“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”— Jeremiah 17:9 First of all... On the Reluctance to Read the Modern …or, Why I Approach Contemporary Novels Like They Might Bite Me There’s a particular stiffness in my posture whenever someone recommends a “brilliant new novel.” A twitch behind the eyes. … Continue reading Fingersmith: A Tale of Pickpockets, Pornographers, and Plot Twists So Sharp You’ll Need Stitches
Tag: charles-dickens
Merrylegs
Merrylegs, the diminutive, doting dog in Dickens’ Hard Times, is one of those characters who, though small in stature, lingers in the mind like a stubborn piece of fluff on a dark coat. Now, I confess, when I first read the novel, I didn’t pay Merrylegs much attention. After all, when set against the likes of … Continue reading Merrylegs
Wording 