Classics and the Western Canon discussion

The discussion of Bleak House will start in a day or two. Here, in advance, is the reading schedule. Thanks to Lily for putting it together.

Each week's reading consists of two of the original monthly serial installments.

Chapters Discussion
1–7....... July 23 – July 29
8–13..... July 30 – Aug 5
14–19.... Aug 6 – Aug 12
20–25... Aug 13 – Aug 19
26–32... Aug 20 – Aug 26
33–38... Aug 27 – Sept 2
39–46... Sept 3 – Sept 9
47–53... Sept 10 – Sept 16
54–59... Sept 17 – Sept 23
60–67... Sept 24 – Sept 30

Very excited to start another big book. I intend to stick to the discussion schedule this time. Last time (W&P) that I joined in reading a big book I did well for the first half and then just couldn't put it down and kept on reading until I finished over a month ahead of schedule.... At which point I was so concerned about spoilers that I didn't enter the discussion again!!

This time I will stop and go read something else in the meantime!!

Cass wrote: "This time I will stop and go read something else in the meantime!! "

Which is exactly what Dickens's original readers did. Only they did it by necessity waiting for the next monthly issue to come out, rather than by choice!

I know. I have actually always wanted to read novels in an original manner like that... moreso than this schedule, I mean read it in the exact time frame that it was published in.

I imagined it is equivalent to the old way we watched TV - one episode per week and then discussed it with each other. Contrastingly today we buy a box-set and watch the entire season in a weekend... it is a very different viewing experience.

Cass wrote: "I know. I have actually always wanted to read novels in an original manner like that... moreso than this schedule, I mean read it in the exact time frame that it was published in."

There actually is a website that does this. They will email you the segments on the schedule you set, which can be exactly what the original schedule was. For some reason they seem to have fewer books available now than when I was using them five or six years ago; maybe the site got transferred to somebody else (but it seems still to be free). Anyhow, here's the link:
http://mouseholdwords.com/catalog

Cass wrote: "I know. I have actually always wanted to read novels in an original manner like that... moreso than this schedule, I mean read it in the exact time frame that it was published in."

Everyman's site looks interesting. It reminds me of website for The Diary of Samuel Pepys

http://www.pepysdiary.com/

The diary entries are published on this site daily, in real time.

Oh that is brilliant.

is ch 46 really the end of an original instalment? I'd look online to check but I am scared of spoilers.

Theresa wrote: "is ch 46 really the end of an original instalment? I'd look online to check but I am scared of spoilers."

Yes. Instalment 14 consists of chapters 43-46.

I copied this over from Wikipedia, but don't look there if you don't want spoilers:
I March 1852 1–4
II April 1852 5–7
III May 1852 8–10
IV June 1852 11–13
V July 1852 14–16
VI August 1852 17–19
VII September 1852 20–22
VIII October 1852 23–25
IX November 1852 26–29
X December 1852 30–32
XI January 1853 33–35
XII February 1853 36–38
XIII March 1853 39–42
XIV April 1853 43–46
XV May 1853 47–49
XVI June 1853 50–53
XVII July 1853 54–56
XVIII August 1853 57–59
XIX–XX September 1853 60–67

Alright then. It seems unnatural, but I guess he began and ended where he did for his own reasons. I would have thought that 43 would have ended one instalment and 44-49 would have been the next. Is it verified by the Wikipedia source?

Or 44-47

Theresa wrote: "Is it verified by the Wikipedia source?"

No, but it agrees with the divisions in my edition of Bleak House, so I think is reliable. Each of the instalments was the same length - 32 pages in the original - so that dictates the breaks to a certain extent, though Dickens was obviously concerned to provide suitable endings as well as continuity across the parts.

David wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Is it verified by the Wikipedia source?"

No, but it agrees with the divisions in my edition of Bleak House, so I think is reliable. Each of the instalments was the same length - 32..."

Good enough for me. Thanks

http://www.abebooks.com/book-search/t...

In looking for another point of verification for the monthly sections, I came upon the above listings for the sale of original editions of Bleak House. You may enjoy, not just the prices, but some of the descriptions and the variety of types/sources.

I did not find the breakdown by month in the Norton Edition borrowed from my library.

Lily wrote: "I did not find the breakdown by month in the Norton Edition borrowed from my library."

That surprises me, as the Nortons are usually very good at giving such details. I have the Penguin edition, edited by Bradbury.

David wrote: "Lily wrote: "I did not find the breakdown by month in the Norton Edition borrowed from my library."

That surprises me, as the Nortons are usually very good at giving such details. I have the Pengu..."

Surprised me, too. Am still wondering if I haven't looked in all the right places, because I thought I saw it some other time. When my B&N copy comes floating into reach, I'll check it. Didn't have good luck on an independent Internet source this afternoon, either. My research touch is on the blink, apparently. I believe Eman knows a source that is used by groups that like to read Dickens in sync with original publication schedules?

David wrote: "Lily wrote: "I did not find the breakdown by month in the Norton Edition borrowed from my library."

That surprises me, as the Nortons are usually very good at giving such details. I have the Pengu..."

The Norton Bleak House is not up to Norton standards. Doesn't give the chapter breakdown, and spends a lot of pages on textual notes but has very little analysis and commentary.

Theresa wrote: "...I would have thought that 43 would have ended one installment and 44-49 would have been the next. Is it verified by the Wikipedia source?"

Theresa -- what David provided @9 matches the listing in my Barnes and Noble Classics Edition.

Lily wrote: "Theresa wrote: "...I would have thought that 43 would have ended one installment and 44-49 would have been the next. Is it verified by the Wikipedia source?"

Theresa -- what David provided @9 matc..."

Thanks.

I have just begun watching the BBC series. Any chance of a separate thread for discussing the series and how it compares to the book.

Perhaps clearly labelled that the thread contains spoilers, so that we can openly discuss how awesome Mr Guppy is!

Cass wrote: "I have just begun watching the BBC series. Any chance of a separate thread for discussing the series and how it compares to the book.

Perhaps clearly labelled that the thread contains spoilers, so..."

Sure. Why not.