February 8, 2006

Book 3: Hard Times

Hard Times
Charles Dickens

Well, Dickens it is, and what a letdown it was. Though it was better than Great Expectations which did not exceed my expectations for it which were, indeed, great, it came nowhere near the level of narrative brilliance that was A Tale of Two Cities, which incidentally remains one of my favorite books. This is another book I read for class, and one thing I like about college is that the textbooks are actual books in many cases. This book isn't bad, it just doesn't really shine the way I expected it to. I suppose I should be grateful because I had the chance to use this book to call Charles Dickens a bourgeois capitalist in my midterm's thesis. Ah, Marx, forever my friend.

The best part about the book was the very beginning, where the narrator is talking about Fact (capital F). I caught on immediately and thought that the critique of modern industrial society was spot-on, and it is in this critique that the novel really shines. Sissy Jupe is a pleasant break from the "Gradgrind" (doesn't that sound so drab?) world of Fact, Fact, Fact. For a cynic like me, it was great to read an established writer being skeptical about the modern industrial state, which is increasingly depriving us of our humanity and ability to communicate, and needless to say our individuality and distinct worth.

It's when Dickens gets into the narrative here that he strikes out, which is unfortunate but seems to be a recurring theme through the work of his I've been exposed to (and here stands the shining exception of perennial favorite "A Christmas Carol"). Oh, and about the bourgeois capitalist bit. While Dickens does allude to the dehumanization of factory hands in his novel, everyone is content with their position (at least to a certain extent) and there is no widespread social realization or call for revolution, making Dickens an inherent supporter of the existing oppressive system. Please, can that view have merit. I'll let you know come Tuesday.

Grade: B

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