This morning I finished reading my Folio Society edition of ‘Great Expectations’ by Charles Dickens.
I will adhere to my normal practice of not giving away the story, despite its great reputation. The book is very well crafted, displaying a number of developing relationships in a young man’s transition from humble origins to gentrification. There is plenty of humour in this otherwise tragic, yet romantic, tale. Two major characters are unforgettable, and “What larks” is a phrase still enjoyed. Dickens’s descriptive powers of place and scene are at their height. Much of the action is carried along at a fast pace; its dramatic opening and penultimate sequences are gripping.
Christopher Hibbert’s erudite introduction puts the novel into the context of the author’s life and work.
I scanned the last seven of Charles Keeping’s emotional, detailed, illustrations which demonstrate his mastery of line.
In ‘She withdrew her hands from the dish and fell back a step or two’ the artist faithfully portrays these hands as the author describes them.
‘I saw her running at me, shrieking, with a whirl of fire blazing all about her’
‘Mr Jaggers stood before the fire. Wemmick leaned back in his chair, staring at me’
‘I saw in his hand a stone hammer with a long heavy handle’
‘We went ahead among many skiff and wherries, briskly’
‘I laid my hand on his breast, and he put both his hands upon it’
‘What I had never felt before was the friendly touch of the once insensible hand’
Late in the afternoon the lingering pall draped over our land gave way to a sunny period, so we drove into the forest to enjoy it. Given the hour, we could take just one option before the light failed.
We settled on Highwood Lane in the north.
Ripples and reflections supplemented the stream running alongside;
smoke spiralled into the atmosphere redolent of burning leaves;
working horses some in rugs, were fed or rested.
I wandered about the woodland, so different from yesterday’s murky scenes. A touch of the sun makes all the difference.
This evening we dined on Mr Chan’s excellent Hordle Chinese Take Away fare, with which Jackie finished the Chenin Blanc and I drank more of the Shiraz.
