The Old Curiosity Club discussion

Dear Curiosities,

We are soon going to read Dickens’s fifth novel, Barnaby Rudge, and in order to give you time to plan your reading I’d like to post a reading schedule which is based on a weekly five chapters. This pattern is kept up until we reach the final two weeks, when it is six chapters per week because the total of chapters is 82. So, here is our reading schedule, which – I am sure – somebody will translate into American English 😊


23/05/19 – 29/05/19 Chp. 01-05
30/05/19 – 05/06/19 Chp. 06-10
06/06/19 – 12/06/19 Chp. 11-15
13/06/19 – 19/06/19 Chp. 16-20
20/06/19 – 26/06/19 Chp. 21-25
27/06/19 – 03/07/19 Chp. 26-30
04/07/19 – 10/07/19 Chp. 31-35
11/07/19 – 17/07/19 Chp. 36-40
18/07/19 – 24/07/19 Chp. 41-45
25/07/19 – 31/07/19 Chp. 46-50
01/08/19 – 07/08/19 Chp. 51-55
08/08/19 – 14/08/19 Chp. 56-60
15/08/19 – 21/08/19 Chp. 61-65
22/08/19 – 28/08/19 Chp. 66-70
29/08/19 – 04/09/19 Chp. 71-76
05/09/19 – 11/09/19 Chp. 77-82


Barnaby Rudge is Dickens’s first flirtation with the historical novel, whose dustiest form was probably reached by Sir Walter Scott. Being a man of good judgment, Dickens would only once more return to the historical novel, viz. years later when he was a really, really good writer, and then the result would be one of his finest achievements, A Tale of Two Cities.

What I also found interesting is that Dickens actually sort of started his work on Barnaby Rudge in 1836, when he was actually in the process of writing Pickwick Papers. It was originally meant to be published as a three-volume novel, which was a more refined and prestigious way of publishing compared to the writing in instalments, which was the form that Dickens worked on at Pickwick Papers. The three-volume novel was very popular among Victorians, readers and writers alike, but it is, of course, also responsible for a quite a few Victorian novels being longer than they would have needed to be, good and proper. Dickens always postponed concentrated work on Barnaby Rudge, mainly because he felt that everybody around him seemed to profit more from the publication of his novels than he, the writer, himself, and he had an idea of Barnaby Rudge as a novel with which he could really lay claim to literary renown (and to earn some money, into the bargain). By and by, however, the novel, like its predecessor The Old Curiosity Shop was published in Dickens’s weekly, but short-lived Master Humphrey’s Clock.

Let’s see if we’ll like it better than The Old Curiosity Shop, which was published in the same medium. I wish us all a hearty and happy reading experience and enlightening discussions.

Thank you, Tristram. I've actually gotten used to reading your backwards dates, and no longer have to think too hard to translate them. :-)

As I've mentioned once or a dozen times before, this will be the last time I'll be starting a "new" Dickens novel, so it's a bittersweet occasion for me. I do hope I'll enjoy it more than TOCS! While ATOTC is obviously a much better novel, it was still one of my least favorites because it lacked Dickens' wonderful humor. So I'm hoping that BR will contain some warmth and a few good laughs!

Barnaby Rudge


05/23/19 – 05/29/19 Chp. 01-05
05/30/19 – 06/05/19 Chp. 06-10
06/06/19 – 06/12/19 Chp. 11-15
06/13/19 – 06/19/19 Chp. 16-20
06/20/19 – 06/26/19 Chp. 21-25
06/27/19 – 07/03/19 Chp. 26-30
07/04/19 – 07/10/19 Chp. 31-35
07/11/19 – 07/17/19 Chp. 36-40
07/18/19 – 07/24/19 Chp. 41-45
07/25/19 – 07/31/19 Chp. 46-50
08/01/19 – 08/07/19 Chp. 51-55
08/08/19 – 08/14/19 Chp. 56-60
08/15/19 – 08/21/19 Chp. 61-65
08/22/19 – 08/28/19 Chp. 66-70
08/29/19 – 09/04/19 Chp. 71-76
09/05/19 – 09/11/19 Chp. 77-82


I've clearly fallen off the Dickens wagon and I'm not going to kid myself by saying that I am going to start reading this and keep up with the group this time, but the least I can do is post a legible reading schedule for Kim. :)

I did finish The Old Curiosity Shop via audio, but I still have my bookmark midway through the two previous books. Alas, I guess I just need a break as other books have been calling me lately. I've gotten into quite the Agatha Christie mood in the past year. Anyway, I hope all is well with everyone and the group!

Linda wrote: "Barnaby Rudge


05/23/19 – 05/29/19 Chp. 01-05
05/30/19 – 06/05/19 Chp. 06-10
06/06/19 – 06/12/19 Chp. 11-15
06/13/19 – 06/19/19 Chp. 16-20
06/20/19 – 06/26/19 Chp. 21-25
06/27/19 – 07/03/19 Chp. 2..."

Hi Linda

Yes indeed, you are missed. It does sound like you have been busy reading so keep on doing what you feel comfortable with and keeps you content.

I have my fingers crossed that you will find your way back to Dickens, and so, until then, take care of yourself.

Peter

Yea!!! Linda's here, my head is saved from a headache worse than I already have!!!

Tristram wrote: "Barnaby Rudge is Dickens’s first flirtation with the historical novel, whose dustiest form was probably reached by Sir Walter Scott..."

And what is wrong with Sir Walter Scott?

I love historicals. I don't know if you'll like this one, Mary Lou, but I do remember it as being significantly better than OCS, or Nicholas Nickleby, for that matter. As in, it feels more like a book than an accidental ramble.

I have one bit of irrelevant trivia about Barnaby Rudge, which I will share anyway because I'm a huge William Morris fan: when William Morris was courting his wife Jane, he did it by reading her chapters of Barnaby Rudge. I will let you all judge whether it seems like good romantic fare or not--but at any rate, it apparently worked for Jane.

Tristram - I was so surprised when you mentioned Agatha Christie, as I have been reading one a month (with others, in the fun group I moderate) and find they suit me very well at the moment. When I first joined Goodreads I was a bit sniffy about them, but she knew how to invent a good plot to keep your little grey cells moving, and it's not at all demanding.

I do miss classics though, and Dickens especially. I've lapped up the short pieces we have here :)

Back to the point, and Mary Lou, I remember Barnaby Rudge as one with the least humour, though there are some delightful cameos :) It is still exuberant and comic in places, but there's far less of the posturing and sarcasm which sometimes seem almost overwhelming in early novels such as Oliver Twist. By now he could write better (in my opinion). There's a good mystery, the history is accurate, (unlike bits of A Tale of Two Cities) and some scenes are hair raising. Those are the parts followed by a welcome comic interlude - phew! The title is ... misleading.

I've read all the novels with this group, (in one guise or another!) and hope to join in more of them again. At the moment I'm reading "around" him in fits and starts eg. I have Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South on the go, and it's interesting to compare it with Dickens's Industrial novel, Hard Times, which it followed in Dickens's new periodical. In fact he interfered so much, with his editorial pen, that it heralded the end of their beautiful friendship.

But I'm getting off the point again! I may sit in a corner in our new hostelry, wherever that may be, as I have chemotherapy later on today, and never quite know how it will take me ... brain fug for sure to start with!

Oh, obviously it must be "The Maypole Inn", which is most convenient as it's just down the road from me! Honestly! The original is still in good repair, and in Chigwell - a different part of Epping Forest :)

Wot Larks!

Chemo today and still your cheerful self, I get a migraine and I'm ready to kill anyone who turns on a light or talks above a whisper, Jean you are absolutely wonderful.

I hope the chemo goes well, Jean.

I'm not reading Agatha Christie at present but was it someone on here who recommended Dorothy Sayers? I picked up Strong Poison last month and it was a delight, so looking forward to summer when I have more time to read more of them.

I think it was Jean who recommended Dorothy Sayers. I am currently making my way through my second Graham Greene novel. He seems to be an underrated novelist and probably deserved a Nobel.

John - I think Graham Greene is actually regarded as one of out finest writers here in the UK. He is literary, yet had the ability to write page-turners too, which means that many of his novels have been turned into films. I've only actually read a couple, but want to read more.

Did I recommend Dorothy L. Sayers? Well I fully endorse myself if I did! Sorry, that doesn't appear to make sense! I'm back home now, and the brain fug has definitely started. I'm far from "wonderful" Kim, but thank you for the smile that gives me :)

Migraines are the worst. I can quite imagine that there are times when you need absolute dark and quiet, and only hope you have something that helps reduce the symptoms. I know you've told me that coming off the computer is essential, and we should always remember that you aren't always able to do the fantastic research you do, on any specific day.

Jean, I found Greene’s The Quiet American to be very good, but quite dark. A recommendation by Stephen King got me to read that book. I have started Our Man in Havana, which has a singular Kingsley Amis hilarity about it.

John wrote: "Jean, I found Greene’s The Quiet American to be very good, but quite dark ..."

Yes, that's on my mental list, but I'd like to read others first. I've read and reviewed Our Man in Havana, and the stimulus was the excellent film starring Alec Guinness!

Yes, Graham Greene is well regarded.

Graham Greene is a favorite of my son, who is a writer, so when I found a hardback of The Heart of the Matter for him I decided to read it before passing it on to him. I was rather disappointed because I was hoping for something uplifting but it certainly was not that. I will probably try another of his at some point but not anytime soon.

Julie wrote: "I do remember it as being significantly better than OCS, or Nicholas Nickleby, for that matter. As in, it feels more like a book than an accidental ramble."

Oh, good! I have no idea what to expect with BR, but it sounds promising. I like OCS and NN, but yeah, the plotting needs improvement.

Julie wrote: "when William Morris was courting his wife Jane, he did it by reading her chapters of Barnaby Rudge."

How cute. I don't think modern adults read to each other anymore. Sometimes, I read Dickens aloud to myself, just to see how smoothly (or not) I can do it. It's challenging with the complex wording and the long sentences. You have to breathe like a singer, so you don't pass out.

Mary Lou wrote: "Thank you, Tristram. I've actually gotten used to reading your backwards dates, and no longer have to think too hard to translate them. :-)

As I've mentioned once or a dozen times before, this wil..."

Do not despair, Mary Lou, about BR being you last first-time Dickens novel encounter. These novels well bear a second or third reading, because they are so full of detail and - especially the ones following MC - so carefully planned that you will always discover something new.

Linda wrote: "Barnaby Rudge


05/23/19 – 05/29/19 Chp. 01-05
05/30/19 – 06/05/19 Chp. 06-10
06/06/19 – 06/12/19 Chp. 11-15
06/13/19 – 06/19/19 Chp. 16-20
06/20/19 – 06/26/19 Chp. 21-25
06/27/19 – 07/03/19 Chp. 2..."

Linda,

We will be around for whenever you want to return into the Dickens fold ;-) I know how you are feeling because I am experiencing the same yearning for PKD's stories and novels at the moment.

Alissa wrote: "Julie wrote: "I do remember it as being significantly better than OCS, or Nicholas Nickleby, for that matter. As in, it feels more like a book than an accidental ramble."

Oh, good! I have no idea ..."

Ha, Alissa, that's funny: I, too, like reading aloud to myself, especially, but not only, Dickens. Conrad is good for reading aloud, and Melville, and Shakespeare, and Chaucer. There are some authors that seem to have written in order to be read aloud, and it is little wonder that Dickens did all those public readings. It's just language at its finest, language to be enjoyed like music.

Julie wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Barnaby Rudge is Dickens’s first flirtation with the historical novel, whose dustiest form was probably reached by Sir Walter Scott..."

And what is wrong with Sir Walter Scott?

I..."

Julie,

I am sure nothing is wrong with Walter Scott as such, and I didn't mean to offend. It was just my flippant way of saying that I don't go in for him very much.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Tristram - I was so surprised when you mentioned Agatha Christie, as I have been reading one a month (with others, in the fun group I moderate) and find they suit me very well at th..."

Jean,

I wish you all the best for chemo!!! As to Agatha Christie, I used to read her when I was a teenager, and the advantage was that I could read her in English when other authors were still too tough for me with regard to language. I also love the classic films, such as Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple, which did not go down too well with Christie, though, because Rutherford's character was quite unlike the Miss Marple in the books. And then there is Peter Ustinov, of course. I've got all those films on DVD, and my wife and I love watching them once in a while.

Bionic Jean

You are an inspiration. And you are Bionic.

Tristram wrote: "Linda wrote: "Barnaby Rudge


05/23/19 – 05/29/19 Chp. 01-05
05/30/19 – 06/05/19 Chp. 06-10
06/06/19 – 06/12/19 Chp. 11-15
06/13/19 – 06/19/19 Chp. 16-20
06/20/19 – 06/26/19 Chp. 21-25
06/27/19 – 0..."

Regarding PKD, and just to throw a little fire into the mix, I read Ubik several months back. PKD is wildly creative. He tosses ideas around like hand-grenades, but I also thought he was undisciplined, didn't work his ideas through fully, and wrote the book over a weekend. Perhaps he needed the money.

I also read some of his short stories. All I remember of them is some detective running around in a pinball machine dodging a giant pinball. That's life, a giant pinball machine.

Xan,

He definitely needed the money, and that is why he was churning out story after story after novel after novel. Nevertheless, his imagination is overwhelming, and it is fantastic to see how generously he threw several good ideas into one simple story, developing some and leaving others half-way whereas other writers would have taken more care. Maybe, he was also obsessed by what he did, and therefore did not take the necessary time. Still, reading Dick is a roller-coaster ride of ups and ups and ups :-)

Yes, that's a good way to put it.

Kim and Jean -- I am in awe of both of you. That you can be so engaged in your books, let alone your GR groups while dealing with all of your health concerns is truly inspiring.

Re: reading aloud, I'll have to read BR before forming an opinion on Jane and William Morris's courtship. :-) When I get the urge to read aloud (usually when I hit a passage that doesn't make sense to me) I subject my dogs to my narration. They are stoic. I also pretend that I'm talking to them when I'm caught rambling to myself. It makes me look *slightly* less senile.

Tristram, I look forward to second (and sometimes third or fourth) readings of the novels, particularly David Copperfield which I read once or twice before, but didn't realize at the time that it was somewhat autobiographical. I always find something new to appreciate with each subsequent reading. And I love visiting old friends like Flora Finching, Sarah Gamp, and John Jarndyce. But I will be sad to realize, once I've finished Rudge, that there will be no new friends to meet!

Tristram wrote: "Julie wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Barnaby Rudge is Dickens’s first flirtation with the historical novel, whose dustiest form was probably reached by Sir Walter Scott..."

And what is wrong with Sir Wa..."

I'm not offended! I was joking because I know Scott isn't to a lot of people's taste. Mark Twain blamed him for causing the American Civil War, for starters. And even though I like his novels, I understand they're--let's say, ponderous. There are some very brilliant pieces in them as well, though.

Tristram wrote: "As to Agatha Christie, I used to read her when I was a teenager, and the advantage was that I could read her in English when other authors were still too tough for me with regard to language.."

Is it coincidence that when I was (briefly) in Spain trying to learn Spanish, I read Perry Mason mysteries for the same reason? I think part of the reason in my case, though, is that they were all translated from English and set in California, so there weren't any unfamiliar constructions or references to challenge me. I guess my Spanish would be better now if I had chosen a Spanish detective.

Alissa wrote: "I don't think modern adults read to each other anymore..."

Now that you mention it, I don't think we do, and that's a shame. Maybe it's part of what's behind the current audiobook boom.

I wouldn't mind reading to someone who was ill or something but I really hate being read to even in games where someone reads cards with questions, etc. I alway want to do the reading. I simple can't abide audiobooks (for myself, of course.) I'm sure they are great for those who enjoy them.

I must say that I absolutely love being read to, as long as the reader knows his or her onions. This is probably because my grandmother used to read to me a lot when I was little, and so it brings back old memories and the feeling of being in a snug place. Therefore, I also like audiobooks if they are unabridged - which they often aren't, at least not when they are classics - but the only problem is that the radio in my car no longer works.

I fondly remember a very good audio version of Heart of Darkness - the man who read it had a deep, somewhat scratchy voice and thereby fitted in with the atmosphere of the story -, which I listened to in my bachelor home, smoking cigars and enjoying Laphroaig. Those were the days ;-)

Julie wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Julie wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Barnaby Rudge is Dickens’s first flirtation with the historical novel, whose dustiest form was probably reached by Sir Walter Scott..."

And what is ..."

I'm relieved I didn't step on your toes with my Scott remark, Julie. But I tend to wear my heart on my sleeve in matters of taste ;-) I remember what Twain wrote about Scott, but he was even harder on Fenimore Cooper, and I must say that in Cooper's case Twain was absolutely right. I never got through a Cooper novel in my life.

Good morning
I am planning on joining you to read Barbary. I have observed your wonderful group for awhile. Hopefully I can now contribute.

There is wonderful audio version on librivox performed by Mil Nicholson

As a request does anyone have a character list they can share?

Francis,

You are very welcome to join in our Barnaby reading and discussions! It's always helpful to read what others think about what oneself has just read, and since we have relatively small weekly reading assignments, taking part in this discussion will not preclude you from reading any other books you might want to read.

A character list is not available as yet, but I'm sure it can be found at wikipedia. However, be careful, because all too often, these lists include spoilers, and that would minimize your enjoyment as a first-time reader.

Xan Shadowflutter wrote: "Regarding PKD, and just to throw a little fire into the mix, I read Ubik several months back. PKD is wildly creative."

I need to get more PKD in my reading mix. I've read several and they are always a treat, whether or not I understand them!


Bionic Jean wrote: "Tristram - I was so surprised when you mentioned Agatha Christie, as I have been reading one a month (with others, in the fun group I moderate) and find they suit me very well at the moment."

Jean, what a coincidence! I am also reading one per month with the group I moderate, although we are a SciFi/Fantasy/Horror group. I've never read an Agatha Christie until the first a year ago this June, and now I'm hooked. I've also gotten my husband into them and he is tearing through all the Poirots I can bring home from the library. :)

I have not checked in with the group in awhile, so it is news to me that you are going through chemotherapy, Jean. I'm wishing you the best through your treatments. As others state above, I admire your ability to be your happy self in your posts.


Kim wrote: "Yea!!! Linda's here, my head is saved from a headache worse than I already have!!!"

Sorry about your ongoing headaches, Kim. When I see a new reading schedule posted, the first thing I think of is that I need to post a schedule that Kim can easily read, so I'm glad my schedule made you happy. :)


Peter wrote: "I have my fingers crossed that you will find your way back to Dickens, and so, until then, take care of yourself."

No fear, I will be back reading with the group at some point! :)

I have some books on CD, but when I started leasing a 2018 vehicle I was told that it does not have a CD player. The salesman said to me that I could go onto the car's "Program Center" on the console and download a reading app that would allow me to listen to books. I decided from that point on, I'll stick to driving when I'm driving.

I purchased today from Barnes & Noble a Nook edition of Barnaby Rudge that contains the original illustrations by Cattermole and Browne. I decided it is best to get the full experience of the book as readers had it when the chapters came out.

Alissa wrote: "I don't think modern adults read to each other anymore ..."

Oh we do, and always have! It started when we were teenagers though, so perhaps we don't count as modern. Or adults, come to that ;)

Oddly though, perhaps because of his long sentence constructions, I am a bit choosy about which bits of Dickens I feel read well aloud. I don't listen to an entire novel by him any more, because, to my undying shame, I feel asleep listening to one. And now I have to confess ... it was Barnaby Rudge :( Yet I found it riveting on the page!

Linda, Tristram, Kim, Peter - and everyone - thank you so much for your continuing good wishes. I only dare whisper this really, but the end of this current regime may be in sight! I managed to get to our caravan this (5th) cycle, and am sitting here looking at our beautiful panoramic sea view :) I am having 2 extra doses to the norm, and the final one of these is due in just less than two weeks. Then I'll be back down here, in Thomas Hardy country, just as soon as I am able. It's just a perfect place to recuperate.