My Victorian Year #34 Me?! Listen to Audio? #36

I have continued reading Louisa May Alcott's Little Men and Anthony Trollope's Small House at Allington. I've also begun to listen to Charles Dickens' Bleak House on audio book.

Quotes from Small House at Allington

“Ten minutes before the time named; and, of course, you must have understood that I meant thirty minutes after it!” That is my interpretation of the words when I am thanked for coming early.

It is very hard, that necessity of listening to a man who says nothing.

Quotes from Little Men

"You mustn't; it's wicked to say 'Damn!'" cried Tommy, who had followed his leader so far. "Oh, hang! don't you preach, but play away; it's part of the fun to swear." "I'd rather say 'thunder turtles,'" said Tommy, who had composed this interesting exclamation and was very proud of it.

Dear me, half the science of teaching is knowing how much children do for one another, and when to mix them.

Kindness in looks and words and ways is true politeness, and any one can have it if they only try to treat other people as they like to be treated themselves.

Bleak House. I'm thirty-five chapters into this one; it has sixty-seven. Here is my one sentence summary from two years ago. One sentence summary: Bleak House is about a long, often-thought-hopeless, law case that seems to doom all involved with it, perhaps with the exception of John Jardyce and his favorite ward, Esther Summerson.

A word from Esther:

I don't know how it is, I seem to be always writing about myself. I mean all the time to write about other people, and I try to think about myself as little as possible, and I am sure, when I find myself coming into the story again, I am really vexed and say, "Dear, dear, you tiresome little creature, I wish you wouldn't!" but it is all of no use. I hope any one who may read what I write, will understand that if these pages contain a great deal about me, I can only suppose it must be because I have really something to do with them and can't be kept out. (102-3)

A description of Sir Leicester:

Sir Leicester is generally in a complacent state, and rarely bored. When he has nothing else to do, he can always contemplate his own greatness. It is a considerable advantage to a man, to have so inexhaustible a subject. (139)

A description of Mr. Smallweed:

Everything that Mr. Smallweed's grandfather ever put away in his mind was a grub at first, and is a grub at last. In all his life he has never bred a single butterfly. (257)

© 2018 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews