I dont like Charles Dickens books and find them boring?

[Dreamwoven]

I've read A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield, and thoroughly enjoyed them both. Dickens is rather verbose, but he is eloquent. (UPCOMING SPOILER) I will never forget how much I came to hate Uriah Heep, which proves how great Dickens was with characterization as you never really see Uriah do anything bad, you just hear about it second hand. Dickens' description of Uriah is so strong that you come to loathe the character.

Perhaps its the name, which is just great - Uriah Heep, a pile of excrement...

[Sherrymartin]

I've read A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations, and liked them very much. However, I'm currently struggling through The Mystery of Edwin Drood for Victober. I'm finding it a hard slog. For some reason, I feel the prose is very twee and mannered in a way that is not typical of Dickens. Also, I neither like any of the characters nor find them compelling. I generally love the BBC interpretations of his books. Maybe if I watch the video I have, I will enjoy it more. I plan to read Hard Times next and from what I have heard of it, I think I'll enjoy it much more than MOED.

[kiz_paws]

Dickens writing is very heavy reading indeed. I find getting through the first chapter or so very tedious. But it is worth the 'bother', as much detail is outlined in the early parts of his books. His characters come to life beautifully and with a lot of comic thought, too! Dickens is quite humorous, if you give it a chance. I loved Great Expectations. Bleak House was deep; awesome writing there.

I guess bottom line is that one needs to concentrate on all the 'wordiness' that are between the covers of Dickens novels. It really is worth it!

[Red Terror]

Read Libra by Don DeLillo

Im just wondering if im the only one who doesnt like his works.
Whenever i read comments on the Internet about Dickens, everyone is like ''wow amazin'', ''his works are must-read books''.

and im like ''whatttt?''

Do you all really like his works? I mean... They, of course, are very very precious works to come that era in which we live.

I just find his works quite boring! im sorry to say that.

[Cindyy35]

Many people don't like his books, it really depends from person to person. I personally, find his writing repetitive but I have been in the "scene" for many years. For a fresh newbie it might seem exciting and special. Every time I hear one of my friends go on and rave about him, I roll my eyes in the back of my head. But I do remember that first glee and passion.

[millwallbill]

I tend to prefer Trollope to Dickens.

[kev67]

I found Dickens rather stodgy in my youth. I thought I'd give him another chance on his 200th year and read Great Expectations. No other book has moved me so much. I think he is patchy. When he made the extra special effort, the writing is superb. At other times I find him melodramatic, or even dull. My second favourite of his so far is Bleak House.

[Pompey Bum]

I have never been bored by Dickens and especially not by his characterization. How would having less developed characters make a novel more interesting? Dickens sentence structure is often complex (unlike the way many authors write today) and he loves to bombard us with "words, glorious words." That could explain why your mind wanders while reading him; but it's really just a matter of sticking with it and being patient with yourself until you get used to the way he writes. I wouldn't give up, even if he's not your thing right now. Read other 19th century authors (Jane Austen, for example), and when you feel ready, try A Christmas Carol, which is much shorter than most Dickens novels and more culturally familiar (I'm sure you know the story already). After that, try Oliver Twist and a Tale of Two Cities. When you are comfortable with the complexity of Dickens' prose, you will be ready for major works like Great Expectations and Bleak House and even enormous books like David Copperfield and Little Dorrit. But remember you have your whole life to do this. Don't convince yourself that Dickens is beyond you just because you prefer other writers just now. Good luck and enjoy!

I found this thread nostalgic. Just listen to my blather from three years ago! I hope poor lifeisart got what he was looking for. My attitude has probably hardened since then. Dickens is sublime. Yes, you have to cringe through his sentimentality, and yes, his morality is often oppressive. But his characterization and humor are unforgettable, and his dexterity with language is almost unparalleled among English novelists (Fielding is his equal--at least in Tom Jones). I suspect that modern students are unprepared for Dickens (or Fielding or Thackeray or Trollope) because they have spent years being pandered to by their teachers (who may not have been much challenged themselves). All of which goes to show that I've become a bitter old man in only three years. AVAST, YE BRIMSTONE BEASTS!

[desiresjab]

Anyone who claims to like everything with a high reputation is a phony. Dickens was apparently one of those geniuses for whom writing was easy. I have read that both he and Twain revised very little, as their first drafts showed a lot of perfection. I was never able to substantiate those claims, however.