There was a time when I would have wanted to pass this by, but knowing it was "good for me" I probably would have bought it to read 'some day'. This must come from being so horrified by images from Nicholas Nicholby when it was dramatized on Masterpiece Theatre a few decades ago that I could not bear to watch. I banished Dickens from my desired reading lists for a long time.
About two years ago, I took another look at Charles Dickens. When preparing materials for teaching third grade, I noticed some of his books were recommended. Specifically, The Child's Story, A Christmas Tree, and A Christmas Carol, were on the recommended reading list. I was familiar with A Christmas Carol, but not the others. After a trip to the library, I read and enjoyed them. I supposed that turned things around for me in my relationship to this author.
Having come to know Great Expectations since that time, and being entertained and impressed by Bleak House even more recently, I was motivated to give this little book a go.
Wow! I finally finished it this morning. Wow! I loved it. The brief criticisms included in the introduction were not enough, so when I'm done with this post I'll see if I can find some more notes on-line to help me thoroughly digest the work.
I am amazed that Dickens wrote so many great works in serial form. The formatting, space and time requirements must have been a nuisance or even a burden at times. I wonder how the works might have been different if he had been able to write without those curbs.
In other reading, I just completed Bartelby by Herman Melville, and just started Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. I'm finally remedying two great wrongs in my education: I am incredulous that I could graduate as an English major without reading Tale of Two Cities or Moby Dick.
6 comments:
While I was not an English major, I made it through high school and college with out touching many literary classics. I've tried to read a few of Jane Austen's, and I just couldn't do it.
I read a Tale of Two Cities in 9th grade and loved it. I'm sure you will too.
I read David Copperfield because it was "good for me" but did not enjoy it. Amazing that I did not read any Charles Dickens in four years of Honors English in high school and a couple of humanities classes in college.
Marie, I think you and I need to get together and share brain cells. Maybe between the two of us we can cover all those English major bases! My big embarrassing gap (or one of them) is Tolstoy--I could not get through either War & Peace or Anna Karenina. I also can't make myself read Tolkien (gasp--will I ever be welcomed at another Looper gathering?).
Hi Cheryl,
We read Tolkein's hobbit series around the table after dinners when I was a child at home. It took a long time, but it was most enjoyable to have the story unfold to all of us in the family together.
Anna Karinina took a long time to get through in parts, but it was worth it. I'd admit to skimming some of the landowner-peasant politics though. I thought the movie was fairly true to the book, and had lovely costumes too. Have you read Bonfire of the Vanities? It brings the story to New York, modernizes it, but has a very similar plot.
You know I was a late comer to Dickens too. Dickens is an A' level text in the UK (when I was young, anyway) so unless you choose a course in Victorian literature he doesn't appear much at university level. I remember making pretentious, embarrassing remarks about him to my A' level teacher when I was 18 or so, I regret it now! I adore Bleak House and Our Mutual Friend!
Post a Comment