@mame-musing
Glad to hear that you liked Bleak House. It also reminded me that I own a copy that I haven’t read yet. Perfect for Victober. “The Woodlanders” is very good and just doesn’t get cited for reviews as much as Hardy’s other novels. It has one of my favorite Hardy characters, Giles Winterbourne. In it also there are vivid descriptions of the forest and trees. It’s a refreshing departure from Hardy’s frequent description of miles of heath and downs. On those slim Hardy volumes it may be helpful to check the copyright and title pages to be sure they aren’t abridged versions. A few of them are second tier Hardy. If “The Well-Beloved” is among them I would give reserve it to read last. It’s Hardy’s worst book and would I recommend not reading it all unless you are determined to be a Hardy completist. I hope you enjoy whichever books you choose. Good to see a video from you, Tilly.
@ArtBookshelfOdyssey
Those Dickens' look amazing! I love old books. I can't believe I didn't get any Dickens on my TBR LOL!
@denisadellinger4543
The Way We Live Now takes care of several of the prompts. I'm reading it now because I want to read other Victorian novels in October. This is over seven hundred pages. I'm halfway through and think I'll never get it done. It is so good! Did you say you had The Laodicean by Thomas Hardy? That one may cover the new woman. The woman inherits a castle. Her father is not aristocracy. There is photo manipulation and trains and telegraphs in the book. Some have reviewed it badly, but I liked it. The Woodlanders is good. But if you have read Hardy, You know what he writes. But they just say that if you read Victorian Literature, you have participated in Victober.
@faithbooks7906
I am planning to read Little Dorrit! I am reading half in October and half in November.
@danieljackson3367
The Hardy novel that is a New Woman novel is Jude the Obscure. I don't know if you're read it, but if not I'd definitely recommend it - it's one of his most famous and best novels. I love The Mayor of Casterbridge and The Woodlanders is good too, but they probably don't fit so naturally into any of the challenges. As for why some of the Hardy novels are less well known, Hardy divided him novels into three classes - Novels of Character and Environment, Romances and Fantasies and Novels of Ingenuity. Novels of Characters and Environment were what Hardy regarded as his major novels that had not been unduly influenced by commercial imperatives and serialised publication, such as Tess of the d'Urbervilles, The Mayor of Casterbridge, Jude the Obscure, Far from the Madding Crowd, The Return of the Native, The Woodlanders and Under the Greenwood Tree. In the middle were the Romances and Fantasies - The Trumpet-Major, A Pair of Blue Eyes, Two on a Tower and The Well-Beloved. The Novels of Ingenuity were novels that were more plot-driven and sometimes implausible or unrealistic in the things that happened - Desperate Remedies (which is a sensation novel and Hardy's first published novel), A Laodicean and The Hand of Ethelberta. I think it's true that the Novels of Characters and Environment form the core of Hardy's achievement of a novelist, although I also really like A Pair of Blue Eyes, Two on a Tower and The Well-Beloved. In terms of other things you mentioned that I've read, I really like The Mill on the Floss but it is quite a polarising novel! I loved In Memoriam A.H.H. and I also have that anthology of Victorian poetry. I found the commentary and notes it has on the poems and poets really useful and interesting. Hope you have an enjoyable Victober!
@TheEclecticLibrary
I love hearing about all of the charity shop finds, I too collect antique books from Oxfam 😂 Found a Milton from 1843 recently!! What a great video, I look forward to hearing how your Victober goes
@kathleencraine7335
Little Dorrit is wonderful. Long, but so worth it. Three Hardys to recommend (alas, NOT first person or New Woman): The Mayor of Casterbridge, A Pair of Blue Eyes and Under the Greenwood Tree. All 3 have outsiders. Two short first-person novellas by George Eliot: The Lifted Veil and Brother Jacob. Have you read the author Margaret Oliphant? Her novel "Hester" (1883) might be just before "The New Woman" wave, but it has 2 very strong women: a bank owner and her niece, and certainly foreshadows that movement.
@fernandamurari8577
I read somewhere that The Woodlanders was amongst Hardy's favourites!
@novelideea
I feel your pain. Wanting to read what you have, what’s new to you, but not sure if what you have fits the prompts… I have buddy reads for Agnes Grey and Nicholas Nickleby - both are rereads but haven’t been read in a very long time. I’m also planning on 3 men in a boat, & king Solomon’s mine. I think I’m going to have to shoehorn them into the prompts as I read them! I have “old wives tale” by Bennett who did have works published in Victorian era but Old Wives is just after… still, I may read it anyway ☺️
@fernandamurari8577
About your question: no, I don't think A Pair of Blue Eyes would qualify directly for one of the challenges. Not directly I would say from what I remember. The question of double standards in Victorian morality I would say is the main theme and love, of course... But it would be a good place to start if your ultimate goal is to tackle that backlog! ☺
@scallydandlingaboutthebooks
I am sure you'll find an author new to you in the lovely poetry book. If we read Mrs Warren's Profession you'll have a New Women thing. First person is the trickier one from your pile. David Copperfield and Great Expectations are the Dickens first person narratives, not Little Dorrit alas. But in better news, The Mill on the Floss narrator does use the first person voice I think, even though they are unnamed.
@fernandamurari8577
Hello! You have a very beautiful collection of Victorian literature! It has me a bit envious 😍... You have mentioned a Hardy book that is one of my favourites: A Pair of Blue Eyes. Maybe you could read it and post your opinion about it. Thank you!
@TootightLautrec
You inspire me to get out all the books by Dickens and Hardy that I have, but haven't read. The guilt! I'll be interested to know who you find for your new woman poet, and also if any of the small Hardy's end up to be something you'll recommend. Thanks to Ros, I'm listening to Gaskell's North & South on Audible (even though it's not October (gasp!)), and I'm loving it.
@Dinadoesyoga
Regarding Hardy's lesser works: I don't think any of them are official new woman works, but A Pair of Blue Eyes, The Hand of Ethelberta, and A Laodicean have to do with women being independent (or trying to be) of men to a certain degree or working for a living. Jude, the Obscure's Sue is considered a new woman character, but not sure if that's one you got there.
@patriciapendlbury2603
Please hold the books up higher and longer
@js.3490
First time seeing your channel. You are utterly charming and well spoken. I love your interest in Victorian Literature. My only recommendation is to make sure you don't get an abridged volume. These authors you mention should only be read completely, you would miss too much otherwise. I do notice that your contributors are all women. I am not. Do you run a women only channel? I ask because many female book tubers aim their content to women only. If so, then I will delete my comment. Anyways...thank you for posting, I enjoyed watching. P.S. Mill on the Floss was a better than expected book by Eliot. What an incredible mind she had!
@katehowereads