Monday, April 4, 2016

LINES FROM THE MASTER - CHARLES DICKENS

LINES FROM THE MASTER

In an effort to assist Emma Roberts (the main character of How to Date Dead Guys) in her pursuit of quotes from dead people, I offer the following gems from Charles Dickens--the master of plot lines and prose.


“A wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be
 that profound secret and mystery to every other.”


How well do any of us know each other?
Isn't that the eternal question?
And how well do we even know ourselves?
Emma will learn she is capable of so much more,
As she unravels the mysteries of her new powers
and the deaths of those around her.

The Tension of Great Expectations 

“A multitude of people and yet solitude.”
  
This describes Emma perfectly at the start of the book.
Surrounded by people but so alone.
  
Little Dorrit, and also the pensive face I picture for Emma
  
“Think now and then that there is a man
who would give his life,
to keep a life you love beside you.”
  
I love how Dickens made the anti-hero
the true hero in this book.
 (Who else fell more in love with Sydney Carton
than Charles Darnay?)
  
“You have been the last dream of my soul.”

(One of the most romantic lines ever uttered.)

Misguided lovers in Bleak House

“Have a heart that never hardens,
and a temper that never tires,
and a touch that never hurts.”

Wonderful life goals for every soul on this planet.

“Ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies.”

Despite the truth of this line,
I don't agree.
We should all be asking questions
Every day of our lives…
But we must also expect to be lied to,
And so we must ascertain the truth for ourselves.

The players of Great Expectations 
“The broken heart.
You think you will die,
but you just keep living,
day after day after terrible day.”

This is how one feels after a tragedy.
How can life go on?
Oh, but it does.
And, like the rest of us,
Emma must find the willpower to survive.

Secrets revealed and hearts broken in Bleak House

“I stole her heart away and put ice in its place.”
  
The goal is to melt the ice.
And that is why Emma meets Jake.

Little Dorrit, why couldn't he see her passion?

“A man is lucky if he is the first love of a woman.
A woman is lucky if she is the last love of a man.”

How interesting that this was true then,
And is still true today.

Great Expectations, showing how a person can drown in sorrow

“And I am bored to death with it.
Bored to death with this place,
bored to death with my life,
bored to death with myself.”

When no light is left, that's when
Boredom sets in.

Bleak House, so many twists, so many turns

“All partings foreshadow the great final one.”
  
There are a great many partings in How to Date Dead Guys,
The trick is to figure out which one is the final one.
  
For the last quote, I chose one
to please my veterinarian self.

“What greater gift than the love of a cat.”

Of course, there is a cat in How to Date Dead Guys.



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