Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
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.
|
It’s interesting that you find you’ve become more tolerant of sentimentality over the years. They’ve probably helped me be a bit less idealistic than I was in my youth. I guess it’s trite but true that life experience brings us greater balance, in which ever direction we need. But you’re absolutely right - the real testament to the quality of Dickens’ writing is his extraordinary legacy, socially and artistically.
Though I didn’t particularly enjoy the book itself, it sparked a bit of exploring in terms of where Dickens was in his own life’s journey, when he wrote it. I was surprised to learn that he and his wife had a difficult and very public break up, after having ten children together. He then had a long term relationship with a younger actress, which he tried to keep private.
It that light, it might have been interesting to see where he was going with the Jasper character. I thought Jasper’s description to Edwin of how mundane and suffocating he found his life had the ring of truth to it. I wonder if Dickens identified with Jasper at all? Obviously he didn’t commit murder, but according to one of his biographers, there were references to personal unhappiness in the correspondence of his later years. I’ve included some links, in case anyone is interested:
https://www.biography.com/people/cha...ickens-9274087
https://www.biography.com/news/charl...<br />
ternan
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/...d-Dickens.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-...fair-19632069/