Earlier this week I was finally able to finish David Copperfield. Whew!
Coincidentally, about a week and a half ago, Maryanne and I helped Narf and Pauline move. After calling it quits for the day, we were able to relax and have some conversation. That conversation turned to highschool English classes. Pauline mentioned her revulsion over the graphic scenes of All Quiet on the Western Front, and the conversation eventually turned to Charles Dickens.
Pauline remarked that highschool students usually aren't socially mature enough to handle Dickens, and considering the only Dickens I had read in high school was Great Expectations as a freshman, that was probably correct. Fast forward several years, and here I am having completed not only David Copperfield, but The Old Curiosity Shop as well. Being (presumably) more socially mature, I'm better able to see Dickens' social commentary interwoven in his tales. While his dialog doesn't seem very natural by today's standards, his characters are so vivid that you inevitably find yourself rooting for the protagonist. Fortunately, his work usually has a happy ending, if by degrees, that makes reading his books enjoyable. I'm at least able to feel that way now without overanalyzing the story.
I've begun reading Bram Stoker's Dracula, and find myself thinking of the 1992 film version featuring the direction of Francis Ford Coppola and a top rate cast. I'll probably revisit it at some point, but I think I'll wait until I'm done with the book.
The book, so far, has seemed to do a better job of being creepy, as in the case of Renfield, and depicting the feeling of futility that Jonathan Harker experiences.
I'm looking forward to reading the rest of it.
