set up the project threads next week (the 15th), when we finish our discussion on Edwin Door. And we can begin Trollope on Sunday, June 5.

[Rosemarie, Moderator]

Thanks for the timely info on the next project. I have a personal challange to read all the literary works mentioned in the Jasper Fforde novels. In the first one there are two Dickens novels-Martin Chuzzlewit, which I am reading now, and Dombey and Son. By the time I finish all the novels I will have created my own Dickens project. I have already read quite a few Dickens novels and it hard to pick a favourite, they are all enjoyable reads.

[Renee]

Oh, yes, it is sad to be saying goodbye to the Dickens Project. I've so enjoyed reading these wonderful books with you all. (And look forward to continuing that with the wonderful Mr. Trollope). Thank you all for the camaraderie and the insights.

[Robin P, Moderator]

Rosemarie wrote: "Thanks for the timely info on the next project. I have a personal challange to read all the literary works mentioned in the Jasper Fforde novels. In the first one there are two Dickens novels-Marti..."

Feel free to look in our archives for discussions of those novels. I think part of the success of this group is the excellent participation and enthusiasm of the members, but also the method of reading a manageable section each week. We are able to discuss in detail. Some other groups announce a book and then try to discuss the whole thing at once, which usually leads to a lot of generalities.

[Hedi]

Sorry for not having been a very active member of the group during the last months. I have just now finished The Mystery of Edwin Drood, but am also sad that we have finished our project. I have missed the Warden, but might be able to join in with the next of Trollope's books which I already own.

Thanks a lot also from my side for interesting 4-5 years of discussions about Dickens and his works. I really enjoyed it.

[Frances, Moderator]

Hello Hedi, lovely to hear from you. I just went back and checked dates-I can't believe it was over 4 years ago that I joined the Dickens project-and I also finished his biography after we finished Drood-what a fascinating, complex, brilliant man!

We had a great group for The Warden and I'm looking forward to this ongoing project-hope you can join us!