Thursday 28 January 2016

Dust.  Dust lingers everywhere in our house.  I keep thinking shortly I will resemble Miss Havisham in Great Expectations.  However I'm not dressed in an aging mildewed wedding-dress, neither do I have an decaying wedding-cake on the dining table, but cobwebs abound however.  Funnily enough I've read Great Expectations more than a few times.  In my growing-up it seemed to follow me.  At the age of ten it was the first Charles Dickens novel we read in class in our last year at Primary school, it was exciting and spooky; I was there in the Kentish graveyard with orphaned Pip and Magwitch the scary, scary convict. We read on,each picturing the grim and dilapidated ruins of Satis House and the ghostly visage of Miss Havisham, bitter almost to the last, cruelly taunting Pip to fall in love with Estelle.  A Gothic novel of twists and turns, peppered with those marvelous names Dickens was a master at inventing.  Mr Jaggers the lawyer, Bentley Drummie, Pip's rival in love,Startop, Dolge Orlick and the churlish Compeyson, Magwitch's nemisis. I took it all in and loved it.  However upon reaching High school what should be the set book for the next three years... you guessed it, Great Expectations and they even screened the film to us all as an end of school treat at the end of third year.  Fourth year loomed and we had to choose Options, I chose English Literature, and what do you think was the set book?
 Aggh! By this time I was well over it.  You'd have thought I would have passed with flying colours.  I ought to have been able to ramble verbatim practically, not so, on reflection I think only two of us from a class of thirty-two scraped through.  I wonder what went wrong?  We were probably just so sick of it that we'd long ago switched off, preferring to focus on the latest Jilly Cooper novel or Lord of the Flies.  Actually I understand Lord of the Flies has actually been a set book on the curriculum in some schools these days.  How times change?

8 comments:

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

I love Great Expectations Jane .... Miss Havisham being my favourite character. As a young girl, I really liked the BBC series of Great Expectations ......... Magwich was REALLY scary and then, when I was in my 20's, at work, he was our patient !!! He was a very dirty old man !!!!! Are you watching ' Dickensian ' Jane ? We are really enjoying it. XXXX

June said...

Jane, I think it's funny that you think Miss Havisham in GE and I think of Mrs. Clennum in Little Doritt when I think of my dusty house. At least we both love Dickens novels :)
Even in the middle of winter, there is no way to escape the dust here. We heat with a wood stove and so that is where most of it comes.
It's so good to read another lovely post from you my dear friend. I have been so out of the loop that I don't know how much I have missed in blogland, but I hope I can catch up soon.
sending love your way...

helen tilston said...

Your memory of Great Expectations and how you felt when you first read it sounds so very exciting.
Lately I have been re-reading some of my books and how different they seem from when first read. Some better and some do not hold the same interest or are not that well written.

Leave the cobwebs, they add character to a home.

Wishing you a delightful weekend.
Heleenxx

WOL said...

Oh, Yes. Great Expectations. I had that in school, as well. Since you enjoy "literature," You might enjoy the Jasper Fforde "Thursday Next" books. They're deliciously tongue-in-cheek and full of chuckles. When Thursday joins Jurisfiction, the agent who trains her is Miss Haversham.

Half-heard in the Stillness said...

Thank you everyone for calling by and leaving such lovely comments. I really do appreciate hearing from you all!
Alas...still not feeling at all well but will return to your splendid blogs as soon as I'm able.
Take care everyone, sending hugs and much love,
Jane xx

helen tilston said...

Just wanted to stop by and say Hello and wish you a very happy weekend. Has spring arrived in your part of the world.
Here in Ireland it has and we are enjoying spring flowers.

Fondest wishes

Helen xx

Unknown said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful. We expect to continue your writing. tez hazırlama merkezi

Half-heard in the Stillness said...

Hello there Tez,
Thank you for your kind words, and for visiting my blog. I wish you every success in your studies.

Jane