sort of interesting reactions in Maria that presents a stark contrast to eveline (who marked by suppressing her emotions).

Assuming the wet substance is the clay in the title... was rather confused as to the significance. After some poking around on the internet, found that clay in the game would signify an early death. Makes it ironic that Ginger Mooney toasted to Maria's health

searched this up because was slightly confused. turns out it's a malapropism for Freeman's Journal, an Irish newspaper. curious as to why Joyce chooses to include this for one of the sisters (signifying a lack of educational opportunities?)

i didn't realize up until this point that we haven't heard the narrator speak (maybe as a result of his own version of paralysis?). the silence of the narrator is rather odd (and his concern with making too much noise, as though the corpse will awaken). this also made me think of mansfield's daughters of the late colonel where, despite their father's death, his presence is very much alive.

the fact that leila senses her lack of connection seems to come up multiple times in the story (with her lack of siblings, how her partners refer to others of presumably high status, and how she chooses to disembody the voices) makes her encounter with the fat man all the more striking. that uncomfortable scene feels somehow the least distorted/surreal

the amount of em dashes in this short story is wild. makes the dialogue so vivid at times, especially when the mother paused before saying "her". sometimes the emdash also allows certain details or the voice of the narration to slip in. sometimes acts as a corrector for something else a character might have said (etiquette expectations? cover up what they would like to say?)

there's something at once depressing and humorous about this section. josephine and constantia seem so mild and some ways repressed under their father to the point where managing their food seems exciting (even if their only answer is "eggs in various forms" which shows they don't really know what they would do). also almost an inversion of typical class structures where they bend over backwards to avoid angering their maid

starting to see a theme of food here (especially sweets with the earlier blancmange/jam/marmalade, the cake here, and the later very odd meringue section). also interesting that his appetite is described as "un-manlike" contrasts the nurse's almost insatiable one

dialogue patterns to indicate class stratifications (also see this with the Scotts)

interesting word choice in describing flowers that seem almost alive, especially when contrasting how mansfield portrays death as almost beautiful

interesting characterization of the narrator's voice and how the narrator sides with jose rather than laura despite laura being the protagonist

rather funny that betteredge characterizes himself this way when he so often comments on franklin's multiplicity

hahahaha miss clack's reaction to this would have been hilarious but i love ezra jenning's deliberate choice of the words "tyranny", "institutions", and "free country"

i love how Robinson Crusoe is such a running bit through throughout the entire story. also interesting word choice of "superstitious" on betteredge here right considering all he's been telling jennings about how he believes their experiment (which struck me as rather scientific) to be hocus pocus/trickery. the typical demarcation of superstition as part of an Indian worldview is now blurred

i'd felt rather neutral about franklin as a character up until this point, but the self-centeredness just shines through. despite Rosanna's tragedy, he manages to focus the entire story on himself. i wonder what would show if we were to count the number of times each character uses "my" or "mine" in their narratives

interesting that betteredge makes this comment on ezra jennings. there seems to have been traces of significance in the names of multiple characters (i.e. betteredge, spearman, sergeant cuff is particularly on the nose) and yet ezra jennings doesn't seem to hold the same weight in describing the character though this is the one betteredge chooses to comment on

Franklin has this odd mix of characteristics. at times, he is obtusely unaware of his social status at times and assumes immediate self-importance. at others, he knows exactly who to ask for favors. he has a headstrong approach with Rachel, but manages to wheedle/manipulate Betteredge. like godfrey, he seems to be a smooth talker. just not with the ladies.

the importance of Mr. Murthwaite struck me here. the insertion of a character with an Indian background allows Collins to speak on/dismiss factors of which he may not necessarily have firsthand knowledge. thinking about this in relation to Edward Said's Orientalism and whether Murthwaite, in some ways, strips away at making the "Orient" seem exotic (but at the same time, as it is written by and English author during a colonial period, how the Moonstone arguably remains a colonial text)

the clarity of the voice! the previous two narrators were marked by meandering storylines, personal tangents, and overall lack of self-awareness. as indicated even within the first couple paragraphs, mr. bruff, as a lawyer/solicitor, will likely keep only what's relevant and be much more careful with his wording/cognizant of his biases

another comparison to Betteredge, who says "Cultivate a superiority to reason, and see how you pare the claws of all the sensible people when they try to scratch you for your own good!" Betteredge beholds reason while Clack describes it as "carnal" and prefers faith. However, regardless of which they hold in higher regard, Collins seems to ridicule both of them

rather interesting how exact both Betteredge and Clack are about dates. there's a certain amount of precision that doesn't necessarily come with their other descriptions. also reminds me of the role of diaries and documentation in the story (first encountered Penelope's diary and now Clack's) --> the role of women as keepers of stories/histories? they seem to offer some certainty as to the story being told (without the blurs of memory) but at the same time, is distorted by the voice and values of the particular narrator

interesting way of introducing one's self. could be already an indicator that her voice will be drastically different from Betteredge (who often meanders)

rather amusing bit from Betteredge where he is both willfully and intentionally ignorant of reason, placing steadfastness with his lady's views in higher regard. seems like a thread that creates a good amount of tension where he attempts to fit the clues into predetermined conclusions without looking at the whole of evidence

Dismissal of Rachel's sudden change in temper towards Mr. Franklin in particular is written off as hysterics typical of women by the men in charge. Also ignored in favor of social customs rather than seen as something to be paid attention to

Betteredge's intensity in describing the visual appearance of characters is a little striking. Though the immediate judgments he makes based on them often seem to be disproven in reality (i.e. Seegrave and Cuff). Doesn't seem to be a great judge of character and complicates the narration by making him somewhat unreliable

This rather reminds me about the objective-subjective discussion between Franklin Blake and Betteredge in the last chapter. Subjective interpretation of objective facts?

Very interesting how deeply the story is buried. First through the format of the prologue and how the myth is buried within that story. Now, with Betteredge's continuous attempts to restart, the later story of the diamond. Was asking Betteredge the "right way" to say the story if he seems to be so often sidetracked? Or was it precisely because he goes on tangents that his is the "right way" of telling it? What defines right here?

not sure if this is comparable, but these couple passages reminded me so strongly of Mr. Collins in Pride and Prejudice (and I think the two are somewhat contemporaries?). There is the same deference to a particular lady, the economical view of marriage, the sort of easily wounded self-importance, and assumption that they know whats best for the women they're pursuing. Could potentially be related to social class. Also just so amused by how he describes marriage as misunderstandings on the stairs but also believes himself to have much depth in thinking