Why the Dickens?
Here I am again, back blogside after a long hiatus. What a rock 'n' roll way to spend a Saturday night; an hour trying to figure out how Midge Ure's If I was came to be on my MP3 player (I can't abide ungrammatical song titles - sorry, Midge) and now a blog post. Guess I'm past it.
Where have I been for the past three months? Among other things, working relentlessly on my (smirk) magnum opus. After a few hours spent with that recalcitrant little beauty every day, the last thing I felt like doing was blogging. I have of course been indulging regularly in private writing, but of the quill and parchment rather than keyboard variety.
Why am I here now? Mainly because I have some further thoughts about a discussion I recently enjoyed. Last week I worked with a man who has resisted for years the entreaties of friends, teachers and family to read Dickens. He asked me what I thought of this literary behemoth. The answer I gave at the time reflected just one facet of Dickens' special abilities; to personalise the workers and the poor, to illustrate that low social status is not inevitably a signifier of low worth. As a child I found in Dickens' writing what I already knew from personal experience (but what was by no means universally accepted), namely that many members of the lower orders have rich inner lives and the same desires and needs as their more fortunate brethren.
Perhaps my response was shaped by the interests of my colleague (he is studying sociology). Now I realise I overlooked the two most important of Dickens' attributes. Firstly, his writing is dense and at first makes unusual demands of the reader's concentration. This can be offputting to the newcomer but is really a blessing, leading us into a special kind of concentration where we become susceptible to the rhythms of the text and its less obvious message. It speaks to something beyond intellect - reading Dickens is a multi-sensory experience. It is, I think, comparable to hearing music with a strong bassline played through powerful speakers.
Next, the man could sure tell a mean story. Not only does he give us bass, we also have an enchanting melody with many variations and embellishments. That's about as good as the reader's experience gets, I would say. That's the kind of effect I aim to produce.
Where have I been for the past three months? Among other things, working relentlessly on my (smirk) magnum opus. After a few hours spent with that recalcitrant little beauty every day, the last thing I felt like doing was blogging. I have of course been indulging regularly in private writing, but of the quill and parchment rather than keyboard variety.
Why am I here now? Mainly because I have some further thoughts about a discussion I recently enjoyed. Last week I worked with a man who has resisted for years the entreaties of friends, teachers and family to read Dickens. He asked me what I thought of this literary behemoth. The answer I gave at the time reflected just one facet of Dickens' special abilities; to personalise the workers and the poor, to illustrate that low social status is not inevitably a signifier of low worth. As a child I found in Dickens' writing what I already knew from personal experience (but what was by no means universally accepted), namely that many members of the lower orders have rich inner lives and the same desires and needs as their more fortunate brethren.
Perhaps my response was shaped by the interests of my colleague (he is studying sociology). Now I realise I overlooked the two most important of Dickens' attributes. Firstly, his writing is dense and at first makes unusual demands of the reader's concentration. This can be offputting to the newcomer but is really a blessing, leading us into a special kind of concentration where we become susceptible to the rhythms of the text and its less obvious message. It speaks to something beyond intellect - reading Dickens is a multi-sensory experience. It is, I think, comparable to hearing music with a strong bassline played through powerful speakers.
Next, the man could sure tell a mean story. Not only does he give us bass, we also have an enchanting melody with many variations and embellishments. That's about as good as the reader's experience gets, I would say. That's the kind of effect I aim to produce.
posted by Botyris at 11:02 PM
2 Comments:
As another great fan of Dickens, I am looking forward to your novel!Maybe you could do a reading for us at the Writing Centre?? I can see the applause and champagne and signed copies already ... . Quite seriously, though, would you consider?
Hi Kathy, yes, I'd be pleased to give a reading, even if it elicited squashed tomatoes and stew. I'm curious to have a response from an actual audience. I'm very aware of being in close to my characters and story, so the opportunity to see a real-time objective reaction is quite attractive.
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