Agree with you about the slight disappointment. I worried too that every week we will be descending into further layers of stories-within-stories, with no obvious way back out. The story itself ended on a very unsatisfactory note, with the "shot from an unseen hand" resolving things suddenly; nothing more than a deus ex machina. Bring back Master Humphrey!
I went back and reread this section after reading the first few comments. Not such a bad story really, though filled with a violence not usual with Dickens.
I agree with the comments about stories within stories. In a way it may be preparing me for my reading of The Canterbury Tales, which I am taking up next week over a period of six weeks.
Henry - I so enjoy your comments and notes, thank you!
When I read about Joe’s anxiety with the giants, “…Joe was horribly reminded of the popular prejudice on the subject of giants and of their fabled power of smelling out Englishmen….” It brought to mind Jack and the Beanstock’s giant stating, “Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman.” A quick search on the internet shared that Shakespeare also used this phrase in his play King Lear.
I admit I enjoyed this second installment, better than the first. I love stories within stories, and this one of romance and revenge did not disappoint. Reminded me of the nested tales in Don Quixote. I also liked the injection of the correspondence by the pompous gentleman and Humphrey’s blunt rejection. This kind of fake fan mail gives MHC a real magazine feel. I'm excited for the next installment where hopefully Joe will be able to mark the giants’s precise moments of (in)animation.
Also, thanks Henry for linking to that G.K. Chesterton book. After I finish reading a Dickens book, I'll treat myself to Chesterton's preface of it.
I happen to be reading Arabian Nights at the same time, so I'm really down a rabbit hole on these stories within stories within stories.... I guess all the stories in that type format can't be great, but you would think Dickens would try harder to grab his readers' attention this early in the series. Yes, the Hugh story was very blah. I even reread it thinking I must have missed some important detail somewhere.
I think I had the same reaction to this story as the one about the sisters in Nicholas Nickleby, which I read recently for a book club. It seems so dour and strange next to the rest of Dickens’ work (at least the works I’ve read or seen adaptations of). I’m wondering how it fits thematically into the greater work (are the sisters Nickleby or Smike?). Is the hero somehow emblematic of Humphrey’s life? Or is it just an entertainment? I’m not sure .
I’ll be honest there was a gap between reading the first and the second installment and I thought the correspondence was from Toddyhigh asking to be a part of the club. I had to remind myself that he was a fictional character of a story created by one of the members of Humphrey’s club. I think the story itself did not have much to offer.
Agree with you about the slight disappointment. I worried too that every week we will be descending into further layers of stories-within-stories, with no obvious way back out. The story itself ended on a very unsatisfactory note, with the "shot from an unseen hand" resolving things suddenly; nothing more than a deus ex machina. Bring back Master Humphrey!
I went back and reread this section after reading the first few comments. Not such a bad story really, though filled with a violence not usual with Dickens.
I agree with the comments about stories within stories. In a way it may be preparing me for my reading of The Canterbury Tales, which I am taking up next week over a period of six weeks.
Henry - I so enjoy your comments and notes, thank you!
When I read about Joe’s anxiety with the giants, “…Joe was horribly reminded of the popular prejudice on the subject of giants and of their fabled power of smelling out Englishmen….” It brought to mind Jack and the Beanstock’s giant stating, “Fee, fi, fo, fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman.” A quick search on the internet shared that Shakespeare also used this phrase in his play King Lear.
I admit I enjoyed this second installment, better than the first. I love stories within stories, and this one of romance and revenge did not disappoint. Reminded me of the nested tales in Don Quixote. I also liked the injection of the correspondence by the pompous gentleman and Humphrey’s blunt rejection. This kind of fake fan mail gives MHC a real magazine feel. I'm excited for the next installment where hopefully Joe will be able to mark the giants’s precise moments of (in)animation.
Also, thanks Henry for linking to that G.K. Chesterton book. After I finish reading a Dickens book, I'll treat myself to Chesterton's preface of it.
This story reminded me of the classic American The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the story of Rip Van Winkle who accidentally stumbles upon giants bowling.
I happen to be reading Arabian Nights at the same time, so I'm really down a rabbit hole on these stories within stories within stories.... I guess all the stories in that type format can't be great, but you would think Dickens would try harder to grab his readers' attention this early in the series. Yes, the Hugh story was very blah. I even reread it thinking I must have missed some important detail somewhere.
I agree that the Correspondence was the highlight of this week’s instalment. I’m happy to be returning to Master Humphrey!
I think I had the same reaction to this story as the one about the sisters in Nicholas Nickleby, which I read recently for a book club. It seems so dour and strange next to the rest of Dickens’ work (at least the works I’ve read or seen adaptations of). I’m wondering how it fits thematically into the greater work (are the sisters Nickleby or Smike?). Is the hero somehow emblematic of Humphrey’s life? Or is it just an entertainment? I’m not sure .
I’ll be honest there was a gap between reading the first and the second installment and I thought the correspondence was from Toddyhigh asking to be a part of the club. I had to remind myself that he was a fictional character of a story created by one of the members of Humphrey’s club. I think the story itself did not have much to offer.