Dickens of a Day
The Monmouth County Library in Manalapan NJ is having a Dickens of a Day as part of their CeleBritain program in June. A full slate of events on Sun June 3, features a Dickens performance, readings and a talk by me. A Dickens of a Day events Charles Dickens-Live! with Actor Joe Plummer 1:00 PM ...
Reading Browning Part 3: “This world’s no blot for us”
So many short poems by Browning. My head is swimming in his characters. I’ll close my readings with “Fra Lippo Lippi” although I’m still hoping to read “The Pied Piper of Hamelin” aloud to my youngest children. I read the poem with the rain pouring down outside my window, pipe-smoke filling the air of my...
Reading Browning Part 2: Porphyria’s Lover
When I first discovered that Browning was having a bicentenary this year, it happened that the first poem I read was “Porphyria’s Lover.” And boy was I knocked for a loop. A very unsuspecting denouement. I’m dubbing “Porphyria’s Lover,” Victorian Noir. Porphyria’s Lover The rain set early in tonight, The sullen wind was soon awake,...
Reading Browning Part 1
Some thoughts on the first few Robert Browning poems I’ve read this week. I’ve linked to the text of each poem. My comments are full of spoilers if you haven’t yet read the poems. “My Last Duchess” Ferrara’s casual indifference to his wife’s fate (that he has probably murdered her), is it feigned? Is he...
Reading David Copperfield Part 1
As I’ve been reading David Copperfield, I’ve been taking notes which I had originally intended to post while I was reading the book, a kind of progressive log book for my reactions. However, other commitments and the death of my computer at the start of April (my computer use is now relegated to my daughter’s...