200 pages into Our Mutual Friend, only 600 to go! It took about 80 pages, which felt like an eternity, to get all of the characters introduced and connected to one another in one way or another, and now that I've slogged through, I can really enjoy the story.
Having not read Dickens since Great Expectations in high school, I had forgotten what a wonderful observer of character he is - I care about the good Mr. and Mrs. Boffin and I laugh (sometimes to keep from crying) at the ridiculous Veneerings. I can't help but sympathize with Dickens' strong distaste for the nouveau riche, and wonder what he would have to say about modern America and our often obscene obsession with material possessions and status. It's as if the Veneerings have only multiplied.
On a very practical note, I sincerely have no idea how one is expected to be a working professional and also get all of this reading done before the summer session. I think next summer I will be sure to avoid choosing 2 courses from the very wordy 1800s!
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