February 07, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLES DICKENS




It is my great honor to announce that today is the birthday of Charles Dickens, my favorite author! Dickens (obviously we are on a last name basis) is a remarkable writer, and I strive to even come close to his greatness in my own writing some day. He is a master storyteller, has a flair for darkness, and is remarkably hilarious and brilliant. Alright, I will stop gushing. 

I think everyone grew up with stories like A Christmas Carol around the holidays, and Oliver Twist, but it wasn't until fairly recently that I really fell in love with Dickens. I watched the BBC adaptation of Bleak House and I was hooked. I then went on to watch Little Dorrit - which is probably my all-time favorite thing to watch, ever. I thought to myself, these adaptations are so amazing, wouldn't the book be even better? Yes. Little Dorrit was amazing, Bleak House a little less so, and David Copperfield was an interesting book. They are epic tomes and hard to get through at times, but so worth it.

I am a little embarrassed to call Dickens my favorite author when I have only technically read 3/20 of his novels. What kind of fan am I? I am making it a goal for this year to tackle as many of these texts as I can. I will keep updating this list as I tick them off one by one! 

I hope that I can inspire even one person to give a second glance to this perfect Victorian gentleman, and pick up one of his books. 

Novels (Gray = Read)

  • Dombey and Son (Monthly serial, October 1846 to April 1848)
  • David Copperfield (Monthly serial, May 1849 to November 1850)
  • Bleak House (Monthly serial, March 1852 to September 1853)
  • Hard Times: For These Times (Weekly serial in Household Words, 1 April 1854, to 12 August 1854)
  • Little Dorrit (Monthly serial, December 1855 to June 1857)
  • A Tale of Two Cities (Weekly serial in All the Year Round, 30 April 1859, to 26 November 1859)
  • Great Expectations (Weekly serial in All the Year Round, 1 December 1860 to 3 August 1861)
  • Our Mutual Friend (Monthly serial, May 1864 to November 1865) *Currently reading*
  • The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Monthly serial, April 1870 to September 1870. Only six of twelve planned numbers completed)



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