Readalong - Hartright's Narrative
I got back from work super late (conference calls from across the country are a killer) and I'm dead tired. However, that does not excuse me from slacking in my readalong! It's late, but I'm going to churn out some thoughts:
From the very beginning, I absolutely loved the high energy conversation Collins used to portray the relationships between the ecstatic Pesca, Hartright, his amused sister and enthusiastic mother. I just love the way Pesca talked, though I'm not sure whether I'd be more entertained or annoyed by his over-the-top mannerisms if I knew him in real life.
Red, in her introduction entry for this readalong, mentioned that a bully once made child-Collins tell him stories. I immediately thought of Scheherazade, which TOTALLY MAKES SENSE because the first few chapters ended in a cliffhangers! To paraphrase:
end of II: If I had not saved Pesca's flailing ass, I would never have met this woman who I am now obsessed with...
end of IV: (after seeing off the woman in white) "have you seen her", "uh, nope", "let us know if you do, she's cray-cray and just escaped from the asylum, mmm-kay?"
Collins is also surprisingly hilarious, which I did not expect at all... for example, chapter VI is where Hartright describes meeting Marian Halcombe, who is essentially a victorian 'butterface" (if you don't know what that means, look it up on urban dictionary). Struck by 'the rare beauty of her form... her waist, perfection in the eyes of man...' and then she turns around immediately and "I said to myself (with a sense of surprise which words fail me to express), The lady is ugly!" Always reassuring to know that after more than a century, 28 year-old men are still reacting the same way (mmmhmmm, she fuuuugly).
A bunch of other stuff happened, but I'm sleepy. Good night!
From the very beginning, I absolutely loved the high energy conversation Collins used to portray the relationships between the ecstatic Pesca, Hartright, his amused sister and enthusiastic mother. I just love the way Pesca talked, though I'm not sure whether I'd be more entertained or annoyed by his over-the-top mannerisms if I knew him in real life.
Red, in her introduction entry for this readalong, mentioned that a bully once made child-Collins tell him stories. I immediately thought of Scheherazade, which TOTALLY MAKES SENSE because the first few chapters ended in a cliffhangers! To paraphrase:
end of II: If I had not saved Pesca's flailing ass, I would never have met this woman who I am now obsessed with...
end of IV: (after seeing off the woman in white) "have you seen her", "uh, nope", "let us know if you do, she's cray-cray and just escaped from the asylum, mmm-kay?"
Collins is also surprisingly hilarious, which I did not expect at all... for example, chapter VI is where Hartright describes meeting Marian Halcombe, who is essentially a victorian 'butterface" (if you don't know what that means, look it up on urban dictionary). Struck by 'the rare beauty of her form... her waist, perfection in the eyes of man...' and then she turns around immediately and "I said to myself (with a sense of surprise which words fail me to express), The lady is ugly!" Always reassuring to know that after more than a century, 28 year-old men are still reacting the same way (mmmhmmm, she fuuuugly).
A bunch of other stuff happened, but I'm sleepy. Good night!
I read Marian's introduction to my family this weekend when they were trapped in a car with me. Love eeeeet.
ReplyDeleteOnward! More mystery!
Wilkie's humour was a surprise to me too when I first read the book. I find it entirely necessary - keeps you going when you get daunted by the size of the book.
ReplyDeleteYES EXACTLY - I borrowed a copy from the library since I wasn't sure I'd like it. It was a sad, dusty hardcover on the shelf and the size and teeny font were intimidating, but I'm really liking Wilkie at the moment.
ReplyDeleteDo you tend to laugh out loud when you read? I was laughing so hard at some parts that I ended up reading excerpts to my sisters to justify my random bouts of crazed laughter.
ReplyDelete