Submitted by SirThomasYorke t3_zv97q7 in books
I’ve always looked forward to reading Dickens, mainly because some of my all-time favorite authors cite him as influences (Leo Tolstoy, Donna Tartt, Edgar Allan Poe, George RR Martin, Dostoevsky).
One reason I kept postponing was because every time he’s mentioned online, someone says some variation of, “Charles Dickens was paid by the word, and it shows.” After reading that for the hundredth time, I finally did a quick google search and learned that this isn’t even true.
I decided to finally start with Great Expectations and I’m so glad I did. I absolutely love the detail, the characters, his prose, how surprisingly funny it is; but what I love most about it is how unabashedly wholesome and tender it often is.
The quote that first destroyed me was towards the end of part one:
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried than before—more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle. If I had cried before, I should have had Joe with me then.
I’m nearing the end now and there have been quite a few quotes since that have affected me similarly, but this one has lingered the most.