What The Dickens?

Cover of David Copperfield (Signet Classics)

Reading Dickens:

Reading Charles Dickens’ voluminous English novels takes you to an altogether different English world. The scenario is full of Dickensian characters like Bill Sykes, Fagin, Nancy, Oliver Twist and David Copperfield. A Tale Of Two Cities, David Copperfield, Pickwick Papers and Great Expectations all float before our eyes in the Dickens’ Panorama.

Charles Dickens:

The place where Charles Dickens was born bears the present address of 393, Old Commercial Road, Hampshire. The original address was 1, Mile End Terrace, Portsea, Landport, Hampshire, where he was born on February 7, 1812.

Dickens Favourites:

Of course, without doubt, Oliver Twist! I have read several versions of The Adventures Of Oliver Twist–original, condensed, abridged and so on, but my favourite was a Classics Illustrated  comic which I must have read over a thousand times. Reading the original Pickwick Papers from an Everyman series having extra thin paper was a real treat. The book was so voluminous, it took a long time to complete, getting the book re-issued three or four times from the School Library. Incidentally, it was the my last year in school, ie. 1964. In this case I found the original book more interesting than the comic. David Copperfield was extremely textbookish, whereas A Tale Of Two Cities bored me.

Conclusion:

Charles Dickens’ novels made the English language into a literary feast . Another Charles, Charles Lamb made the English learning a rich experience through his laboriously prepared essays. Of course Shakespeare and the rest did contribute their best to the English language. It doth augur well to read and love one’s Dickens, Lamb and Shakespeare, always.