Reflections on Bleak House | Mega Dickens Readalong
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- čas přidán 28. 08. 2024
- #Dickensalong
In which I discuss my thoughts on Bleak House . . .
Spoilers from 23:39
Bleak House, Charles Dickens: / 31242.bleak_house
The audiobook I listened to: www.audible.co...
Bleak House miniseries (2005): www.imdb.com/t...
My chapter-by-chapter Bleak House playlist: • Bleak House Readalong ...
@tillysshelf's videos on Facial Stigma in Dickens:
Part 1: • Facial Stigma in Dicke...
Part 2 (Bleak House): • Facial Stigma in Dicke...
An Old Man’s Love, Anthony Trollope: / 1021455.an_old_man_s_love
More about the Mega Dickens Readalong
Discorder server: / discord
Mega Dickens Readalong Video Playlist: • The Mega Dickens Reada...
The Schedule
The Pickwick Papers, 1837: October and November 2022
Oliver Twist, 1838: December 2022
Nicholas Nickleby, 1839: January and February 2023
The Old Curiosity Shop, 1841: March 2023
Barnaby Rudge, 1841: April and May 2023
Martin Chuzzlewit, 1844: June and July 2023
Dombey and Son, 1848: August and September 2023
David Copperfield, 1850: October and November 2023
Bleak House, 1853: December 2023 and January 2024
Hard Times, 1854: February 2024
Little Dorrit, 1855: March and April 2024
A Tale of Two Cities, 1859: May 2024
Great Expectations, 1861: June 2024
Our Mutual Friend, 1865: July and August 2024
The Mystery of Edwin Drood, 1870: September 2024
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I can remember buying a copy of BH after the mini series was on the TV many years ago. I was put off by the length of the book and didn’t read it. I am taking part in the Readalong and finished reading in January and loved it! My favourite of the Dickens we have read so far. Thanks for the inspiration and for the summaries when you share your enthusiasm 😎
I find that the best way to read Dickens is to follow the story the way it was originally published - in sections of chapters that would have been published serially. The pacing is much clearer and the story makes more sense. I read more than one book at a time so it’s a really good approach for me to “take a pause” between chapter sections!
I studied Dickens at school and hated it. Great Expectations was the O level syllabus book of choice which left forever etched memories of pupils’ laborious struggle with ‘aloud reading!’ Many decades later after discovering Books and Things I have just finished my 8th Dickens - Bleak House. What a joy! What an emotional rollercoaster - I cried so much following Jo’s tragic story. I love love love Dickens, each book ends up being my favourite. He must have had so much fun coming up with the names - I mean - Prince Turvydrop! And Caddy Jellyby - all the way through I couldn’t help reading as Caddy Jellybaby.
Katie your analysis is superb, your channel is so so good. A very sincere thank you x
I had a similar experience with Dickens. Had to read him in school (A Tale of Two Cities) and it really made me hate him for a while. Lol! 😂
Bleak House is just such a great book :)
So many good thoughts on Bleak House. Thank you. I love Mr Jarndyce. I think the twists & turns of the plot are brilliant. I noticed at the end of David Copperfield, Tommy Traddles has an extended monologue on the absurdities of the law, which seems to anticipate Bleak House. And then I noticed near the end of Bleak House Mr George goes to the Iron Country, and the description of the area seems to anticipate Hard Times. Dickens was always thinking ahead.
So very true!
The brief message at the end when Sir Leicester writes on the slate "Full forgiveness. Find." was very surprising for me and is truly one of the most tender of moments that Dickens ever wrote. Great review and analysis... as usual.
Agreed - what a moment!
Wonderful! This is my favourite Dickens so far. I watched the adaptation when it came out but I still was very moved by certain scenes. This book seemed sadder than the previous books, I think because it felt more realistic and less like farce. I watched your videos as I was reading which were helpful at pointing out important details. I appreciated the variety of women characters and their personalities. I think back to Dickensian when they show Esther’s birth and consider the ramifications of a single action. Excellent book!
Thanks for this video and for the mega Dickens read along. I always look forward to hearing your thoughts. I’m extremely glad I'm taking part in this read along because I loved Bleak House the first time I read it and your read along pushed me to reread it. It's a case where bits of it pop into my mind just out of the blue, it was so original. I rank it as my second favorite Dickens so far.
So glad you've enjoyed it!
Thank you for this recap. There is so much to love in Bleak House. I love how complex and layered with meaning(s) it is. And the characters! So much perspective!
This was such a delightful read. It was a bit overshadowed by my love for David Copperfield, but still amazing. I loved how "spontaneous combustion" came into play with J & J, too. I much preferred the 3rd person sections for some reason. Sir Leicester was wonderful. ❤
I like Esther, but I also probably prefer the third person sections, too. Dickens uses present tense so well.
Bleak House was the Dickens book that broke me. I had read three of his novels in a row, with BH being the last. I couldn’t pick up another Dickens book for two years. But when I did, it was Our Mutual Friend which became my favorite and brought me back into the fold. I need to rewatch your videos on Bleak House and give it another try. Thanks for a great video.
I found Bleak House goes on and forever on. As we know, a major point of the story is that the court system will take its time in beating you down :). But the book is an achievement, and it is art.
I first tried reading this 15 years or so ago & gave up in a fog (clever opening paragraph reference, if I say so myself) of confusion. Now, it's usurped Our Mutual Friend as my favourite Dickens. It's a treasure trove of brilliant writing, plotting and characterisation. And there's a murder mystery thrown in for good measure. Dickens at his gargantuan best.
Excellent analysis. I loved reading Bleak House! 😊
When I try to evaluate Bleak House alongside Little Dorrit and Our Mutual Friend it’s very difficult because they’re all so wonderful. Like you, I watched the 2005 adaptation before reading the novel, and it was excellent! However, dramatic recreations can be a spoiler for all the images they put in the mind, beforehand. Katie, you’ve done a very fair and thorough evaluation of this superb book, and I agree with all your thoughts. Thank you!
Thanks, Larry! I certainly think there are a few characters, specially Ada, where I struggle to separate the interpretation put in my head by the miniseries from my reading from the book.
Enjoyed your reflections on Bleak House. I read all of Dickens' novels (14 books) in the fall and ended up with Bleak House during Advent. I love everything about the book - Mr. Jarndyce, the courts, the Dedlocks. Such a sweeping novel! I'm giving it 3rd place among Dickens' works.
Excellent review! I think you covered everything bar Boythorn's right of way feud with Sir Leicester and the Ghost's Walk.😂
How could I forget Boythorn!! I love him a lot, too. I especially enjoy his interactions with Sir Leicester, and the fact that when he tries to be nice to Sir Leicester, Sir Leicester doesn't like it, because they actually both kind of enjoy their feud XD
🤩@@katiejlumsden
That's exactly it!@@katiejlumsden
I found it interesting that the BBC cast Denis Lawson as Mr Jarndyce. He was 58 at the time but definitely qualified as an attractive older man 😊 . So the age difference never felt icky to me and I wonder how much the casting thought about that🤔
Interestingly, I remember watching the Bleak House adaptation as a fairly young teenager, and, on my first watch, I said to my parents that I thought Mr Jarndyce was creepy - that was in the first half and I'd changed my mind by the end, but I do think about that sometimes.
It's so obvious you know and like this book a lot. : )
To me, Bleak House still is one of the best books I've ever read. There's only one scene I wish it wasn't there, food waste being one of my biggest pet peeves: when Mr Jarndyce throws out of the coach window a plum cake and a goose-liver pie. Even more reproachable than when Becky throws Dr Johnson's dictionary out of another coach window in Vanity Fair. I'm sure Jo could have made pretty good use of both. Oh well.
Not read it yet. Best wishes with your reading choices this year.
I started reading this novel in 2006 and never finished it....I loved the BBC miniseries though.
Charles Dickens birthday 🎂
Hey great video, first one here, could you do a video on the love story in North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell because you said it’s your favourite love story, it’s mine too and I can only find the industrialisation detail of the book on your channel ❤
A few years ago I got bogged down in Bleak House and stopped reading it. Your explanation helps me to take it up again. When a book is a classic there is no such thing as a spoiler, otherwise no one would read it more than once.
I don't know - I think there are a lot of classics with great plots, twisty plots where it can be a shame to know them before reading. For me, a first reading is a different experience from a reread, and on a first read I don't like to know what's coming.
That makes sense. Personally I always enjoy the successive readings more and more. (It gets better every time.)
That makes sense. Personally I always enjoy the successive readings more and more. (It gets better every time.)
That makes sense. Personally I always enjoy the successive readings more and more. (It gets better every time.)
That makes sense. Personally I always enjoy the successive readings more and more. (It gets better every time.)
This sounds so good! Is this a bad place to start my reading of Dickens outside of high school?
So, if you read and got on with Dickens in school, Bleak House may be a decent place - if you didn't read much Dickens in school or didn't get on with him, then I'd recommend David Copperfield and Bleak House as better places to start.
@@katiejlumsden Thank you so much! That's super helpful!