Hey world,
Howse it hanging? Summertime has come and I have left you all hanging. Humble apologies, I just took a few days off. Wanted to catch up on some stuff. I ended up attacking my mighty comic stack and managed to read about 15 comics. That’s gotta count for something eh? I’ve got some catching up to do bookwise. I’m off pace to reach my goals, but I will have some more time on my hands. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Reviews
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Lately I’ve been very interested in Charles Dickens. I guess it’s the latest fad in literary circles. Actually I’ve been meaning to read this book for some time. Writer Les Standisford discusses the dire circumstances that Dickens produced A Christmas Carol. He makes a well rounded argument that this 1842 classic reshaped how the Victorians viewed the holidays. This combined with the poverty of the Industrial Age Dickens intended to make a statement regarding one man's change of heart. Ebenezar Scrooge is not influenced by the holy trinity but by the secular supernatural ghosts, hence the story is accessible to everyone. Standisford finds a nice balance between biography and sociological discussion. Dickens was financially destitute himself but he clearly felt that it was an obligation of the fortunate to help those less fortunate. A Christmas Carol bears this philosophy out. An interesting read.
Biographical Info: Charles Dickens
The Reading List
Books
Northline
Starman Omnibus Vol. 2
Comic
Deadpool #10
Magazine
Vanity Fair
Check Out Count: Dramatically Improving
Comic Pull List: Captain America #50, Green Arrow Black Canary #20, Outsiders #18, Trinity #51.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
Showing posts with label Charles Dickens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charles Dickens. Show all posts
2009-05-22
2009-04-28
A Lit Sandwich between Me, Charles Dickens, and Little Dorrit.
Hello All,
So I’m pushing back the normal reviews post a few days because I feel that there’s a subject that is timelier. And well it’s my blog and I’ll write what I want to.
On Sunday night after 5 weeks the latest PBS Masterpiece classic series Little Dorrit came to an end. I’ve got so much to say about my love for this series. I think that it has the important elements that make for great discussion. Adaptation maestro Andrew Davies has the remarkable ability to take the works of the 19th century and make them accessible to the modern audience. If you haven’t heard of the man here’s a quick list of his must-see adaptations: Pride and Prejudice (1994), Sense and Sensibility (2008), Tipping the Velvet, and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
He rarely slips up. This writer is not afraid of a challenge. In Little Dorrit he takes on an 800-page book from 1857 and makes it wonderfully relevant. At its core Little Dorrit is about economics; how they shape individuals and society. In Dickens’s world if you were poor and indebted it meant imprisonment in the Marshalsea prison. Marshalsea prison doesn’t have bars and your family can stay with you. However unless you had friends/family to bail you out you weren’t leaving.
I was struck by the portrayal of Mr. Dorrit. He is considered “The Father of the Marshalsea” because he is their longest running resident. Dickens, and in turn Davies, explore his heartbreaking psychological imprisonment. Mr. Dorrit’s pride is his deepest flaw. All he can think of is maintaining his position. This becomes more important to him than ever leaving. The same mentality follows him after he is able to leave the Marshalsea and return to society. Mr. Dorrit is insufferable as a gentleman. He falls into all the foolish trappings of 19th century society and is foolish with his money to boot.
Which brings me to Mr. Merdle and Mr. Casby, as well as the Circumlocution office. It is crazy how relevant this story is to our current situation. Mr. Merdle is clearly "the Bernie Madoff" of his age, screwing all the rich folk out of their money while inviting them to dinner. Again if someone is telling you a story that’s too good to be true, it probably is. At the same time Mr. Casby is squeezing the poor out of every nickel so they stay poor. With Pancks as his muscle he works to keep those in Bleeding Heart under his thumb. Clearly Dickens felt that the current economic system in the 19th century only served to hurt the laborer/tradesman. This form of capitalism only served to create another feudal system with Casby as the lord at the top. Dickens caps off his indictment with his portrayal of the bureaucratic horror that is the Circumlocution Office, which actually reminded me of financial aid.
It is very telling that in the end it is a combination of two things that save our main characters. The first is an emphasis on entrepeneurship over old money. Clennam & Doyce are saved because they invent and market a new engine to foreign markets. Clearly this is meant to show that in the new Industrial Age it is invention and new ideas that will triumph. Also it can’t be missed that Dickens has an affinity for those with street smarts. Fanny Dorrit is a mean bitch but she knows when to bail. She will save the Sparklers and she’s already got a job dancing if needs be. You have to admire her moxie.
Now notice that I haven’t even mentioned the main central characters Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam. That just goes to show how rich this series is. Yes I found Amy and Arthur wonderful, as well as poor John Chivery. Their strong character and steadfast goodness makes them slightly less dynamic. In this case it is up to the actors and screenwriter Davies to make them appealing. Actors Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen do excellent jobs as Amy and Arthur respectively. I found myself cheering their happiness at the climax of the story. Their willingness towards self-sacrifice is an iconic trademark of Dickens’s heroes. And Claire Foy sure looks good in the color purple.
So here we are. How much more do I need to say to convince you? This is well worth your time. PBS has posted the entire series on their website for free through May 3rd and the DVD comes out today. Check it out here.
Well have a good night. Book Slave.
So I’m pushing back the normal reviews post a few days because I feel that there’s a subject that is timelier. And well it’s my blog and I’ll write what I want to.
On Sunday night after 5 weeks the latest PBS Masterpiece classic series Little Dorrit came to an end. I’ve got so much to say about my love for this series. I think that it has the important elements that make for great discussion. Adaptation maestro Andrew Davies has the remarkable ability to take the works of the 19th century and make them accessible to the modern audience. If you haven’t heard of the man here’s a quick list of his must-see adaptations: Pride and Prejudice (1994), Sense and Sensibility (2008), Tipping the Velvet, and Bridget Jones’s Diary.
He rarely slips up. This writer is not afraid of a challenge. In Little Dorrit he takes on an 800-page book from 1857 and makes it wonderfully relevant. At its core Little Dorrit is about economics; how they shape individuals and society. In Dickens’s world if you were poor and indebted it meant imprisonment in the Marshalsea prison. Marshalsea prison doesn’t have bars and your family can stay with you. However unless you had friends/family to bail you out you weren’t leaving.
I was struck by the portrayal of Mr. Dorrit. He is considered “The Father of the Marshalsea” because he is their longest running resident. Dickens, and in turn Davies, explore his heartbreaking psychological imprisonment. Mr. Dorrit’s pride is his deepest flaw. All he can think of is maintaining his position. This becomes more important to him than ever leaving. The same mentality follows him after he is able to leave the Marshalsea and return to society. Mr. Dorrit is insufferable as a gentleman. He falls into all the foolish trappings of 19th century society and is foolish with his money to boot.
Which brings me to Mr. Merdle and Mr. Casby, as well as the Circumlocution office. It is crazy how relevant this story is to our current situation. Mr. Merdle is clearly "the Bernie Madoff" of his age, screwing all the rich folk out of their money while inviting them to dinner. Again if someone is telling you a story that’s too good to be true, it probably is. At the same time Mr. Casby is squeezing the poor out of every nickel so they stay poor. With Pancks as his muscle he works to keep those in Bleeding Heart under his thumb. Clearly Dickens felt that the current economic system in the 19th century only served to hurt the laborer/tradesman. This form of capitalism only served to create another feudal system with Casby as the lord at the top. Dickens caps off his indictment with his portrayal of the bureaucratic horror that is the Circumlocution Office, which actually reminded me of financial aid.
It is very telling that in the end it is a combination of two things that save our main characters. The first is an emphasis on entrepeneurship over old money. Clennam & Doyce are saved because they invent and market a new engine to foreign markets. Clearly this is meant to show that in the new Industrial Age it is invention and new ideas that will triumph. Also it can’t be missed that Dickens has an affinity for those with street smarts. Fanny Dorrit is a mean bitch but she knows when to bail. She will save the Sparklers and she’s already got a job dancing if needs be. You have to admire her moxie.
Now notice that I haven’t even mentioned the main central characters Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam. That just goes to show how rich this series is. Yes I found Amy and Arthur wonderful, as well as poor John Chivery. Their strong character and steadfast goodness makes them slightly less dynamic. In this case it is up to the actors and screenwriter Davies to make them appealing. Actors Claire Foy and Matthew Macfadyen do excellent jobs as Amy and Arthur respectively. I found myself cheering their happiness at the climax of the story. Their willingness towards self-sacrifice is an iconic trademark of Dickens’s heroes. And Claire Foy sure looks good in the color purple.
So here we are. How much more do I need to say to convince you? This is well worth your time. PBS has posted the entire series on their website for free through May 3rd and the DVD comes out today. Check it out here.
Well have a good night. Book Slave.
2009-02-07
Teach Me Charles, I'm willing to learn...
Hello folks,
Hope that you are all having a great weekend. I thought today I would bring back an old feature in honor of the upcoming Dickens series coming up on PBS Masterpiece Theater. Well also because it's his birthday. Happy Birthday Mr. Dickens!
Lessons I've Learned from Classic Lit: Charles Dickens
1. Don't get in debt. Debt is bad, bad, bad. *sigh* If only I'd listened.
2. Hardship in childhood builds amazing character. Look at Nicholas Nickelby, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist etc. These gentlemen are raised and go through terrible circumstances and they become great men.
3. True love often means great sacrifice. "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."
4. Always leave your audience wanting more. The man is the king of the chapter cliff-hanger. He is a pioneer of serialization. Thank god we don't have to wait like those in the 19th century.
5. Don't get sued. Ever. Just ask the two parties in Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce.
6. Adults cannot be trusted. From Oliver Twist to Great Expectations the innocence of childhood is sullied by adults. Fagin creates a band of thieves who do all the work but he reaps the financial benefits. When Oliver Twist is threatened by Fagin you believe he is in serious peril. I always was quite taken aback by the weird psychological games adults play on children in Dickens. That Miss Haversham is a sick twist.
7. Schools/Orphanages/Apprenticeships in the Victorian Era were horrid and deadly. The abuse that is heaped on children in his novels is hard to believe. How can anyone ever admire this era? Of course Dickens wrote from experience so the veracity is undeniable.
8. Redemption is possible. Look at Ebenezar Scrooge. Also, as referenced above, there's Sydney Carton.
9. Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination. Dicken's characters suffer through some crazy twists and turns but they're often the better for it.
10. You're departed mom and/or dad may have been the heir to a vast fortune. And by crazy circumstance you may stumble into a life of love and happiness. Dicken's world is small and full of possibility.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
Hope that you are all having a great weekend. I thought today I would bring back an old feature in honor of the upcoming Dickens series coming up on PBS Masterpiece Theater. Well also because it's his birthday. Happy Birthday Mr. Dickens!
Lessons I've Learned from Classic Lit: Charles Dickens
1. Don't get in debt. Debt is bad, bad, bad. *sigh* If only I'd listened.
2. Hardship in childhood builds amazing character. Look at Nicholas Nickelby, David Copperfield, Oliver Twist etc. These gentlemen are raised and go through terrible circumstances and they become great men.
3. True love often means great sacrifice. "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to, than I have ever known."
4. Always leave your audience wanting more. The man is the king of the chapter cliff-hanger. He is a pioneer of serialization. Thank god we don't have to wait like those in the 19th century.
5. Don't get sued. Ever. Just ask the two parties in Jarndyce vs. Jarndyce.
6. Adults cannot be trusted. From Oliver Twist to Great Expectations the innocence of childhood is sullied by adults. Fagin creates a band of thieves who do all the work but he reaps the financial benefits. When Oliver Twist is threatened by Fagin you believe he is in serious peril. I always was quite taken aback by the weird psychological games adults play on children in Dickens. That Miss Haversham is a sick twist.
7. Schools/Orphanages/Apprenticeships in the Victorian Era were horrid and deadly. The abuse that is heaped on children in his novels is hard to believe. How can anyone ever admire this era? Of course Dickens wrote from experience so the veracity is undeniable.
8. Redemption is possible. Look at Ebenezar Scrooge. Also, as referenced above, there's Sydney Carton.
9. Sometimes it's the journey, not the destination. Dicken's characters suffer through some crazy twists and turns but they're often the better for it.
10. You're departed mom and/or dad may have been the heir to a vast fortune. And by crazy circumstance you may stumble into a life of love and happiness. Dicken's world is small and full of possibility.
Have a great week! Book Slave.
2008-11-15
Some Masterful Dickens
Hey folks out there,
Y'all doing good? I hope so. Today was a great capper to a fun week. The weather was awesome, people were protesting inequality en masse, and there was beer to be drunk. Good times ahead it seems.
Announcement
This week the series Masterpiece Theater announced their new group of programs for early next year. I loved their Jane Austen series from last year, which was followed by the amazing Cranford. If you haven't seen the new 3 hour Sense and Sensibility they put out here's a preview.
I highly reccomend it. It was spiffy.
Anyway they are going to be following it up with a Dicken's series. Here's a rundown:
Little Dorrit- 8 hour mini-series. Stars Matthew Macfadyen, Tom Courtenay and Alun Armstrong. Adapted by Andrew Davies.
The Old Curiosity Shop- 90 minute single. Stars Sir Derek Jacobi, Gina McKee and Toby Jones.
Oliver Twist- 3 hour mini-series. Stars Timothy Spall, Tom Hardy and Sophie Okonedo.
David Copperfield- 3 hour mini-series. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith and Ian McKellen.
After the brilliant adaptation of Bleak House a few years back color me excited. The Brits are incredibly adept at creating quality top shelf lit adaptations. One part of it is that they are willing to take as long as they need to tell a story right. ITV and BBC don't blink at the idea of spending 3 hours minimum, whereas in the US we freak out over expanded sitcoms. The other element that the Brits have is writer Andrew Davies. The man is the best writer working today. Yeah I said it!
Here's a list of his triumphs: Pride and Prejudice (1994), Bridget Jones's Diary, Tipping the Velvet, Wives and Daughters, etc. For these anglophilic reasons I have complete confidence and can't wait for this coming January 2009.
This got me to thinking what other authors would I like to see adaptations of their works. Here's a list.
1. Wallace Stegner
2. Willa Cather
3. S.E. Hinton
4. Kurt Vonnegut
5. Sherwood Anderson
It would be great to see these authors get "The Complete" treatment. It would be awesome if the American public could pull it together intellectually and demand an upgrade in our standards. No instead we'll be excited for Dancing with the Stars.
Oh well.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
Y'all doing good? I hope so. Today was a great capper to a fun week. The weather was awesome, people were protesting inequality en masse, and there was beer to be drunk. Good times ahead it seems.
Announcement
This week the series Masterpiece Theater announced their new group of programs for early next year. I loved their Jane Austen series from last year, which was followed by the amazing Cranford. If you haven't seen the new 3 hour Sense and Sensibility they put out here's a preview.
I highly reccomend it. It was spiffy.
Anyway they are going to be following it up with a Dicken's series. Here's a rundown:
Little Dorrit- 8 hour mini-series. Stars Matthew Macfadyen, Tom Courtenay and Alun Armstrong. Adapted by Andrew Davies.
The Old Curiosity Shop- 90 minute single. Stars Sir Derek Jacobi, Gina McKee and Toby Jones.
Oliver Twist- 3 hour mini-series. Stars Timothy Spall, Tom Hardy and Sophie Okonedo.
David Copperfield- 3 hour mini-series. Stars Daniel Radcliffe, Maggie Smith and Ian McKellen.
After the brilliant adaptation of Bleak House a few years back color me excited. The Brits are incredibly adept at creating quality top shelf lit adaptations. One part of it is that they are willing to take as long as they need to tell a story right. ITV and BBC don't blink at the idea of spending 3 hours minimum, whereas in the US we freak out over expanded sitcoms. The other element that the Brits have is writer Andrew Davies. The man is the best writer working today. Yeah I said it!
Here's a list of his triumphs: Pride and Prejudice (1994), Bridget Jones's Diary, Tipping the Velvet, Wives and Daughters, etc. For these anglophilic reasons I have complete confidence and can't wait for this coming January 2009.
This got me to thinking what other authors would I like to see adaptations of their works. Here's a list.
1. Wallace Stegner
2. Willa Cather
3. S.E. Hinton
4. Kurt Vonnegut
5. Sherwood Anderson
It would be great to see these authors get "The Complete" treatment. It would be awesome if the American public could pull it together intellectually and demand an upgrade in our standards. No instead we'll be excited for Dancing with the Stars.
Oh well.
Have a great weekend! Book Slave.
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