Our Mutual Friend Readalong

[Piggywaspushed]

As discussed on the previous Davis Copperfield Readalong, I hope some of us are eager to start Our Mutual Friend!

This is quite a complex one to break up. As usual, Dickens published in 19 monthly instalments but this one has 4 'Books' .

It is split up as follows:

BOOK THE FIRST: THE CUP AND THE LIP
I – May 1864 (chapters 1–4);
II – June 1864 (chapters 5–7);
III – July 1864 (chapters 8–10);
IV – August 1864 (chapters 11–13);
V – September 1864 (chapters 14–17).
BOOK THE SECOND: BIRDS OF A FEATHER
VI – October 1864 (chapters 1–3);
VII – November 1864 (chapters 4–6);
VIII – December 1864 (chapters 7–10);
IX – January 1865 (chapters 11–13);
X – February 1865 (chapters 14–16).
BOOK THE THIRD: A LONG LANE
XI – March 1865 (chapters 1–4);
XII – April 1865 (chapters 5–7);
XIII – May 1865 (chapters 8–10);
XIV – June 1865 (chapters 11–14);
XV – July 1865 (chapters 15–17).
BOOK THE FOURTH: A TURNING
XVI – August 1865 (chapters 1–4);
XVII – September 1865 (chapters 5–7);
XVIII – October 1865 (chapters 8–11);
XIX-XX – November 1865 [chapters 12–17 (Chapter the Last)].

4 instalments is feasible but might be too much for those of us working/ reading other books/child or DP wrangling/ insert other reason.

Therefore, I would suggest 8 instalments, splitting each book in two somehow?

That would take us to March 2021 and then we can pretend 2020 never existed.

Up for it? Thoughts?

Looking forward to it! All usual suspects and newcomers welcome.

Morning!

This month just seemed full of convoluted intrigue, plotting and counter plotting, all rather confusing to me! The Rokesmith/ Bella stuff was typically Victorian cloying but rather heartwarming. The downfall of the Lammles was inevitable and will, no doubt, have consequences. I hope Mr Boffin comes good in the end and isn’t too horribly deceived but I am not optimistic.

Other than that, I didn’t derive much from this month.

I am intrigued by these Victorian rag/bone/bottle shops, which feature as seedy, greasy and desperate places in so many Dickens novels. Why did they buy and sell rags, bones, scrap metal and bottles? I remember rag and bone men from my childhood, dimly, and scrap metal dealing still goes on but I have never been clear why anyone wants to buy these wares? Can anyone enlighten me?

I don't have anything intelligent to say about the Victorian rag and bone trade sorry Piggy!

I enjoyed this month's chapters and am glad Rokesmith and Bella have got together - it was very sentimental, but satisfying. I'm also happy that Mr Venus is turning out to have some principles, and I hope Pleasant Riderhood changes her mind about him. I also hope Dickens has a very nasty end planned for Fledgeby. I'm not entirely convinced by Mr Boffin's transformation into a mean old miser, and think its more to make a point that 'money corrupts' than an accurate psychological portrait.

This month’s chapters felt like they were just moving stories along rather than being particularly interesting in their own right, iyswim! Other than Bella and Rokesmith getting together. I’m interested to find out what happens to Headstone.

I agree that Venus’s shop really doesn’t sound attractive! Doesn’t he sell stuffed animals and the like? They are always really dingy places aren’t they, you can’t imagine anyone really wanting to go there.

The Victorians were pretty big on dioramas of stuffed kittens going shopping,etc.
There's a scene in one of Mrs.Henry Wood's (Ellen Wood's) novels where a couple of medical students are trying to arrange for a cadaver to be smuggled into their boarding-house so they can catch up on homework.

Attitudes were a bit different back then!

Afternoon!

Late to the party, sorry, but all caught up with the reading.

I can see why you found these chapters a bit muddy. I know what they're leading to, which I suppose leads to my reading them differently.

One thing that struck me reading this section was the parallel between Jenny Wren and Mrs Lammle. They're both conduits for truth, although far apart in station and experience (externally at least).

Jenny Wren is piercing and astute, although she is fooled by Fledgeby. Mrs Lammle is piercing and astute, and helps to expose Fledgeby. Or at least nudges the process along a bit.

Another illuminating moment was Eugene Wrayburn feeling pity for Jenny Wren as she cries, but doing nothing about it. His whole character is pretty much summed up in that inaction.

The other bit I enjoyed was Tippins' Veneering dinners being expressed as though they are a sickness

'Lady Tippins lives in a chronic state of invitation to dine with the Veneerings, and in a chronic state of inflamation arising from the dinners'. (Chapter 17).

Dickens does make me laugh.

Oh, that reminds me I forgot to mark my favourite quotation and have lost it now

Eugene is very slippery, isn't he??

Hello all, I've tried to post my notes but it's not happening I'll try chapter by chapter, maybe I've written too much for it to post in one go
Apologies for the brain dump and for retelling the story!

Chapter 11: In The Dark
Opens by beautifully juxtaposing Eugene’s lighthearted dismissal of Headstone at the end of Chapter 10 with the murderous response of the man himself. Some top notch Dickensian writing here:

“There was no sleep for Bradley Headstone on that night when Eugene Wrayburn turned so easily in his bed; ... For, the state of the man was murderous. The state of the man was murderous, and he knew it. More; he irritated it, with a kind of perverse pleasure akin to that which a sick man sometimes has in irritating a wound upon his body. Tied up all day with his disciplined show upon him, subdued to the performance of his routine of educational tricks, encircled by a gabbling crowd, he broke loose at night like an ill-tamed wild animal.”

Headstone is revealed as a total Jekyll and Hyde character (although, having checked, as OMF predates that novel by 22 years no one would have called him that!) and Dickens shows the reader quite clearly that Wraybourne would do well to take the threat Headstone poses a mite more seriously.

In the course of conversation Riderhood tells Headstone that he’s a Deputy Lock, so its at this point that readers may put two and two together and identify Riderhood as Betty’s robber from December’s chapters!
Maybe it comes out later on more overtly that they’re one and the same but I do like the way Dickens doesn’t make this connection totally obvious, letting the reader make the connection for themselves and throwing in an ‘Alfred David’ during Betty and Riderhood’s conversation as an extra clue.

Chap 12: Meaning Mischief
The Lammels take centre stage, I’m enjoying the reoccurring motif of the skeleton in the cupboard.
They are still of the opinion that it is Fledgeby who has stayed the hand of the Jewish Money Lender, Riah, and knowing that they’re in danger of financial ruin they hatch a plan to solicit funds from the richest, and stupidest, person they know - Boffin.
They scheme to engineer Rokesmith’s fall from grace and replacement with Alfred Lammel as Boffin’s secretary. This is easily done by revealing Rokesmith’s marriage proposal to the unobtainable Bella.
Unfortunately for the Lammels, on hearing their scheming may make them solvent again, Fledgeby does the exact opposite of what he has promised and instructs Riah to begin proceedings against them.

Chapter 13: Give A Dog A Bad Name and Hang Him
Fledgeby visits Riah and really sticks the boot in, using Riah as a front for his own malevolence and turning Riah’s friend, the dolls dressmaker, Jenny Wren (with her tricks and manners!) against him. Jenny becomes convinced that Riah will betray Lizzie’s whereabouts to Headstone and leaves in disgust thinking him truly evil.
I’ve never read Little Dorrit but I enjoyed the BBC adaptation, the relationship between Fledgeby and Riah really reminds me of the seemingly lovely Landlord Mr Casey and his seemingly grasping rent collector Pancks.
Uncovering the duplicitous nature of people - appearance versus reality - is a favourite device of Dickens.

Chapter 14: Mr Wegg prepares A Grindstone for Mr Boffin’s Nose
Mr Venus is becoming an integral part of Wegg and Boffin’s reading evenings, and Wegg is determined to keep Venus close. This is mainly because Venus holds the recently discovered revised ‘Last Will and Testament’ of Harmon senior in his safety deposit box. A paper that would disinherit Boffin if it came to light, and that Wegg fully intends to blackmail Boffin with.
Venus however seems to be pricked by his conscience and arranges a secret meeting with Boffin during which they discuss Wegg’s scheme, the Will and also the Dutch bottle that Boffin dug up and removed from the dust mounds.
This bottle has had several mentions so I’m thinking it must have some major significance?
During the meeting Wegg himself turns up and, hiding behind a stuffed crocodile (what else?!), Boffin is able to listen first hand to Wegg’s plotting and malevolence as he tells Venus: “I shall not neglect bringing the grindstone to bear, nor yet bringing Dusty Boffin's nose to it. His nose once brought to it, shall be held to it by these hands, Mr Venus, till the sparks flies out in showers.”
What a rotter!
It would seem that Venus wants nothing more to do with Wegg’s blackmail plot and can’t even be persuaded by Boffin to maintain the facade of involvement to mitigate Boffins losses by handing his own share of the spoils back to Boffin, or by standing between The Golden Dustman and Wegg to ‘take the edge off’ as Boffin puts it.
Indeed so upstanding has Venus become that he can’t even bring himself to hand over the newly discovered Will to Boffin to dispose of as he sees fit, instead he intends to hand the Will back to Wegg, as it was Wegg who first discovered it, telling him he wants nothing more to do with his scheme.
Boffin leaves ruminating on whether Venus intends to allow Wegg to take his share of the spoils before Venus has him ‘all to himself to pick him clean to his bones’.

It’s sad to see the change wealth brings to Boffin, he’s become obsessed with money and paranoid that everyone around him is intent on taking it away from him, even suspecting Rokesmith of ulterior motives:
“If I ask advice of any one else, it's only letting in another person to be bought out, and then I shall be ruined that way, and might as well have given up the property and gone slap to the workhouse. If I was to take advice of my young man, Rokesmith, I should have to buy HIM out. Sooner or later, of course, he'd drop down upon me, like Wegg. I was brought into the world to be dropped down upon, it appears to me.”

Indeed whilst Wegg is a grasping, repugnant creature, intent on biting the hand that feeds, Boffin in his own way has become little better, and it is Venus who is taking the moral high ground here.

On his way home Boffin is waylaid by Mrs Lammel, obviously intent on spilling the beans ref Rokesmith’s marriage proposal to Bella in the hope of usurping Rokesmith’s place in the household and getting her mitts on Boffin’s money - thus proving that just because Boffin is paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t all out to get him!

Chapter 15: The Golden Dustman At His Worst
Mrs Lammels plan has hit its mark. Boffin dismisses upstart Rokesmith for daring to try his luck with Bella, stating that Bella was ‘lying in wait for money’ and Rokesmith had none to offer. “This young lady was looking about the market for a good bid; she wasn't in it to be snapped up by fellows that had no money to lay out; nothing to buy with.”
He manages to describe Bella simultaneously as like both a prize heifer at the county fair, waiting to be sold to the highest bidder, and a calculated gold digger intent on snaring the richest man she can.
Recognising her own character faults in Boffin’s description Bella begs Rokesmith to forgive her for her past behaviour and entreats him to believe that Boffin does not speak on her behalf.
Having been determined to be in the presence of his beloved Bella at any price Rokesmith has become a bit of a doormat in Boffin’s employ of late. So it’s good to see him finally standing up to the Golden Dustman, I was inwardly cheering when he did his ‘you can’t fire me I quit’ speech! Although I was equally pleased when he stooped to pick up the pay packet Boffin threw on the floor. So often in literature characters make grand gestures when it comes to money, even when they’re broke.
And so it is left to Bella to make the grand financial gesture as she leaves Boffin in no doubt as to how odious she now finds him and storms out of the house taking nothing but the clothes she arrived with.

Chapter 16: The Feast Of The Three Hobgoblins
In which Bella goes to her fathers place of work and continues her bizarre relationship with her father (which makes me feel a little bit sick in my mouth 🤮) and Rokesmith follows her there and caught up in the moment sweeps her into his arms and says:

“'My dear, dear girl; my gallant, generous, disinterested, courageous, noble girl!'”

Yup, that seems like a likely bit of dialogue!

Rokesmith and Bella confess undying love for each other and ‘The cherub’ aka Mr Wilfer and Bella go home to a frosty reception from Mrs Wilfer and Bella’s sister the Irrepressible Lavinia.

Chapter 17: A Social Chorus

Mrs Lammel pays a visit to Twemlow, ostensibly to ensure he doesn’t interfere with any other get rich quick schemes she may cook up with her husband, but while there she confides her suspicion that it is Fledgeby who is the grasping money lender that has ruined them and others, and Riah is just his unfortunate puppet. When Twemlow is incredulous she accuses him of being just like her husband neither will believe her woman’s intuition on this matter insisting they need proof of Fledgeby’s duplicitous nature.

In the aftermath of the auction of the Lammels goods and chattels all their supposed friends are shocked to find they are not the independently wealthy socialites they had believed them to be. Veneering decides it is imperative that he throws a dinner to gossip about the matter.
He rounds up Twemlow, the Podsnaps, Lady Tippens, Wrayburn, Lightwood, Buffer, Boots, Brewer, Uncle Tom Cobbley and All and they ponder how they could have been so taken in by the Lammels.
Meanwhile at the dinner Eugene receives a message from Jenny Wren’s feckless father, so drunk he’s shaking like a ‘Glue Monge’ (A pun on "blancmange", Glue Monge was apparently a white sweet dessert of jelly-like consistency, eaten in Victorian times, sounds delicious 🤮) ‘Mr Doll’ as Eugene calls him hands over a dingy scrap of paper that Eugene reads and tucks safely into his waistcoat. Handing over 15 shillings to the drunkard and sending him on his way. It seems Eugene has obtained Lizzie’s whereabouts and that doesn’t feel like a smart move on his part with a prototype Jekyll and Hyde stalking him.
Dun dun dah ...

Miscellaneous:
What has happened to Sloppy??? Betty Higden goes off to her certain death to ensure he isn’t tempted to leave the Boffin’s and then he doesn’t even merit a line in this section.
I’m assuming he’ll have a key part to play in the final book, he better had otherwise what’s the point of him other than a plot device to hasten the demise of Betty.

Re Eugene, I was hoping he was going to rise to the occasion but he isn't is he, he's just a fop. I missed him not comforting Jenny Wren Miles but yes that does sum him up rather.

Just a quick hello as I've still got one chapter to go. Looking forward to catching up later.

That's some work des! You are like a one woman York Notes!

Oooooo, I'd forgotten the note Middle.

Thanks Piggy, I must have had a lot of time on my hands this month 🤷‍♀️

I was also wondering what happened to Sloppy. I had forgotten about the note Betty gave Lizzie.

I'm not entirely convinced by Mr Boffin's transformation into a mean old miser

I agree, that seemed to come out of nowhere really for me.

Headstone is a good character and I'm enjoying reading about him, Eugene im just finding is Akhtar enactive in a way. I hope he does something.

Akhtar inactive? !?

I was going to say what Des said, but she beat me to it.

Very useful notes, thanks Des

I'm starting to feel less confused, more things pulling together and making sense.

I can't say I'm enjoying it in terms of plot and characters, but some of the language is to be revelled in.

Popping on to say the end of the book is a bit of a pain because Dickens makes his last bit extra long but February is only Chaps 1-7 and then a bit of a longer section for March!

Thanks Piggy. I was expecting 10 chapters in Feb then 8 in March which is the pattern the other books have followed but happy with 7 in Feb as it’s a shorter month!

We’ll finish this in March so we’ll have to start thinking what our next readalong should be. Another Dickens or something else? I recall War and Peace being discussed at one point so that could be an option. I’d be happy with another Dickens though as I’ve got (most of) the complete works to get through!