But I wonder how much real attention Dickens’s books

But I wonder how much real attention Dickens’s books will get. In America at least, he seems to be an author more known than read. (Find me someone who claims to have read “Martin Chuzzlewit” and I will show you a goddamned liar.) Yet even if you’ve read only one of his books, his stamp is such that it feels like you’ve read them all. The virtues that kept him famous, prosperous and never out of print - that he is easily grasped and eternally inventive in his visuals and jokes - have served to make him iconic. His characters, of course, deserve most of the credit. They possess those funny allegorical names, behave just as fixedly, and get thrown into one melodramatic scene after another. But taken as a whole, those 989 characters make up an unforgettable universe of humanity matched only by Shakespeare, whom Dickens worshipped.

George Orwell, in his famous essay on Dickens, pegged the novelist as a cynic who was neither a radical nor an idle bourgeois, but a self-made mystery who unswervingly championed the underdog, typically the working poor. He went on to assert that Dickens’s reticence to take a definitive position on class and rights carried over to his characters, who tend to feel unreal. While Orwell claimed he could conduct a conversation with a chap like Leopold Bloom, he held that he couldn’t imagine one with any of the folks imagined by Dickens.

The Orwell essay is a long one and is interesting because there is a palpable tension between his obvious love for Dickens and his need to bring a clear, socialist critique to the table, if for no other reason than to prevent Dickens from being ‘stolen’ by others with their own specious agendas. For example, Orwell couldn’t say enough about how amazing Dickens was in writing the way children think, but on the other hand it rankles him that Dickens never talks about actual work and what people do when they’re not standing around in some literary scene.

But despite persistent and, to my mind, niggling quarrels that Orwell picks with Dickens, he couldn’t bring himself to condemn him. He went on to concede that he couldn’t imagine a day when he wouldn’t be reminded of a particular Dickensian scene or moment. It is this aspect of Dickens, the sheer scope of the world he created and the widescreen variety of his novels, that is his true legacy. Yes, his novels are of a piece, but when you fit the jigsaw together it’s a remarkable picture, whirling and alive. Its intricacies and moving parts far outweighing the surprise coincidences, occasional mawkishness and deus ex machina endings.

1. Which of these best expresses the central theme of the passage?

  1. The passage captures the universal legacy of Dickens’ writings.
  2. The author wants to argue that despite some weaknesses Dickens as a writer is second only to Shakespeare.
  3. The passage captures the author’s analysis of a George Orwell essay on Dickens.
  4. The passage explores why Dickens is an important author and will always be read.

2. All of the following are criticisms of Dickens’ novels except:

  • I. Dickens’ novels feature characters that have funny allegorical names.
  • II. Dickens is too sentimental at times.
  • III. Dickens’ characters’ opinion on class and rights is not clear which makes them feel unreal.
  • IV. Dickens’ novels feature surprising coincidences.
  1. II, III and IV
  2. I and III
  3. Only I
  4. II and IV

3. According to author, what is the most important feature of Dickens’ writings?

  1. The inventive visuals and jokes.
  2. The whimsical characters that he created.
  3. The fact that his writing is easily understood by everybody.
  4. The complete range and variety of his writings.

4. Which of the following best describes the tone of the passage?

  1. Descriptive
  2. Nostalgic
  3. Analytical
  4. Pedantic

Answers

  1. A
  2. C
  3. D
  4. C