Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Darlings, We Just Love Miss Havisham And Estella, But We Do Not Love Rosa Dartle!!!!!!!!!


                         Nevertheless, girls, Rosa Dartle is one of the most fascinating of the Dickens
characters.  Unlike Miss Havisham and Estella, who dominate "Great Expectations," Miss Dartle
takes up not nearly as much space in "David Copperfield."  She is the spinster companion to
Mrs. Steerforth, plain to begin with, as befits a nineteenth century spinster, but ugly as well, due
to a disfiguring scar on her face, made by young James Steerforth, when he threw something at her.
Nevertheless, Miss Dartle nurses both a bitterness and a yearning for him, especially as he grows
into young manhood, so sexual repression is called into play here.

                          I have always wanted to tell "David Copperfield" from Rosa Dartle's point of
view, or, even better, tell her story alone.  As Dickensian as I claim to be, it would require a complete
immersion in all things nineteenth century British, and I do not know if I am up to the task.

                           But Rosa Dartle continues to fascinate. As I approach her presence each time
I read "David Copperfield," I can feel my nerves bristling.  She is one of Dickens' most tragic and
darkest characters.  What stops me from loving her, girls, is her lack of style, which is what Miss
Havisham and Estella have plenty of.  Rosa Dartle pales beside them.  She is almost the Alex
Forrest of "David Copperfield," a kind of "Fatal Attraction" spinster.

                            Approach with caution, loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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