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Charles Dickens

Roger53 said:
Having said that I read them slowly so I can get it all. But then I believe they were originally written as serials for the masses, so if they could handle his books, I should be able too as well.
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Most (all?) of his books written as serials, and readers looked forward to the next developments. Sometimes Dickens was publishing at the beginning when he had not yet finished writing the ending.

Also, of course, those were the days of no movies, no radio, no television but a literate middle class. They wanted a lot of book in a book in order to fill those long evenings.
 
Those who speak of the attractive qualities of Dickens novels often point out the multitude of characters, and I think this must be true. I have been watching the TV series Bleak House recently. I was having a bit trouble getting going on this book, and agree with Tundra that if I gave up "within the first after the first 30 pages I'd never read anything". The TV series is excellent and has got me reading the book with increased interest.

In one of my other favourite books, Fame is the Spur, by Howard Spring, early in the book a woman is reading to an older lady from a serial or book of Dickens. Working class people in the late 19th century. So books for the masses for sure.

My favourite book ever, From Here to Eternity, took me about the first 100 pages or so to really get into it. About 800 pages later I was sorry to see it end, even if the finale was sad but very well done. Sometimes books are worth a little peserverance.
 
The foresight of an unshakeable optimist...

Since the holidays are forthcoming to the literary and artistic scene, we will soon be deluged with nostalgic plays, TV programs and most folks with bookshelves will dust off Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' and put it on the coffee table. Unfortunately not all whom own his books peer inside, letting the cover do all the work of weaving yet another strand in the holiday warp.

It saddens me that Dickens' works are for the most part defined as 'holiday' pieces and only then even faintly perused... when the man, as a writer, shone so brightly among his peers, and whose writing incited almost revolutionary change in the societal attitude of his day, spanning all working classes from the lowliest beggar to the most pampered nobleman.

I think the most remarkable thing about Charles Dickens' writing is his irrepressible belief in the human ability to change behavior for the better... to recover the lost, precious vial of Compassion, drink of it and be filled once more with the warmth of humanity.

More than being a mere penner of fairy tales, Dickens puts in his pieces death, hardship, poverty, treachery, villainy, sorrow and cruelty...

Yet, amid it all the tiny seed of kindness grows up... so small that at first the reader is blind to it, more concerned with trying to hack through the maze of misery that the realists' brush so accurately painted. The black night overtakes the pages, and the cold hours before dawn chill us and hope is all but spent.

But... then comes the morning light; weak at first it appears, and we wonder at what we see. Is that a green plant growing there, there in all that despair? By George, it is! The dawn's light strengthens and the sun warms the air... the vine grows with it, budding and flowering until the weeds of woe are all but choked out.

A Dickens' ending is no mere annual vine; it does not wither when winter blows its cold ravings and icy screams; the roots go deep and take hold in good soil, the branches grow and harden, forming the strong rafters of a mighty hope. You know that the good in Dickens' stories perpetuated among the characters, all their lives.

His books remind us of exactly what humans are capable of; also his dedication reminds writers to write what we know... to write as if we love to do so.

Meredith Greene
 
I have a nice copy of Charles Dickens Christmas Stories and this Christmas I will be reading them.My copy though is on the coffee table all year round because it's over one hundred years old.Just been so busy reading other books.
 
Libra said:
I have a nice copy of Charles Dickens Christmas Stories and this Christmas I will be reading them.My copy though is on the coffee table all year round because it's over one hundred years old.Just been so busy reading other books.
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That's a nice idea, Libra. I haven't given thought of Christmas reading this year. Maybe I'll look around for something new.
 
I only got turned on to Dickens w/in the past year, & read 4 of his novels in a row. My favourite so far is Bleak House, but Ive also read David Copperfield, The Pickwick Papers, & Great Expectations. The guy is a comedic genius & a brilliant writer. He knocks me over every time.
 
Maybe a little bit off topic but I just wanted to check if you have seen a good TV or movie version of any Dickens work?
I remember watching an old black-and-white movie version of Oliver Twist when I was a child, and I remember that I was quite scared watching it.

Bu the way, I have never read any book by Dickens but I have Great Expectations sitting on my shelf. I would like to read it but somehow always skip it when go to grab a new book from the shelf. I have noticed that I tend to skip thick books (like 500+ pages). Does anybody else have similar problem?
 
Sin said:
Maybe a little bit off topic but I just wanted to check if you have seen a good TV or movie version of any Dickens work?
I remember watching an old black-and-white movie version of Oliver Twist when I was a child, and I remember that I was quite scared watching it.

Bu the way, I have never read any book by Dickens but I have Great Expectations sitting on my shelf. I would like to read it but somehow always skip it when go to grab a new book from the shelf. I have noticed that I tend to skip thick books (like 500+ pages). Does anybody else have similar problem?
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Theres the BBC adaption of Bleak House. I own it but havent watched it yet. Its supposed to be great.

Pick up Great Expectations. I know its sort of massive but its a such a treat, you wont mind the length.
 
I'm currently reading A Christmas Carol and so far I'm enjoying it very much.

The only other book by Dickens I've read was Little Dorrit and I really didn't like it. I read it when I was a child and I think I actually hated it then. I'm not even sure I finished it. Maybe I was just too young to enjoy it? I may give it another chance in the future.

I also own Oliver Twist but haven't read it yet.
 
I've checked the IMDB for Charles Dickens and it turns out that I actually watched "A Christmas Carol" TV adaptation from 1999 with Patrick Stewart in the main role.
I didn't know it was based on the Dickens' story. My son didn't want to watch it because it was too scary to him (I was the same at his age). It seems that Dickens' works are quite dark.
By the way, if you check IMDB for Charles Dickens it's amazing how many movies and TV series has been made by his works.
According to them the first one was "Death of Nancy Sykes" made in 1897. A short silent movie based on the Oliver Twist. Amazing!
 
ksheppard said:
I don't know if I can call myself a Dickens "fan" as I've only read David Copperfield - but I loved it. For me, the detail of the characters and the individual scenes is what makes the book, rather than the over-arching plot. The scene with Aunt Betsey and the donkeys is priceless!

By today's standards I found the book and the characters a bit too carefully constructed, it wasn't the kind of book where I lived and breathed through the character - more like watching a marvelously designed play, perhaps.
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I agree completely with you in regards to Copperfield. The characters are much more important than the plot, as I feel the purpose of the book was to create characters that connected more with the reader, as opposed to just telling a story.
 
I'm reading Great Expectations.

After an initial period of difficulty adjusting to the Victorian style of pros, and with some disincliment to continue the book (I perservered) I'm now convinced beyond any doubt that Dickens was an amazing, superlative novelist. I really wasn't sure at first - my only previous association with Dickens was a forced reading of David Copperfield in public school - an experience I suffered through.

Well, what to say?
It's enough to say that his novels have never been out of print, although the earliest were published in the 1830's.
That says something right there.
That he was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, in his own time, says something else.
Well, enough of all that.
To get to my own impressions:
Every character has depth and personality. Many of whom, so much so, that they have become iconic.
The pros?
Each sentence is perfectly phrased.
Every page or so, a passage stands out with such mastery of pros, that it becomes no wonder that he is among the most respected of authors in history. I've found myself trying to repeat certain ideas to my wife, and knowing the basic construction of the phrase, still failing miserably to capture the astounding nature of his words.
He was an effing genius, is all.
 
Finally finished with Great Expectations.
Can't say I flew through it. No, not an easy read for me. But a rewarding one. The lessons of the book are timeless and clear. It is as applicable now, as when it was first written. It's a nearly flawless novel. My only problem with it is the archaic language, much of which I struggled with.
But I would unhesitatingly recommend it to anyone.
I won't be reading any more Dickens for awhile though.
 
The language made it a little difficult for me, too. But like you said, it was well worth it.

I have David Copperfield on my reading list in the near future.
 
I have to admit I have not read all of his books :( BUT, ¨A Tale of Two Cities¨ is a fantastic book and I really enjoyed ¨David Copperfield¨ too! I have to read ¨Great Expectations¨as well, that is on my to read list, but it has been on it for years!

The characters in these books were very real to me too!
 
I have just finished by first Dicken's novel, Great Expectations, and I am eager to read more of his works. This was a surprise for me, as I have always been intimidated by what others have said about his writing. "Wordy" and "difficult" are the two most common adjectives that come to mind. I found his writing to be simple, a bit dramatic (which I didn't mind), and poignant at times. I adored the characters, and had no idea that Dicken's had such a sense of humor!

Any suggestions on my next Dicken's read? :)
 
libri vermis said:
I have just finished by first Dicken's novel, Great Expectations, and I am eager to read more of his works. This was a surprise for me, as I have always been intimidated by what others have said about his writing. "Wordy" and "difficult" are the two most common adjectives that come to mind. I found his writing to be simple, a bit dramatic (which I didn't mind), and poignant at times. I adored the characters, and had no idea that Dicken's had such a sense of humor!

Any suggestions on my next Dicken's read? :)
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I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Great Expectations. That was my first Dickens novel, too. Oliver Twist is fun, too, but my favorite (so far) is David Copperfield.
 
I just finished re reading Great Expectations, and i have to say i love it, it wasnt as wordy as people have told me althought it did take me a while to read. I've jsut started reading Hard Times as well, which so far has been good.
 
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