Poor But Happy: My Reflection of Old Curiosity Shop

Have found a touching passage from Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop. It’s a deep reflection from Dickens about the poor vs the wealthy, and what happiness mean for them; taken from Kit and his family who can’t be happier than their present situation, poor as it is.

p. 276

“If ever household affections and loves are graceful things, they are graceful in the poor. The ties that bind the wealthy and the proud to home may forged on earth, but those which link the poor man to his humble hearth are of the true metal and bear the stamp of Heaven.”

“The man of high descent may love the halls and lands of his inheritance as a part of himself, as trophies of his birth and power; his associations with them are associations of pride and wealth and triumph; the poor man’s attachment to the tenements he holds, which strangers have held before, and may tomorrow occupy again, has a worthier root, struck deep into a purer soil. His household gods are flesh and blood with no alloy of silver, gold or precious stone; he has no property but in the affections of his own heart; and when they endear bare floors and walls, despite of rags and toil and scanty meals, that man has his love of home from God and his rude hut becomes a solemn place.”

Literary Classics Challenge - Friday Progress (5)

I know, it’s Saturday already! However, yesterday was quite a busy day for me, so I didn’t have time to post the Friday Progress for Literary Classics Challenge. Never mind, better late than never, anyway.. J.

Child Reading a Book by Jessie Willcox Smith
[source]

This week I am still in the middle of The Old Curiosity Shop, page 240 of 544, however I was able to slip two classics short stories reading. It’s The Three Strangers from Thomas Hardy and A Terribly Strange Bed by Wilkie Collins (the review will follow). I quite enjoyed them, a ‘fun escape’ from Dickens. I think it’s a good idea to read short stories from authors whom we haven’t read the book, for we could get to know their styles before deciding whether we would like to read their novels or not. And after reading both Hardy and Collins, I know I’d love to read their novels, especially for Collins.

That’s it, a short progress of my classics reading. Meanwhile, I am rejuvenating my feature: Character Thursday. You would find the post very soon. And if you’d like to join me in Character Thursday, please feel free to join in next Thursday!

Little Nell on The Old Curiosity Shop

Little Nell aka Nelly Trent

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

Little Nell is a fourteen years old girl who lived in poverty with her grandfather, the owner of a small curiosity shop in London. She was described as a very beautiful little girl, polite and kind hearted child. Nell was an orphan, and thus only has her grandfather who loved her and whom she loved very much. As a child and then teenager, Nell had to go through many hard times. His grandfather often went at night for a mysterious work which—he said—was for Nell’s future good, leaving Little Nell at home, lonely, without anyone to protect her, always felt anxious that something bad might happened to his grandfather. Maybe, all these hard times strengthened her character, so that Nell—despite of her innocent appearance—could think as an adult.

She was often wiser than her grandfather, and it was more often than not, that it was Nell who took the role of leader and protector of the family, instead of the grandfather. Nell was soon alarmed when their new friend acted strangely, an intuition that only a grown up woman can own. During their escape from some bad people, Nell was so brave and resilient that though she was scared and worried, she could always encourage her grandfather.

Although she was used to live in poverty, the most important thing for Nell was not wealth or comfort, but love and affection. I have written about how Nell would prefer to beg on the road if that means she could be together with her grandfather, than to live in their dark and melancholy house.

As usual, Dickens always created a perfect-too-good-to-be-true character such as Little Nell in his books. I have met Oliver Twist before, and so am not surprised to meet Little Nell. Yes, it’s seems unreal, yet we can still learn a lot of things and values from lovely Little Nell.

So…who is your Character Thursday this week?

Classics Authors of July

Meski tidak terlalu banyak penulis klasik dunia yang lahir di bulan Juli, namun ada beberapa penulis besar yang akan berulang tahun bulan ini, andai mereka masih hidup J. Siapa saja mereka?

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Nathaniel Hawthorne yang lahir tgl. 4 Juli 1804 di Salem, Massachusetts ini adalah seorang penulis novel dan cerita pendek berkebangsaan Amerika. Novel-novelnya yang paling terkenal adalah The Scarlett Letter dan The House of the Seven Gables. Nama marga Hawthorne sebenarnya Hathorne, namun karena salah satu nenek moyangnya yang bernama John Hathorne merupakan salah satu juri dalam Pengadilan Penyihir Salem, maka Hawthorne menambahkan huruf “w” di antara nama marga aslinya agar dirinya tak dihubungkan dengan nenek moyangnya itu.

Karya-karya Hawthorne beraliran romantisme, atau lebih spesifiknya dark romantisme, yang banyak mengedepankan tentang dosa dan kejahatan dalam kemanusiaan yang banyak dipengaruhi paham puritan New England, historical romance yang dipenuh simbolisasi dan aspek psikologi.

Ernest Hemingway

Bernama lengkap Ernest Miller Hemingway, salah satu penulis Amerika paling populer ini akrab dipanggil Ernest Hemingway. Beliau lahir pada  21 July 1899 di pinggiran kota Chicago. Setelah tamat sekolah, Hemingway bekerja sebagai jurnalis dan sempat menjadi pengemudi ambulance di Italia pada Perang Dunia I. Pengalaman saat perang ini ia tuangkan kemudian di novelnya A Farewell to Arms. Novel-novelnya yang lain adalah The Sun Also Rises (novel pertamanya), For Whom The Bell Tolls, A Moveable Feast dan The Old Man and the Sea (diterjemahkan Serambi).

Hemingway yang sempat memiliki empat istri ini pernah menerima dua penghargaan paling bergengsi di dunia literature yaitu Pulitzer untuk karya fiksi dan Nobel untuk literatur. Setelah menyelesaikan The Old Man and The Sea, Hemingway bersafari ke Afrika dan luput dari maut dalam dua kecelakaan pesawat udara. Setelah itu ia pindah ke Kuba, dan ironisnya setelah kembali ke Amerika, Hemingway justru mencabut nyawanya sendiri dengan menembakkan pistol ke dalam mulutnya, saat dalam kondisi depresi. Meski awalnya sebab kematiannya disembunyikan sebagai kecelakaan, namun penelitian menunjukkan bahwa Hemingway mengidap penyakit turunan hemochromatosis, yang juga diidap ayahnya dan mengakibatkan bunuh diri juga. Kedua adik Hemingway ternyata juga mengalami kematian dengan cara yang sama, bunuh diri.

Alexandre Dumas

Penulis yang satu ini adalah penulis asal Prancis yang karya-karyanya paling banyak dibaca di seluruh dunia. Terlahir sebagai  Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie pada 24 July 1802, Alexandre Dumas terkenal sebagai penulis historical fiction bertema petualangan seru. Karya-karya terkenalnya antara lain The Three Musketeers (diterjemahkan Serambi) dan sekuel-sekuelnya termasuk Twenty Years After dan The Man In The Iron Mask, dan The Count of Monte Cristo (diterjemahkan Bentang Pustaka).

Dumas lahir dari keturunan keluarga bangsawan Prancis, ayahnya seorang jendral pada jaman Napoleon Bonaparte, yang jatuh miskin pada saat Dumas lahir. Meski keluarga mereka miskin, namun Dumas masih mewarisi kebangsawanan dari ayahnya. Sering mendapat cerita Ibunya tentang kegagahan ayahnya pada jaman kejayaan Napoleon, menginspirasi novel-novelnya yang sarat petualangan. Setelah monarki direstorasi, Dumas mengabdi pada Louis-Phillipe, Duke of Orleans yang kelak menjadi Raja Prancis. Dumas awalnya menulis naskah play, baru kemudian beralih ke novel. Dalam menulis novel, Dumas banyak menggunakan bantuan kontributor, salah satunya August Maquet yang membantunya menciptakan plot untuk The Count of Monte Cristo.

Setelah meningal dunia, Dumas dikuburkan di tempat kelahirannya, pada 2002 Presiden Prancis Jacques Chirac memindahkan kuburannya ke Pantheon of Paris, ‘bertetangga’ dengan kuburan Victor Hugo dan Emile Zola. Proses ‘penguburan ulang’ ini disiarkan lewat televisi, dengan pembawa peti mati berdandan ala musketeers: Athos, Porthos, Aramis dan D’Artagnan.

Jean Webster

Anda mungkin asing dengan nama  Alice Jane Chandler Webster. Tak heran, karena meski beliau adalah penulis klasik terkenal dunia asal Amerika, ia selalu menulis dengan menggunakan nama pena Jane Webster. Wanita yang lahir tgl. 24 July 1876 ini dikenal lewat novel Daddy Long Legs dan sekuelnya Dear Enemy (keduanya sudah diterbitkan penerbit Atria). Webster dibesarkan dalam keluarga di mana kekuatan para wanitanya dominan. Nenek dan nenek buyutnya adalah pegiat social. Ibu Webster adalah saudara sepupu Mark Twain, salah satu penulis klasik Amerika yang paling terkenal, sedang ayahnya adalah manager Twain sekaligus yang menerbitkan buku-buku Twain. Kelak Webster juga terlibat aktif dalam aksi social dan sering memasukkan tema-tema isu sosial ke dalam bukunya.

Nama ‘Jean’ berasal saat ia sekolah dan tidur sekamar dengan murid lain yang bernama Alice juga, sehingga pihak sekolah memintanya memilih nama lain. Webster pun memilih nama panggilan Jean, variasi dari nama tenganya Jane. Pengalamannya di sekolah Lady Jane Grey (sekolah khusus anak perempuan) dituangkannya di novel Just Patty. Webster menikah pada tahun 1915. Setahun kemudian Webster melahirkan anak perempuannya, namun saying ia menderita demam pasca melahirkan, yang akhirnya merenggut nyawanya keesokan harinya. Sang anak dinamai Jean (Little Jean) untuk menghormati sang ibu.

Emily Bronte

Emily adalah salah satu dari kakak beradik Bronte, nomor tiga setelah Charlotte, sebelum si bungsu Anne. Bernama lengkap Emily Jane Brontë, Emily lahir pada 30 Juli 1818. Sepanjang karir menulisnya, Emily hanya sempat menelurkan satu novel, yang kelak banyak dibaca orang hingga saat ini: Wuthering Heights (diterbitkan Gramedia dan Qanita). Seperti Charlotte dan Anne, Emily juga biasa menulis menggunakan nama pena Ellis Bell. Wuthering Heights sebenarnya adalah 2 volume dari sebuah serial tiga set, dengan set ketiga berjudul Agnes Grey yang ditulis Anne Bronte. Kelak Charlotte meng-edit Wuthering Heights dan menerbitkannya sebagai novel dengan nama asli Emily sebagai penulis.

Sejak masa sekolah, Emily beserta Charlotte dan Anne senang menggunakan imajinasi mereka untuk menciptakan dunia fiktif dan banyak menulis tentangnya. Saat berusia 20 tahun Emily menjadi guru, namun karena kesehatannya terganggu akibat stress karena jam kerja panjang, Emily pulang ke kampung halamannya setahun kemudian, dan bersama kedua saudarinya menulis bersama-sama. Emily meninggal dalam usia muda (30 tahun) akibat sanitasi rumah keluarga mereka yang kurang sehat.

Itulah para penulis klasik dunia yang berulang tahun bulan ini. Adakah yang karyanya sudah pernah atau ingin anda baca untuk memperingati hari ulang tahunnya?

[Short Story] The Three Strangers by Thomas Hardy

After being overwhelmed by my last classics reading, I opted to switch temporarily to short stories. Still in A Victorian Celebration, I have picked several works from several different Victorian authors. The first one is Thomas Hardy. I have planned to read Tess of D'Urberville, but before that I would like to first have a feel of his writing, to decide whether I'm going to like it or not. And this is what I have picked from Hardy, The Three Strangers, which was written in March 1883.

There was once a shepherd who lived in a lonely cottage on a coomb of a country. At that particular night, rain had poured heavily, but it did not prevent the shepherd's family to hold a jovial party. It's a christening party for their second child. Twenty people were invited, and the party would have been enjoyable, if there were not a sudden knock at the door...

A stranger was at the door, looking for a shelter from the heavy rain; and the shepherd, being in a jovial mood that night, invited the stranger—who chose to sit at the chimney-corner—to join the party. A few moments later there was a second knock at the door by another stranger. This man—who was also looking for a shelter in his way to Casterbridge—was also invited by the host. The two strangers got acquainted each other in no time, they drank the shepherd's homemade mead together, and were singing together, while came another knock at the door...

The third stranger, upon looking at the other two strangers, got pale and shocked, then quickly left the shepherd's house without any explanation. At that time the guests had realised that the second stranger, the cinder-gray man was actually an executioner who must go to Casterbridge jail to hang a poor watch-maker who had stolen a sheep from a farmer.

A little moment later a gun shot reverberated through the air, a sign of a prisoners escape from the jail. That should be the man whom the second stranger must hang the following day. A search was immediately conducted, and I think you can already guess, that the prisoner must be one of three strangers. The question is, which one?

This is not a mystery story, though it's quite interesting to closely follow what should happen next during the search, to pay attention to the three strangers--who's who, and to guess who had lied and who had told the truth. However, I think Hardy had not intended to create a mystery in the first place. I suspect it's his way to criticize the law. Did the poor prisoner really deserve to be hanged for his crime, stealing one sheep because he was so poor? It's also interesting how Hardy mocked the law enforcement through this story. One of the party guests who joined the quest of the escaped prisoner was a constable, who was pictured so stupid and absurd:

In the scene when the men had found the fugitive and were about to capture him,

Constable: "Your money or your life!"

One of the men: "No, no, tisn't our side ought to say that. That's the doctrine of vagabonds like him, and we be on the side of the law." 

Constable: "Prisoner at the bar, surrender, in the name of the Father—the Crown, I mane!"

This was my first work of Thomas Hardy, and I can sense a little of his writing style which I quite like. However, unlike Dickens, his uses of many unfamiliar words have been quite disturbing me, especially since English is only my second language. Of course I can always search for those words in dictionary or Google, but I think the effort does not worth for a single short story! It just makes me take a second thought before moving to Hardy's novel, I mean I still want to read Hardy, but not in the near future. Anyhow, I still find this short story a well written one; short, yet I learned something from it. Four stars for Thomas Hardy!

[I read ebook version from Project Gutenberg]

This post is included in Short Stories on Wednesdays

My Reading Habits

I came across this meme several times. It’s about reading habits, and I think every book blogger ought to try it, so that we can get to know each other more personally. So, here’s mine:

Do you snack while you read? If so, favourite reading snack:

I think the more suitable question for me is, do you read while you snack? For me snacks are included in daily meals, so I always snack at certain time, and if I’m not working at that time, then I would certainly pick a book and read few chapters. My favourite snack is biscuits.

What is your favourite drink while reading?

Water

Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?

I always like my book to be as neat and clean as possible, so I never write in them, but would sometimes underline important passages by pencil if I did not find any paper around. However most of the times I insert a blank paper into the book, so if I need to jot down an idea I’ll write a brief note on the paper, or if I need to copy a sentence or a quote for making the review, I’d write down the page and the subject, so I can come back later when I need it.

How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?

I use bookmark. Actually I’m a bookmark collection J, so every time I finish a book (if the copy provides one), I will keep the bookmark in a certain place. When I want to read a copy that has no bookmark, I can always choose one of my collections. You know, sometimes I try to recollect my mind about a book from the bookmark. It reminds me that I have read it (and like or dislike it J). However in case of a bookmark is not available, I dog-ear the page lightly. Later on after I find the marked page, I will straighten it again, and after sometime, the dog-ear mark would hardly visible.

Fiction, non-fiction, or both?

Fiction is always my favorite, but if I need or want it, I’ll read non-fiction too.

Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?

I don’t have fixed time to read—and don’t have much either L, I can read anywhere, anytime (that’s why I always bring book everywhere I go). The consequence is I must often stop abruptly anywhere.

Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?

Haha..! No, the worst I’ll do would be closing the book and put it in my “swap” pile J.

If you come across an unfamiliar word, do you stop and look it up right away?

If I can continue reading without understanding the unfamiliar word, I’ll skip it, but if the unfamiliar word is a key one, then I will stop and search for it in dictionary or just google it if I’m online.

What are you currently reading?

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

What is the last book you bought?

Ford County by John Grisham (translated version). Grisham is one of my favorite authors, and it would be interesting to read his short stories. What I admire from Grisham is that he can write almost everything—thriller, romance, young adult, action, and now short stories (of course they are all still related to law). The other one is Joshua Files #5: Dark Parallel (Psstt..I think I'm going to need this after reading Dickens!).

Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?

It depends on the book I’m reading, if it’s a fast reading or if I’m quite absorbed in it, I won’t read anything else at the same time. However when I get bored with a book but still want to continue it, I’ll switch to another light reading, before going back to my main reading, and so on.

Do you have a favourite time/place to read?

As I have said above, I read anytime and anywhere, but if I’m at home, I love to sit on my bed .

Do you prefer series books or stand alones?

It depends on the author. J.K. Rowling created Harry Potter, and I enjoyed every series of it!

Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?

Yes! And more than one… J. For classics, it’s To Kill A Mockingbird, I can’t imagine someone who won’t enjoy it, it’s really beautiful—in writing and in meaning, so if you haven’t read it…I encourage you to do it (see…, I can’t stop myself to recommend this book every time I get a chance J). Beyond classics, I’ll recommend Harry Potter (not for the fantasy but for the meaning). Believe it or not, even my 68 old father read Harry Potter too! (and he read it faster than me!!). Now you know where I inherited my love of books from… J. Agatha Christie and John Grisham are authors that I would love to recommend too because I just love both of them.

How do you organize your books? (by genre, title, author's last name, etc.)

I just arrange it by size of the books. The space of my book cabinet is limited, so I have to arrange it so that all my books can fit in.

That’s it, do you want to do it yourself? Please feel free to copy the questions and post it in your blog!

Togetherness: My Reflections on Old Curiosity Shop

This is my reflections towards the book I’m reading: The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. I am not planning to write about every chapter, but only now and then when I feel it necessary to put my thoughts or reflections about some passages.

From page 70:

Grandfather: “…If we are beggars—!”
Little Nell: “What if we are? Let us be beggars, and be happy.”
Grandfather: “Beggars—and happy! Poor child!”
Little Nell: “Dear grandfather, I am not a child in that I think, but even if I am, oh hear me pray that we may beg, or work in open roads or fields, to earn a scanty living, rather than live as we do now. … If you are sorrowful, let me know why and be sorrowful too; if you waste away and are paler and weaker every day, let me be your nurse and try to comfort you. If you are poor, let us be poor together, but let me be with you, do let me be with you, do not let me see such change and not know why, or I shall break my heart and die.”

They say: ‘What you don’t know doesn’t hurt you.’ It’s true sometime, but most of the time people misunderstand the true meaning of it. When we are in sorrow, we try to conceal it from others (many times from our families or they who love us) because we think that it’s better for them if they don’t know. Well, we are wrong! When I love someone, it’s not a sorrow if I can carry the burden together with him/her, for I really want to lighten it. It will be more painful to me if someone I love concealed his/her sorrow from me.

And that’s what happened with Little Nell. I think the conversation quoted above has reflected how Nell felt towards her grandfather. It’s not the loneliness which Nell suffered the most from, but that she saw how her grandfather suffered from sleepless nights and mysterious works he seemed to perform, which Nell knew nothing about. It’s not wealth that Nell needed, but togetherness. It’s OK to be poor, as long she can live it in togetherness.