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.
