Hard Times reminded me of Huxley's Brave New World. Both portray a dystopian city. The difference is that Hard Times is too in your face. Dickens' fictional city Coketown, homes people of radically different points of view and means of living when the circus stops over the town for a few months. There are people obsessed with "facts" and all things realistic. On the other hand, there are people working in a circus, full of dreams, leading polyamorous relationships, putting shows above anything else. The contrast of such two different classes of people in the same town is striking. However, Dickens chooses to describe them from a third-person omniscient point of view, and many people are aware of their differences, and they tell it themselves how absurd it is. What is the norm is established by such characters, so there's no space for reflection by the reader. The book presents you the criticism on a golden platter. So it basically tells you what to think. This is the number one mistake of the book. It honestly takes down the good qualities of the book, and makes us question whether it is worh reading. The premise of the book is really thought provoking but the narrative takes the means of thinking for yourself from you. But! Do not try to read this book to pass the time. On the contrary, only take this book into your hands if you wish to stop the time. Dickens, being one of the most known Victorian writers, know very well how to narrate painstakingly detailed scenes especially when there's not much action to begin with. He also describes the town numerous times even though it is the same damn town? Just a heads up. Another factor on why I couldn't finish the book any quicker is: Dickens decided to write the accents of the Northern English working class. They speak with a heavy accent. I couldn't understand what they were saying 90% of the time. For the working class, they also speak in very long complex sentences too... Characters are, of course not surprising, morally portrayed only one sided; either good or bad. However, I had a favorite, Stephen. Poor Stephen was a cool bloke. He was so sincere in everything he did. I loved reading about him. And spoiler alert! HE DIED. He was the only character that died, and he was the only character that I liked. It was very heartbreaking. Stephen's love with Rachael, Rachael being there to hold his hand as he passes away brought tears to my eyes. Louisa, arguably the main character of the book, was very relatable. She couldn't care less about anything. Nothing mattered to her that much. Life was just... bleh. Honestly, she was just depressed before any DSM books were written. Did I tell you that THERE'S NO PLOT? Well it has a plot, but it can be summed up in three sentences. All the other pages are there to teach us a lesson, I guess. Still it is a book about wondering. Like Edgar Allan Poe said; “It is a happiness to wonder; -- it is a happiness to dream.” I love the book for that, for reminding us to wonder. This book reminds us that facts alone cannot help us to live a fulfilled life. Nor emotions only, as we saw in Dostoyevsky's Idiot. Life requires utmost fragile balance of emotions and reasoning... Life is fucking hard, man.

Hard TimesCharles Dickens · Nan Kitap · 20191,055 okunma

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