Some items I noticed:
a nice style to employ a letter at the very beginning of the book to reveal the character and history of one of the main characters
I don't understand the "X shire or X___. Is that a common tool used by Bronte?
Crimsworth -even though it is a name, the contrast of the meaning of the two syllables makes my head swim. I have often thought when reading the text that my head is swimming. A couple of examples:
Mr. Pelet's mother at the beginning of Chapter 8 ...... but an incessant and most indiscreet talker (I know some people like that. None of us of course
Charles (or is it Edward's) dislike for the way Mr. Pelet treated some people, beginning of Chap 8 ...where intellectual inferiority is marked in lines none can mistake; still they were men, and, in the main, honest men; and I could not see why their being aboriginals of the flat, dull soil should serve as a pretext for treating them with perpetual severity and contempt. This idea of injustice somewhat poisoned the pleasure I might otherwise have derived from Pelet's soft affable manner to myself.
I am still baffled by the harsh manner in which the brothers, although connected only be a mother, treated each other.
Another head swimmer, end of Chapter X referring to Zoraide Reuter "I found afterwards that blunt susceptibilities are very consistent with strong propensities."
The contrast between the description of the site of the counting house to the landscape of Brussels. Was it physical reality or a change of heart? I have had many thoughts when reading but I didn't take good notes. In fact, I made very few notes. I am glad to be reading a new(to me) book by Charlotte Bronte. Although I am enjoying the book it is work!
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"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." --Jorge Luis Borges
3 comments:
Here is an example of my mixed feelings. On the one hand, I like that William opposes M. Pelet's treatment of the Flemish. On the other hand, William is being pretty racist - in that passage he is basically saying all Flemish are intellectually inferior.
Your head is swimming? I thought it would just be me. My head is swimming because I can't understand all the big words and phrases. You literary people read so much into things. I thought it was good that he disliked Mr. Pelet's treatment of the brothers and even stuck up for them once when he said their job was taxing. But I totally missed the part William thinking Flemish were inferior. He does keep commenting on their accent, but I thought that was an education accent. hmm oh well
I think William is saying they are dumb looking and, in fact, dumb but that Mr. Pelet, who by the way is a lecher, shouldn't treat them badly because of it.
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