Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 10th

Subject: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 10th
From: Mbo
Date: 10 Dec 99 - 08:58 AM

Well, of late I've been doing some thoughtful stuff, so todays fun is a passage from one of my favorite books of all time "The Pickwick Papers" by Charles Dickens. This passage is LOADED with grat quotes that can be used in everyday conversation (a word of introduction--Sam Weller is writing a love letter and his father, Mr.Tony Weller, is helping him):

Mr.Weller resumed his pipe with critical solemnity, and Sam once more commenced, and read as follows:
"'Lovely creetur i feel myself a dammed'--"
"That ain't proper," said Mr.Weller, taking his pipe from his mouth.
"No; it ain't 'dammed,'" observed Sam, holding the letter up to the light, "it's 'shamed,' there's a blot there--'I feel myself ashamed.'"
"Wery good," said Mr.Weller. "Go on."
..."'Feel myself ashamed and completely circumscribed in a dressin' of you, for you ARE a nice gal and nothin' but it.'"
"That's a wery pretty sentiment," said the elder Mr.Weller, removing his pipe to make way for the remark.
..."Wot I like in that 'ere style of writin'," said the elder Mr.Weller, "is that there ain't no callin' names in it,--no Wenuses, nor nothin' o' that kind. Wot's the good o' callin' a young 'ooman a Wenus or a angel, Sammy?" ..."You might jist as well call her a griffin, or a unicorn, or a king's arms at once, which is wey well known to be a col-lection o' fabulous animals," added Mr.Weller.
"Just as well," replied Sam.
"Drive on, Sammy," said Mr. Weller.
Sam complied with the request, and proceeded as follows...
"'Afore I see you, I thought all women was alike."
"'But now," continued Sam, 'now I find what a reg'lar soft-headed, inkred'lous turnip I must ha' been; for there ain't nobody like you, though I like you better than nothin' at all.' I though it best to make that rayther strong," said Sam looking up.
Mr.Weller nodded approvingly, and Sam resumed.
"'So I take the privilidge of the day, Mary, my dear--as the gen'l'm'n did, ven he valked out of a Sunday,--to tell you that the first and only time I see you, your likeness was took on my hart in much quicker time and brighter colours than ever a likeness was took by the profeel macheen (wich p'raps you have heerd on Mary my dear) altho it DOES finish a portrait and put the frame and glass on complete, with a book at the end to hang in up by, and all in two minutes and a quarter.'"
"I am afeerd that werges on the poetical, Sammy," said Mr.Weller, dubiously.
"No it don't," replied Sam, reading on very quickly, to avoid contesting the point:
"'Except of me Mary my dear as your walentine and think over what I've said.--My dear Mary I will now conclude.' That's all," said Sam.
"That's rather a sudden pull up, ain't it, Sammy?" inquired Mr.Weller.
"Not a bit on it," said Sam; "she'll vish there wos more, and that's the great art o' letter writin'."


--Mbo

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 10th
From: Neil Lowe
Date: 10 Dec 99 - 09:29 AM

....silver-tongued devil, that Sammy.

What a command of the English Language Dickens had, and a prolific writer, to boot. Marvelous passage, Mbo.

Neil

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 10th
From: Peter T.
Date: 10 Dec 99 - 10:59 AM

I think it was Thackeray who said that Dickens was a completely undeserved and unexpected gift. He went on to say that what you could expect out of English literature was an occasional great novelist or two per generation, and you could expect him or her to be a little original. There was no reason for Dickens -- he just arrived one day like a big explosion, like a hurricane -- and you just had to stand back and enjoy. Like this. yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Mbo's Quote O' The Day--Dec 10th
From: Mbo
Date: 10 Dec 99 - 11:43 AM

Thanks, folks. My needs must leave you now, for I'm headed off to no-modem land. If I can't get the connection to work, look for my return on Sunday night. Don't start too many threads without me!

--Mbo