Just like with Pride and Prejudice last month, I feel like I’m cramming. It’s like being in school, and reading only what I have to read, and not until those chapters are due.
I’m hopelessly behind in reading Jane Eyre for the Classics Bookclub, but we’re going to meet right here on Tuesday September 23.Edited to say that I must be losing my mind! I don’t know what I’m thinking, but Classics Bookclub is the first Tuesday, so that will be October 7. Please join us on this Tuesday, the fourth Tuesday, for What’s on Your Nightstand? Whew, I have another TWO weeks, since we also have a fifth Tuesday this month, when we’ll be doing the new I Read It! carnival.
I have taken some of the questions from a neat book I found in a used bookstore: Read It and Eat. It’s chock full of fun book club discussions complete with themed snacks or menus!
So, if you’d like some questions to consider as you write up your post for next week, you can think about these:
- Even though I was an English major, I don’t often get all English major-y with themes, and symbolism and such, but one thing that I do find interesting is the prototypical characters that emerge in classics (for example, the seemingly callous, yet really sensitive Mr. Darcy type). Do any of these characters strike you as literary prototypes?
- Bronte is considered a frontrunner in feminism. Is Jane a feminist by the standards of 1847? What about today?
- Did the characters seem flat to you? Did the goodness or evilness of the characters add to the story?
- What do you think of Jane’s choice of husband? Did she make the right choice for herself?
- Edited to Add (since I’ve actually read most of it!): Do you see any similarities between these characters and relationships and those in Pride and Prejudice?
Do you want to get a jump on future selections?
November: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
December: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
January: What would you think about a Shakespeare play? Maybe Othello? or a comedy? It would be a stretch for me, but that’s the idea, right? I don’t want to jump into this if others don’t agree.
See our updated schedule at our Join In page.
Keep the suggestions coming (you can leave a comment on this post).
I would love to read Othello! It’s one that I haven’t read yet. I wouldn’t mind reading a comedy either, though. I haven’t read Shakespeare since college, so it should be interesting.
I’d be up for a Shakespeare play. I read a few of them in high school honors English. I really enjoyed them then — would be interesting to see if I can still get through one.
I’m looking forward to reading October’s book…the reviews on Amazon have me interested. I think that I could give a Shakespeare play a try, the last time I read anything by him was atleast six or seven years ago. It would be a stretch for me as well.
I’m so excited!! A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is my all-time favorite book, but it’s been a few years since I last picked it up. Can’t wait to give it a read again!!!
I’ve read almost all of Shakespeare’s plays, except his histories. You should read A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Taming of the Shrew. Both of them are hysterical! 🙂
Hi, quick question – is the nightstand meme the fourth Thursday (referenced in this post) or the last Thursday (from the linked description)?
Thanks!
We are moving this weekend, but I hope to be able to join in on the Jane Eyre discussion. I’ve gotten most of it read, but I think I accidentally packed it. oops!
Looking forward to October’s book as it is one I have not read before. I think a Shakespeare play would be great, any of them. And of course, A Christmas Carol is perfect for December.
If we’re doing Shakespeare we have to consider Much ado about Nothing, it is hilarious.
I find the comedies much easier to read than the tragedies.