Hard Times readalong 2022

[Piggywaspushed]

Hello and welcome to the selected Dickensalong of 2022 : Hard Times.

This is Dickens' shortest novel (yay!) but was still serialised in instalments running from April to August 1854.

I propose shortening this slightly:

January BOOK ONE Chapters 1- 6
February Chapters 7–12
March Chapters 13 -16
April BOOK TWO Chapter 1- 5
May Chapters 6-12
June BOOK THREE Chapters 1 - 5
July Chapters 6 to end.

Some version number chapters consecutively but I have gone for the Wordsworth edition numbering. Hope that is OK.

So this is kind of a pint sized readalong! Might be more manageable for some of those who fall by the wayside normally (naming no names...)

I enjoy Dickens when he does social commentary so am looking forward to this one and to eventually meet Gradgrind.

I’m on chapter 5.

I haven’t started yet. I’ll probably wait until later in January so it’s fresh in my mind when we come to talk about it.

I’m just finishing up chapter 6.

I had it in my head we were reading all of book one in January - I’m not quite sure what I imagined we’d do for the rest of the year since at that pace we’d be finished by March

Anyway just wanted to get this thread back onto ‘threads I’m on’ ready for discussion.

I'm reading chapter 6 this evening in readiness (and also, I fell off the thread).

Place-marking on this thread ahead of next week.
I'll be reading over the chapters this weekend :)

I am wondering of my parts are too short? May have to discuss this next week!
That said, I haven't read my full quota yet. Am enjoying it thus far.

I would be happy to double up the instalments and finish it in 3/4 months, but equally happy to stick with the current schedule if others prefer. Some of the early chapters have been very short so I don’t feel I’ve read much of it yet. I don’t know if later chapters are longer though which may make a difference.

Hi I'd love to join you all. I've only just downloaded it so I'd better get going!

Great! It won't take you long, I wouldn't think.

Maybe they are a bit short. I don't mind either way. I think 'Hard Times' is a short book. Nothing like the length and breadth of 'Little Dorrit'.

I don’t mind either. This worked ok for me, but I’d be ok with a few more if the majority do. I don’t save them all up but read across the month.

Possibly, then we could all read to the end of Part One in February? I looked yesterday and that is only 50 odd pages and seems doable whatever one's approach?

That's grand Piggy!

So chapters 7-16 during Feb? That’s fine with me.

Yes : 7 -16!

Fab, thanks Piggy.

Fine with me to read more in Feb

I really enjoyed the opening of this which I found far less confusing than Little Dorritt must say, although I am not sure if that is due to a shorter instalment! Dickens goes straight to it with his depictions of the (is it utilitarian?) Gradgrindian prioritising of facts over imagination. Sadly, this rather reminds me of the ‘knowledge curriculum’ so favoured in schools now, even in creative and literary subjects .

No little Gradgrind had ever learned the silly jingle Twinkle , twinkle little star; how I wonder what you are! No little Gradgrind had ever known wonder on the subject, each little Gradgrind having at five years old dissected the Great Bear…No little Gradgrind had ever associated a cow in a field with that famous cow…who swallowed Tom Thumb: it had never heard of these celebrities and had only been introduced to a cow a a gramnivorous ruminating quadruped with several stomachs

I loved the bit where Louisa is instructed to go and do somethingological which reminded me of ‘he’s got an ology’ of BT fame!

Bounderby is hilarious. Of the ‘ in my day I walked barefoot to school variety’, born in a ditch and no one has ever had such a tough life as this self made man. How is it that tedious types like him still exist!? Dickens would be much vexed. He does love describing men by their hair (David Copperfield’s lovely friend with his wild hair springs to mind… scuse pun…) and Bounderby is very good : He had not much hair. One might fancy he had talked it off; and that what was left … was in that condition from being blown about by his windy boastfulness.

I think Dickens is thus far on top descriptive form – and blissfully direct!

I’ve enjoyed this first instalment too. I feel very sorry for the Gradgrind children, doesn’t sound like they have much fun (and this is another example of Dickens being clever with the names, reflecting life being a bit of a grind for them). I loved the description of Mr Gradgrind and his house being very square.

I have enjoyed the first few chapters. I don't feel I have much of a handle on things yet as it seems like a lot of introductions and scene setting. I made a note of this sentence which for some reason made me howl out loud with laughter and just feels like perfectly constructed.

*'For years, ma'am, I was one of the most miserable little wretches ever seen. I was so sickly, that I was always moaning and groaning . I was so ragged and dirty, that you wouldn't have touched me with a pair of tongs.'

Mrs. Gradgrind faintly looked at the tongs, as the most appropriate thing her imbecility could think of doing.*

Ewww to Mr Bounderby and his interest in Louisa and smirked at the children named Adam Smith and Malthus. I think the characters are very vivid.

I'm not really into it yet I don't think, but am looking forward to continuing and seeing where the story goes.

Looking forward to catching up with you. Have downloaded the book on my kindle.

Hello everyone! Yes, I enjoyed reading the first segment too. I read it in school aged 16 or 17, so it's really interesting to see how much I remember of it.

I agree, it seems more accessible than 'Little Dorrit'. We are straight into the classroom where the utilitarian philosophy of Gradgrind et al reigns supreme. Dickens gives his characters such descriptive names; M'Choakumchild, the teacher :) His powers of description are excellent, he is so scathing. Chapter Two is entitled ''Murdering the Innocents'. We know exactly how he feels about 'his (Gradgrind's) cannon loaded to the muzzle with facts'.

Louisa Gradgrind and Cecilia Jupe are two strong-willed girls and it will be interesting to see if they put up a resistance to the fact-grinding machine. Bounderby seems an odious person. I think Louisa has the measure of him, trying to scrub his kiss of her cheek.

I felt sorry for Cecilia (Sissy) left behind by her father. That chapter was very entertaining. I enjoyed the retort by Kidderminster to Bounderby who seems unimpressed by his self-made success; 'Oh Lord! If you've raised yourself so high as all that comes to, let yourself down a bit'.

I would also like a dog called Merrylegs :)

Of=off

Agree this has got off to a better start than Little Dorrit. Gradgrind is a real fun sponge, isn't he? Loving Louisa's defiance, hope it doesn't get completely ground out of her as the story goes on.

I enjoyed the opening chapters also. Bounderby is a great character really well depicted, definitely reminded me of the four Yorkshiremen sketch

I like Louisa, she seems to have great spirit.

I felt terribly sorry for Sissy, I was urging her to stick with the circus although narratively she needed to make the choice she did.

I really enjoyed the depictions of the circus life and the snippets we got about the various acts.