Little Dorrit

I watched the last episode of the television adaptation on Sunday, and finished rereading the book yesterday.

It's a good adaptation, and the plot of the book is convoluted enough that seeing the adaptation helps in reading the book, even if you're used to the the convoluted plots of nineteenth century novels and soap operas.

Of course, an eight hour TV show has to leave out a lot of stuff from a 900 page book. I was especially sorry to lose the impoverished music publisher. (He's Mrs. Plornish's father, who at the beginning of the book is living in the Workhouse so as not to take food out of the mouths of the Plornish children.)

I think even the experienced adaptors who did this one chafed at the restrictions, because the end seemed unusually compressed, leaving us with no idea of what happens to several characters who have been fairly carefully described (most notably Minnie Meagles and her husband).

Of course, Dickens' treatment of the business tycoon who steals from one fund to pay off the investors in other funds and finally loses money for all the main characters seems especially contemporary.

The subplot where Miss Wade convinces Tattycorum (Harriet) to leave her employment with the Meagles and live with her is a little harder to translate to the twentyfirst century. One reviewer suggested this was because of the hint of a lesbian affair, but actually Dickens does hint at that. Mr. Meagles says to Miss Wade:

'If it should happen that you are a woman, who, from whatever cause, has a perverted delight in making a sister-woman as wretched as she is (I am old enough to have heard of such), I warn her against you, and I warn you against yourself.'

The problem is that we are initially inclined to sympathize with Harriet for feeling oppressed and ignored, where Dickens really believes she should be grateful and submissive to such excellent people who are being so kind to her.

Here are a few notes on things I picked up on on this reading that you might not have noticed.

White Sand and Grey Sand

This is mentioned when Mr. Panks is hanging around the Marshalsea while he's researching Mr. Dorrit's inheritance. He explains to Amy and Mr. Clennam,

'I am spending the evening with the rest of 'em,' said Pancks. 'I've been singing. I've been taking a part in White sand and grey sand. I don't know anything about it. Never mind. I'll take any part in anything. It's all the same, if you're loud enough.'

It's actually a round -- the person who taught it to me thought it was Ravenscroft, but I don't find it there.

Prunes and Prisms

I first ran into this phrase in Little Women, where Jo says to Laurie:

"Hold your tongue!" cried Jo, covering her ears. "'Prunes and prisms' are my doom, and I may as well make up my mind to it. I came here to moralize, not to hear things that make me skip to think of."

If I'd thought of it, I would have known it was a quotation, and would have probably guessed it was Dickens, but I wouldn't have guessed anything as good as what Mrs. General tells Amy Dorrit when explaining why it's more genteel and feminine to say "Papa" than "Father".

'Papa is a preferable mode of address,' observed Mrs General. 'Father is rather vulgar, my dear. The word Papa, besides, gives a pretty form to the lips. Papa, potatoes, poultry, prunes, and prism are all very good words for the lips: especially prunes and prism. You will find it serviceable, in the formation of a demeanour, if you sometimes say to yourself in company--on entering a room, for instance--Papa, potatoes, poultry, prunes and prism, prunes and prism.'

Plethoric

I also learned a new word. It means having a florid, ruddy face. It occurs describing the customers at the inn in the Swiss alps:

The third party, which had ascended from the valley on the Italian side of the Pass, and had arrived first, were four in number: a plethoric, hungry, and silent German tutor in spectacles, on a tour with three young men, his pupils, all plethoric, hungry, and silent, and all in spectacles.

The derivation is from plethora, implying that the face is red because of a plethora of blood.

Related posts:

1. The Amazing Mrs. Palin
2. Halfway through
3. Pride and Prejudice fanfic