In the most recent reading, David seems to have placed Agnes in a predicament that is colloquially known as "the friend zone" (for lack of a better term). I can no longer sense a possiblilty of Agnes being a future love interest as David appears to be highly devoted to Dora, whom he has gotten engaged to. His devotion is what would be described as ideal for a man in a commited relationship. However, Agnes is more appreciative and David is too smitten to see it. Miss Trotwood even goes as far as mentioning that David is "blind" when it comes to love. He probably has yet to realise that there is a difference between being selfish and searching for a beneficial relationship.

So in this weeks reading a lot has happened.. Emily has ran away and with Steerforth? Why? And did any of you see it coming? David was basically obsessed with Steerforth and trusted him and i think a part of him feels guilty about it because he bought sterrforth into their lives. As far as Dora goes and David not getting his blessing from her dad shows us that he has no luck,,becoming poor also,,its like he has a black cloud over his head. Does he really love her? Im confused with who is Ms. Mills? Uriah is still,up to his devious tricks,,trying to get Mr.Wickfield drunk to tell him about his love for Agnes meanwhile Agnes herself doesnt care for him. She sees what he is trying to do to her father. To tell you the truth Agnes and David have a good geuine friendship,someone David knows he can count on except for Peggotty.

So as David embarks on this journey to find his self I think he has good and bad on both sides of him obviously the good is Agnes and his friend Traddles that has come about and the bad is Uriah that seems to attach his self to david and wanting to work with Mr. Wicaber.. Which would answer the question why him and his umble mother was so interested in having dinner with David alone, to get info. Then you have Steethford who names a boat Lil Em'ly which I thought was peculiar. Then steethford basically disappears where his servant has to come and look for him. Theres a lot of mysterious things that are happening in these chapters

Blog of the week with your host Saki Bomb.

From what I understand of all the different and unique characters in the book Agnes has the greatest influence on David. Agnes stirs David in the right direction protecting him from any dangers and to be caution. Agnes allows David to think for himself and take action in his own decision's. Agnes represents a calm and understanding character towards David. Another great influence on David is Steerforth but almost the complete opposite of Agnes. Steerforth is always pushing David to do risky things. Weather its drinking or criticizing the people around him. Agnes and Steerforth are the ying and yang of David throughout the novel.

I find it interesting that Steerforth bought a boat & named it "the little em'ly. I also find it cute that once em'ly said she was marrying ham, Steerforth became sad. It is hard for me to understand why Em'ly yearns to be a "lady" so badly. Em'ly runs away with he lover, STEERFORTH, which was pretty shocking to me. David finally finds out how evil Steerforth is. David encounters Mr. Murdstone and he is getting a marriage license to marry someone who just came of age ..tsk tsk. I see Mr. Murdstone as a man who goes after women who he knows he can control and take advantage of for his own benefit. Very egocentric. David is engaged to Dora, however it has not been a week & they are already in argument. We also learn that "whats goes around comes around" Aunt Betsey is in dire help. She is broke and has come to David for support. Family always knows best; Aunt Betsy believes Dora is not someone who can improve and support David.

One thing that I have noticed from reading is that David is always meeting new people, but also running into and being reunited with the same people from his childhood. I think that all of these people in his life have an influence on him in one way or another. Women, in particular, have a huge impact on David.
Little Em'ly has an emotional breakdown in chapter 22 that David witnesses. She kept going on about how she is "not as good a girl as I ought to be." When she finally calms down, Ham and David are soothing her and he said that he saw her do something that he has never seen her do before; "kiss her chosen husband on the cheek and creep close to his bluff form as if it were her best support." I think David sees these couples around him and is envious of what they have which is why he seems to fall in love with every girl that crosses his path. I think that he craves any type of womanly affection because he had such a close relationship with his mother that he no longer has.

Young adult David

As the book progresses to the older stages of David growth, so does my interest.  I suppose this comes from the relative closeness of the age between us.  Although David is more mature and cares about his future as an independent person, he is also still very naive.  Example of this is Steereforths influence over David.  We know that Steereforth is very sly and double edged, saying things to David in a very condescending manner which David is too blind to see.  Davids infatuation of Steereforth does not allow him to see the true nature.  However i personally enjoy Davids remaining innocence in the novel, it really cements his rather strong personality.  It does also remind us of each other in real life, as we are not perfect beings.  We cannot be perfectly mature, we cannot be perfectly conditioned.  We have flaws and so does David.  I am very curious to see what decisions David will make when it comes his friends, and also how his knowledge of the affairs will effect him in the long run.

David is sent off on his own to become a man and discover the world alone. He has to decide what he want to do with his  life and what to become. On the way to discover life alone he encounter friend from the past. He feels lost on his journey because he has little direction on what to do he blames this on not having a father. David childhood friend steerforth is playing a big role in these chapters and David has a crush on Dora. And Agnes thinks steerforth is up to no good He has a bad motive behind wanting to become David friend

To me these selected chapters were a drag. It was basically leading up to the big event. It put every plot in its place for what was yet to come. It was akward at first how the relationship between Annie and Agnes was spoken, Mr. Whitfield didn't like for they were too close .Then to find out it was a relationship between her and her so called cousin. Then as David needs to pick a profession he comes across steethfort who is basically going to betray him and in doing so Steethford pretends to be good although he indicates at a time how distinct poorer people and himself are different but yet plays good will as he meets them but you know that something's coming. David seems to have a overall fondness in women just like any man but he tends to fall quickly. You see Agnes admiration in David as she warns him about steethfort. . I do believe all the coming events will lead to David's maturity away from steerthford as it is shown as he defends traddles. That David's adulthood will be more pleasable

A Closer Look

Look at p. 323 (Ch. XXI, paragraph that starts "All of a sudden, one evening..."). This is a complicated thing that Dickens is doing. He is creating a room full of people, he is having a person tell a story. In a way it's a story inside a story (Mr. Peggotty's story in Dickens' novel). How does he pull this off so that we know when we're hearing Mr. Peggotty's voice, when we're hearing Copperfield-the-author's voice, when we hear little Em'ly's voice in Peggoty's story, etc.?

And, since I bring this scene up, let's talk about Steerforth. David has introduced Steerforth to the Peggottys in this scene. Later, Agnes will call Steerforth David's "bad angel." David loves Steerforth to distraction (there's a homoerotic impulse there, I think, if anyone wants to pursue it) and won't hear Agnes' criticism. Do you hear it? Had you questioned the nobility of Steerforth before or after Agnes' comments? Or do you still think David's depiction of him is correct?

I don't mean to judge, but I feel David falls in love too quickly. When Em'ly marries Ham, David easily seems to grow more fond of Agnes; whom had not been considered a possible love interest while David was still fixated on Em'ly. Now he meets Mr. Spenlow's daughter, Dora, and it's portrayed like love at first sight for him. Before David even knew her, he "loved Dora Spenlow to distraction!" Also, it's understandable that David is upset when he finds out Uriah loves Agnes by Uriah himself, but I get the feeling that it's neither due entirely to his disrespect for Heep, nor his closeness with Agnes, but for selfish reasons as well; selfish reasons that may consist of jealousy.

I enjoyed this weeks reading very much. In this weeks reading, David is sent off to figure out what he wants to do with his life. He revisits his past and is surprised to encounter the many people who were apart of his early childhood. He first encounters Steerforth. Steerforth has this image that he is always joyful, humorous, popular and admired but we learn that he feels somewhat lost because he has little direction in life from not having a father figure. Also I find it interesting that Steerforth has bought a boat and named it "The Little Em'ly.  I find it very endearing that once Em'ly stated that she soon would be marrying Ham, Steerforth becomes bitter and unhappy. Possibly Steerforth always liked Em'ly?..hmm. David and Steerforth seem to be building a closer relationship throughout the chapters but Agnes sees through it all. She believes Steerforth is bad news. Agnes has clear insight of what is really going on. Then, David has love at first sight for Dora, Mr. Spenlow's daughter. David is going through much of what we go through on a daily basis. David is seesawing between what his mind and emotions are stating. There is much to ponder on throughout these chapters.

in this weeks reading david is finally leaving school. he doesn't know whether to be happy or sad because he hated school but school was all he knew. i can relate to his feelings. I've spent unto 11 months in the hospital and when i finally left i missed it. now he's on his own and his aunt lets him travel alone and become a man. he needs this so can grow as a person. I'm curios to see where he ends up

As I'm approaching chap. 15. I notice David has a hard life. After his mothers death to be left with two people who didn't care much for him, then Peggoty getting fired and have to leave him, then him being send to work at a wine factory learning to venture out on his own, having being left behind by the Micawber's and running away for days to find his aunt. I hope his life changes for the better in future chapters,
although this a story book, I wonder how David life may have been different if his mother wouldn't of allowed Mr. Murdstone to take charge will he and Peggoty have had a better life instead of the rough one he was dealt because one man changed the course of it.

Uriah Heep

What is your reaction to Uriah Heep? What is Copperfield's reaction to him? What significance do you think he'll play in the novel as it unfolds? Reread 263-266. What do you make of this teatime w/ Uriah, mom, and David? What happens (both text and subtext) and how does Dickens make it happen?

Suspense and Foreshadowing

I was gratified last week to hear that, for the most part, you all were enjoying David Copperfield (I've found that when I teach his novels that, as long as students can get past the archaic language and the sheer size of his novels, that they generally enjoy them). Let's try to notice how he uses foreshadowing to create suspense. We talked last week about how the "black eyes" of Murdstone hint that Clara's new boyfriend is not good news and the plot reveals this to be true. Did you notice moments in the novel since that hint toward some future story?

Look at Jack Maldon's going-away party again (Ch. XVI). Something mysterious is going on, but we don't know yet what that something is. What is the relationship between Maldon and his cousin? Why does she faint when he leaves to go to India? What is significant about Maldon's agitated face and the cherry-colored thing in his hand? (254) Or the ribbon that his cousin, the Doctor's wife, was wearing at her bosom? We don't know yet--unless we've read ahead--but what do we think these clues mean? I think we all assume that they mean something--they're too mysterious not to mean something (David even goes back and notes the doctor and his wife sitting by the fire--there's an illustration of this (255)). But what?

What do moments do like this for readers? How do you read moments like this and process them and think ahead in the plot to wonder what will happen? What other moments of suspense have you noticed? (i.e. What kind of character is Uriah Heep? What is the significance of Mr. Wickfield's drinking? )

This can be done in short stories too. Can you think of ways to create suspense in your own fiction? What kinds of hints can you give early on that will make your readers want to read the next three or five pages?

Upon Peggotty suggesting that her and Davey go away,,i dont understand if she did it to protect him because she knew that Clara was going to marry Murdstone or that Murdstone didnt want him there? Why would Clara even marry Murdstone knowing how evil he has been to Davey? Its like Claras relationship got destroyed by Murdstone and she didnt care about Davey or his feelings towards the whole thing. Davey gets sent away because Murdstone decided it was best---That wasnt his choice to make especially since that wasnt his child,but it was Claras and she let him go like it was nothing. My God he was only 8yrs old and not once did dhe call or go see him at the boarding school--What kind of mom does that for the sake of a man who wasnt even respectful of her or Davey? When he returns for the holidays she has had another child,,and why didnt Davey know?

On another part of the book how did Clara and the baby die? There wasnt much that Peggorty explained to him. Was she ill or had a broken heart of feeling guilty?

During this weeks required reading, I've noticed much growth in David's maturity and responsibility  After the death of David's mother, he begins to grow a stronger relationship with Peggotty. Peggotty is David's real support system through all the neglect and suffrage that the Murdstone's put him through. David goes on to work in Murdstone's dark, cold and dirty warehouse, rinsing out bottles and pasting labels onto them at the age of only ten years old. David is soon forced to live with complete strangers, Mr. and Mrs. Micawber. Even though they are strangers to David, he has a good friendship with the Micawber family and continues to work through the daily hassles of life. I was very pleased that David took off and took the initiative to go search for his aunt Miss betsy, who turned out to be his guardian and care giver. 

Public Fiction Project

Hey all:

To meet this requirement, you can go to a fiction reading. Here are some listings:

http://www.villagevoice.com/events/search/category:[1133929]/
http://www.bookforum.com/events/

And check out the Center for Fiction in Midtown:

http://www.centerforfiction.org/

They have frequent readings and even a literary magazine that you can submit to.

If you'd rather submit your fiction to a publication, I'd suggest Newpages.com:

http://www.newpages.com/magazines/literary-magazines

or Poets &Writers:

http://www.pw.org/literary_magazines

Nowadays, many mags will allow you to submit your stories via the internet. We'll talk more about submitting your fiction, and I'd be happy to speak one-on-one w/ you about this too.

I believe Charles Dickens has portrayed Murdstone as a villian from the very start. A key factor that leads me to believe he is a villian is the quote, "with his ill-omened black eyes." This quote portrays Murdstone as sinister and mysterious. Another reason that one could see the character as evil is the fact that the first four letters of his name spell "Murd", which  sounds short for murder. Also, Mr. Murdstone drives fear into David's mind, because meeting someone you don't know can be overwhelming.

Initial reaction to 'David Copperfield'

I began reading David Copperfield and my first impression was that it was going to be a book along the lines of the fantasy genre. I thought it was something like 'Benjamin Button' and I was growing fond of it mostly because of chapter one, when David said he remembered his birth. This sounded a bit like fantasy because I misunderstood it.  Also, in chapter one I didn't understand what they meant by the word ‘caul’. I looked it up and there were two definitions that could be fit into the text. As I continued to read I noticed that David Copperfield’s mother was a lady that got around since she's been married about four times. After reading the nine chapters, I noticed the book wasn’t going a fantasy and the book started to be different. I love to read fantasy books and mystery books so the book David Copperfield lost my attention when i noticed it wasn’t anything near those genres. However, I’m always open to try new things and so far the book hasn’t lost my attention but hasn’t excited me either so I’m hoping the book will get better. 

Reaction to class

My reaction to the first class was engaging. I haven’t taken an English class in a while, let alone a creative writing class. I enjoyed that the professor involved us in making decisions together and didn’t just address us as individuals. I also thought it was cool that he shared his book with us and asked us about our opinions, it really made me feel like students make the same impact on teachers as the teachers do on students. This interaction with teacher and student was different and felt the teacher wants to work with us so we could learn and love to write. In other english classes the professor usually expects the student to do their own work and be on their own but this professor wants to work as a group and i enjoyed that. I also enjoyed starting my own fiction story for resonant image. I like the fact of choosing an object and creating a story. It helped me come back to the fact that I love writing whatever comes to my mind and I appreciate that we weren’t limited on subjects to write about like it usually is in most english classes. While in class we read the story Pet Milk by Stuart Dybek. I didn’t expect the story to be interesting having a name such as Pet Milk especially when the story started the way it did. in the beginning i thought it was really going to be a story just about pet milk which seemed to be cheap milk but as the story carried on it was catching my attention. The ending of the story was what caught my attention, I really enjoyed how the story changes when the characters are in the train i never expected that to happen.  

Mr. Murdstone's Intro

Reread the moment that Mr. Murdstone was introduced (Ch. II, pp. 30-31). This is a very interesting scene in the novel. Some questions I have about this scene:

• How do we know that Murdstone is a villain? What do we understand that the young Davy doesn't yet?
• How is the narrative voice depicted? Another way of thinking of this question: At what point in the future is the narrator removed from this childhood moment?
• What do we think of Davy's relationship with his mother? What fears do we have for the future in this story? (What fears does Davy have?)
• What kind of foreshadowing do we have?
• Dickens always uses strange names that have metaphorical resonance. What do you make of the names "Murdstone"? "Copperfield"? "Peggoty"?

As I begin reading it sounds a bit confusing then he states he can see spirits because he was born late on a Friday I guess that was a interesting piece of info. I'm confused about "Peggoty" it says it can be a name but I'm not sure of who it sounds like a maid .. someone help clarify

Welcome!

This first week, ending on Saturday 2/07, is just for extra credit. Feel free to make comments over the next few days. You can react to David Copperfield, if you've started it, or comment on your experience in class the other night. A particularly good way to try this format out is to make sure you've read the syllabus carefully and then ask whatever questions you have about the class here. I'm sure you won't be the only one with that question.