His books should be read slowly. Most of them are long and require some time. There isn't a thrill-a-moment although thrills and adventure are not absent. He was what we call a keen observer and his eye was on the bootblack and the lawyer, the wealthy businessman and the pickpocket. His minor characters will remain in your memory long after the major characters of other novels have vanished. I don't know how he was able to pull that off but he does, over and over again. There is a lot of humor but some anger as well and you can sense that he knew what it was like to be powerless, poor, and humiliated. He also knew a vivid assortment of villains.
Why read Dickens? Because he will assure you that many of today's problems have always been about and in the drama of life we all play roles which are at times foolish, fumbling, desperate, and noble.
[My favorites are A Tale of Two Cities, Bleak House, and The Pickwick Papers.]
2 comments:
You should read Dickens for the same reason you should read Tolstoy: To understand life.
Dan,
Well put.
Michael
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