Anyway I read that his books motivated important changes in several instituitions for the poor. He certainly contributed to a different view of these places and the people that lived in it specially the children and the women.
"I seemed to have sensed also from an early age that some of my experiences as a reader would change me more as a person than would many an event in the world where I sat and read. "
Gerald Murnane, Tamarisk Row
Yes, Nicholas Nickleby was probably responsible for the closing of the notorious Yorkshire "schools" where unwanted and illegitimate children were sent to die. That was some good he did in any case.
I was curious if there was anything on the theme in the web. I picked out two links but there is much more.
1-An overview on the social aspects of his work
http://www.victorianweb.org/authors/.../diniejko.html
2-An BBC article:
http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16907648
"I seemed to have sensed also from an early age that some of my experiences as a reader would change me more as a person than would many an event in the world where I sat and read. "
Gerald Murnane, Tamarisk Row
Danik, I think it would be taught differently today, combining literature and history. I just think it doesn't work to force children to read stuff that they are not mature enough to enjoy.
I had a similar experience with Brazilian and Portuguese Literature at school. I only got to love them much later when I realised their importance.
But Dickens was my own discovery. He made me want to learn English.
He isn´t much read here.
"I seemed to have sensed also from an early age that some of my experiences as a reader would change me more as a person than would many an event in the world where I sat and read. "
Gerald Murnane, Tamarisk Row
Everyone has the chance to change a decision taken in childhood. But for me, I am now old and count the years left to me. I don't feel any urge to use that time re-discovering Dickens, to re-read the books of my childhood that I thought were boring. But I can accept that his works comprise a excellent introduction to English and that he had much to say on topics of the time, like the French Revolution, and poverty and discrimination. Who knows, perhaps when I am bed-bound and need books to read I may turn to Dickens' work as a source of pleasure.
Don´t worry about Dickens, DW. I´m am sure that there are authors who really are a source of pleasure to you.
"I seemed to have sensed also from an early age that some of my experiences as a reader would change me more as a person than would many an event in the world where I sat and read. "
Gerald Murnane, Tamarisk Row
Yes, Dickens was not realistic like Gustav Flaubert was (at least Madame Bovary). Like you say, he incorporates fairy tale elements in his stories, and like Pompey Bum says, many of the characters are a little over the top.
According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
Charles Dickens, by George Orwell
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
According to Aldous Huxley, D.H. Lawrence once said that Balzac was 'a gigantic dwarf', and in a sense the same is true of Dickens.
Charles Dickens, by George Orwell
Last edited by Emil Miller; 02-02-2017 at 01:46 PM.
"L'art de la statistique est de tirer des conclusions erronèes a partir de chiffres exacts." Napoléon Bonaparte.
"Je crois que beaucoup de gens sont dans cet état d’esprit: au fond, ils ne sentent pas concernés par l’Histoire. Mais pourtant, de temps à autre, l’Histoire pose sa main sur eux." Michel Houellebecq.
I tried reading that book years ago. To me it was extraordinarily slow. It probably is great writing but it was not the kind that appeals to me. Turning a dooknob had all kinds of significance related to masturbation, according to one critic. I had just finished reading Salambo, which I found found engrossing.