So I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but where is Great Expectations taking place? I feel like both the creepy men have had strange dialects ("Who d'ye live with- supposin' ye're kindly let to live, which I han't made up my mind about?") Also, it's rather distracting to me for two reasons:
-It's a little harder to grasp what they're saying because they're talking in a different way than I'm used to.
-It reminds me a lot of the way Hagrid speaks in Harry Potter. Which causes my mind to drift to Harry Potter and then I have to reread.
Side Note: The title to this post refers to "Where in the world is Carmen San Diego", in case you were curious.
@Amy: Totally got that reference (or should I say allusion?)! I LOVED Carmen San Diego when I was younger...
ReplyDeleteAnyway, that doesn't relate. As you've probably guessed, they are somewhere in the UK, because Dickens is British, and well, they just are. My best guess would be the countryside in England. I don't think they are in Ireland, Scotland, Wales or Cornwall; I think it's just plain England. I don't think they're in London, since you have to be a lot more affluent if you want to live in the big city.
I think the contrast between the dialogue and Pip's own reflections is stark. Pip's inner conscience has an immense vocabulary, but he can't even spell the word 'My' right! It makes me wonder if Dickens was trying to show off how smart he is and then reflect the true nature of the characters in the dialogue.
Their dialect does kind of remind me of Hagrid! It's not outlandish, but it's still strange. Oh, how I miss Hagrid, with his pink umbrella...
Anyhoo, I do agree that the dialogue can be distracting, but I think in general it has that Dickens' style. He rambles on in some points, and you really want to fall asleep. Other times you can't put the book down. Basically, it could have gone through another edit, but I still like the book.
I agree that the language of this book is REALLY confusing. I just can't get past how many different dialects there are! Like you guys were describing a cockneyish accent, but then there's Joe who pronounces all of his "v"'s as "w"'s (not quite sure if the grammar is right there but you get the point). I just don't see why he put in the different dialects because they don't add to the story. In fact, like you guys said, it makes it really confusing. And Shruthi, I find that the describtions are more rambly than the dialogue... The dialogue is really the only thing that keeps me awake, but that's just my opinion.
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