The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

furze -noun
Very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe

One of the characters is a besom-maker
besom- -noun
A broom made of twigs tied round a stick

heath- noun
1. A low evergreen shrub of the family Ericaceae; has small bell-shaped pink or purple flowers
2. [Brit] A tract of level wasteland; uncultivated land with sandy soil and scrubby vegetation

I'm behind also, still on Book 1. The dialect sections slowed me down.

One more quaint regional term, seemingly more in this novel than others I've read.

reddleman, redirected to raddleman--
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/def...

reddle
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/def...

Does anyone know why they would mark their sheep with this? Not to identify them if everyone's using the same color.

Rochelle wrote: "Does anyone know why they would mark their sheep with this? Not to identify them if everyone's using the same color. ."

No reason why not, not if the farmers had different marks and/or put them in different places on their particular sheep.

Rochelle wrote: Does anyone know why they would mark their sheep with this? Not to identify them if everyone's using the same color. ."

One thing they use it for, apparently, is to put it on the chests of the rams so they can tell which ewes have been mounted and bred. They can either spread it directly on the ram's chest, or there is also a harness they can use which apparently holds the raddle.

This from a site which even today sells raddle for sheep:
https://www.premier1supplies.com/shee...

Amazing that a technique in use at least 200 years ago still seems state of the art!

Rochelle wrote: "furze -noun
Very spiny and dense evergreen shrub with fragrant golden-yellow flowers; common throughout western Europe

One of the characters is a besom-maker
besom- -noun
A broom made of twigs ti..."

Thanks for the work on this Rochelle, so helpful!

Everyman wrote: "Rochelle wrote: Does anyone know why they would mark their sheep with this? Not to identify them if everyone's using the same color. ."

One thing they use it for, apparently, is to put it on the c..."

ew. This grosses me out for some reason.

Nicola wrote: "Dianne wrote: this is hilarious! But do tell, what is our Sexy Symbolism square?? "

Oh the whole first chapter - the dark and brooding heath country being separated from heaven by clouds and 'exha..."

Well done! Exhaling darkness indeed!

LindaH wrote: "Re Dianne's question re Hardy's intentions with Eustacia:

Since the descriptions of Eustacia emphasize her loneliness, I thought this line about the heath in the first chapter might fit her:

“As ..."

It certainly does seem that way! She was set apart from the very beginning!

Nicola wrote: "Rochelle wrote: But it's not true of his books in general. ."

I can't remember the ones I've read in perfect enough detail to say. I know that alcohol was a Bingo square in [book:The Mayor of Cast..."

this discussion makes me think Nicola should run a bingo for all of the RR group reads :)

Roman Clodia wrote: "Just to go back to the heath (sorry, I'm trailing behind in my reading!): I love the connections to both Macbeth's heath and the wood in Athens, but it also seems in Hardy to be setting a moral - o..."

Love the Shakespeare comparisons Roman Clodia, thanks for sharing!

Ryan wrote: "My experience with Hardy so far has been "The Mayor of Casterbridge" and "Jude the Obscure" and I enjoyed both. I am enjoying our read so far, but I can't recall the epic descriptions Hardy employs..."

Ryan, how are you liking the book at this point?

If there weren't a lot of shepherds in a vicinity, they could mark them in different places: left shoulder, right shoulder, etc.

I'm only a few books through part one. I do love Hardy's description and I get where you're coming from, Dianne. I also understand your frustration, Ryan, growing out of a feeling that there is just too much of it. So I thank you, Everyman, for your explanation that the Heath is a character and how it has an effect on everyone.

I'm so late in coming to this, but as it's Hardy I feel that I must persevere. He hasn't
disappointed yet! I have a combination of my 'mate' Alan Rickman (I met him once briefly; one of my few claims to fame! :p) and my own eyes, so I really do think that the combined approach is working well in this case. Let's hope that it continues. I am unfortunately a slow reader so the chances of catching up are slim to unlikely!

I love your highlighting of the humour, Dianne. The answer given to the poor soul having had his marriage proposal very cruelly rejected: "Not encouraging I own, Fairway."
I love the unexpected humour in Hardy. It never fails to bring me up short!

That is very astute of you, Robin, to find the links to Shakespeare here. My Shakespeare knowledge is so poor that I recognised only your three witches refere

I've just finished Book One! I'm so glad to see Hilary is in about the same place. :D

Things I've been thinking as I read the book...

1) I also see correlations between Wuthering Heights and RotN. There's setting, of course. Plus, Eustacia and Damon remind me of Cathy and Heathcliff. Twisted and prideful, likely to cause misery to everyone around them. Tomasin and Clym could easily go the way of Cathy's brother and sister-in-law.

2) Mrs. Yeobright seems an interesting character. She's also a very proud person. It must have been something when she stood up in church and denied the bans! It looks telling that Damon Wildeve (yes, fabulous names) seems almost as interested in getting his own back from her by ditching her niece. She (and her family) seems to have some standing, so I have to wonder if that was part if Tomasin's attraction.

3) Diggory Venn, the Reddleman, is probably my favorite creation in literature for a long while. He's just so unusual and vivid!



Things I've been thinking as I read comments...

1) I was killed by the picture in Everyman's link of those poor lady sheep doing the walk of shame with their painted bums.

2) The Heath looks so pretty in the pictures but I don't get the impression that it's a fun place to live.

3) Thank you, Rochelle, for the glossary. It was very helpful.

4) Yes, the superstition and fear of the dark surprised me, too, in people who have spent their whole lives on the Heath. Which also makes me think it must be pretty creepy at night.

I'll probably get into Book Two this weekend. Clym imminent arrival was a great cliff-hanger for me. (Hardy. Cliffhanger. Heehee.)

The difference with Wuthering is that Cathy and Heathcliff were passionately in love, and I don't think Damon and Eustacia are. Cathy married Edgar to get a better life, not because she loved him.

Eustacia's already looking at someone else who might take her to Paris. Wildeve's 's willing to marry someone else, or not, or yes, or no...

Strange that the man in the title didn't show up till page 140.