Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Dickens' only book worth reading.

Sorry, Mr. Dickens. I like Oliver the musical, does that count? Yet this one book is so well worth reading that it redeems the rest of his boring, depressing books.

As he stood by the wall in a dim corner, while some of the fifty-two were brought in after him, one man stopped in passing, to embrace him, as having a knowledge of him. It thrilled him with a great dread of discovery; but the man went on. A very few moments after that, a young woman, with a slight girlish form, a sweet spare face in which there was no vestige of colour, and large widely opened patient eyes, rose from the seat where he had observed her sitting, and came to speak to him.

"Citizen Evremonde," she said, touching him with her cold hand. "I am a poor little seamstress, who was with you in La Force."

He murmured for answer: "True. I forget what you were accused of?"

"Plots. Though the just Heaven knows that I am innocent of any. Is it likely? Who would think of plotting with a poor little weak creature like me?"

The forlorn smile with which she said it, so touched him, that tears started from his eyes.

"I am not afraid to die, Citizen Evremonde, but I have done nothing. I am not unwilling to die, if the Republic which is to do so much good to us poor, will profit by my death; but I do not know how that can be, Citizen Evremonde. Such a poor weak little creature!"

As the last thing on earth that his heart was to warm and soften to, it warmed and softened to this pitiable girl.

"I heard you were released, Citizen Evremonde. I hoped it was true?"

"It was. But, I was again taken and condemned."

"If I may ride with you, Citizen Evremonde, will you let me hold your hand? I am not afraid, but I am little and weak, and it will give me more courage."

As the patient eyes were lifted to his face, he saw a sudden doubt in them, and then astonishment. He pressed the work-worn, hunger-worn young fingers, and touched his lips.

"Are you dying for him?" she whispered.

"And his wife and child. Hush! Yes."

"O you will let me hold your brave hand, stranger?"

"Hush! Yes, my poor sister; to the last."

The above is one of the parts that doesn’t need much context from A Tale of Two Cities. Sydney Carton, purposeless, with a lonely and wasted life, lays his down for Darnay because of his wife Lucie. There’s a quote I can’t find where Carton says something along the lines of ‘a life not worth giving up yet in its laying down proves that it is worth something...else it would not cost.’ None of this means a lot without reading the book and knowing the plot (and Sydney’s full character), but it is very powerful.


And my favourite; the final lines of the book, which are spoken by Sydney Carton before he goes to the Guillotine, having drugged Darnay and switched clothes with him –

‘It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.’


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- I'm working out what verses of the Lady of Shalott to cut out for the song, as I've found the chords. So, so much fun, I'm excited.

- Found eyelashes that will work for Dahlia but didn't buy them yet as I'm saving for in India.

Kyleigh got these off a home video from Jordan; quite fun to look at.


I was so cool. I wore that Beauty and the Beast headband til it was a rag; I still have it, pretty gross.

We saw these at the store while shopping for India. Hehe.
This cup is from mom and dad and I think it is amazing.

This is getting random, good afternoon.

Cait

P.S. Dipak sent this from last week


1 comment:

Kiwibob said...

Well, I never made it through a single dickens book. Found it a little to boring :P

Yay for beach after chillis

Nathan