Victorians! discussion

How It Works

We take it in turns to name a character from Victorian literature, following the letters of the alphabet from A-Z. The letter can be the start of the first name or the surname. For Q, X, Y and Z, the first or surname should contain that letter.
When we get to Z, we'll start again at the beginning!

NEWCOMERS TO THE GAME:
Here is where you can find lists of previous rounds, in order to avoid repetition:
- rounds 1 and 2 - message 65 (page 2)
- rounds 3-6 - message 100 (page 2)

If possible, avoid repeating characters (ie: if Jane Eyre is used for "J", she can't be used again for "E").

I'll go first...

A - Anne Catherick (Collins, The Woman In White)

B - .....?

Beteridge (Collins, The Moonstone)

David Copperfield. (title character, Dickens)

D - Fancy Day (Hardy, Under The Greenwood Tree)

E- Elfride (Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes)

Fagin (Oliver Twist)

G--Archdeacon Grantly, ( The Warden , Barchester Towers and The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope)

H - Helen (of many surnames) from The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë.

I - Isabella Linton (wuthering Heights)

J -Jane Eyre

K - Kimball O'Hara (Kim, Rudyard Kipling)

L. Little Em'ly. (David Copperfield)

M- Wilkins Micawber (David Copperfield)

N - Nicholas Nickleby (Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens)

O - Oliver Twist (Title Character, Dickens)

P - PIP!!!!!!! Philip Pirrip (Great Expectations, Dickens)

Pip wrote: "P - PIP!!!!!!! Philip Pirrip (Great Expectations, Dickens)"

You were just waiting and waiting for that one, weren't you? Aren't you glad I took pity on you and posted for the letter O? ;)

Oh My God! I just spit coffee. How did I not see that coming?

Pip was chuckle of day. Thank you and it almost, sort of rhymes with . . .
Betsy Quilp for Q, (The Old Curiosity Shop, Dickens)

Leni wrote: "Pip wrote: "P - PIP!!!!!!! Philip Pirrip (Great Expectations, Dickens)"

You were just waiting and waiting for that one, weren't you? Aren't you glad I took pity on you and posted for the letter O? ;)"

Absolutely! Thank you, Leni! You made my day xxx

Good one Pip.

I saw it coming. Thanks for the laugh, Everybody!

R - Renfield (Dracula, Stoker)

Just to show that I am taking this seriously, and wasn't just hanging about for "P" ;-)

Samuel Pickwick (Dickens, Pickwick Papers)

T Tiny Tim. A Christmas Carol, Dickens

U Uncle Silas (Eponymous, Le Fanu)

V - Victor Frankenstein (Frankenstein, Mary Shelley)

W is for Wemmick from Great Expectations

X - Charley Hexam (OMF, Dickens)

@1Pip wrote: "How It Works ...When we get to Z, we'll start again at the beginning!,..."

And not repeat a character? Or simply not repeat a character for the letter originally used? (E.g., Victor Frankenstein has been used for V. May he be used again for Frankenstein?)

For reference: (view spoiler)[
A Anne Catherick Collins, The Woman in White
B Beteridge Collins, The Moonstone
C David Copperfied Dickens, David Copperfield
D Fancy Day Hardy, Under the Greenwood Tree
E Elfride Hardy, A Pair of Blue Eyes
F Fagin Dickens, Oliver Twist
G Archdeacon Grantly Trollope, The Warden, Barchester Towers, Last Chronicle of Barset
H Helen (of many surnames) Anne Brontë, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
I Isabella Linton Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights
J Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
K Kimball O'Hara Kim, Rudyard Kipling
L Little Em'ly Dickens, David Copperfield
M Wilkins Macawber Dickens, David Copperfield
N Nicholas Nickleby Dickens, Nicholas Nickleby
O Oliver Twist Dickens, Oliver Twist
P PIP!!!! Philip Pirrip Dickens, Great Expectations
Q Betsy Quilp Dickens, The Old Curiosity Shop
R Renfield Stoker, Dracula
S Samuel Pickwick Dickens, Pickwick Papers
T Tiny Tim Dickens A Christmas Carol
U Uncle Silas LeFanu, Eponymous
V Victor Frankenstein Shelley, Frankenstein
W Wemmick Dickens, Great Expectations
X Charley Hexam Dickens, OMF
Y Algy -- Algernon Moncrieff Wilde, The Importance of Being Ernest
Z Ebenezer Scrooge Dickens, A Christmas Carol
(hide spoiler)]

Y - Katya (Tolstoy, Resurrection)

Y - Yossarian (Heller, Catch 22) (Not Victorian)

PS - 2/9/16 a more rigorously defined Victorian Lit nominee:

Y - Algy -- Algernon Moncrieff (Wilde, The Importance of Being Ernest)

(I'm still looking for characters whose names start with Y!)

Z - Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol, Dickenns)

Lily wrote: "@1Pip wrote: "How It Works ...When we get to Z, we'll start again at the beginning!,..."

And not repeat a character? Or simply not repeat a character for the letter originally used? (E.g., Victor ..."

Let's try not to repeat characters at all, that way we'll need to be more inventive! I'll amend the rules above.

A - Godfrey Ablewhite (The Moonstone, Collins)

B is for Dorothea Brooke! (Middlemarch, George Eliot)

Alex wrote: "B is for Dorothea Brooke! (Middlemarch, George Eliot)"

C Count Fasco (Collins, Woman in White)

Deborah wrote: "Alex wrote: "B is for Dorothea Brooke! (Middlemarch, George Eliot)"

C - Count Fasco (Collins, Woman in White)"

D - Daniel Deronda (Eliot, Daniel Deronda)

Lily wrote: "Deborah wrote: "Alex wrote: "B is for Dorothea Brooke! (Middlemarch, George Eliot)"

C - Count Fasco (Collins, Woman in White)"

D - Daniel Deronda (Eliot, Daniel Deronda)"

E - Esther Waters (Esther Waters by George Moore)

F - Flora (TUrn of the Screw, H James)

Pip wrote: "F - Flora (Turn of the Screw, H James)"

G - Godwin Peak (Gissing, Born in Exile)

H- Miss Havisham (Great Expectations, Dickens)

I - Irene Adler (Sherlock Holmes, A Scandal in Bohemia - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

J - Julien Sorel (Stendahl, The Red and the Black, 1830)

Or if that doesn't qualify:

J - Joe Gargery (Dickens, Great Expectations) to go with Pip's Pip! ;-)

1837-1901 Reign of Queen Victoria, b. 1819

Lily wrote: "J - Julien Sorel (Stendahl, The Red and the Black, 1830)

Or if that doesn't qualify:

J - Joe Gargery (Dickens, Great Expectations) to go with Pip's Pip! ;-)

1837-1901 Reign of Queen Victoria, b...."

Stendhal doesn't really qualify as not British or Irish, but then neither does my Henry James entry (I always forget he's North American....!?!?!)
So I forgive you this once and bow my own head in shame. It won't happen again ;-))

Pip wrote: "Stendhal doesn't really qualify as not British or Irish, but then neither does my Henry James entry..."

Well, I did use Tolstoy the first time w/o comment. (I believe one of his primary translators during that time, Constance Garnett, is definitely considered Victorian in her translation.) My own druthers would be either the reign or life of Queen Victoria as the range for publication and to allow worldwide authors during that period. I don't really want to try to figure out during which time periods what parts of the world were part of the British Empire . My question with Stendahl was as much the publication date as nationality. ("Turn of the Screw" made it in 1898, but Henry James' last three masterpieces came in 1902 - 1904. James did receive a British citizenship - 1915.)

(view spoiler)[ I can't this round, because I just posted at J, but I would enjoy seeing K - Kamalakanta (Bankim Chandra, Kamalakanta, 1875-85) in some future round -- an Indian author, don't know whether he was ever considered "British." I'll continue to petition that "Victorian" can be defined as an era rather than as British or Irish. In fact, some would argue about Irish, if persisting on nationality.) (hide spoiler)]

Lily, this is just a bit of fun so I dont want to get too bogged down in things - unless of course that leads to interesting discussion, as it has in this case!

Let's try to stick to British/Irish, but if you think you can qualify a character / author as you did with my Henry James, then we can afford to bend the rules a bit ;-)

Now, where have we got to? K I think.

K - the King of Hearts (Alice, Carroll)

L - Lucy Snowe (Vilette, Bronte)

M - Mary Barton (Gaskell)

N - Nemo (Bleak House)

O - Mr Otis (Canterville Ghost, Wilde)