 |
| Charles Dickens |
Continuing on last week's theme, I'd like to talk about another author I admire almost as much as Terry Pratchett (although not actually because I admire very few people as much as I admire Terry Pratchett): Charles Dickens.
Charles Dickens is best known in America and probably also the rest of the world for writing a lot of long books that people have to read in school. "Dickensian" has become by and large a byword for something complicated, depressing and Victorian. Is that stereotype correct? In a large part, I think not.
One of the things I look for in a book or book series is whether or not the author's personality shows in their writing. I enjoy books that are unique in that they convey in some way the spirit of the author. For example, reading Terry Pratchett's books gives you a fairly clear portrait of the type of person Terry Pratchett is. Dickens's books are filled with moments when his own opinions and character show through. Just from having read several of his books, I can tell that he is witty, opinionated, and wildly anti-establishment, at least for a Victorian.
 |
Mr. Bumble, Dickens's idea of a
government representative |
In
Oliver Twist, Dickens constantly takes shots at the British government, and particularly the system for dealing with the desperately poor that was in place at the time. All the authority figures in the book, including Mr. Bumble the parish beadle (beadle: a lay official of a
church or synagogue who may user, keep order, make reports, and assist in religious functions; or a minor official who carries out various civil, educational, or ceremonial duties) and the members of the board of directors of the workhouse where Oliver grows up, are corrupt, bumbling idiots. They are also generally aggressive and completely unsuitable for dealing with the plight of the poor. Clearly, this portrayal is not usual for the Victorian period, when draconian measures and institutions such as workhouses and debtor's prisons tended to be par for the course. Dickens's own experiences, including the time his father spent in debtor's prison, color his writing in a unique way.
 |
Mr. and Mrs. Mantalini, two very funny
characters from Nicholas Nickelby |
Humor is also a big component in most of Dickens's works. For each tragic death of a mentally challenged orphan cripple, there is a scene with a outlandishly debauched rake and his overemotional wife. All of the supporting characters in Dickens's books tend to be slightly overblown. Whatever characteristics they have are emphasized tenfold. This means that yes, the tragedy and misery is incredibly horrible (although probably not far from the truth of the time), and yes, all the villains are completely evil, but also all the funny characters are very, very funny. For example, Fanny Squeers, the spurned love interest in Nicholas Nickelby, is hilarious in her pretensions and overblown attentiveness to Nick. Many characters in Dickens's works are in fact fairly good and cheerful, like Mr. Brownlow in Oliver Twist and Scrooge's sister in A Christmas Carol; readers just seem to remember the wicked characters, like Fagin and Ralph Nickelby.
The first time I read A Christmas Carol, I couldn't believe that it was really written by Charles Dickens, with his reputation for the depressing and miserable. Oliver Twist, too, is a mixture of misery and happiness that almost completely belies Dickens's reputation. It is strange that one of the most famous writers in the English language is so poorly represented in the public consciousness. I absolutely adore Charles Dickens's writing, and I think if more people judged it for themselves instead of going off his reputation, they would as well.
