参加六月活动 - Great Expectations.

hsy12

From the record on GoodReads, it took me almost one year to finish reading Great Expectations, however, I’ve never lost interests and have enjoyed the whole process. There are all sorts of odds, surprises, up-and-downs, the plot twists are perfectly narrated as they are all foreshadowed. Allow me to spoil a bit, I’m so happy that Biddy married Joe in the end, two pure and beautiful souls. Don't worry, they are not the hero and heroine.

The novel created characters you will love so much, Joe, Biddy and Clara, impressive characters who are not that likable but still understandable, Miss Havisham, Magwitch and Estella for example.

I think Charles Dickens’ books are far more profound than Jane Austen’s, although the latter is more popular, at least on GoodReads. You might say Great Expectations is still a story of love, yet besides love, there are also friendship, faith, and sacrifice (remember A Tale of Two Cities?).

As an expat in Australia, what interested me too, is this is the first book I’ve read that mentioned the UK convicts being sent to New South Wales, Australia, raising stocks and becoming rich there.
If you are interested, here is a video regarding the “Motivations for English colonization”.

By watching the video you can further “understand” those convicts.
I first become aware of myself, down in Essex, a thieving turnips for my living.... But What the devil was I to do? I must put something into my stomach, mustn't I?... – Great Expectations

I haven’t found a very satisfying adaptation of this book, but am still curious how these characters should look like.
Here is a sketch, it doesn’t include the main character, Pip, don’t know why.


This American version probably is not that bad, not so faithful to the novel though, liked the music so much.


I’m giving Great Expectations 5 stars on GoodReads.

肩上的蜻蜓

Thanks for sharing your reading experience. Haven’t watched the video yet, wondering what exactly motivated them colonising everywhere then...
Will come back

肩上的蜻蜓

Austin may still exceed expectations as I usually set low expectation on love stories :) her novels provide some good hints to understand late 18th’s and early 19th’s England

--Austen

缓缓

very comprehensive book review. I like the sketch

linegar

I am a big fan of Charles Dickens

hsy12

linegar 发表于 2018-6-18 21:06
I am a big fan of Charles Dickens

Were you in Melbourne, I'd recommend you to visit The Charles Dickens' Tavern, right in the heart of Melbourne city.

http://www.thecharlesdickenstavern.com.au/

lord17

直接用英文写书评哦 我中文遣词造句还跟不上趟呢，大家英文水准如此之高，很绝望哦

虞宅与美丽

lord17 发表于 2018-6-18 21:47
直接用英文写书评哦  我中文遣词造句还跟不上趟呢，大家英文水准如此之高，很绝望哦   ...

哎，以前还有俄语的书评呢……想想我们做版主的压力

虞宅与美丽

我更赞楼主画的这套人物，原来画画可以这样和读书结合....真好！

lord17

虞宅与美丽 发表于 2018-6-18 22:06
哎，以前还有俄语的书评呢……想想我们做版主的压力

我这英文水平吧哈，写得了商业报告，拍得了马屁，吵得了架，调得了情，但写不了书评

蚝

进了英语角

插图是楼主自己画的呀？

虞宅与美丽

lord17 发表于 2018-6-18 22:08
我这英文水平吧哈，写得了商业报告，拍得了马屁，吵得了架，调得了情，但写不了书评   ...

你已经可以混足迹绝大部分的版块了，包括今生有约

肩上的蜻蜓

Why did it took England another 100 years to start colonizing after Columbus first set foot in Hispaniola?  Conflicts within England, colonial projects closer to home and economic depression....

And what led England to finally get in the colonial game?
Once internal religious conflict sorted out, turning England into a Protestant nation, which resulted in animus outward to Spain, and France, those Catholic nations. They wanted to compete for riches for souls.

The invention of the joint stock company, kind of precursor, spreading riches and risk of entrepreneur undertaking, was a very early version of stock market today. It allowed England to join the imperial game in the new world.

England was having serious economic depression in 1500s and there were some real poverty. It was a highly classed society with aristocracy and gentry -  inherited roles, and 95% of the population did not belong to these groups. The reasons behind included the collapse of wool market and the well-known enclosure movement. When common lands were closed off, it made those people already on the edge of poverty became extremely poor, consequently crime rates went up. The gentry and the parliament people thought they were having a moral crisis. They wondered there were too many people(population surplus, actually not really)  that should find a different place to live.

hsy12

虞宅与美丽 发表于 2018-6-18 22:07
我更赞楼主画的这套人物，原来画画可以这样和读书结合....真好！

不好意思，插图是网上转来的。不过我希望也能这样做。

hsy12

肩上的蜻蜓 发表于 2018-6-18 22:25
Why did it took England another 100 years to start colonizing after Columbus first set foot in Hispa ...

很多人，包括一些足友，说澳洲是流放犯人的地方，澳洲人是犯人的后代。
然而，这样的一个国家能在短短的历史里成为发达国家，似乎有些不可思议?
看过这本书以及这段视频，有一点理解，所谓的犯人，其实是因为圈地运动失去了土地，失去了生活的来源。他们在新的世界里完全可以重新开始，生活得更好吧。

肩上的蜻蜓

hsy12 发表于 2018-6-18 22:41
很多人，包括一些足友，说澳洲是流放犯人的地方，澳洲人是犯人的后代。
然而，这样的一个国家能在短短的 ...

Well... I thought you set a tone of "English only" here    dare not bullshit...

hsy12

肩上的蜻蜓 发表于 2018-6-18 22:45
Well... I thought you set a tone of "English only" here    dare not bullshit...

haha, let's stick to it.

肩上的蜻蜓

hsy12 发表于 2018-6-18 22:41
很多人，包括一些足友，说澳洲是流放犯人的地方，澳洲人是犯人的后代。
然而，这样的一个国家能在短短的 ...

我先总结下视频中的要点：
1， 宗教意识形态，新教国家不能输给天主教国家
2， 股份公司的形成，为四处寻找财富机会的人们，提供了可行的方法
3，羊毛市场衰落，圈地运动让穷人更穷， 贫富悬殊造成社会风气败坏，必须为“富余人口”找到新的出路。

好像主要是文化，政治和经济方面的原因，没有说到自然资源和地理条件。

肩上的蜻蜓

hsy12 发表于 2018-6-18 22:50
haha, let's stick to it.

I gave up ~~ !

肩上的蜻蜓

hsy12 发表于 2018-6-18 22:41
很多人，包括一些足友，说澳洲是流放犯人的地方，澳洲人是犯人的后代。
然而，这样的一个国家能在短短的 ...

不好意思，狂歪楼。没读过狄更斯，不过毫不怀疑他的深刻，他不仅是作家也是批评家。简奥斯汀嘛，是在被批评中存活至今的。

---- 所谓的犯人，应该包括那些在今天看来“情有可原”的罪行，比如穷极了去偷盗，说是那时要判死刑的呢。

hsy12

肩上的蜻蜓 发表于 2018-6-18 22:58
不好意思，狂歪楼。没读过狄更斯，不过毫不怀疑他的深刻，他不仅是作家也是批评家。简奥斯汀嘛，是在被批 ...

也可以说是位法学家，读过他的《双城记》加上这部《远大前程》都涉及到很多法律上的问题。
简奥斯汀的书，更轻松得多了。

jushanjerry

hsy12

In Great Expectations, poor Pip met a gorgeous girl, named Estella. She was proud and cold who laughed at Pip's rough hands and thick boots, Pip was badly hurt.

That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been. Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, tha would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day. - Great Expectations

Can you remember such a special day in your life too?

linegar

虞宅与美丽 发表于 2018-6-18 22:07
我更赞楼主画的这套人物，原来画画可以这样和读书结合....真好！

interesting illustrations aid comprehension

linegar

Charles Dickens never visited Australia, he encouraged two of his sons
Alfred & Edward to go to Australia.
Alfred settled in Victoria and married a Melbourne ,they had two daughters,
he died on a visit to the United States.
Edward managed a property in Wilcannia and for 5 years represented
the town in State parliament. He died in poverty in Moree.

lord17

相比较港台翻译的中文译名《孤星血泪》，更喜欢大陆译名：《远大前程》。

《远大前程》的名字很妙，因为它讲述的其实就是一个黄粱一梦、无限荒唐、终将回归的故事。

hsy12

lord17 发表于 2018-6-20 16:24
相比较港台翻译的中文译名《孤星血泪》，更喜欢大陆译名：《远大前程》。

《远大前程》的名字很妙，因为它 ...

同意，没觉得有多少血泪，呵呵。

lord17

最喜欢里面的一段话：马换了一次又一次，路愈赶越远，再要回去已经来不及了，于是我只得继续往前赶。朝雾早已在一篇肃穆中消散净尽，那花花世界就展现在我的面前。

第一次看到这段话是在北京中关村地铁站B出口的通道，也正是因为这句话才去看的这本书。

hsy12

lord17 发表于 2018-6-20 17:10
最喜欢里面的一段话：马换了一次又一次，路愈赶越远，再要回去已经来不及了，于是我只得继续往前赶。朝雾早 ...

这是第一阶段结尾。
We changed again, and yet again, and it was now too late and too far to go back, and I went on. And the mists had all solemnly risen now, and the world lay spread before me.

hsy12

lord17 发表于 2018-6-20 17:10
最喜欢里面的一段话：马换了一次又一次，路愈赶越远，再要回去已经来不及了，于是我只得继续往前赶。朝雾早 ...

这段表白也给我很深的印象。

"You will get me out of your thoughts in a week."
"Out of my thoughts! You are part my existence, part of myself. You have been in every line I have ever read, since I first came here, the rough common boy whose poor heart you wounded even then. You have been in every prospect I have ever seen since - on the river, on the sails of the ships, on the marshes, in the clouds, in the light, in the darkness, in the wind, in the woods, in the sea, in the streets. You have been the embodiment of every graceful fancy that my mind has ever become acquainted with. The stones of which the strongest London buildings are made, are not more real, or more impossible to be displaced by your hands, than your presence and influence have been to me, there and everywhere, and will be. Estella, to the last hour of my life, you cannot choose but remain part of my character, part of the little good in me, part of the evil. But, in this separation I associate you only with the good, and I will faithfully hold you to that always, for you must have done me far more good than harm, let me feel now what sharp distress I may. O God bless you, God forgive you!"