The Writing Style of Charles Dickens Essay Example

Charles Dickens. Many people take a stance on his style of writing, either saying his writing was astounding, or atrocious. Each and every author has their own strengths, weaknesses, ups, and downs. Although, understanding their style of writing over the whole story, and not specific parts, is the beauty of estimating if the author is so-called “good” or “bad”. In this essay, I will inform you on why Charles Dickens was a good author.

First and foremost, with all of the details he provides in the text, readers are able to visualize a detailed scene. Many claim that Dickens has many run-on sentences that provide no help to the story, but they help enhance the writing without us knowing it. These sentences have such subtle detail to the story, and they seem almost useless, but in the bigger picture it adds up. For example when Dickens stated, “A large cask of wine had been dropped and broken, in the street. The accident had happened in getting it out of a cart; the cask had tumbled out with a run, the hoops had burst, and it lay on the stones just outside the door of the wine-shop, shattered like a walnut-shell.” (32)

This quote, provides us many details, that wouldn’t be stated if we shortened the sentence into something like ‘A large wine cask tumbled, and shattered on the streets of Paris’. We would miss out all the fine details, and the important hints at the upcoming Revolution. It’s important to understand that the sentences Dickens uses are beneficial as they make the book seem more realistic because, as we emerge farther into the book, we can picture the text differently, giving us a rooted understanding of the story.

Following that, the way Dickens writes puts emotion on the reader. That emotion would be unobtainable without the little details that put a great amount of importance to the story. For example, in the story, you feel emotion when Gaspard’s daughter gets run over by the carriage, when Jerry Cruncher yells at his wife, when Miss Pross fights Madame Defarge, when Carton died, etc. You feel emotions like pity, sadness, suspense, and worry. The book would feel transparent if we don’t understand the details because in the end, it all adds up. For example, let’s focus on Sydney Carton’s death. If Dickens didn’t put forth the detail and build up the person Carton is, his death wouldn’t really matter to us. Dickens did an admirable job by showing us who Sydney Carton really was, because it was devastating to see him die.

Another reason why the emotion is present is because of how Dickens makes the text relatable to the reader. This evokes emotion because, we know what's happening, we know why it’s happening the way it is. For example, when Madame Defarge is killing the aristocrats we could understand why. It’s because of their power, and how they hurt the peasants. It’s like revenge, and we know this feeling really well, because there’s always a time someone feels like they want revenge. On the other hand, opposing Madame Defarge, we also feel pity because we know that Darnay didn’t do a mistake and we want him to live. This is because we understand that if one is innocent, they shouldn't be punished. These small additions make the book more powerful and suspenseful with emotion. Dickens is an incredible writer because he can make us relate to the text to make the emotion more powerful.

Adding on to those important reasons, a good author needs to be able to connect everything in the story. Dickens does a great job of doing this, because as you read on, you notice how he has hinted at events that show up later, from details found through the beginning. Yes, it is frustrating to go back and forth through the book, but it just shows us how a good author can connect every single word he puts down. It is important to notice that most of what Dickens writes isn’t completely useless, it connects to the story in one way or another. This is an important aspect of an author, because it means that there is a reason every single word is written down. This proves the point that Dickens is not a writing hack that gets paid by his word count. He uses words to benefit the reader, and their understanding and analyzing of the story.

All in all, Charles Dickens was a good author because his writing provides many benefits to the reader in the story.