Dickens

"...I would also heartily recommend the principle of doing one thing each day for an entire 12 months, and basking in the satisfaction of a year's worth of endeavour."

Matthew Davis begins his article by admitting that reading fifteen novels and a few short stories in one year wouldn't be a Herculean task for the average Booker Prize judge or even the first year English literature undergraduate, and he's absolutely right. As a junior/senior in high school, I read fifty-one novels in 2012, and as of right now I am already fourteen books into my 2013 goal of sixty books.

But, I give him so much credit for devoting a year of his life to truly understanding a set of literary works and the author behind them, despite a full-time job, a wife, children, and the general hustle and bustle of life.

But, not only did he devote his time and efforts into understanding great prose and the man who wrote it all; he was also able to experience and learn so much about a culture that is a part of history, a culture that now really only exists in books, films, and antique museums.

But, despite the vast differences in culture and even syntax and vocabulary, Davis was able to truly connect with the timeless aspects of Dickens' works; like realistic characters, heartfelt moments, and sage observations. In my own personal observation of Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, I think that moments like the reunion of Dr. Manette and Lucie, or the internal self-loathing of Sydney Carton, are timeless because of their very basic human qualities and universality. In regards to perceptive observations, I especially liked the quote that Davis mentioned from Oliver Twist:

"Strip the bishop of his apron, or the beadle of his hat and lace; what are they? Men. Mere men. Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine."

Also, quick side note: Little Dorrit is now on my reading list. That last quote from the book was lovely.

Overall, I thought that this article was a very intriguing, well-written, and thoughtful one that had a lot of literary merit. It wasn't dry or too lengthy, neither was it preachy or pretentious; it was just the reflections of a man who set a goal and stuck to it, which is both inspiring and commendable. I hope that I too can undertake a yearly challenge like this in the near future.

To learn more about Charles Dickens, please feel free to watch this whimsical and educational video.