A beautiful, insightful piece. As a fan of both books, I would like to add that Dickens won't have Pip marry Biddy, because she is Joe's dream girl! This kind, good man is bullied by his first wife, Pip's abusive older sister, and then rejected by his surrogate son Pip as soon as he gets a taste of upper class life. At last, Joe gets to rescue a lovely younger woman. Biddy will be cherished with Joe, instead of being Pip's "sensible" second choice.
You are very sympathetic towards Agnes. Every reader knows why David chooses Dora: she's the fun, sexy one who plays the guitar and sings French songs. Dickens was cruel to kill her off!
One of the things I appreciate about your writing is that it attempts to re-establish what is normal between men and women. One of the horrors of being on social media is noticing how far from that we are. Social media influencers in this realm encourage men to acquire all the traits not for a proper romantic adventure with a woman, but to slay all womenkind. Great literature can be an antidote. For the record, I would have chosen Agnes, I don't know what is wrong with me! :)
thank you - this is really first rate. for some reason I have never been able to get into Dickens, not sure why (more a Dostoevsky type) but this inspires me to take another look. the absolute awfulness of literature from what future historians will remember as “the 80 years in which the U.S. revealed enlightenment ideas to be embarrassing nonsense and its elite ruling class as the worst and most incapable people in the history of civilization. The U.S., in 202x, agreed to a peaceful dissolution, and while the former new england states collapses into degenerate anarchy, the Gulf Confederation of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia enjoyed a Second Redemption after the expulsion of the Californians.” (sorry got carried away; I love your writing, which I share with my own daughter. you are a good model for her.)
Wow, fascinating. That last sentence wonderfully describes balancing act of loving, kind of like a triple-helix, and no doubt scientific (whisper ev. psych) theories might explain this eventuality too. I really appreciate this piece, and reminds me that of all the experiences and stories contained within the classics, interpretations sometimes require another age to hit the spot. And like Paglia's 'Break, blow, burn', it doesn't hurt to have your hand held through someone else's reading.
When I think of the one I felt the most in love with and compare her to the one I felt I most settled for, the difference is admiration. The one I loved had done and was doing and would go one to do things I was in absolute awe of. The one I settled for, her greatest ambition was to have a baby. I mean, that’s fine. But is that really it? How about have a baby that’s going to be the greatest at _____? Something! Or become a world renowned painter while you’re raising a family? Looking back I could probably have encouraged her to do that and boosted the relationship mana. Life lesson.
A beautiful, insightful piece. As a fan of both books, I would like to add that Dickens won't have Pip marry Biddy, because she is Joe's dream girl! This kind, good man is bullied by his first wife, Pip's abusive older sister, and then rejected by his surrogate son Pip as soon as he gets a taste of upper class life. At last, Joe gets to rescue a lovely younger woman. Biddy will be cherished with Joe, instead of being Pip's "sensible" second choice.
You are very sympathetic towards Agnes. Every reader knows why David chooses Dora: she's the fun, sexy one who plays the guitar and sings French songs. Dickens was cruel to kill her off!
One of the things I appreciate about your writing is that it attempts to re-establish what is normal between men and women. One of the horrors of being on social media is noticing how far from that we are. Social media influencers in this realm encourage men to acquire all the traits not for a proper romantic adventure with a woman, but to slay all womenkind. Great literature can be an antidote. For the record, I would have chosen Agnes, I don't know what is wrong with me! :)
thank you - this is really first rate. for some reason I have never been able to get into Dickens, not sure why (more a Dostoevsky type) but this inspires me to take another look. the absolute awfulness of literature from what future historians will remember as “the 80 years in which the U.S. revealed enlightenment ideas to be embarrassing nonsense and its elite ruling class as the worst and most incapable people in the history of civilization. The U.S., in 202x, agreed to a peaceful dissolution, and while the former new england states collapses into degenerate anarchy, the Gulf Confederation of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia enjoyed a Second Redemption after the expulsion of the Californians.” (sorry got carried away; I love your writing, which I share with my own daughter. you are a good model for her.)
Wow, fascinating. That last sentence wonderfully describes balancing act of loving, kind of like a triple-helix, and no doubt scientific (whisper ev. psych) theories might explain this eventuality too. I really appreciate this piece, and reminds me that of all the experiences and stories contained within the classics, interpretations sometimes require another age to hit the spot. And like Paglia's 'Break, blow, burn', it doesn't hurt to have your hand held through someone else's reading.
When I think of the one I felt the most in love with and compare her to the one I felt I most settled for, the difference is admiration. The one I loved had done and was doing and would go one to do things I was in absolute awe of. The one I settled for, her greatest ambition was to have a baby. I mean, that’s fine. But is that really it? How about have a baby that’s going to be the greatest at _____? Something! Or become a world renowned painter while you’re raising a family? Looking back I could probably have encouraged her to do that and boosted the relationship mana. Life lesson.