Is it hard to believe that I went through all of high school and nearly all of college and never had to read anything by Mr. Dickens? What is this world coming to? And come to think it, I've ever seen any movies based on his works either...strange, no?
Oh, wait, sorry, don't kidnap me and force me into a life of organized crime, but I didn't make an attempt at Tale of Two Cities shortly after returning from my mission three years ago. And by attempt I mean that I only got through the first hundred and fifty pages or so before getting antsy and moving on to something else. Oops. Sorry Charles.
I guess it is a little different though when you're reading a book for a class rather than on your own. Reading on my own, I feel less obligated to finish. If it's nothing something that interests me, I move on. If you stop reading in the class, you might get an F on your test or paper. Having a guided tour of the book does however have its benefits sometimes. I appreciated the classroom discussions that we had about Oliver. The professor provided historical context to the book that made sections of the story much more meaningful than they would have been if I was reading on my own. Discussing specific incidents with other minds helped to tease out subtle nuances in the book, which Dickens may or may not have intended to include...ah the beauty of English literature classes.
And in the end, I did enjoy the book. A little slow, yes. What do you expect from a book where the protagonist spends half of the book asleep? I found myself rooting for the bad guys a few times; is that wrong? A little more violent than I anticipated...at the very least I can now talk about Dickens at Victorian dinner parties!
2 comments:
I am SHOCKED, Jake, that you haven't read more Dickens. He's an awesome writer! I will try to overlook your "poo poo"-ing of "Tale of Two Cities as it is one of my favorite books. Ever.
I found Oliver Twist one of Dickens' weaker books. I adore "A Christmas Carol" and would read "David Copperfield" again...if it weren't so blasted long :)
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