Hi everyone.
I’m writing this to get some perspective from you other avid readers. I should first mention that i’ve read some Dickens before, Oliver Twist and A Chistmas Carol, and enjoy him a lot. Just last week, I picked up Great Expectations, which I’m also finding engrossed and exciting(a little more than 100 pages in). His stories (from my experience) are simply wonderful, funny, and offer relevant commentary. His characters are likewise so vivid and distinctive that it’s just a joy to see what endeavors they set upon and what fortune has in store for them.
With that said, I find him rather difficult language wise. This is obviously mostly due to English being my second language, being Swedish. I’m studying English at university level and read avidly, including many classics like Austen, Bronte, and english translations of Dostoevsky. So, the English language is rarely an otherwise, even Austen being a comparatively easy read. However, there is something about Dickens I find very difficult. It may be the older English. Maybe it is the expansive vocabulary and outdated sentence structure, or his (I think fun) long and segmented sentences. It could also be the common references to institutes and the structure of society of the time, which I’m often unfamiliar with. I just find him tricky to read, even though I have an immense interest in his writing and want to continue exploring his works.
Anyway, I simply wanted to throw this out there, for both native and non-native speakers to answer, and ask how you tackle Dickens personally and if you find him any difficult yourself? Also, if anyone have any tips on how to read him a bit easier and more proficiently, I would be much obliged.
Thanks.
by spiralingly