The Reader and the Writer Shari Dragovich and Rhea Forney

On this episode, Shari and Rhea wrap up their discussion of David Copperfield. They explore all the side stories and whether they were so much of “side stories” after all. They compare mother - child relationships, notice the many subtle—and not so subtle—Biblical connections, and recognize all the ways Dickens is plain old havin’ fun in this section: the theatrics, dramatic monologues, romanticism, stark contrasts of good and evil, and… the over-the-topness of Mr. Micawber’s speechifying. Oiy!! They also ask themselves who is the real hero of David’s story? And… do they still wonder if they made a mistake reading David Copperfield and Demon Copperhead back-to-back? This, and a lot more!
We’d love to hear from you! What do you think of the episodes? What would you like to hear more about when we discuss each story? Have any questions? What do you think of our assessments of characters and their motives? You can message us through the Reader & the The Writer, or through each of our personal Substack accounts: Shari Dragovich, or Rhea Forney.
Looking ahead to our next reads:
Summertime Reads:
* North Woods by Daniel Mason;
First episode dropping June 18th; “One” up to but not including “Letters to E.N.” (pp. 5-127); Episode 2: pp. 131-239; Episode 3: pp. 243-369 (end)
* Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Back to School YA Slam:
* The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
* Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayari
* You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins (Note: Shari misspoke when she named this title in the podcast… oops!)
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On this episode, Shari and Rhea discuss lots of “big picture” topics they are recognizing as they read: deep dives into character comparisons between David Copperfield and Demon Copperhead; recurring imagery and how theses things are telling a story behind the story; developing themes; and… why we even bother to spend the time reading and writing stories at all. Oh, and a long and winding discussion on character foils! It’s getting real, dear listener!
In our final episode of David Copperfield, we’ll be reading to the end. Look for this episode to drop June 11th.
Also, looking ahead to our next reads:
Summertime Reads:
* North Woods by Daniel Mason
* Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Back to School YA Slam:
* The Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt
* Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayari
* You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins
Thanks for listening to The Reader & the Writer! Subscribe to never miss an episode!

Music: Dawn by Ardie’s Son


This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thereaderandthewriter.substack.com

Much is happening in this middle section of David Copperfield! So, we’ve decided to divide this middle section of the story into two parts. In Part 1 of this section, Rhea and Shari discuss the specifics of the story: development of characters, ways the story is coming into its own and separating itself from Demon Copperhead in our minds, and how much we’re enjoying the movement happening here.
Music: Dawn by Ardie’s Son
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thereaderandthewriter.substack.com

Welcome back to our discussion of David Copperfield! In this episode, Rhea and Shari discuss Chapters 1-22 of David Copperfield. They do a deep dive into the various characters that have been introduced so far and compare them (because they can’t help it) to their dopplegangers in Demon Copperhead. Beyond this, however, they discuss the peculiarities of the time and place of David Copperfield that make the characters behave and spend their days as they do. They discuss the roles of women and the wide variation of female characters in the story. And they discuss the writing trick Dickens' employs to create caricatures out of several of his characters, quietly weaving satire and a kind of social commentary throughout the novel.


On the next episode, dropping May 14th, we’ll be discussing Chapters 23-42.
We’d love to hear from you! Post a comment or send us a message. And if you are enjoying The Reader & the Writer, please share it with you lit-loving friends. :)
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thereaderandthewriter.substack.com

This week Shari and Rhea begin reading David Copperfield. In this episode, they do a “warm up” to the reading; that is, an introduction to the time and place in which Dickens is writing. They share some of the more surprising struggles they’ve had while reading David Copperfield, and wonder if they’ve made a mistake in reading it back-to-back with Demon Copperhead. They talk about the difference between Regency and Victorian England, the messy emergence of England’s middle class, other British literature of the same era… but not exactly the same era, and how all this new understanding is helping them to pick up more of the satire and social commentary that Charles Dickens is putting down throughout the story.
The episode schedule for David Copperfield will be every two weeks. Below is the readings schedule with dates:
* May 14th: Chapters 1-22
* May 28th: Chapters 23-42
* June 11th: Chapters 43-64 + a short wrap up with the Great Story
We recommend finding a copy of David Copperfield that offers literary and/or historical commentary on Dicken’s and his writing of David Copperfield, as well as offers footnotes to give context to confusing words, phrases, or references. Rhea and I are reading from: the Penguin Classics Edition, and The Barnes & Noble Classics Series.
Read wide & read well, dear listeners. And live every day in witness to the Great Story.

Intro and Exit music: Dawn by Ardie’s Son



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This is our last episode on Demon Copperhead. Rhea and Shari talk about all that this story invited them--indeed, forced--them to consider in life: the difference between pity and compassion; how economic stability, or lack thereof, is directly connected to the dignity of the individual and a community; the evocation of Demon's character through his voice; the difference between focusing on problems v. solutions; and our God-given and ordained selves that are are made to love, and out of that love make new things.
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This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thereaderandthewriter.substack.com