BOOK CLUB POST # 8Book the Third - Chap. 13-END

The deadline for the novel was yesterday. Since I get the sense that people may be behind, I will hold my closing commentary off for a little while longer. A few things to pay attention to as you come to the end of the novel:

General Note
- Pay attention to the voice of the novel throughout this section. Dickens noticeably changes to active voice, present tense in certain parts, reverting to "story tense" in others. Many critics simply see this as a narrative tool for suspense, and it certainly has that effect. However, I think there is more there - because along with the vocal change, the point-of-view shifts somewhat as well. In the first section, one almost swears that the point-of-view is Lorry, but that is not quite it. It's a presence very closely associated with Lorry in any event. In the later section, there's a more omniscient voice than anywhere else in the novel. This is significant: Dickens has taken on a historical persona in his narration thus far. I suggest - and welcome debate - that the voice is associated with God's Spirit, motivating the lives of these people. He remains thus with the "actors" when speaking in this voice - with Lorry and with Carton. And particularly in the last section, when the voice tells us what Carton is thinking...

Just an idea. I've never come across it in any scholarship. Any thoughts?

Chapter Thirteen
- Dickens' acting career gave him a wonderful sense of drama. Try to picture the scene between Syndney Carton and Charles Darnay taking place inside the prison: it's a very cool scene.

Chapter Fourteen
- This chapter's importance is easily overlooked. Yet it is a powerful scene, and one of great significance to the themes central to the novel. Try to imagine the two women, standing opposite one another, speaking each in her own language. Recall the beginning of the novel, where Dickens set up the book by noting that "every man is equal" insofar as each is a profound mystery to any other. This chapter may be seen as a microcosm of the whole book. The conflict, the humor, the alienation, the personification of each of the two cities, and the love which overpowers even the greatest evil: it's all there. It's a great chapter - probably my favorite.

Chapter Fifteen
- Note the hour of the day.
- Let this chapter soak in. Really sit with it, and reflect upon it. As powerful as it is to begin with, it's like anything good that gains flavor and taste over time. I sometimes pick up the book and reread this one chapter when I'm feeling down, or just the monologue at the end. It's a great passage to spiritualize.


That is all for now. I'll be posting a conclusion segment soon. It'll be good to finally approach the novel systematically, rather than chronologically. I wanted to avoid spoilers, but following the time of the story's development can really frustrate any attempt at honest criticism and analysis.

If you're still working through, keep pushing. It's worth it in the end!

BOOK CLUB POST # 7Book the Third - Chap. 8-12

The deadline for the novel was yesterday. Since I get the sense that people may be behind, I will hold my closing commentary off for a little while longer. A few things to pay attention to as you come to the end of the novel:

General Note
- Pay attention to the voice of the novel throughout this section. Dickens noticeably changes to active voice, present tense in certain parts, reverting to "story tense" in others. Many critics simply see this as a narrative tool for suspense, and it certainly has that effect. However, I think there is more there - because along with the vocal change, the point-of-view shifts somewhat as well. In the first section, one almost swears that the point-of-view is Lorry, but that is not quite it. It's a presence very closely associated with Lorry in any event. In the later section, there's a more omniscient voice than anywhere else in the novel. This is significant: Dickens has taken on a historical persona in his narration thus far. I suggest - and welcome debate - that the voice is associated with God's Spirit, motivating the lives of these people. He remains thus with the "actors" when speaking in this voice - with Lorry and with Carton. And particularly in the last section, when the voice tells us what Carton is thinking...

Just an idea. I've never come across it in any scholarship. Any thoughts?

Chapter Thirteen
- Dickens' acting career gave him a wonderful sense of drama. Try to picture the scene between Syndney Carton and Charles Darnay taking place inside the prison: it's a very cool scene.

Chapter Fourteen
- This chapter's importance is easily overlooked. Yet it is a powerful scene, and one of great significance to the themes central to the novel. Try to imagine the two women, standing opposite one another, speaking each in her own language. Recall the beginning of the novel, where Dickens set up the book by noting that "every man is equal" insofar as each is a profound mystery to any other. This chapter may be seen as a microcosm of the whole book. The conflict, the humor, the alienation, the personification of each of the two cities, and the love which overpowers even the greatest evil: it's all there. It's a great chapter - probably my favorite.

Chapter Fifteen
- Note the hour of the day.
- Let this chapter soak in. Really sit with it, and reflect upon it. As powerful as it is to begin with, it's like anything good that gains flavor and taste over time. I sometimes pick up the book and reread this one chapter when I'm feeling down, or just the monologue at the end. It's a great passage to spiritualize.


UPDATE

My final notes on the text.

- Where the narrative changes in voice near the end, becoming a more omniscient, yet also somehow more "involved" voice, it is noticably related to the character of Mr. Lorry. It was Mr. Lorry who brought the work of Providence into the action of the novel, and it was he who was charged with the task of recalling someone to life. I suggest that Dickens does have a religious message in the end of the book, and is taking steps to ensure the reception of this theme by his audience.

- Carton has by the end of the novel "opened up" - notice the pun in the man's name. He has become a Christ figure and a very moving, dynamic one at that. He is one of the most superbly written and formed characters in all of literature, in my opinion.

- The conflict between the two women is my favorite scene in the entire book. Miss Pross is quite an impressive character. Her English womanhood is probably a personification of the country of England itself, which is usually identified in feminine terms

My final assessment of the work is merely a restatement of my working premise. The book is about the movement of Providence, and the guiding force of Divine Love as it motivated people's lives and makes itself manifest in their various actions. I would not hesitate to call this a great Catholic book because of its reflectiveness, its dealing with the themes of forgiveness and resurrection. The character of Jerry Cruncher, ironically, may be considered central to the work. One might not think so in a first read, but try to go back and take a second look at the work. The more I read the novel, the more convinced I become that Jerry's transformation throughout the action of the book is a sort of thematic presentation sort of like underscoring in a musical piece. It subtly reintroduces the central points and drives them home in an unassuming way.

Thanks to all who have participated, or at least read along (on the blog). Next book coming soon!

BOOK CLUB POST # 6Book the Third - Chap. 1-7

As promised, the Book the Third: The Track of a Storm races compared to the other books. Dickens does a lot of set up in his writing and tends to have a gallup to the finish, which makes the end of his books often the most enjoyable and readable parts. It also makes discussion seem a bit excessive and belaboring the point sometimes. So we won't do as much for this part. Just sit back, read, and enjoy the master as he weaves the final strands of his wild tale together...

Discussion Points/Questions

Chapter One

Open for discussion. I would simply ask the reader to recall in this, and every chapter following, how nearly every element that Dickens employs henceforth has been in some way shaded or foreshadowed in theme or in content. This journey ought to seem very similar to Lorry's, in Book One. Aye.

Chapter Two

Open for discussion. Defarge is a bit of a complex character; a little pitiable, really.

Chapter Three

Also open for discussion. What an awesome scene, though - Lucie Manette meeting Mme. Defarge. I shudder just thinking about it! God, that woman is despicable...

Chapter Four

1) The following quote it worth talking about: "For the first time the Doctor felt, now, that his suffering was strength and power." (p. 268) Kind of obvious: strength in suffering. There's a thread of martyrdom and Christ-like love that has begun earlier, and will begin to be stitched more heavily throughout the remaining chapters.

2) Who was the wife of the King who Dickens mentions having been killed? (p. 271 - mere trivia) Marie A.

3) Also worth discussion: The guillotine "was the sign of the regeneration of the human race. It superceded the Cross." (p 271) Hrm. Heresy, blasphemy, it shows the degredation of the French people. Yet, Dickens, the genius, is also hinting ironically at something... you'll see.

Chapter Five

1) Anything significant about the time of day that Lucie holds vigil beneath her husband's window? 3 o'clock hour - hour of the Passion.

2) Any guesses as to who is Lorry's mysterious visitor at the chapter's end? (p. 278)I'm not telling... but we find out in the next section.

Chapter Six

1) Any comments on this quote? "[Dr. Manette] happy in the return he had made [Lucie], he was recompensed for his suffering, he was proud of his strength... [saying]'I have saved him.'" It wasn't quite enough. Though I don't think Dickens means a sinful pride; yet he seems to say that eighteen years of hellish imprisonment isn't suffering enough. What more is there?

Chapter Seven

BONUS: Dickens was an actor, and employed many very dramatic techniques in his writing. The drama of this chapter is unmatched, except at the book's finale. There is a dramatic usage in this chapter of an element from very much earlier on in the book - a symbolic element, turned literal. Identify the moment of drama, and the corresponding foreshadowed element of story, and win the prize (illud est, my respect). Boo. No guesses yet, eh? I'll spoil it. The answer is footsteps. The footsteps at the house in London have finally become literal, on the stair of the French house where the family holds vigil.

BOOK CLUB POST # 5Book the Second - Chap. 19-24

Fires and storms. Discussion points follow.
See Discussion #4 for updates.

Discussion Points/Questions

Chapter Nineteen

Open for discussion.

I think that Lorry's suggestion to destroy the shoemaker's bench is very neat if considered in relation to the spiritual life and how one distances himself from habits and circumstances of sin. Think of the Act of Contrition in which we promise to "avoid the near occasions of sin."

Chapter Twenty

More painting of Sydney Carton's character...

Chapter Twenty-One

1) Notably, this is the first chapter in which the action is shifted between locations. Throughout the rest of the book, chapters have remained reserved to a place. What may Dickens signify by this nuance? All the threads are beginning to be tied together.

2) Feel free to comment on Dickens vivid descriptions of the heated battle at the Bastille. Were they effective? I think so.

3) Explain Defarge's actions inside of 105 North Tower. He was looking for something. Maybe found something, in the chimney?

Chapter Twenty-Two

1) This chapter hardly forwards the plot of the novel, but does wonders for Dickens' thematic develop. Comment upon the character named "The Vengeance," the murder of Foulon, and the following passage:

Fathers and mothers who had had their full in the worst of the day, played gently with their meagre children; and lovers, with such a world around them and before them, loved and hoped.

Man's depravity and fickleness. The relationship of a son-in-law with Foulon is somewhat mentionable...

Chapter Twenty-Three

Open for discussion. No comments.

Chapter Twenty-Four

* NOTE: The setting of this part of the novel is announced as three years later. That would make the year approximately 1793. This year is significant. Anyone know why? Death of Marie Antoinette, and the beginning of the "reign of terror," a period of rampant execution and bloodlust.

1) The title of the chapter is "Drawn to the Loadstone Rock." The obscure reference is from the Arabian Nights. The story about a sailor inexplicably drawn to doom brings two things to mind - duty, and a vague notion of "fate."

Note that everyone is driven by some sense of duty: Lorry to Telsons; Darnay to his mother's death-wish and the innocents of France; Lucie to Dr. Manette; Dr. Manette to Lucie; Carton to Lucie; Miss Pross to Lucie; Mr. Cruncher to Lorry; et cetera. Reminded that the novel is about alienation, love, and redemption, comment about the forces drawing all of these people together. The will of God, and the idea that losing life we gain it; living for others is living for Christ, and life in Christ is true life.

Comment also upon the "coincidence" of Darnay's being in Telson's at the time of the discussion of the letter to the Marquis. Again, the will of God.

General note

Although many Dickens scholars would cringe to hear it (but I think Chesterton might agree with me), I feel that this novel contains many themes that are not only uniquely Christian, but leaning towards a Catholic understanding.

I recommend reflecting heavily upon what has been read so far before starting into Book Three, and moving on especially mindful of the religious undertones and overtones of the work.

BOOK CLUB POST # 4Book the Second - Chap. 14-18

The plot thickens. Again, no general commentary, simply discussion points. My own responses, in red, have been added to Discussion #3.

Discussion Points/Questions

Chapter Fourteen

1) When did we meet the character Roger Cly? He was one of Darnay's accusers.

2) The chapter seems almost gratuitous, but it creates an important "atmosphere" for the novel... what do you think is its significance? Death is an important theme. It haunts the characters of the novels, like it does young Jerry. The chapter also highlights the need for genuine "resurrection."

3) Now we know why Jerry Cruncher so fears the idea of the final resurrection of the body - he is a "resurrection man" - he digs up bodies and sells their parts for scientific experiments. Comment upon the following: the trade; its being called "fishing"; Jerry's introduction for the first time by his Christian name (Jeremiah); and the sport of chasing innocent people in which the rioters engage. Some thoughts:

Jerry is a perverse sort of "fisher of men." Sitting on his stool outside of Telsons, watching the world go by, he is characterized ironically very much like the Prophet Jeremiah, who was not heeded until after his death. Jeremiah was a prophet of judgement; Jerry, a "resurrection man," has often commented what a bad lot he'd have if "recalling to life" were in fashion. Perhaps that statement is intended to have a prophetic import by Dickens: many more than Jerry will be in bad shape when "recalling to life" comes to fashion.


Chapter Fifteen

1) The tall man who murdered the Marquis (Gaspard, called Jacques) was part of an underground movement, all of whose members, led by Defarge in Saint-Antoine, are named Jacques. How does this movement keep its records of enemy names? In Mme. Defarge's knitted shrouds.

2) Comment upon the scene in Versailles when King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette parade in front of the peasants. No comment. Hah.

Chapter Sixteen

1) What is Mme. Defarge's response to hearing that Lucie Manette has married the new Marquis D'Evremonde (Charles Darnay)? She knits Darnay into her register.

2) Characterize Mme. Defarge. There is one literary figure, archetypal, with whom she very easily can be compared... who is that character? Her passtime of knitting also has a literary precedent... can you identify it? The literary character with whom Mme. Defarge is comparable is Lady Macbeth, particularly in her handling of the knife and her influence upon her husband.

Mme. Defarge's knitting "as steadfast as Fate itself," is associated with the Fates themselves, who, in Greek mythology, were three sisters weaving the cloth of human life.

Chapter Seventeen

Open for discussion/comment.

Chapter Eighteen

1) What transpired in the conversation between Darnay and Manette on the morning of the wedding? We find out later for sure that Darnay revealed his real name to Manette.

General note
All of the currents of the novel are running in one direction. The themes are of death, oppression, imprisonment, isolation. The novel is about contrasts and separations. Dickens juxtaposes people against one another throughout the novel. Carton and Stryver are the notable example at this point, but there is more to come. Throughout all, though, there is a "golden thread." Lucie Manette symbolizes a them of LOVE. Love cuts through the darknesses of the novel - it interrupts Mr. Lorry's constant businesslike attitude - it causes Mrs. Cruncher to "go flopping on her knees" and abide with beatings - it allows Dr. Manette to give away his beloved daughter in marriage. Make note of these contrasting themes. There is a need for light, for freedom, for unity, for resurrection, for salvation everywhere in the book. The answer, Dickens seems to be implying, is love. Pay attention to how this implication develops.

BOOK CLUB POST # 3Book the Second - Chap. 7-13

This section of Book the Second: The Golden Thread is the beginning of the real rising action of the novel. Things start to get kind of confusing, so stay with it. I have no general commentary, simply discussion points. I will also be going back and adding some material to the previous two discussions, such as my own answers to the questions I posed. This added material will be in red.

So check out discussions one and two. (Be sure to reload pages)

Discussion Points/Questions

Chapter Seven

1) Comment on the following quote from the text:

The leprosy of unreality disfigured every human creature in attendance upon Monseigneur....

But, the comfort was, that all the company at the grand hotel of Monseigneur were perfectly dressed. If the Day of Judgment had only been ascertained to be a dress day, everybody there would have been eternally correct. Such frizzling and powdering and sticking up of hair, such delicate complexions artificially preserved and mended, such gallant swords to look at, and such delicate honour to the sense of smell, would surely keep anything going, for ever and ever.

Dickens was always a "social writer." Even though he's going to present the revolution in France as a horrible reality, he also exposes the dispicable society that caused it.

Chapter Eight

1) Who was hiding beneath the cart of Marquis d'Evremonde? The "tall man" from Saint-Antoine.

2) What - other than establishing the fact of a stowaway - is the point of this chapter? To show the relationship of the Marquis d'Evremonde and the peasants in his precinct.

Chapter Nine

1) What do you make of Marquis d'Evremonde's sinister reference to Doctor Manette and his daughter? (p. 130) The fact that the Marquis knows about these two strikes a chord. It's not really foreshadowing, per se but a hint of what's to come.

2) Who murdered the Marquis? The "tall man" from Saint-Antoine.

3) The passage in which Dickens speaks of the Marquis' death is brilliantly constructed, and worth a second look: the three hours of darkness; the sunrise painting stone faces the color of blood; and this passage:

The carol of the birds was loud and high, and, on the weather-beaten sill of the great window of the bed-chamber of Monsieur the Marquis, one little bird sang its sweetest song with all its might. At this, the nearest stone face seemed to stare amazed, and, with open mouth and dropped under-jaw, looked awe-stricken.

The "nearest stone face" is the amazed face of the murdered Marquis himself. It truly is an excellently written and very exciting scene. Amen.

Chapter Ten

1) The chapter's title is "The Two Promises"... what are they? The first promise is Manette's to Darnay - that he testify to Darnay's sincerity if asked by Lucie. The second, more important, is Darnay's - that he will tell M. Manette his real name at a time of the latter's choosing (Darnay's wedding day).

2) What do you think is the meaning of the following words, spoken by Doctor Manette?

If there were- Charles Darnay, if there were... any fancies, any reasons, any apprehensions, anything whatsoever, new or old, against the man she really loved- the direct responsibility thereof not lying on his head- they should all be obliterated for her sake.

Tying in with the allusion made by the Marquis earlier, it can only mean that somehow Darnay's appearance - and last name, which Manette suspects - remind him of his time in France.

3) What did Lucie hear in Doctor Manette's chamber? (p. 140-141) He might have been making shoes again.

Chapter Eleven

Open for discussion. Dickens continues to pull at the reader's heartstrings through the unlikely character of Sydney Carton...

Chapter Twelve

1) The chapter's title is "The Fellow of Delicacy"... to whom does this refer? Explain. The true fellow of delicacy is Mr. Lorry. The way in which he controls - and allows to rise - his temper, and his plan for investigating whether Stryver's proposal will be well-recieved, are all very refined and delicate. Dickens portrays him as a true gentleman, the foil to types like Stryver, and a truly feeling man despite his protestations that he is only concerned with matters of "business."

Chapter Thirteen

An emotional chapter, please feel free to comment on how this one made you feel.

1) There seems to be a finality to this chapter. It has a note of doom to it. Why do you think that is? What do you make of Sydney Carton's "last supplication"? Hints: Suffice to say that this chapter is very important. Syndey Carton speaks of his life as something that "might have been." He says that between he and Lucie there is "an impassible space." The central themes of the novel have come to a head in him - but Lucie is there to try to shine light upon his darkness. His last supplication is to Lucie, to remember that "For you, and for any dear to you, I would do anything... [to know that] there is a man who would give his life, to keep a life you love beside you."

Carton professes a Christ-like love. This theme of love, in contrast to the other themes of the novel, as a possible answer to those themes, begins to develop more clearly in the next section. Two things are important to note: Dickens makes the conflict between death and life, isolation and love the underlying thrust of the entire book's action and microcosms the whole scheme in the lives of individual characters, but only in certain aspects. In only one character does Dickens seem to bring all of the larger conflicts to bear together - that character is Sydney Carton.

Apologia pro... er... book club... sua.

Why start a book club? One may well ask. And it's a good question. Well, here is the reason. Granted, I wasn't aware of this list when I started the club, but I was aware of the trends represented by the "readers picks." Our culture has become so literally stupid - literally - that Ayn Rand and L. Ron Hubbard are found to have authored seven of the ten best novels of the century: an athiestic, minarchist philosopher with a talent for writing, Rand at least deserves a place in the list, granted... but Hubbard? He was a hack! In every way! I'd rather read a cereal box...

James Joyce gets seat number eleven?! He's the finest prose stylist who ever lived. I'd hardly stop short of physically fighting to defend that position. The man was an untouchable genius!

At least RandomHouse had somewhat better sense. At least the names at the top of their list are significantly noteworthy (although I personally feel that neither Lawrence, Koestler, or Huxley are quite as noteworthy as their position would indicate - still, they would only fall about a decade if anything, not completely off the list). Yet, the lower area of their list begins to show a little more politically-correct-mindedness than I think honest literary scholarship can afford.

I'll allow that the names on the "readers list" are those most familiar to our culture; but while Ayn Rand, L. Ron Hubbard, Toni Morrison, Steven King and even J.R.R. Tolkien are indeed deserving of special attention from a certain point of view, they do not represent the literary apex of the last century. Many of their writings may be around for a long time to come; many are in fact classics in their own right; and many are mentionable even more so for their social impact and prestige. Many, like Tolkien, are made "great" by their exalted message and profound communication of truth. But, when it comes down to it, novel writing is an art, a disciplined art like any other requiring great technical skill. Only rare geniuses master this art. Others may be geniuses in their own right and for their own reasons - their philosophy, their philology, or what have you - but when these geniuses write a novel imbued with the art of their own discipline, that does not make the novel a great novel, per se. Thus, even Tolkien, whom I love, while he wrote a great book and must be labeled a genius, ought not to be regarded necessarily as a great novelist.

The "readers list" was probably voted on by people who, sadly, have not even encountered the names that should populate such an inventory. Since it is such a battle simply to get students today to read, there is less of a focus on the value of what they read than there is on the fact that they do it at all. Hence the absence of Joyce, James, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Dreiser, Waugh, Conrad, Hemingway from that list... hence the presence of their names on my blog, and my goal of running a book club for the appreciation and proliferation of truly great literature.

BOOK CLUB - Character Listing

As the characters become more complex and interwoven, I thought it might be good to make a list, to be updated as I read the novel, to keep the characters straight. Hopefully it is of help. CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES!

NB: French abbreviations:

Monsieur - M. - English: Mister
Madame- Mme. - English: Ms. or Mrs.
Mademoiselle - Mlle. - English: Miss

Mr. Jarvis Lorry (Alias: none)

         An elderly bachelor (appx. 60 yrs) in the employ of Tellson's Bank, between London and Paris. While a business-minded fellow, his heart is softer and better than he makes it out to be. He is friend to Doctor and Miss Manette, and his footman is Jerry Cruncher.

Dr. Manette (Alias: M. Manette)

         An elderly man (appx. 60 yrs) who was imprisoned for 18 years in France due to circumstances which are revealed gradually in the course of the novel. He survives his wife, who died during his captivity, and after his release lives with his daughter, Miss Lucie Manette in London. They are friends with Mr. Lorry, aquainted with Mr. Darnay and Mr. Carton, and are served by Miss Pross.

Miss Lucie Manette (Alias: Mlle. Manette)

         "A golden-haired doll," the beautiful and loyal daughter of Doctor Manette, whose striking beauty captures the attention of both Mr. Darnay and Mr. Carton. Her faithful maidservant is Miss Pross, who raised her after her mother's death.

Mr. Charles Darnay (Alias: M. Charles; M. d'Evremonde)

         Introduced on trial for treason, it comes out later (Book Two, Chapter Nine) that Darnay is a French aristocrat by birth, the son of the once-Marquis d'Evremonde, now dead. Darnay promised his mother on her death bed to make amends for his father's wicked ways; he is inhibited, however, by his uncle - his father's twin - the new Marquis d'Evremonde, who is a tyranical French lord.

Mr. Syndney Carton (Alias: none)

         An alchoholic jackal in the British court, Carton is a pitiable and weakwilled man who lacks ambition and spends his life in a type of servitude to others for no reason other than his own apathy. Dickens paints him as the most complex, confusing, and interesting character of the novel when he is introduced in the first part of Book Two. Carton bears a striking resemblance to Charles Darnay.

M. Marquis d'Evremonde (Alias: none)

         A French lord, called Monseigneur by his subjects, he is the twin brother of Charles Darnay's deceased father, and the current executor of the Evremonde estate. He is a heartless and wicked man, much like Darnay's father had been, who hardly thinks twice when his carriage runs over a small boy near M. Defarge's wineshop in Saint-Antoine. The boy's father, however, a "tall man," does not forget as easily...

Gabelle (Alias: none)

         One of the Marquis' subjects, he is often forced to carry out orders on behalf of Monseigneur, such as collecting taxes, which can be unpopular among the other peasantry.

M. Defarge (Alias: Jacques)

         M. Defarge is a wineshop owner in Saint-Antoine, and a powerful influence among his fellow poor citizens. He was once in the employment of Dr. Manette before the latter's imprisonment; it is from his care that the old man is taken back to England after his release. Defarge had previously been "showing" the old Doctor to some fellow peasants, for undisclosed purposes, all of whom went by the name Jacques, for undisclosed reason.

Mme. Defarge (Alias: none)

         An enigmatic woman, Dickens says she "sees nothing," an ironic allusion to the fact that she appears to be consumed in her knitting but perceives everything around her, with a depth and precision unmatched by anyone, even her husband. Her constant knitting is a symbol for the mechanism of her mind, which is forever spinning plots and advices to plant in the ear of M. Defarge.

Miss Pross (Alias: none)

         The Manette's faithful housekeeper, equally dependable for providing comic relief.

Mr. Jerry Cruncher (Alias: none)

         A mysterious figure with an unmentionable nightlife, he serves as a messenger for Tellson's bank. His wife prays against his dark doings, which his son, Jerry Jr., is always trying to uncover.

Book Club - note on text

To anyone who is actually reading this novel (why do I feel I'm the only one?):

Please note that in Chapter 7 of Book Two, the character Monseigneur is simply a French noble lord. The Monsieur de Marquis is, in Chapter 8, also called "Monseigneur" in his own province outside the city. They are two different people, so don't get confused.

BOOK CLUB POST # 2Book the Second - Chap. 1-6

Joe's Two Cents

The first four chapters of Book the Second - The Golden Thread are loaded with comedy. Despite the serious nature of the plot - a man on trial for treason: a crime punishable by torture on the rack, death by strangling, and quartering of the corpse - Dickens tells the story of Charles Darnay's trial with his tongue as deeply embedded in his cheek as ever. From the opening pages where he describes Tellson's bank as "the triumphant perfection of inconvenience," and its tellers, "any one of [whom] would have disinherited his son over the question of rebuilding Tellson's," Dickens is as sarcastic and droll as in any of his most lighthearted work.

The courtroom scene is one of my favorites in the whole book, for Dickens' merciless treatment of the British legal system, which he regarded as brutal and barbarous. Particularly during the remarks of the prosecution does Dickens use humor to ridicule the not-so-proud history of Britain's court:

Silence in the court! Charles Darnay had yesterday pleaded not guilty to an indictment denouncing him (with infinite jingle and jangle) for that he was a false traitor to our serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth, prince, our Lord the King, by reason of his having, on divers occasions, and by divers means and ways, assisted Lewis, the French King, in his wars against our said serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth; that was to say, by coming and going, between the dominions of our said serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth, and those of the said French Lewis, and wickedly, falsely, traitorously, and otherwise evil-adverbiously, revealing to the said French Lewis what forces our said serene, illustrious, excellent, and so forth, had in preparation to send to Canada and North America.

The closing remarks of the prosecution are no less amusing:

That, for these reasons, the jury, being a loyal jury (as he knew they were), and being a responsible jury (as they knew they were), must positively find the prisoner guilty, and make an end of him, whether they liked it or not. That they never could lay their heads upon their pillows; that they never could tolerate the idea of their wives laying their heads upon their pillows; that they could never endure the notion of their children laying their heads upon their pillows; in short, that there never more could be, for them or theirs, any laying of heads upon pillows at all, unless the prisoner's head was taken off.

As the opening section of Book the Second slows considerably in terms of pace, compared with Book the First, I think it important to relish such comedic elements and good writing in this section, which more than make up for the slightly weaker plot. Dickens is, after all, simply setting up the fury of action that is to follow. In fact, the entire first book may be regarded as a prelude, and these first six chapters as an introduction proper in the whole scheme of the novel (hence the symbolism of a breaking storm and impending footsteps in chapter six - but more of that later.) So, whereas Dickensonian structure was my focus in the last part, I think Dickensonian comedy (closely linked to his style of writing - with all of its parenthetical statments - which I have, if you have not noticed, been imitating in this very post) is in my opinion the gem of the first parts of Book the Second - The Golden Thread.

Discussion Points/Questions

Title

Book the Second is subtitled "The Golden Thread." What, or who, is the Golden Thread? (Hint: the answer is in the section we read) The answer given, please comment upon it. See comment box - Chris got this one.

Chapter One

1) Jerry Cruncher's boots are not dirty when he comes home from work at Tellson's, but are always dirty when he wakes up each morning; his wife is said to be "praying against" his "work"; he is insistent upon his being regarded as "an honest tradesman"; and later, Dickens notes that Jerry always has iron rust on his fingers. What's up with Jerry Cruncher?

Bonus: When a writer like Charles Dickens repeats a theme or symbol, or brings a conversation topic up multiple times, you can be assured that it is not by mistake. In the section we read, Dickens repeats a theme with Jerry Cruncher from Book the First. Did anyone catch what it was, or what it might mean?

The answer is coming in our fourth discussion... STAY TUNED!

Chapter Two

1) The mirror above Darnay's head comes up a few times in this and following chapters. Significantly, at one point (in chapter three) Darnay and his own real life "reflection" - the look-alike Sydney Carton - are reflected in the mirror together. Any ideas about the symbolism of this mirror in the dock?

No answers, but a hint... once the mirror captures an image, it is like a doom-sayer, a call from another world. Darnay escapes that call... for the time being...

Chapter Three through Five

Imprimis: In three chapters, Syndney Carton becomes the most complex and most developed of Dickens characters in the novel thus far. This is significant. If you missed it, you might want to go back and reread these three chapters with that consideration in mind.

Research note: A "jackal" is a term unfamiliar to us. It means a person who does menial tasks for another person. Carton is described as such a one, even from early age (see p. 95).

1) Contrasting the personality of Mr. Stryver to Mr. Carton's, what do you think about the two men's last names?

Stryver Or, if you will, Striver. That is, one who strives. Stryver is constantly "shouldering his way" through the world, striving to get ahead and on top.

Carton: A closed box, letting nothing in or out. Carton is sealed and resigned to his fate, going nowhere, isolated from the world, like Scrooge "solitary as an oyster."

2) Mr. Carton is portrayed as rather loathesome. Yet, again, Dickens painstakingly shapes him as the most defined character so far. Before commenting upon Mr. Carton's personality, and your impression of him, reconsider this paragraph, second to last in chapter five, "The Jackal." Note the descriptive words.

Waste forces within him, and a desert all around, this man stood still on his way across a silent terrace, and saw for a moment, lying in the wilderness before him, a mirage of honourable ambition, self-denial, and perseverance. In the fair city of this vision, there were airy galleries from which the loves and graces looked upon him, gardens in which the fruits of life hung ripening, waters of Hope that sparkled in his sight. A moment, and it was gone. Climbing to a high chamber in a well of houses, he threw himself down in his clothes on a neglected bed, and its pillow was wet with wasted tears.

Chapter Six

Imprimis: This is probably the most difficult chapter so far...

There is much foreshadowing in this chapter. No discussion questions, but a few individual things to consider from the reading:

Carton might seem, to a reader, out of place showing up at the Doctor's house... Miss Pross is given to a certain kind of motherly intuition, and this is made much of, yet her observation about "hundreds of people" coming into Lucie's life is obviously an exaggeration... At the end of the chapter, Lucie, Doctor Manette, Mr. Carton, and Mr. Darnay are described at the window watching the storm break, but Mr. Lorry is left out of the description...

Are these inconsistancies, or deliberate?
Make note of them... you'll find out later.

No inconsistancies, I promise you. Dickens deliberately leaves Lorry out and takes a risk by putting Carton in the home before shaping his relationship with the Manette's later on. The reason for this omission, and this placement, is that Dickens wants to place the main four characters of the book in the scene right before the storm breaks and the real action of the book begins. Brilliant!

BOOK CLUB POST # 1Book the First - all chapters

Joe's Two Cents

Dickensonian. It's an adjective, and a good one at that. A good one because it encapsulates in a word an idea or condition altogether unique: it describes something relating to what or how Charles Dickens wrote. Like other adjectives, the word carries the full burden of its own meaning, and all one can do in order to define it is to exemplify. If a person were to ask what "red" was, or "fluffy," one would need reply "that is" or "this." Such with "Dickensonian." How to inform someone what the word means when asked, except to hand him A Tale of Two Cities, and tell him to read the first paragraph.

The first paragraph is a single sentence - 11 lines, 120 words, 500 letters of the most memorable prose ever written. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times..." It's an important sentence. It contains a profound philosophy of man and lays out a program for the entire story that follows. It is grandiose, yet quaint; serious, yet with tongue in cheek; highminded, yet whimsical; it's very Dickensonian.

I love this paragraph. I'd say that I would give my right arm to write like that... but without my right arm I wouldn't write much at all. This observation encapsulates my only "personal" reflection on this first book of the novel: Dickens is a master craftsman of prose, not quite the best, but far above most others who have set pen to page. I'd encourage anyone reading the novel to keep an eye and ear open to its Dickensonian character. The poetical rhythm of the words, the constant punning, the onomatopoeia, all the various symbols, and above all the unique voice which speaks so directly and yet somehow does not overshadow the action it describes. It's truly brilliant, and only such a powerful plot as this book has can make the sheer style of the novel slip so easily into the background.

Discussion Points/Questions

Chapter One

1) Most novels begin quite narrowly, in media res: if they have a grander scope, it somehow blossoms as the novel progresses. Dickens daringly begins this novel quite broadly, with questions of great moral and philosophical import. What do you think of Dicken's straightforward assertion in this opening chapter that the work which follows will be a microcosmic inquiry into the most fundamental problems of man's condition? Is it offputting? Intriguing? ... Catholic?

I think Dickens was primarily concerned with deeper realities of man, and wanted his readers to view his present endeavor with an open mind, searching beyond the entertaining plot for its many and various implications.

Chapter Two

1) Is there anything symbolic about the way in which Dickens introduces his characters in the beginning of this novel?

Dickens seems to focus in on his characters as though from a telescope. He starts with a wide view, and then "zooms" in. This holds true throughout the novel (see, for example, his introduction of Darnay on trial, or his re-introduction of Jerry Cruncher in book two). This accomplishes two things: first, by taking an "objective" writing point-of-view, he prevents readers' preconceptions getting in the way until after he describes a person as they are really to be found; and second, it gives his characters a one-among-many universality - they are a face in a crowd, and could be any one of the people his readers meet on a daily basis.

2) Why does Dickens seem so interested in petty theivery and piracy on the roads? What do they have to do with the French Revolution?

Sin has metaphysical implications. Evil begets evil.

3) Why might Jerry be worried by the prospect of people being "recalled to life"?

Hmmm...

Chapter Three

1) What connections are there between the opening part of this chapter (about individuals' alientation from one another) and the first chapter?

In the opening of the book, Dickens speaks about how a king and a peasant are the same in the fact of their individual secretness from any other person. People's alienation, and the way that love bridges that gap, is a central theme of the novel, which Dickens approaches on individual and national levels.

2) Dickens is great at creating ghostly atmospheres. Discuss.

Chapter Four

1) Isn't the nursemaid lady at the end of the chapter halarious? Cockney characters are always great for a laugh. I love her.

Chapter Five

1) The suburb of Paris where this chapter takes place is Saint-Antoine - any symbolism?Saint Anthony was a hermit, and also fasted extremely. The book is about alienation caused by man's indifference to man, and the universal hunger for love. The "scarecrows" of Saint-Antoine, like the Saint himself, are omens against such indifference.

2) Page 39 - Dickens speaks of the poor citizens as scarecrows being blown by the winds of change in France. Who are the birds to whom he refers? Ibid.

3) What is significant about Dickens' introductory descriptions of Mdm. Defarge on page 40-41? More of this later.

Chapter Six

Open for any discussion. Anyone like Lorry better than earlier in the book?

***

Merry Christmas, everyone. Enjoy your reading!

BOOK CLUB POSTING FORMAT

Just a brief note about how the book club discussions will run. Tomorrow, Christmas Eve, is the first "due date" for our group reading of A Tale of Two Cities. Tomorrow, and on all subsequent dates by which sections are to have been read, I will post some discussion points and questions about the given section of the book, as well as some of my own personal thoughts, observations. Then, the comment box can be used as a forum for discussions, taking my questions as starting points, or new threads begun by other members/readers. We'll keep it informal, conversational, etc. If you are beginning a new thread, or are responding to one of my own questions, please "title" your response as such; then, when others reply or follow up on these posts, they can use a RE:VARIABLE TITLE heading for their own posts.

Hopefully that's clear to everyone...

Recalled to Life

Greetings!

I know I’ve been away for a little while, but I feel that this return to the blogosphere will be a particularly triumphant one, because I have a new zany scheme to unveil: I’m starting a BOOK CLUB!!!

A few other seminarians and I – and anyone else who would like to join in – will be using Veritatis Visio as a locus for discussion while we read together, over Christmas break, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities. We will be reading the Signet Classic edition of the book, which has been marked in publication, into sections indicating Dickens’ original serial segmentation. The major of these divisions split the book into eight nearly equal sections, so I have schedule eight minor deadlines as indicated below for the completion of the entire novel by mid-January. I will be posting on the due date for each of the sections with my own observations and notes from my reading journal, and hopefully others will log on and comment and facilitate some good discussion on the work. I really would like as many people to participate as are able, so that we can get many various perspectives on the piece. The deadlines and sections are as given below. Pagination is according to the Signet edition; however, I have also noted the chapters to which the page numbers refer, so that any edition may be used.

Sections:

I – Book the First - all chapters - pp. 13 – 57.
II – Book the Second - chap. 1 – 6 - pp. 61 – 109.
III – Book the Second - chap. 7 – 13 - pp. 109 – 156.
IV – Book the Second - chap. 14 – 18 - pp. 156 – 198.
V – Book the Second - chap. 19 – 24 - pp. 198 – 242.
VI – Book the Third - chap. 1 – 7 - pp. 245 – 289.
VII – Book the Third - chap. 8 – 12 - pp. 289 – 339.
VIII – Book the Third - chap. 13 – END - pp. 339 – 367.

Due Dates for Each Section:

I – December 24
II – December 28
III – December 31
IV – January 3
V – January 6
VI – January 9
VII – January 12
VIII – January 14

Happy reading to everyone!