The library will host a discussion of Bleak House by Charles Dickens on Monday, March 19 at 7:00 PM. The discussion will be free and open to the public, and copies of the book are available to borrow from the library in advance.
Frequently named by critics as Dickens's best novel, Bleak House is his most complex in terms of plot and character and his most innovative in terms of narration. The novel is also one of the very in English literature to feature a professional detective as a character; Inspector Bucket participates in several investigations in the course of the book and in the latter part, conducts a murder inquiry. (The character was probably based on a real Scotland Yard detective, Inspector Charles Frederick Field.)
The lynchpin of the novel is the long-running lawsuit Jarndyce and Jarndyce, which provides the vehicle for Dickens's savage satire of England's Court of Chancery. At that time, Chancery had jurisdiction over questions involving wills, estates, guardianship, property, and other matters, and was notorious for its arcane rules and sluggish pace; in the novel, Chancery suits are depicted as blighting the lives of most litigants while their lawyers prosper and thrive. Only those who can turn their backs on the litigation, such as the admirable John Jarndyce, escape its baleful influence. The novel both reflected and contributed to popular dissatisfaction with the Chancery system, and some twenty years after its publication, Parliament enacted comprehensive reforms of the legal system.
Bleak House was also controversial in its time for its use of spontaneous human combustion as a plot device, though Dickens himself believed in the phenomenon and vigorously defended that belief.
The library's discussion series featuring the works of Dickens will conclude on April 16 with Great Expectations.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Chicken and Biscuit Supper Saturday March 10th
To Benefit the Haverhill Corner Library. Book sale starts at 5pm. Tickets $10
Menu: Chicken and Biscuits*Coleslaw*Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae
Raffle $30 Gift Certificate to Woodsville Book Store! Raffle Tickets $1 each
To Reserve tickets call 603-989-5578 or purchase tickets at the library.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
David Copperfield Book Discussion
The library will sponsor a book discussion featuring David Copperfield by Charles Dickens on Monday, February 20 at 7:00 PM. The discussion will be free and open to the public, and copies of the book are available to borrow in advance.
David Copperfield is not only one of Dickens's most popular and enduring books, it is also the novel in which he drew most directly on autobiographical material. In particular, the episode in which the young protagonist is sent to work in a factory is reminiscent of the author's own childhood experience of working ten-hour days in a boot-blacking factory to help support his family.
Dickens is particularly famous for the many memorable characters he created, and David Copperfield features two of the best remembered, Wilkins Micawber and Uriah Heep. The impecunious but ever-hopeful Mr. Micawber, who is jailed for debt in the course of the novel, is generally considered to be modeled on Dickens's own father, who was also imprisoned for debt. The name of the odious Uriah Heep, meanwhile, has become a synonym for manipulative and malevolent sycophancy.
Like most of Dickens's novels, David Copperfield was first published in serial form; it appeared as a book in 1850. It was the author's first novel to be written in the first person, and Dickens subsequently declared it to be his own favorite from among all his novels.
This discussion is part of our series featuring the works of Charles Dickens in honor of the bicentennial of his birth this year.
David Copperfield is not only one of Dickens's most popular and enduring books, it is also the novel in which he drew most directly on autobiographical material. In particular, the episode in which the young protagonist is sent to work in a factory is reminiscent of the author's own childhood experience of working ten-hour days in a boot-blacking factory to help support his family.
Dickens is particularly famous for the many memorable characters he created, and David Copperfield features two of the best remembered, Wilkins Micawber and Uriah Heep. The impecunious but ever-hopeful Mr. Micawber, who is jailed for debt in the course of the novel, is generally considered to be modeled on Dickens's own father, who was also imprisoned for debt. The name of the odious Uriah Heep, meanwhile, has become a synonym for manipulative and malevolent sycophancy.
Like most of Dickens's novels, David Copperfield was first published in serial form; it appeared as a book in 1850. It was the author's first novel to be written in the first person, and Dickens subsequently declared it to be his own favorite from among all his novels.
This discussion is part of our series featuring the works of Charles Dickens in honor of the bicentennial of his birth this year.
Friday, January 6, 2012
Dickens Book Discussion Series
The library will celebrate the bicentennial of the birth of Charles Dickens in 2012 with a book discussion series featuring his works. Discussions will be free and open to the public, and copies of the books will be available to borrow from the library in advance. We will discuss:
The Pickwick Papers on Monday, January 16;
David Copperfield on Monday, February 20;
Bleak House on Monday, March 19; and
Great Expectations on Monday, April 16.
Born February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens was one of the most famous and popular writers of the Victorian era. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, became a popular phenomenon while still being published as a monthly serial, firmly establishing his career as an author. He would go on to write some of the best-known novels in English literature, including those mentioned above as well as such works as Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. His books are characterized by colorful characters, elegant prose, complex plots, and engagement with social issues.
The bicentennial of his birth is an opportunity to reflect on Dickens's lasting contribution to English literature and his continued popularity with readers after two hundred years. It will be marked by events, exhibits, and readings around the country, including the release of a new movie version of Great Expectations with Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Abel Magwiitch.
The Pickwick Papers on Monday, January 16;
David Copperfield on Monday, February 20;
Bleak House on Monday, March 19; and
Great Expectations on Monday, April 16.
Born February 7, 1812, Charles Dickens was one of the most famous and popular writers of the Victorian era. His first novel, The Pickwick Papers, became a popular phenomenon while still being published as a monthly serial, firmly establishing his career as an author. He would go on to write some of the best-known novels in English literature, including those mentioned above as well as such works as Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities, and A Christmas Carol. His books are characterized by colorful characters, elegant prose, complex plots, and engagement with social issues.
The bicentennial of his birth is an opportunity to reflect on Dickens's lasting contribution to English literature and his continued popularity with readers after two hundred years. It will be marked by events, exhibits, and readings around the country, including the release of a new movie version of Great Expectations with Helena Bonham Carter as Miss Havisham and Ralph Fiennes as Abel Magwiitch.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
HOLIDAY HOURS
Haverhill Library will be closed Dec 24th (Christmas Eve Day), and Dec 31st, (New Year's Eve Day)
Happy Holiday!
Happy Holiday!
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