America, with all thy faults I love thee still

I've made it to chapter 16 of Martin Chuzzlewit, with Martin and Mark arriving in America. Just now Martin is talking to the editor of the New York Rowdy Journal (heh). I know my progress has been rather slow; it's my bad habit of reading many books at once.

So now I'm bracing myself a little, as I've been somewhat dreading this part. Dickens's quarrel with America -- though I realize he had his reasons -- is not one of my favorite things about him. I'm fond of my country, warts and all, and it makes me sad that he disliked it so much, at least on that first visit. I think that's partly why I waited so long to read this novel.

I have enjoyed it so far, though. I'm particularly eager right now to see if and how Tom and Mary are going to get together. Clearly they're made for each other, but equally clearly, they're the kind of "desperately honor-bound people" (as Robin McKinley brilliantly puts it in her novel Beauty) who wouldn't dream of letting down Martin -- the young hound. So I have a feeling this is going to be tricky . . .

Comments

[Selenia]

I too read too many books at once, and I too was a little sad to learn that Dickens did not really like his first visit here. But I'm glad he liked the second one :).

Also I wanted to mention, I have a few books I plan to read in the next few weeks relating to Dickens, would you like me to submit a review of them? These are the books:

The World of Charles Dickens by Angus Wilson (September 1972)
Great Expectations: a Novel of Friendship by Bert G. Hornback (April 1987)
Two Histories of England, by Jane Austen and Charles Dickens [A Child's History of England] (October 2, 2007)

[Gina]

Selenia, that would be great! Thank you! Do you have my e-mail address, or do I need to send it to you?

[Selenia]

I think I do have it but I'll check in my email messages to make sure and let you know.

[Birdienl]

I actually hope to go to a lecture in a few weeks, called 'Dickens: America, England and Christmas'. Wonder what to expect of that! Yes, even here in The Netherlands we have lectures about Dickens now that the bicentennial is coming closer!

[Selenia]

That sounds like a lovely lecture!