When you read Charles Dickens?

Question

Do you feel that we have moved on much since his time?

I mean the poverty and degradation of the lower classes, and the blatant hypocrisy of those who pretend to "help" them whilst preaching about the evils of the "idle and undeserving poor" (and living luxurious lifestyles themselves).

Dickens wanted to expose this in his works, along with expunging the idea that poverty and suffering were the result of "bad blood" rather than misfortune and lack of opportunity.

Sometimes, when I read posts in the politics section of here it seems that this view has never gone away!

Dickens would give light and shade to whole sections such as the underclass - for example, in Oliver Twist you have Fagin and Bill Sykes who were basically typically "bad" members of the underclass but then at the same time also Nancy who obviously had a good heart, but had been thrust into poverty and degradation through no fault of her own. I wonder how this affected the contemporary readers who subscribed to the "idle and undeserving poor"/bad blood theory? Did they even beleive the underclass could be "good " people?

Answer 1

In every era there will always be rich and poor it's a fact of life. We had hundreds of romanians move here that lived in appalling conditions on the sides of our motorways. It was as bad as in Dickens. They slept under cardboard with infants had no sanitary facilities, begged on the side of the roads and were deported when motorists kicked up a fuss. What will they go back too? Probably more of the same. It has nothing to do with bad blood. It is bad governing.

Answer 2

Liberal middle class do-gooders still make a distinction between the "deserving" poor and those who are "idle and undeserving". For example, I've never heard of anyone giving toys at Christmas to the children of the unemployed.

It's easier for them to blame "bad blood" (read inferior species) than to blame the socio-economic system of which they are part and from which they benefit from so liberally. The concept of "giving something back" makes my blood boil, especially as it is now tax deductible.

While the facade of capitalism has changed since Dicken's time, in its essentials it remains the same. While poverty in the Western world is not at C19th levels of degradation, the need for a degraded and exploitable working class and under class is fundamental to the system.

The only difference now is that we have exported the more blatant forms of exploitation to places like China, India, and Latin America.

Answer 3

I think your point is a valid one. Undoubtedly Dickens was a sympathetic commentator on the 19th Century underclass. However it is not that straightforward.
In " Oliver Twist " Oliver is always portrayed as a paragon of child-like virtue despite having spent his life in institutions of one kind or another and being amongst low-lives of various hues. Astonishingly, this boy speaks perfect standard English .
He also consistently displays a higher order of morality.
Compare this to the portrayal of the charity boy , Noah Claypole , Who torments him at Sowerberry's.
So why is Oliver so virtuous whilst Noah is so objectionable ? Perhaps because at the denouement , it emerges that Oliver is , in fact , the product of a "good " family , whilst, Noah ? Well, just another of the 5/8th's
Dickens seems to be suggesting that if you are well-born then breeding will out.
Clearly that does not sit well with the view of Dickens as a champion of the downtrodden.
Mind you his novels are magnificent !

Answer 4

Charles Dickens wrote about the good and bad things in society during his lifetime.He was a very keen observer of what went on around him, and he wrote a very clear picture for us.We can compare modern life to that of his own era, and see that there are similarities.
I think that some things have changed very much, like the abolition of children working, and sanitation has improved greatly.
You cannot ignore the fact however that we still have those who are very wealthy are hypocritical, and dictate that others less fortunate should give to people even poorer.An example being the likes of Bob Geldof telling us to give to the poor in Africa.
Our politicians would give him great inspiration if he was alive today and he would no doubt take great delight in ridiculing them.

Answer 5

Possibly my favorite author of all time. If you've never read any Dickens before, start with something simple, like "A Christmas Carol" or "A Tale of Two Cities." You'll get a feel for his style without getting overwhelmed by the depth and complexity of some of his other works. I'd also suggest "Great Expectations" and "David Copperfield" (very long, but so very enjoyable).

Answer 6

Dickens exposed the misery, hopelessness and despair of the lower classes in Victorian London and elsewhere. He highlighted the plight of the ragged urchins, the drunken women and, of course, the chimney sweep boys.

It seems to me that you could say that we have now regressed to those times with the gulf between rich and poor. The real difference is that nobody needs to really go without nowadays and if they do it is because benefits are misspent on drugs and alcohol. That is a decision and is not the fault of society which applied in Dickens' day.

Answer 7

We have moved on, but still there lingers the sting of poverty, the underclasses that feed on apathy, cruelty and selfishness that must be traits of our society.
One of my favourite authors who never fails to stir me. My last read was Hard Times a couple of months ago.

Answer 8

It would be untrue to say that the miseries commonplace in Victorian England are not to be found in the world today, but it would also be untrue to say that they are as widespread in England as they were 150 years ago. We can be proud of what we have accomplished if we do not become complacent about what remains to be done.

It is easy, now, as then, to blame. Blame is also counterproductive unless you are blaming yourself.

Later...

Ah, the "undeserving poor." I believe Alfred Doolittle ("Pygmalion") had the last word on the subject.

Answer 9

I'm afraid that you are right--there's a lot of Dickens that seems very "up-to-date." The gap between rich and poor keeps widening, and blaming people for their poverty is common.

Answer 10

Sadly, people are still people, and we all just have to keep that in mind when dealing with ongoing life. Fight and/or mock hypocrisy whenever you see it, and try to avoid it yourself, and that is the most that most of us can do.