On Sundays, everything was closed but the church doors and the park gates. At night, one could read or play cards - provided one could afford to burn the oil or candles it was cheaper and easier to be inactive from sundown to sunup. No crackling neon signs put any "buzz" in the night. Most shops and places of public entertainment closed early. Railways existed, but cars, trucks, planes, radio, movies, and television didn't exist. People seldom traveled and, if they did, rarely did they go very far.īy today's standards, life was quiet in Dickens' era. Most women were in the home all day and, as a rule, had more than enough time to do what needed to be done this fact in itself kept the pace of domestic life slower than anything familiar to us today. Most men, whether in cities or on the farms, lived close to their work: There was no daily massive rush of commuters. In fact, short novels were unusual in the Victorian era (1837-1901). None of Dickens' contemporaries thought that the book was too long. This does not mean that Dickens style is wordy or that the book could be abridged without losing the effects that Dickens wanted to achieve.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |