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<p>Answer is pretty obvious. It can even be faily easy to find out of print books, thanks to the internet. But think of what Dawsey and Juliet would have missed out on if he had been able to get Charles Lamb on amazon.com!</p>
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<p>Agreed. But I think I’ll skip that book on Phrenology. And to be perfectly honest, I opened up Essays of Elia by Charles Lamb in a burst of optimistic enthusiam…and closed it again pretty quickly. It begins: </p>
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<p>And that’s just the first sentence. I could have handled it in college, but just don’t have the stamina anymore. It does give me new respect for Dawsey, however. :)</p>
<p>Okay, I guess I’m not ordering Essays of Elia anytime soon. I don’t care to think that hard in the summer (or winter, spring or fall for that matter). Maybe I will just rent Wuthering Heights on a hot day instead of doing any house/yard work.</p>
<p>I’m guessing that the many suggestions on casting Dawsey, Mark and Sidney mean that most of the posters here are female, but I can’t rest easy or make a more substantive comment until we’ve identified some female stars. Gwyneth Paltrow comes to mind for Juliet; she’s done the accent successfully several times before. We also need an Elizabeth, and I nominate Kate Winslet. I do think the book is well suited to be a movie; I see each letter’s segment starting with the writer putting pen to paper and a voiceover reciting the opening lines, then a transition to a scene (often a flashback) depicting the letter’s content. It’s been playing in my head for days now!</p>
<p>Sorry for the digression–carry on!</p>
<p>MommaJ, like you I spent more time imagining who would be the lead actresses, how about Nicole Kidman as Juliet, Renee Zellweger as Elizabeth. LOL, yes, i just saw Cold Mountain yesterday, so could be influencing me right now.</p>
<p>Question ?
How important do you think the specific literary works mentioned by each character, is to the deeper understanding of each member of the Guernsey group? </p>
<p>The author hit the reader over the head with the Pride and Prejudice comparisions, as if the names Dawsey and Elizabeth weren’t enough of a clue. But, didn’t reveal much about the other books mentioned by the club members.</p>
<p>I wondered about the “significance” of the less familiar literary works ( to me) mentioned as each literary club member introduced themselves. </p>
<p>A quick review of some of these books mentioned
Selected Essays of Elia Lamb
Elizabeth and her German Garden (mentioned by Elizabeth when the Germans found them the first night) Does this work really exist?
Wuthering Heights- Isola ( I got this Heathcliff on the bluffs, unrequited love, class struggle, enduring love)
The Pickwich Papers- Amelia (mentions this was uplifting read for her)</p>
<p>Juliet’s bio of ANne Bronte - least known of sisters
First weekend together a Sophie and Juilet read- Wuthering Heights, Jane Eyre, Agnes Grey, Shirley, The Tenant of Wildfell hall. </p>
<p>Selections from Shakespeare- Eben Ramsey- “Mr Dickens and mr Wordsworth wrote about men like me” - Eben read to impress a love interest. </p>
<p>So these are just some of the selections,
and just curious if others felt the selected works were significant to understanding at a deeper level.
(Let’s not forget that the auther is a bookstore owner writing about a literary society)</p>
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<p>And of course, Juliet bears the name of the quintessential romantic heroine. Fortunately, she meets a happier fate.</p>
<p>I googled Elizabeth and her German Garden and it does exist. Amazon says this in its review: “First published anonymously in 1898, this beautiful chronicle of languid days spent in a rejuvenating Italian garden was a tremendous bestseller at the turn of the century, its cheerful satire and fresh charm endearing it to millions of readers.” The author actually was Countess Elizabeth von Armin. She apparently wrote a series of books.</p>
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<p>This question made me realize that a quick read—so easy to do with this book—can mean missing some of the novel’s complexities. I started thinking about Charles Lamb again (feeling bad about having abandoned him after the first sentence of Essays of Elia) and looked him up on Wikipedia to seek out a connection between him and Dawsey. </p>
<p>And what do you know? Charles Lamb “suffered from a stutter and this ‘inconquerable impediment’ in his speech” disqualified him for a clerical career. Dawsey’s (former) stutter is mentioned a couple of times in the book, but did either he or Juliet ever draw the comparison to Charles Lamb? I don’t think so, but maybe I missed it. In reading Lamb’s biography, I also thought that his tender care of his ill sister Mary was similar to Dawsey’s care of Remy. Dawsey writes about Lamb, “he had to watch her like a hawk for the awful symptoms, and she herself could tell when the madness was coming on and could do nothing to stop its coming—that must have been worst of all.” Almost a foreshadowing of the scene in the book when Remy becomes hysterical upon seeing the dog.</p>
<p>And as long as I’m on a Charles Lamb roll, I’ll add that Dawsey’s comment about Lamb in his very first letter to Juliet introduces a theme that runs through all the different stories: “For all his bright and turning mind, I think he must have had a great sadness in his life.” Isn’t this so true of almost every character?</p>
<p>^^^^Onward, nice info, remember Elizabeth asked the German officers if they had read the work, so I thought it must be real, but the name seemed somewhat glib- “Elizabeth and the German Garden”— thanks for finding that info. </p>
<p>And, great info Mary about Lamb, and the similarities with Dawsey! No doubt Shaffer (author) put much effort into her book references. Turns out a book inspired her to write about the Guernsey Isles during WW2.
Jersey Under the Jackboot- by Charles Maugham
<a href=“http://www.guernseyliterary.com.au/readingnotes.pdf[/url]”>http://www.guernseyliterary.com.au/readingnotes.pdf</a></p>
<p>Here’s another thought about the book-character connections: Mark is an expert on Wilkie Collins, an author who (Juliet tells Sidney) “maintained two separate households with two separate mistresses and two separate sets of children.” Perhaps this was a subtle way of suggesting that if Juliet stuck with Mark, fidelity and marital bliss would not be in her future.</p>
<p>By the way, I looked up Wilkie Collins and learned that not only did he have an unusual love life and an addiction to laudanum, he was also convinced “that he that he was constantly accompanied by a subjective doppelg</p>
<p>^^^ LOL, why not hope for cooking and cleaning ! </p>
<p>Interesting point about Wilkie Collins, and Juliet’s comment. Mark, always impressed me as Donald Trump, successful, but with questionable morals. </p>
<p>For those of you who would like a little trip to Guersney, here’s a good link
[Welcome</a> to Guernsey Scenes](<a href=“http://www.cwgsy.net/private/baf/htm_files/photo_galleries.htm]Welcome”>Welcome to Guernsey Scenes)</p>
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<p>Post-war, I imagine that a “Mark” could have had his pick of women willing to marry him to end their deprivation.</p>
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<p>Yep. And I suspect they wouldn’t be the least put off by his questionable morals. ;)</p>
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<p>MommaJ, I like your idea of Kate Winslet, but I think she would do even better as Juliet (right age, too). I wish Keira Knightley were a little older and then I’d cast her in the Elizabeth role. I thought she was wonderful as Cee in “Atonement” and I can see her giving Adelaide Addison a good clip across the chops.</p>
<p>Could we put Emma Thompson somewhere, please? Maybe as Amelia?</p>
<p>^^^Mary great selections… Keira, Emma and Kate…so perfect. </p>
<p>The movie rights were sold in 2008, and you can google this info if you would like to see who bought them, not the usual players. So we will all folllow their production with great interest. </p>
<p>I would like to ask your views about another aspect of this book-
Elizabeth’s relationship with the German soldier.
Why do you think the author constructed this relationship? </p>
<p>Is it possible it was “true” love, or that Elizabeth a proven survivor may have used that relationship and it’s benefits to “help” others?</p>
<p>Re:
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<p>I hadn’t thought of it that way, but it could be true, considering that Elizabeth was willing to sacrifice everything, including her life, to help others.</p>
<p>I interpreted Elizabeth’s love for Christian as genuine, and yet, I wouldn’t be surprised if at the outset, she deliberately chose to fall in love with him because she knew she shouldn’t. Elizabeth is selfless, but not in the same way as someone like the saintly Melanie from Gone With the Wind. Elizabeth’s sacrificial nature goes hand-in-hand with a “don’t-you-dare-tell-me-what-to-do” spirit of rebelliousness.</p>
<p>RE: Why do you think the author constructed this relationship?</p>
<p>An obvious reason for the author to “construct” the relationship between Elizabeth & Christian is to further explore the perdicament of those living on the island. Elizabeth (and any other single young women on Guernsey) were sort of stuck between their nature (to be attracted to young, healthy single men) and their allegence to their country. An interesting dilemma and irresistable for an author.</p>
<p>Off-topic a little bit, but did anyone ever see the movie “Summer of My German Soldier” (or read the book by Bette Greene)? It’s about the relationship between a young Jewish girl living in Arkansas and a German P.O.W. I saw it as a teenager and was very moved by the story. It’s not a romance, so can’t be compared in that way with Elizabeth-Christian, but it makes similar observations about defying social norms and reaching out to the “enemy.”</p>
<p>Back on topic, for those looking for a little structure, we’ve covered (either accidentally or on purpose) the first six questions of the reading guide. Here are the next two, both about Elizabeth-Juliet parallels:</p>
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<p>Regarding question no. 6…have you ever lived in a small town (or on an island)? There are critical busybodies everywhere, but most of them have LOTS of people to watch and criticize…in a small town/on an island, there are fewer people, so I think the focus becomes more intense.</p>
<p>PLUS, the Germans were the enemy. They were doing very bad things. I can understand how someone on an occupied island would paint them with a very broad stroke and think that everyone else should hate every one of them.</p>
<p>Finally finished the book. I hid out in my room yesterday afternoon and read. Felt almost guilty. I enjoyed the book and I am enjoying all of the sharing from all of you on the book.</p>