Week Three, Chapters 16-24, The Blue Castle CBBC

Past discussions:
Week One, Chapters 1-8
Week Two, Chapters 9-15

Welcome to Week Three of Cool Bloggers Book Club (CBBC) for The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery. This week we'll be discussing chapters 16-24. 

All page numbers refer to the version on Archive. 

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What happened in these chapters?

Valancy heads over to the House of Gay and takes over the housekeeping. She renews her friendship with Cissy. She enjoys having her own money and happily spends it on things her family would not approve of, including a low cut dress and a fancy hat. Her family tries to get her to come home. She GETS TO RIDE IN BARNEY'S CAR! Barney and Valancy do all sorts of fun things together, like go to the movies and get Chinese food. She goes to a party she shouldn't have gone to, but Barney saves the day. She falls in love with Barney.

Cissy dies, but not before she tells Valancy that the man she fell in love with refused to marry because her because he no longer loved her. When her baby died she was devastated. Valancy is figuring out the funeral details, but where will she go next?

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Hat mentions (why hats?):

"...Get your hat and coat and come now.” (page 142)

She got a pretty green crépe dress with a girdle of crimson beads, at a bargain sale, a pair of silk stockings, to match, and a little crinkled green hat with a crimson rose in it. (page 145)

She flung on her coat and pulled the little, twisty hat over her hair. (page 149)

Her little hat with its crimson rose was tilted down over one eye. (page 165)

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Last week's homework:

What was your scavenger hunt word? Did you find it in the reading? Where? (I think I found cat, smile, and teeth!)

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Lines of note:

Of course, the Stirlings had not left the poor maniac alone all this time or refrained from heroic efforts to rescue her perishing soul. (page 136)

Poor maniac!!

Dr. Stalling was not so sure of this and had no great liking for the task. He did not believe Valancy Stirling was out of her mind. She had always been queer. He, Dr. Stalling, had never been able to understand her. Therefore, beyond doubt, — she was queer. She was only just a little queerer than usual now.  (page 138)

Last week folks in the comments touched on the use of the verb ejaculate in the text. I have to admit that the use of queer here (along with the name Gay) made me sort of wonder about LMM. Of course, I'm used to the modern definitions of these words, but I was taken out of the text by passages like this.

"Miss Stirling can go if she pleases, or stay if she pleases. I made a fair bargain with her, and she’s free to conclude it when she likes. She gives me meals that stick to my ribs. She don’t forget to put salt in the porridge. She never slams doors, and when she has nothing to say she don’t talk. That's uncanny in a woman, you know, Mister. I’m satisfied. If she isn’t, she’s free to go. But no woman comes here in Jim Stirling’s pay. If any one does"—Abel’s — voice was uncannily bland and polite—"I"ll spatter the road with her brains. Tell him that with A. Gay’s compliments.” (page 141)

That's uncanny in a woman, you know. Yeah. 

Mrs. Frederick wept. It would really have been so much easier to bear if Valancy had died. She could have worn mourning then. (page 144)

Valancy's mother's arc is not very flattering in this book, is it?

Altogether, it seemed that Valancy’s matrimonial chances were never so bright as they were at Cecilia Gay’s funeral. (page 86)

This book is HILARIOUS. 

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Things I looked up:

supernal (page 150) - being or coming from on high

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How many times did the Blue Castle get name checked in these chapters?

EIGHT!! (page 119 x 2, page 127 x 4, page 129, page 159)

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Questions to ponder (as always, feel free to answer as many or few of these as you'd like - talk about what you want to talk about!):

1) What is Valancy going to do now? Surely she won't go back to her family?

2) Consider these two passages from the chapters:

Valancy was perfectly happy. Some things dawn on you slowly. Some things come by lightning flashes. Valancy had had a lightning flash. 
She knew quite well now that she loved Barney. Yesterday she had been all her own. Now she as this man’s. (page 157)

In just that infinitesimal space of time everything was changed. (page 158)

So this isn't necessarily love at first sight, but it does seem like it was sudden. What do you think about this? Do you think she would have "fallen in love" with the first guy who ever showed her interest or was kind to her or saved her from sexual assault at a party? Or do you think she really is in love with Barney? 

3) Did you think Cissy's death was sudden? How does it fit with the tone of the rest of the book?

4) Valancy did a lot of things for the first time: riding in a car, going to a Chinese restaurant, going to that party, watching a movie, buying a low-cut dress. What were you most excited about Valancy getting to do? What would you have done first if you had been in her shoes?

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Homework for you:

Let's do a close reading practice!  Lectio Divina ("sacred reading" in Latin) is a close reading practice based on a monastic Christian tradition, but we can apply it to non-theist works. It's a four-part process. This may not be precisely how you'd do this if you were at your local Bible study, but here's the guidance I'm offering you, based on information from here. 

First, flip through the chapters and wherever your finger lands on the page, you'll engage that word or phrase at four different levels.  

1) Narrative: Look at the quote and describe its place in the narrative. 

2) Symbolism: What metaphors are hidden in the text? What symbols do you see?

3) Reflection: How does this text speak to you in your life today?

4) Invitation: What action are you going to take?

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Upcoming CBBC schedule:

February 24: Chapters 25-32
March 3: Chapters 33-45
March 10: Wrap-up