Pickwick Papers and the nasty habit of skimming and "familiarity breeds contempt"

I'm writing in green today. Chalk it up to whimsy. My approach to this book abides by the theory that "familiarity breeds contempt."

 I grew up with a parent who loves Dickens and includes the above volume among her favorites and one she has read multiple times. Combine that with being casted as Scrooge at age eleven for the family Christmas play of Christmas Carol, and the result is someone who doesn't believe they need to read Dickens for themselves - oh and then there's that whole thing about reading abridged versions hence again alleviating the need or seeming need to read the original - which sadly prevented me from reading Jane Eyre until I was 32 and that is a TRAVESTY!!!!

I can't blame my vices on my mother. She and my grandmother(s) exposed me to the love of reading and indulged my bookwormey habit. 

So, I resolved to read a Dickens and she recommended her favorite: Pickwick, and best of all promised to read it with me. I don't know that she knows about this blog, so I will confess that I did exercise that nasty habit of skimming through much of it - in attempting to glean the juice - although the juice is literally in the details of this novel - the humorous descriptions - and the multiple sumptuous feasts. 

There wasn't enough drama or mystery to really pull me in (although I did wonder if Pickwick and his suing landlady would ever get together.) I know, so trite and predictable - but Dickens has no such love story for his hero - he is above such tempests (unlike the author) - I do love to peruse wikipedia biographies... Other pickwickians do succumb to Cupid in their blundering ways. 

My favorite character is Jingle! He's such a delightful character with his rambling run-on random speeches (rivaling even my grammar). My parent ended up convalescing from a knee injury providing ample time for us to watch the 1985 t.v. series - which really captures the essence of the book.

The best parts of the movie are Pickwick's tights (they really embody the term) and the interpretation of Jingle by Patrick Malahide. Here I will indulge with some loves and exclamations. I love this guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had seen him play Rev. Edward Causabon in Middlemarch . a stunning performance. 

I don't recommend Pickwick if you're dieting or if you struggle with alcohol consumption. 

Crossing the Panther's Path by Elizabeth Alder

I lied. I finished Crossing the Panther's Path by Elizabeth Alder last night and sooner than I anticipated so I'm going to write a short blip about it while it's fresh, instead of Pickwick. 

This book was a rabbit trail from an audio book I listened to in the fall called David Crockett by Michael Wallis, which I suppose deserves its own entry but I forgot about it until I was thinking about why I read Panther. Davie Crockett (I call him just Davie) historically crossed paths with a fellow named Tecumseh, a fascinating figure who I knew very little about. I liken him to a freedom fighter like William Wallace with keen oratory abilities. 

The book David Crockett is a well written biography. It doesn't make me want to go purchase a coonskin cap but the fellow was a resilient frontiersman, no question. He had a penchant for risky ventures - definitely not the 9-5 Mr. Banks type. More like 9 months gone, five months home. He did begin the tradition of folksy politicians and "let me tell you a funny story about myself and give you a swig" approach that proved fairly successful for him in winning voters and continued on as a viable tactic through-out certain regions and populations of our country. This kind of homespun man o'the people still has its appeal - although it baffles much of the rest of the world. 

Alder's book Panther is a fictional account about Billy Calder a half Indian (yes I'm aware that term isn't prominently used anymore) and half Irish bloke who aided Tecumseh with translating and in rallying many tribes together in an attempt to slow or stop the continual intrusion of white settlers and the United States military on their lands. 

My large extended family has a tradition of doing a talent show each Christmas. This is rather painful to write about but I decided to do a dramatic reading of one of Tecumseh's speeches. Let's just suffice it to say, that I should have left the oratory to Tecumseh. 

However, what a fascinating guy. (I didn't use the word love). He had a brother dubbed Prophet and they founded a town called Tippecanoe (I hope you got your facts right here Elizabeth Alder). Unfortunately every time I think or hear Tippecanoe - I think of William Henry Harrison's soundbite for his candidacy "Tippecanoe and Tyler too" which was supposed to make people want to vote for them. "Vote for me and I can persecute, kill, and remove other peoples?"  Anyway, the idea of Tippecanoe was a neutral place where different members of tribes could come together and form an alliance. Great visionary, just outnumbered, not to mention out artilleried, add in diseases like smallpox....

Oh did I mention that I make up words?

Oh and lastly, another great reason to write about these books is because maybe I will actually remember titles and authors better instead of "Ohh oh I just read this book about Tecumseh, by........" Do you know that when I sat down to write this I actually wrote Crossing the Warriors Path by Elizabeth AldeN. Then I had to get up and find the volume because when I googled the title it didn't show up. 

Oh - the panther is Tecumseh. Why can't that be my nickname? Not one single person has ever likened me to a panther.

Waverley, Sir Walter Scott

I haven't posted on here in a long time for various reasons, but I've been ruminating about it once again. Revive the blogging... What I'd like to do is record responses to my readings. I'm notoriously forgetful about the content of the books I read, so perhaps the discipline of posting will help me synthesize, remember, and mostly - be fun!!

I want to begin with Waverley by Sir Walter Scott. (I read it in the late summer of 2016). I had long thought I should read a Scott. About 15 years ago I started Ivanhoe but I couldn't get into it so I put it down. My mom recommended Waverley when I brought up my latent literary (I won't say desire - more like "ought"). Scott shaped the culture of Scotland and thus the entire appalachian region of the U.S. He is oft quoted and referenced. As a true anglophile and lover of all things celtic, you can understand why I eventually had to come face to face with him. 

I fell in love (here we go) pretty much in the first few chapters. Firstly, the personal nature of the narrative (sometimes addressing the reader and so forth - like in the oral tradition of story teller) totally charmed me. Of course Scott himself weaves in tales he would've heard told in that ancient tradition - bardlike. Don't get me wrong - I often get annoyed by such reader addressing, but not this time. Scott reveals himself to be a "kindred spirit" as L.M. Montgomery would say. 

Waverley has the best qualities of adventure, love, heroism, and humor. Waverley himself is endearing, manly, conflicted, complex and yet attune to the nuances of nature and romance. Scott has more than one woman in his novel. He is obviously a student of personality. He has the romantic idealist "Flora", the in the moment live with gusto (and the best most favoritest ever name Fergus Mac Ivor Vich Ian Vor), affectionate simplistic caregiver "Rose," and her father the stalwart traditionalist "Bradwardine." 

I really walk away with more of a feeling for the historical Jacobite uprising which forms the basis for the events in the novel. I'm not enough of a scholar to have researched how accurate Scott's portrayal is of the actual event. But every reference to "Bonnie Prince Charlie" is definitely more potent to me now after reading Waverley. I love saying Waverley. Love Love Love - almost as much as saying "Fergus Mac Ivor Vich Ian Vor" but not quite. 

Sir Scott and I will definitely commune again. I'll keep you posted. 

My response to Pickwick is coming up.