Did Charles Dickens sell his soul to the devil?

[Anonymous No.23152020]

How’s it possible that a novelist from the 1800s wrote like 15 novels and all of them are still in print in 2024?

[Anonymous No.23152198]

>>23152020
>from the 1800s

How could he be from the 1800s if he was born in the 1810s?

[Anonymous No.23152271]

>>23152198
That's in the 1800s, ESL fren...

>>23152020
Idk, but most famous people are in that basket one way or another--so it seems.

[Anonymous No.23152282]

>>23152198
Retard

[Anonymous No.23152285]

>>23152020
I just checked. No, he didn't sell his soul.

[Anonymous No.23152564]

>>23152271
>>23152282
The 1800s refers to the decade 1800-1810. It is not a synonym for the 19th Century.

[Anonymous No.23152591]

>>23152564
In English it can also refer to the 19th century. See pic rel’s description:
> A superb reference for writers, researchers, students and teachers, this dictionary-style book illuminates everyday life in the 1800s, decade by decade.

[Anonymous No.23152713]

>>23152564
> It is not a synonym for the 19th Century.

[Anonymous No.23153510]

bump

[Anonymous No.23153522]

Dickens is praised for his class consciousness and depicting the struggles of the lower classes. There are numerous contemporaries of him who are probably better writers who are completely forgotten, it is the themes of his work which made him popular with regular British people. He is also endlessly shilled by the education system which keeps him relevant.

[Anonymous No.23153533]

>>23152564
>t. ESL
Kek.

[Anonymous No.23153573]

>>23152285
where do you check this? a database somewhere?

[Anonymous No.23153763]

>>23152591
In that case, what do you call the period from 1800-1809?

[Anonymous No.23153770]

>>23152020
The rich being shitty people is a tale that rings true in any time fren

[Anonymous No.23153789]

>>23153522
Also in commie countries he was published a lot because he showed how bad Western capitalism was.

[Anonymous No.23153802]

>>23153789
> Born in Portsmouth, Dickens left school at age 12 to work in a boot-blacking factory when his father John was incarcerated in a debtors' prison.
It’s not like he didn’t live through shit.

[Anonymous No.23153806]

>>23153533
It's not even necessarily an ESL thing, I'm Italian and we too use 1800s(we say and write '800) as an alternative to 19th century.

[Anonymous No.23153807]

>How’s it possible that a novelist from the 1800s wrote like 15 novels and all of them are still in print in 2024?
That's not even that impressive to be honest.

[Anonymous No.23153808]

>>23153802
I know, it was shit. That's why they published him.

[Anonymous No.23153811]

>>23153808
Huh?

[Anonymous No.23153819]

>>23153807
For a novelist, it actually is impressive.

[Anonymous No.23154213]

>>23153806
What makes it an ESL thing is that all three of those uses are perfectly acceptable for an EFL, but OPs usage is entirely more common, while the criticism is the level of specificity which is only used when necessary.

[Anonymous No.23154682]

>>23153522
>There are numerous contemporaries of him who are probably better writers who are completely forgotten
name them then. I hate it when people make statements like this and use "probably". It shows that you don't know what you are talking about and don't even trust your own opinion.

Dickens was a great author, he was excellent at conjuring memorable characters and many of his passage are poetic and cozy, yet he was a master at the story, albeit maybe a bit too melodramatic but that was in vogue during his time.

[Anonymous No.23154720]

>>23154682
It's true of any era, what they said, but it doesn't take away from any genuine brilliance in Dickens work, the fact that others were overlooked and forgotten.

[Anonymous No.23154744]

>>23153522

People read Dickens because he is consistently delightful and charming. If people read him for theme and message then they would be reading Thackery just as much.
Dickens is a fantasist more then a realist. His charm belongs more to the likes of Chesterton then Steinbeck.

People give "mu capitalism" as a excuse for the time they spend reading him. People feel insecure about reading, so they make up stories about how reading someone is "important" because it "comments on society". If they were actually interested, they would just read a history of the period. Its all cope. Their reading Dickens because its fun.

[Anonymous No.23154804]

>>23154744
nta What I love about Dickens is his world is like an amplification of reality.

[Anonymous No.23154851]

>>23154682
https://www.jstor.org/stable/25104969
>I hate it when people make statements like this and use "probably".
You know what I hate? Stupid fucking people who think they’ll get a comprehensive, holistic answer on fucking 4chan. I don’t need to cite anything in my response. You’re meant to look at my response, go ‘huh, that’s interesting’, and conduct your own research. What do you think this is? I write ‘probably’ because I don’t spend my time reading forgotten 19th century novelists and therefore can’t cast any judgements the quality of their work.
>Dickens was a great author
The only novel Dickens is praised for stylistically is Bleak House. I also never wrote Dickens wasn’t a great author. And please, cease with the ‘it shows that you don't know what you are talking about’ armchair psychology nonsense when your literary critique boils down to ‘the characters are cozy bro!’

>>23154744
>People give "mu capitalism" as a excuse for the time they spend reading him.
No, you stupid idiot, the reason why Dickens survived the turning of the century is because working class English people took solace in his works, because of his meditations on class and how it manifests in British society. It is a crucial component to understand when reading and dissecting his work. Literally, what else do you think is especially remarkable about Dickens apart from his class consciousness?
>If they were actually interested, they would just read a history of the period.
Dickens himself IS a crucial part of the history of the period, his popularity among the working class at the time spurred on by his identification of the issues endemic in

fuck this, actually, why even bother. I’m going to create a reddit account. This board is so shit

[Anonymous No.23154862]

>>23152020
I dont know why he is so good bro. The Pickwick Papers is my favorite novel and I recommend it to everyone. No one reads it though :(

[Anonymous No.23154867]

>>23154851
> Literally, what else do you think is especially remarkable about Dickens apart from his class consciousness?
His characters, stories and his charm. He’s the best creator of characters after Shakespeare in English literature. You don’t become a universal by simply writing about class in 19th century Britain. Tons of others did that and they’re not as loved.

[Anonymous No.23154871]

>>23152198
Hahaha
1800 just flew over the neighbors house

[Anonymous No.23154897]

>>23152020
>>23153522
>>23154682
>>23154744
>>23154862
>>23154867
Have any of you read his ghost stories?
Are they good?
Checked out his works online and saw a book
of his ghost stories.

[Anonymous No.23154900]

>>23154851
Source?

[Anonymous No.23154924]

>>23154897
No, I havent. I reckon they would be more comfy spooky instead of scary

[Anonymous No.23154932]

>>23154851
>There was probably a better classical composer than Mozart in the late 18th century
>Ok who was it?
>IDK I don't spend time listening to music of this time.
Just admit that you are adding nothing to this conversation.

[Anonymous No.23154943]

>>23154851
>There are better contemporaries of Dickens
>Like who?
>I don't know. I've never ready any. Fuck you, go find them yourself.
You deserve to be made fun of.

[Anonymous No.23154970]

>>23154851
>this board is so shit
only when posters don't post the Source?

[Anonymous No.23155253]

>>23153573
Yes. It's a really handy archive, but the entrance fee is your soul

[Anonymous No.23155354]

>>23154851
anon has no clue as to why people read.
>People read Dickens because of "scathing" commentary on the poor law and 19th century class struggle.

Cool story bro. But those issues have been dead for over a century. All the welfare laws have been reformed and class struggle looks nothing like it did in Dickens time. So why are people STILL reading him? No one cares about the poor law. No one cares about 19th century class struggle. People care about his characters. People care about the beauty of his prose. People care about the sharpness of his wit.
Its people like you who go into teaching and turn generations away from literature. You view literature as nothing but arm in philosophy, political, and social criticism. No appreciation aesthetics or imaginative power.

[Anonymous No.23155467]

>>23154851
>when your literary critique boils down to ‘the characters are cozy bro!’
That's literally the biggest point of praise for Dickens across his entire critical reception though, it's not trivial and as many others have said it's the reason for his staying power. If he dealt with the same issues and championed the same causes in a dry and boring way, people wouldn't have continued to read him, working class people least of all. That's the explanation for the "mystery" of "disappearing authors"; they were of an age, not for all time, i.e. they were relevant primarily to the ephemeral tastes and concerns of their period.

[Anonymous No.23155965]

>>23152564
it is

[Anonymous No.23156123]

>>23155354
>So why are people STILL reading him?
Because he has been codified in the canon of English literature??? This is like asking durrr, why do people still read Homer even though no one believes this shit anymore

[Anonymous No.23156128]

>>23152020
Quick reminder that in Nicholas Nickleby (1839) there are the twins who own the store. Their names are Chuck and Ned. Meme layline confirmed.

[Anonymous No.23156802]

>>23154897
Christmas carol is good. in pickwick papers, there's a couple of ghost stories that are spooky

[Anonymous No.23156806]

>>23152020
how did dickens write so much is the real question. like all of them around 400-800 pgs long.

[Anonymous No.23157024]

>>23156806
If I were paid by the number of monthly/weekly installments and had an audience that was always clamouring after more I'd write a lot too.

[Anonymous No.23158358]

>>23155354
>But those issues have been dead for over a century
They haven’t and you would have to be really sheltered to think so, but the people actually suffering those issues aren’t reading Dickens or anyone else.