Do you think Charles Dickens could publish today?

Question

If the world had never heard of Charles Dickens before, and he were to publish exact copies of his books today, would you think they'd be popular? I personally like the stories of his books, but the main problem is his style, which was formed from the place and time he lived in. Do you think it would hold up if someone published a book with that style today? His stories are mostly accepted since they're classics.

For the record, I'm not saying that his books are bad. I actually enjoyed his stories Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol (I haven't read any others, though). I'm just wondering what you all think.

Answer 1

Yes, wordy still works (see JK Rowling's last tome).  

Answer 2

I like Dickens book but they are not a fast read.  Definitely not James Patterson.  I think that we have gotten really lazy about doing anything hard, so I wonder if his books would be as popular today as they were when he was alive.  If I am not mistaken his writings appeared in a newspaper as a serial story and people waited anxiously for each new episode. kind of like a soap opera of today

Answer 3

The only way that Charles Dickens' books would be written exactly the same today as they were in his time would be if he was born then but experienced time travel. Had he been born in modern times, his wording would reflect that.

Yes, I believe he would still be read and appreciated. He would deal with problems experienced today; things we recognize and understand. He would still be spotlighting societal ills and using his pen to attempt to correct them.

I wouldn't be surprised to find that Charles Dickens would start a major literary magazine which would become extremely successful. In the pages of his magazine, books would again be serialized and people would eagerly anticipate the next installment once more.

The difference between his style of descriptive prose and that which you find today is in the wording, itself. Had he been a product of our times, his wording would be, too. His talent, his gift, would not be changed.

Answer 4

As you are astute enough to observe, Dickens and his literary output were products of their times. If he was writing today, he would be aware of the work of such current writers as Stephen King and Dean Koontz, and he'd know what he'd have to do to compete.

Since the plots and characters are pretty timeless, I imagine that the mayhem that did not offend Victorian sensibilities would become more graphic, and s*x scenes probably would be included.

Titles would likely become more lurid, as well. "A Christmas Carol might bear the title,"Have Yourself a Haunted Little Christmas" and "Oliver Twist" might emerge as "Twisted Life."

Answer 5

I've heard his books. and I don't know one person who doesn't know him. We all learn great expectations at school and after that I read it.