Let me start by saying that I read Great Expectations not just one, but three times. Three. The first time was my choice. I knew it was required reading in high school, and I decided I wanted to read it for myself first. That way, dissecting it in school wouldn't spoil the book for me. This tactic worked very well for Pride & Prejudice. Since the moment I first read P&P, I have been an ardent Jane Austen fan and will be until the day I die. I was hoping for a similar result with Charles Dickens.
It didn't. I did not particularly enjoy my first reading of Great Expectations. It's a long book, and not really a happy one. Creepy even, occasionally. Not a book I really wanted to revisit. But I still had to read it for my high school English class. So I did.
And then came college. I was an English minor, so I read a lot of works that I wouldn't have had much experience with otherwise. Every good English minor is required to read some Charles Dickens. What was the assigned book? That's right. Great Expectations.
I've read it three times. I don't ever want to read it again. And unfortunately, that feeling seeped over into every other book written by Charles Dickens. I have studiously avoided all of his other works (even the harmless little A Christmas Carol).
It didn't. I did not particularly enjoy my first reading of Great Expectations. It's a long book, and not really a happy one. Creepy even, occasionally. Not a book I really wanted to revisit. But I still had to read it for my high school English class. So I did.
And then came college. I was an English minor, so I read a lot of works that I wouldn't have had much experience with otherwise. Every good English minor is required to read some Charles Dickens. What was the assigned book? That's right. Great Expectations.
I've read it three times. I don't ever want to read it again. And unfortunately, that feeling seeped over into every other book written by Charles Dickens. I have studiously avoided all of his other works (even the harmless little A Christmas Carol).
Which is why I put Oliver Twist on my Classics Club list. I knew I needed to give old Charles another chance. And this past week, I did. I'm happy to report that I'm glad I gave him another chance.
Why? Mostly for the writing. His writing is subtly satirical, something I absolutely love (might explain my obsession with Jane Austen). I didn't remember that from Great Expectations, but I certainly discovered that in Oliver Twist. Dickens is good at creating characters you love to love and characters you love to hate. (Fagin? Shudder.) And everything turns out so well. The bad guys are punished, the good guys live happily ever after, and a few even reform their ways just for good measure. Oliver Twist was a thoroughly satisfying story.
So am I a Dickens convert? I don't think I'll be adding him to my list of favorite authors anytime soon, but I am perfectly willing to give more of his books a chance. Any suggestions as to what I should pick up next?
Why? Mostly for the writing. His writing is subtly satirical, something I absolutely love (might explain my obsession with Jane Austen). I didn't remember that from Great Expectations, but I certainly discovered that in Oliver Twist. Dickens is good at creating characters you love to love and characters you love to hate. (Fagin? Shudder.) And everything turns out so well. The bad guys are punished, the good guys live happily ever after, and a few even reform their ways just for good measure. Oliver Twist was a thoroughly satisfying story.
So am I a Dickens convert? I don't think I'll be adding him to my list of favorite authors anytime soon, but I am perfectly willing to give more of his books a chance. Any suggestions as to what I should pick up next?
What are your experiences with Charles Dickens?
RSS Feed
