The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Discussion of Chapters 1 thru 4

Is anyone reading this? I've started but I probably won't keep going if there's no discussion.

Huge apologies.
I have been out of town and just got back. I had planned to do some reading. In fact I did none. I will be making comments as I catch up.

I'm behind too. I've been sick as a dog and in bed for a week, I'll be starting today. My apologies Robin.

❀✿ Gem ✿❀ wrote: "I'm behind too. I've been sick as a dog and in bed for a week, I'll be starting today. My apologies Robin."

Gem,

Most sorry that you have been unwell.
Perhaps we should reset the calendar?

We can do that. I'll adjust the reading schedule.

I've adjust the reading schedule.

Ahoy Shipmates

Are we such a scurvy lat that there be no hint o scuttlebutt ? Not even about Pirates?

I be just past chapt the 4th and have yet to feel that the yarn flows on smooth seas. Much choppy 'ritten bout this and that enough plaver to burden a company ship, fat with India goods and bound for Dover.
Much about the seas flaiing agen the shores and our fine youg top man hankering for a more steady hand at the head of his mess table.

Ok enough of that for a while.
Slow start with a lot of people and not much point yet made clear. Almost an entire chapter on what I suspect will be a minor character.

Well the storm still rages and that door is latched and bolted and most unlikely to open itself.

I need to catch up,

Not to worry I am just past chapt 6 and not sure I understand what just happened

Admittedly I am struggling with, not only the writing style (holy run on sentences Batman!) but also with the language. There are words that I have no idea what they mean and when I look them up they aren't in the dictionary. As literal at I am this was initially hard to overcome. Additionally in the only digital copy I could find the format is a bit hinky. However, my love who is a literature teacher, and keeps reminding me to enjoy the language for what it it is and simply enjoy it. However I was still struggling so I've been searching for an additional source and found that Project Gutenberg's (don't know why I didn't go there first) has an edition with significantly better format (with an introduction by Andrew Lang). So, with all that in mind, what I think I've read so far...

In the Introduction and the Advertisement the author basically talks about a trip he made in the general local of where the story takes place and the inspiration for The Pirate and some of the characters.

Chapter 1 introduces us to the desolate place where our story takes place, Mr. Basil Mertoun and his son Mordaunt, Magnus Troil and his daughters.

Chapter 2 allows us to witness the "routine" of the house hold including Mr. Mertoun's bouts with depress and his occasional violent vocal outbursts and Mordaunt's activities with the locals when as avoids his father's moods.

I found it much easier once I secured the new copy. I hope to be caught up within a week or so to our schedule.

I am around Chapt 16 so I am gong to post a tad further into the chapters after:
I am soldiering on with the lost and dead languages. I gather something of the drift of them so that is not too bad

HOWEVER: (holy run on sentences Batman!) More like
Holy run on paragraphs Batwoman!

May be run on chapters, I feel like the story has hardy progressed through 4 chapters in all I have finished.

Phrodrick wrote: "May be run on chapters, I feel like the story has hardy progressed through 4 chapters in all I have finished. "
Wow, I've finally finished this section and I couldn't agree more. While I enjoy background and getting to know characters, the author has used paragraphs where words would have sufficed and chapters where paragraphs would have sufficed.

Upward and onward, I'm hoping there will be more story and less set up soon.