Loved it. I’d add that Chesterton made almost this exact case defending Dickens against charges of superficiality, arguing that critics who found him shallow simply couldn’t grasp that there’s foam on top of deep water, that comedy and depth aren’t opposites.
Thank you very much! Critics who argue such points miss the depths of the ocean laying underneath the foam, as you say. Our scholars to this have been making new discoveries upon rereads of his work. Thank you for reading!
Just finished a re-read of Great Expectations courtesy of Anton Lesser’s perfect rendering of the novel in all its glory.
Couldn’t agree more with you: vivid characters, dramatic plot points wonderfully crafted, heartfelt moments, and delightful humor in sometimes unexpected places that left me laughing aloud.
I agree with all the reasons. I would like to add one. His humanism. Through all the harsh critiques, his belief in the ultimate human spirit shines through. His villains are relatable and his conclusions are very grounding.
Another great reason to add indeed! His criticisms though harsh are warranted, but his compassionate heart shines through regardless. Thank you for reading!
His characters are sometimes larger than life but I read him because they are like actual life - imperfect, messy, complex - as well as interesting and often funny. I see mirrors of my own life times in all the books. That - along with my love of his command of language, is why I read them.
Dickens is always relevent, but the medium of print is becoming less and less accessible to modern readers. Audio is a great compromise, and I listen to audio books a lot. But something of the depth of a book can be lost in audio alone. We have to find a way to retrain modern readers on how to read long books. I dont know how to do that, but it's the current issue in maintaining a well educated, literate society that can appreciate both history and literature.
Dickens is my favorite author. I have read all of his novels, some several times. I love him for all of the reasons you state. Nothing is better than the old man throwing vegetables over the fence at Mrs. Nickelby or the intricate plotting of Our Mutual Friend. There is always something new to discover in his novels. They are wise, witty, and wonderful!
Those are excellent words to describe his work: wise, witty, and wonderful. Many of our community members have found much to discover upon rereading. In fact, our co-director John Jordan, is particularly excited to share a new discovery of his during the upcoming Dickens Universe!
I agree with all of the above and would add that he has a profound understanding of human nature. The way he shows how different individuals respond to poverty and riches in Little Dorrit makes it one of my favourites of his works. I have to admit that as a teenager I did not have the attention span to read Dickens but after watching the BBC adaptation of Bleak House as an adult I knew I needed to give him another try. It's so depressing that I can't get a copy of Nicholas Nickelby or Little Dorrit at my public library because they have been archived due to lack of interest.:( I am currently slowly working my way through Our Mutual Friend on Project Gutenberg. Glad I came across your group!
Yes, we agree! Dickens does have a very profound understanding of human nature. His characters from the outside appear to be mere caricatures, which they are to an extent, but many of them are also deep explorations of he nuances within people of various backgrounds. Each one is quite alive.
May I ask which BBC adaptation you watched of Bleak House? One of the events at our upcoming Dickens Universe in Santa Cruz will be focusing on comparing and contrasting the different TV adaptations of the novel instead of our usual film viewing.
I do also hope that you are able to read Nicholas Nickleby and Little Dorrit soon and that you enjoy your reading of Our Mutual Friend.
It was the BBC Bleak House Adaptation done in 2005 :) It convinced me that I had been missing out on truly great stories by a great storyteller and that the digging of reading might be work but it would be worth it because I would find gold.
Ah, yes! I was particularly excited at seeing Charles Dance among the cast. As someone who has begun reading this novel, I can say that yes—it is work, but I have been consistently finding gold!
A great-uncle living in the US sent a draft in a latter to my godmother. She was instructed to: 'Give each one of those three children a book by Charles Dickens. He's the greatest writer of all time, and I do not want my relatives to grow up as barbarians'. (We lived in Germiston, South Africa.)
A week before my ninth birthday I received Great Expectations. Immediately I bonded with Pip. Reading on the way to and from school, the book finished too soon. So I turned right back to the opening words.
At sixteen I became the youngest member of the then Johannesburg branch of The Dickens Fellowship.
Since the age of eight I became, and remain, a Dickens fan. He's still the greatest writer in my submission.
It was the best of substacks, it was the worst of substacks.
That is our hope, at least. Thank you for being here!
Loved it. I’d add that Chesterton made almost this exact case defending Dickens against charges of superficiality, arguing that critics who found him shallow simply couldn’t grasp that there’s foam on top of deep water, that comedy and depth aren’t opposites.
Thank you very much! Critics who argue such points miss the depths of the ocean laying underneath the foam, as you say. Our scholars to this have been making new discoveries upon rereads of his work. Thank you for reading!
Just finished a re-read of Great Expectations courtesy of Anton Lesser’s perfect rendering of the novel in all its glory.
Couldn’t agree more with you: vivid characters, dramatic plot points wonderfully crafted, heartfelt moments, and delightful humor in sometimes unexpected places that left me laughing aloud.
Great Expectations is a solid read, that’s for sure! Did Anton Lesser do an audiobook version?
I’m very glad that you agree with our reasons. Dickens’s humor is often overlooked, but he was quite funny! His characters especially.
Here’s the one—he did a series of them. Hard Times is my other favorite.
Thank you for sharing! Would love to check this out.
i don't see the link! Can you re-share?
I agree with all the reasons. I would like to add one. His humanism. Through all the harsh critiques, his belief in the ultimate human spirit shines through. His villains are relatable and his conclusions are very grounding.
Another great reason to add indeed! His criticisms though harsh are warranted, but his compassionate heart shines through regardless. Thank you for reading!
His characters are sometimes larger than life but I read him because they are like actual life - imperfect, messy, complex - as well as interesting and often funny. I see mirrors of my own life times in all the books. That - along with my love of his command of language, is why I read them.
Dickens is always relevent, but the medium of print is becoming less and less accessible to modern readers. Audio is a great compromise, and I listen to audio books a lot. But something of the depth of a book can be lost in audio alone. We have to find a way to retrain modern readers on how to read long books. I dont know how to do that, but it's the current issue in maintaining a well educated, literate society that can appreciate both history and literature.
Dickens is my favorite author. I have read all of his novels, some several times. I love him for all of the reasons you state. Nothing is better than the old man throwing vegetables over the fence at Mrs. Nickelby or the intricate plotting of Our Mutual Friend. There is always something new to discover in his novels. They are wise, witty, and wonderful!
Those are excellent words to describe his work: wise, witty, and wonderful. Many of our community members have found much to discover upon rereading. In fact, our co-director John Jordan, is particularly excited to share a new discovery of his during the upcoming Dickens Universe!
I agree with all of the above and would add that he has a profound understanding of human nature. The way he shows how different individuals respond to poverty and riches in Little Dorrit makes it one of my favourites of his works. I have to admit that as a teenager I did not have the attention span to read Dickens but after watching the BBC adaptation of Bleak House as an adult I knew I needed to give him another try. It's so depressing that I can't get a copy of Nicholas Nickelby or Little Dorrit at my public library because they have been archived due to lack of interest.:( I am currently slowly working my way through Our Mutual Friend on Project Gutenberg. Glad I came across your group!
Yes, we agree! Dickens does have a very profound understanding of human nature. His characters from the outside appear to be mere caricatures, which they are to an extent, but many of them are also deep explorations of he nuances within people of various backgrounds. Each one is quite alive.
May I ask which BBC adaptation you watched of Bleak House? One of the events at our upcoming Dickens Universe in Santa Cruz will be focusing on comparing and contrasting the different TV adaptations of the novel instead of our usual film viewing.
I do also hope that you are able to read Nicholas Nickleby and Little Dorrit soon and that you enjoy your reading of Our Mutual Friend.
Thank you for reading our first article!
It was the BBC Bleak House Adaptation done in 2005 :) It convinced me that I had been missing out on truly great stories by a great storyteller and that the digging of reading might be work but it would be worth it because I would find gold.
Ah, yes! I was particularly excited at seeing Charles Dance among the cast. As someone who has begun reading this novel, I can say that yes—it is work, but I have been consistently finding gold!
Introduced at 12 to the likes of Miss Havisham and Madame Defarge, 60 years later they still haunt me. Unforgettable!
“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times…”
A great-uncle living in the US sent a draft in a latter to my godmother. She was instructed to: 'Give each one of those three children a book by Charles Dickens. He's the greatest writer of all time, and I do not want my relatives to grow up as barbarians'. (We lived in Germiston, South Africa.)
A week before my ninth birthday I received Great Expectations. Immediately I bonded with Pip. Reading on the way to and from school, the book finished too soon. So I turned right back to the opening words.
At sixteen I became the youngest member of the then Johannesburg branch of The Dickens Fellowship.
Since the age of eight I became, and remain, a Dickens fan. He's still the greatest writer in my submission.