Is Charles Dickens' Narrative Dark?

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AdhiraamBose
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Post by AdhiraamBose »

I had read parts of 'A Tale Of Two Cities' and 'David Copperfield' By Charles Dickens when I was little as a part of my academic studies.And I found both of them to be very dark.(I had read initial portions of 'David Copperfield and a few middle and end portions of 'A Tale Of The Two Cities')

So,I wanted to ask,are all stories by Charles Dickens Dark in Narrative?

[By Dark Narrative,I mean Hopelessness in the Atmosphere of the Story]
maxgal
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Post by maxgal »

I suppose A Christmas Carol could be in that category, at least until the lines:

"Yes! and the bedpost was his own.
The bed was his own, the room was his own.
Best and happiest of all, the Time before him was his own, to make amends in!"
Louise
"every little breeze..."

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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

Dickens' stories did highlight a lot of the social ills of his day. So yes, I'd say in general they had a dark tone. There are probably exceptions, but yes, generally dark.
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JoannaHoyt
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Post by JoannaHoyt »

I think I've read all of them but the Pickwick Papers, and I see them as definitely dark but not at all hopeless--my sense was that Dickens thought people could, and should, and maybe even would, live in a way that set the wrongs he described right, and generally included some examples of right-setting. (Even to some degree in Martin Chuzzlewit, which struck me as particularly cynical, and Barnaby Rudge, which struck me as particularly bleak; certainly in my favorites, Bleak House and Little Dorrit, which include a great deal of injustice, waste, and suffering, but also a fair bit of hope both for human decency in very unpromising circumstances and for human ability to make their neighbors' circumstances somewhat less desperate...
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lurcherlover
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Post by lurcherlover »

Dickens writes with exceptional realism, but the darkness is tinged with hope.
AdhiraamBose
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Post by AdhiraamBose »

lurcherlover wrote: July 10th, 2021, 6:59 am Dickens writes with exceptional realism, but the darkness is tinged with hope.
Hey everyone,why does Peter Thomlinson Sir's reader page has '(1940 - 2022)' typed beside his name?
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

AdhiraamBose wrote: August 27th, 2022, 7:20 am
lurcherlover wrote: July 10th, 2021, 6:59 am Dickens writes with exceptional realism, but the darkness is tinged with hope.
Hey everyone,why does Peter Thomlinson Sir's reader page has '(1940 - 2022)' typed beside his name?
Because he died in 2022.
Serial novel: The Wandering Jew
Medieval England meets Civil War Americans: Centuries Apart
Humor: My Lady Nicotine
Mozartjr
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Post by Mozartjr »

Charles Dickens actually experienced a lot of the aspects of life which he put into his books, such as being abused by parents, feeling forgotten, etc. His own mother was abusive, and I believe that his father was in prison for a long time, so he wanted to make a name for himself. So he started writing. And he was paid by the word, so it makes sense why his works tend to be longer :lol:
AdhiraamBose
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Post by AdhiraamBose »

TriciaG wrote: August 27th, 2022, 1:36 pm
AdhiraamBose wrote: August 27th, 2022, 7:20 am
lurcherlover wrote: July 10th, 2021, 6:59 am Dickens writes with exceptional realism, but the darkness is tinged with hope.
Hey everyone,why does Peter Thomlinson Sir's reader page has '(1940 - 2022)' typed beside his name?
Because he died in 2022.
This is sad to come across.May he attain salvation soon.

How did the Librivox team confirm his passing away?
TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

I don't remember how - but it was confirmed. :)

EDIT: straight from his wife: viewtopic.php?f=24&t=67083&p=2064076&hilit=lurcherlover#p2064076
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KevinS
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Post by KevinS »

Dickens's work is filled with hope, though we, as his readers, might lose sight of it in his proto-social realism.

One example from Nicholas Nickleby: “Hope to the last!” said Newman, clapping him on the back. “Always hope; that’s dear boy. Never leave off hoping; it don’t answer. Do you mind me, Nick? it don’t answer. Don’t leave a stone unturned. It’s always something, to know you’ve done the most you could. But, don’t leave off hoping, or it’s of no use doing anything. Hope, hope, to the last!”
AdhiraamBose
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Post by AdhiraamBose »

For those of you who have read or listened to Charles Dickens' work(s),have you found yourselves made a better person by his works?

Why is he called a genius of English Literature though?
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