music, books, love and kindness

I watched "Dickensian" for the first time a few months ago and loved it far, far more than I ever could have dreamed, especially since I am not a big Dickens fan and had already kind of half-formed in my mind what the series would be like. I could not have been more wrong and despite hoping to watch it piecemeal so that it would last as long as possible I still ended up binge-watching it. I recommended it to some customers at the library where I work and they came back later and told me they loved it, too, and we got to talk about it, which I always find one of the best parts about reading a book or watching a tv show.

Despite my not being a Dickens fan I have always been drawn to Miss Havisham's part in Great Expectations and, sure enough, her story line (meshed in with those of all sorts of Dickensian characters, thus the name of the British drama) is as mesmerizing as it is heartbreaking. Tuppence Middleton is outstanding as Miss Havisham and, dare I say, may be the best one ever!

So when I read the article below (emphasis on the highlighted portion) I felt almost vindicated on Miss Havisham's behalf:

http://www.signature-reads.com/2018/03/heres-miss-havisham-can-teach-us-grief/?cdi=23CF0F99DEDE2BF3E0534FD66B0A902E&ref=PRH24BB520913



"Yet the  backstory interrupts notions Miss Havisham had been some delicate flower. Instead, evidence suggests that she had been a powerful woman who was strong enough to guard her own interests against the overt machinations of her half-brother, and she had felt confident in her self at such a level that she trusted that her evaluation of her fiancé was the correct one. Rather than allow herself to be talked out of pursuing her heart’s desire, she had stood up to those who had used bullying tactics to try to get her to give up her lover. Thus, when he failed to show up for their wedding, this wasn’t just a matter of losing a love relationship: it meant that Miss Havisham had learned that she could not trust her own judgment. Her belief in herself shatters in response to the betrayal, and Miss Havisham goes into an extended period of mourning. But the grief, I would argue, is not for the lost love. The grief is for herself and the complete loss of faith in her own abilities to understand people."