Category Archives: Classic

(Originally published March 1, 2009)

Since I’ve read so much since my last update, these next few commentaries will probably be a little shorter than usual…

“The dark side of [Charles] Dickens at its most powerful and bizarre” aptly describes this influential author’s little-known work “The Old Curiosity Shop.” I had the opportunity to enjoy this haunting, mesmeric novel on the way down to this past weekend’s debate tournament…and found, upon completing the book, that it was quite possibly my favorite of all the Dickens novels I’ve read. At once both terrifying and fascinating, “The Old Curiosity Shop” is a compelling voyage into the depths of human evil and childlike innocence.

The book is primarily concerned with “Little Nell”, an angelic-natured orphan living with her elderly grandfather, who owns the titular “Curiosity Shop.” Their life is a relatively peaceful and quiet – albeit poor – existence. But always over their heads hangs the shadow of eviction and moral decay, personified in the book’s despicable antagonist.

Enter the villain: Daniel Quilp. This hideous, dwarfish madman surely ranks among the greatest foes in all of literature. In many respects, Quilp closely resembles the Joker from this past summer’s blockbuster hit “The Dark Knight” – he’s constantly laughing, even as he orders horrible atrocities to be committed, and he will stop at nothing to further his malicious goals. Quilp’s deranged lunacy is perhaps the most chilling component of “The Old Curiosity Shop” – especially when contrasted with Nell’s youthful innocence. Even more unsettling is the fact that he is obviously planning on making Nell his wife – once the first one is out of the way, of course.

As they flee from the vindictive Quilp, Nell and her grandfather venture throughout the English countryside in search of a safe haven – their journey modeled after that of Christian in John Bunyan’s “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Along the way, they encounter numerous examples of vice and virtue, goodness and wickedness. This is where the book really excels – Dickens’ characters are well-drawn and eminently memorable. Also interesting is the contrast Dickens develops between the freedom and beauty of the countryside and the dingy depravity of the city. He movingly depicts the sufferings of innocent people oppressed by an out-of-date legal system and a repressive governmental hierarchy.

“The Old Curiosity Shop” is certainly a masterpiece, and well worth reading. Like me, you may find that it lingers in the mind for long afterwards – a tale of strength through suffering and triumph despite loss.

VERDICT: 9.5/10
A beautifully written, haunting tale of good vs. evil.

(Originally published February 1, 2009)

I used to think all Charles Dickens novels were boring. Not so. Once I read such classics as “A Tale of Two Cities” and “David Copperfield”, I was addicted. There’s just a certain elegance and beauty to his writing that’s rare in more modern literature. While he sometimes uses a few too many words in his descriptions, the sheer sweeping grace of his plots and characters more than compensate for such deficiencies.

Of course, some of his works (namely, “The Pickwick Papers”) are cumbersome, dull, and ultimately pointless. I wasted several hours of my life slogging through 800 pages of Pickwickian nonsense. Definitely one to avoid. So is “Bleak House” – my most recent Dickens read – more akin to “A Tale of Two Cities” or “The Pickwick Papers”? The answer: neither.

“Bleak House”, as the name implies, often veers toward the grim and morbid. Dickens provides scathing social commentary on the bureaucratic English legal system throughout the book. With excruciating detail, he describes how a nearly interminable lawsuit destroys the lives of nearly all those connected to it.

The primary character, Esther Summerson, is more of a bystander than a participant in the action of the novel. Scenes from her first-person viewpoint are intercut with loosely connected vignettes written, oddly, in the present tense. I didn’t appreciate this particular narrative choice – by deviating too much from standard literary practice, several important scenes failed to hold my interest.

The novel takes about 700 pages to really get interesting. Then, as in several of his other works, Dickens starts killing off his characters. As a lover of tragic literature, I can certainly appreciate a well-written deathbed scene or dramatic confrontation – and the finale of “Bleak House” doesn’t disappoint. The only question is whether or not it’s worth reading through pages of tedious, irrelevant information to get to the important events.

From a worldview standpoint, Dickens certainly says some interesting things about the consequences of sin and the effect of a guilty conscience. The author’s prose really shines when he explores the motives of a specific character without introducing too many irrelevant subplots, and “Bleak House” certainly has some memorable moments.

So is “Bleak House” worth your valuable time? Yes and no. If (like me) you love British literature and don’t mind sifting through unimportant information to get to the heart of the conflict, then “Bleak House” is for you. Otherwise…your reading time is probably better invested elsewhere.

VERDICT: 7/10
A mix of literary gold and dross.