h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Do people still read Dickens? I’ve heard people say that his books are only of interest as social history, but I think they are wrong. True, society has changed dramatically. The slums of London, which Dickens wrote about so graphically, have gone, and so have many of the conventions of dress and behaviour of the middle and upper classes of the time.

However, I would argue that Dickens understood the human heart and that the emotions which he depicted have not changed. An example is ‘Little Dorrit’, which follows the fortunes of William Dorrit and his daughter Amy. At the beginning of the novel, William Dorrit is imprisoned in the Marshalsea, the debtors’ prison. He acquires a fortune, and is persuaded to invest it in the business of Mr Merdle, who is a successful and powerful investor. Mr Merdle commits suicide. We learn that his business empire was fraudulent and the Dorrits are among the investors who lose their money.

A BBC miniseries of the novel was televised in the UK at the time of the credit crunch and it could hardly have been more relevant. At the same time that the viewers heard of Merdle’s downfall, a businessman called Bernard Madoff (and that’s a name even Dickens might not have risked!) was arrested for a multi-million dollar fraud.

Dickens has weaknesses. In particular, some of his plots are so contrived they lose credibility. It also took Dickens much of his career to learn to draw realistic female characters. I would argue that the effectiveness of ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ is weakened by the character of Lucie Manette, who is loved by both Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton. She might be intended as a type of female virtue, but she doesn’t come alive as a person. Nevertheless, Dickens is capable of some very powerful writing. I remember the chapter in ‘A Tale of Two Cities’, where an obnoxious nobleman, the Marquis de Saint Evremonde, runs over a child with his carriage, only to be murdered himself. Dicken’s other great strength is the ability to conjure up a whole city full of characters, from beggars to the very rich, from villains to the best of people. Read him.

I would second that recommendation. I'd also recommend reading his non-fiction work, like 'American Notes' and 'Sketches by Boz'. It's a good way to find out what the 19th Century was really like.

I think you're right about Lucy Manette, btw. She's an awfully thin character. But Miss Pross and Mme Defarge aren't. They're amazing characterisations. The scene in which the two of them are fighting to the death, and speaking two different languages? That's pure gold.

Was that the adaptation starring Claire Foy? I really enjoyed that.

'Tis the season to enjoy reading his short stories, whether his famous Christmas tales (from the Christmas chapter in 'Pickwick Papers' onwards) to the tales such as 'The Signal-Man'.

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Yes, Claire Foy was Amy.

Because we never had a set Dickens book at school, I had not read much Dickens either in my earlier life, and only recently downloaded the "complete works" on to my Kindle. I had a pleasant surprise with David Copperfield, not expecting any depth of any characters at all.

I have no idea what is in fashion and what is not, reading-wise, I just read things at random and enjoy them or don't enjoy them.

Same here - I just buy whatever catches my eye when browsing in second-hand and charity shops or the library.

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