Oliver Twist Read-Along: Post 1 (Ch. 1-22)

Esteemed Mr. Dickens,

I owe you an apology. For years, I have avoided your acclaimed works, believing them to be stuffy, old-fashioned, and out of the interest of my modern intellect. After multiple attempts at reading A Tale of Two Cities, I gave you up forever. I could not understand your writing, did not take interest in your characters, and wondered if the language you wrote in and the language I spoke were, in fact, even related.

However, this day I stand chastised, humbled, and completely corrected. The first section of your tale, Oliver Twist, left me completely enraptured. I love your amusing and apt characterizations. The plight of Mr. Twist played upon my heart-strings, especially the moment when, freezing and appalled at the moral travesty he is being forced to commit, he cries out, "Let me run away and die in the fields. [...] Oh! pray have mercy on me, and do not make me steal." Indeed, Oliver's many trials, from the workhouses and orphan homes that nourish the body as little as humanly possible, to the undertaker's home, where Oliver is ruthlessly teased by the maid and charity-boy, to Fagin's lair, where he is trained to perform that action he so wholly abhors, stealing - Oliver's case is one for pity. However, he is also a character to admire, with surprising resilience and ability to survive in the face of adversity.

Your other characters also interest me, Mr. Dickens, although it does grate upon my nerves when their individual quirks are brought up again and again. How many times does Mr. Fagin call his friends "my dear"? Surely if it is as often as you have recorded, they tire of his voice and hide from his endearments. I also found Mr. Bates' fits of laughing quite bizarre and irritating. Clearly, he is an individual to find hilarity in inappropriate situations. However, must this point be brought up thrice every time we encounter him?

However, overall I found your depictions of both character and scene to be witty and amusing. I found myself laughing audibly in many scenes (and then feeling guilty for laughing at a book that describes so much misery and lack of justice). Your sarcasm is refreshing, and quite unexpected in what I thought would be a dry, scholarly tale full of archaic terms. It is dry indeed, but in the humorous way. One example of your delightful sarcasm (occurring during an interview in which Oliver is quite terrified) -

These two causes made him answer in a very low and hesitating voice; whereupon a gentleman in a white waistcoat said he was a fool. Which was a capital way of raising his spirits and putting him quite at his ease.

In short, Mr. Dickens, I am pleased that I have found reason in this volume to discontinue our avoidance of one another. I look forward to finishing this tale, and plan on perusing others, even the dreaded Tale of Two Cities (which I do not expect to enjoy nearly as much as your history of Oliver, but which I expect will be more tolerable than I remember).

I remain, until February 17,

The Story Girl.

For links to other participants in the Oliver Twist Read-Along, see A Literary Odyssey. :)

Hop hop hop hop hop

Do you ever have those days where you are just absolutely, inexplicably exhausted? I am having one of those days. Probably because I stayed up til midnight watching Slumdog Millionaire with my sister... I am an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl usually. Which is why I am wearing a sweatshirt and blogging instead of making use of my free hour to study for my upcoming exams.

But anyway... It's time for the 2nd literary blog hop. :)
This week's question is:

What is the most difficult literary work you've ever read? What made it so difficult?

This is a difficult question for me to answer. I am not sure if I have just not read very many hard books, or if I am just prone to liking everything so I don't consider it "difficult," because to me "difficult" has a more negative connotation.

I would definitely say Les Miserables was one of the more difficult books I read for a few reasons. (1), it's length. (2), my age when I read it (I can't remember for sure but I think I was in middle school). And (3), the interminable chapters about Napoleon. I really feel as if I should go back and read the unabridged version again so that I can learn more about Napoleon, but part of me wonders if I would just do the exact same thing and shamelessly skim again.

But with that said, I loved the book. I would read it again, and probably will someday.

The most difficult book I never read is Tale of Two Cities. I do not even remember all the times I have tried to start that book, but I will relay just a few for you.

Encounter 1: I heard of it in a short story I read in American Girl magazine when I was 9 or 10 (did any of you read this magazine? It has such good childhood memories!). The book was described as "a bit difficult, but a lovely story" so I immediately assumed I should read it. I read about one page and then gave up.

Encounter 2: Remembering that I gave up when I was younger, in middle school I decided to try again. I checked it out from the library, along with several other books. When I was in middle school, my friends and I always met in the back corner of the library to hang out, so I was always noticing new books to read. I remember reading the first line and thinking, "This sounds really great. I should definitely try to read it again." But the other books (i.e. Tamora Pierce) were easier and I returned the book unread.

Encounter 3: I found a worn out copy in one of my family's sheds. (Note about my dad: He is a crazy outdoorsman and he has a new hobby every few months. This has led to many sheds full of many hobbies. Examples include making bows and killing bears with them, motorcycles, wood carving, etc. This variety of hobbies has also led my dad to be fairly well read. He reads books and then gives them away, or I find them in canoes or toolboxes, etc.). Anyway, I found this book in a tent or something and thought, I should definitely read this. If my dad read it, I can talk to him about it. But he gave it away or threw it away shortly thereafter, and I never got a hold of it.

Encounter 4: I thought for sure I would read it this time. I was going to France, so I decided I needed some things to read on the plane trip and in the parks (bien sur!!). I went to the classics bargain books section of the university bookstore and picked out The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Then Tale of Two Cities caught my eye and I thought, Why not? I'll try it again. I got through three pages.

Why is it I can't get through this book? Has anyone else had trouble with it? I was talking to my very intelligent friend Sam about it and he said, "Are you kidding me? That's the easy one!" Thanks, Samuel. I really hope someday to read this book. Maybe I'll be old enough for it in 20 years.