Quote:
Originally Posted by Victoria
[...] On the other hand, the tender moments between Crisparkle and his angel mother, bowing their heads together each morning were far too sweet to be believed. I also found Dicken’s descriptions of Crisparkle’s feelings about his mother overly sentimental. And that’s how I generally experience Dickens. I admire and respect what he did in terms of social justice, but in terms of reading enjoyment, he’s too sentimental and preachy.
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Yes, the too-good-to-be-believed Crisparkle would definitely be suspect in any modern murder mystery. I had my eye on him from the start.
You are not the first I've seen to express dislike for the sentimentality and moralizing in Dickens' writing. There are some places where he goes over the top even for my tastes, but generally I don't mind it too much. Perhaps the encroaching years have made me more sentimental, but also, I'm inclined to think of it as part of his stance on social justice. If you consider the roughness of the times, I think some emphasis on sentimentality can be excused as a way of trying to make people empathise more with those in difficult situations.