'Little Dorrit' readalong

Thanks for those insights Defaultname.

I just read Chapter XII and am not really sure I understood much of what was going on at all!!! Hopefully things will become clearer in the following chapters...

In 1844, Dickens took a respite from writing novels and for several months traveled through France and Italy with his family. They visited the most famous sights: Genoa, Rome, Naples (with Vesuvius still smouldering), Florence and Venice. In his travelogue the author portrays a nation of great contrasts: grandiose buildings and urban desolation, and everyday life beside ancient monuments. But it is his encounters with Italy's colorful street life that capture the imagination. Dickens is particularly drawn to the costumes, cross-dressing, and sheer exuberance of the Roman carnival. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pictures_from_Italy

Sounds quite fun!

According to French place names in English, the spelling Lyons reflects an earlier French spelling and pronunciation: in Old French, Lyon was pronounced /ljons/ rather than /ljõ/. The final S was dropped from the French pronunciation and spelling, but preserved in English, where the pronunciation eventually morphed into a homonym of the English word lions.

These days, Lyon is usually spelled Lyon in English and pronounced /'liõ/. www.quora.com/What-is-the-reason-behind-the-English-spelling-of-the-French-city-Lyon-with-an-additional-s-in-the-end

Interesting Chessie.

Any of the action that took place abroad in David Copperfield was pretty vague or superficial if I recall and then the description of Marseille seemed both totally believable at times and then geographically incorrect at others so it made me wonder.

I know Dickens went to the US, no idea if he ever went to France though.

Better late than never I have finally finished my Chapters for May - hurray!!

Really enjoying this and I have absolutely no previous knowledge of the storyline so am just following it wherever it takes us with no particular expectations at all (Great or otherwise!)

I'm wondering just how much travelling Dickens would have done. I mean, I agree with a previous poster who said that the description of Marseille (particularly the stifling heat!) was very atmospheric but some details are somewhat erroneous. There is no way you could see the Italian coast from Marseille!!
And what IS it with dodgy spellings of French towns? - all with an added 'S' - MarseilleS, LyonS, ChalonS. Mais non!

Really loved all the administrative frustrations too. How he will ever get to the bottom of the reason for Amy's father's debts is beyond me!

Somewhat confused by all the characters but will look forward to seeing how it all develops.

Now, onto June's chapters!

Piggywaspushed
I know just what you mean about the Penguins.
When I worked in education I often wryly identified with them.

I’m enjoying reading the book and this thread so much.
I thought I was totally unfamiliar with the novel but it appears that I must have listened to bits of the BBC radio production, maybe whilst driving between appointments, as parts of the novel seem to be familiar to me.

The description of the bells was so vivid. So belligerent and oppressive.

I love peals of bells normally- wedding bells are so joyous. The toll of the bells in my French village feel wonderfully positive and atmospheric. It was interesting to read a quite opposite interpretation.

Ah, okay! Thanks

I know! The plague reference made me smile; very topical! What is Shmoop?!
I'll have to read about Flintwitch's double again. I'm not sure what was going on there. Was it real or imagined?
Poor Affery. She has a miserable life with Flintwitch and Mrs Clenham.

I’ve also just remembered Jeremiah Flintwitch’s double who vanished with the iron box. I wonder when he/ the box will reappear?

I rattled through the chapters, and I am enjoying it, but I am rather wishing I hadn't watched the bbc adaptation a couple of years ago because it's all coming back to me as I read. I really enjoyed Our Mutual Friend because it was the first Dickens I've read with no inkling of the story in advance.

ChessieFL I've been wondering about Mrs Wade too, if she will make another appearance at some point.

Does anyone else think there is some big secret or revelation coming with Arthur's dad?

I had to look her up! She befriended Tattycoram after her outburst. She is 'a sensitive woman of sullen and ungovernable temper' according to the index of characters in my edition.

I’m enjoying this so far. I’m glad Rigaud and Cavaletto popped up again, even though we still don’t really know who they are, or why they’re in the story. I wonder if/when we will meet Mrs Wade again. I liked the contrasting descriptions of a very depressing sounding London straight after the chapters describing the very hot and sunny Marseille. And agree with the others that the circumlocution office chapter was very funny. It reminded me of trying to deal with my company’s IT department. I’m looking forward to the next chapters.

@LadybirdDaphne

I really enjoyed it too and wanted to read on! I liked the parallels between Arthur and Amy - both good children who are trying to sort out the missteps of their parents. Both Arthur’s mother and Amy’s father are imprisoned in their own ways. I was (pleasantly) surprised by Dickens’ criticism of Mrs Clennam’s harsh judgemental brand of Christianity - I tend to think of Victorians as generally approving of that sort of thing (Dickens lived a couple of thousand years after my main era of historical interest ).

Circumlocution Office v good and I wonder if Dickens had perhaps had experience of university administration... I also suspect he was being deliberately rude with the line ‘Its finger was in the largest public pie, and in the smallest public tart.’ Tart already meant attractive woman in the c19th, and by the end of the century in definitely meant what it means to us.

Mrs.Clenham's isn't the sort of Christianity that Dickens held in high regard.

Mr Meagles makes an unflattering reference to 'La Marseillaise' in chapter two. It wouldn't exist without allonging or marshonging to something or other this would be 'allons' and 'marchons' I suppose.

Yes, 'Pet' was more than a bit grating, not to mention the renaming of her maid from Harriet to Tattycoram. No wonder she doesn't like the Meagles!

As with so many 'plot' books, I'd suggest that most of the fun is enjoying the trip,, rather than the "Gosh, so the butler done it" moment. Though I've read some Dickens' novels several times, I'd be pressed to remember what the 'startling revelation' is at the end of most of them. (With notable exceptions for Great Expectations, which had a new revised ending added by the author, and The Mystery of Edwin Drood, which was uncompleted on his death; I'm not sure that even Dickens knew at that stage who'd done the murder...if there was a murder).

If anyone's on the verge of starting Little Dorrit, I'd urge them not to be put off by a few foreign phrases, or characters dropping out of the story for a while. There's a very good Penguin edition which explains all the then-topical allusions and foreign phrases. Well worth getting that rather than the bog-standard Penguin.

I am enjoying it so far.
I liked the Circumlocution office description as well - Dickens at his finest.

It's early days yet, but I am struggling a bit with the French subplot, and with so many characters to keep track of anyway, why on earth do they have to have multiple names for the same character - John Baptist/Cavaletto - are they the same person? not even that sure.

I also love the random characters that turn up by coincidence and give a full character rundown or story update.
Like when Mr Clennam is stalking Little Dorrit and just HAPPENS to run into her uncle outside the prison, who spills the whole story quite happily to a random guy asking after his niece.

I am assuming we will meet Mr Meagles again, apart from the meeting about the non-specific invention. And his daughter Pet (name makes me shudder a bit)

I liked it