Why should you read Charles Dickens? - Iseult Gillespie

Prevoditelj: Sanda L

The starving orphan seeking a second helping of gruel.

Gladno siroče traži drugu porciju kaše.

The spinster wasting away in her tattered wedding dress.

Usidjelica se izgladnjuje u svojoj jadnoj vjenčanici.

The stone-hearted miser plagued by the ghost of Christmas past.

Gospodin tvrdog srca mučen od strane božićnog duha prošlosti.

More than a century after his death,

Više od stoljeća nakon njegove smrti,

these remain recognizable figures from the work of Charles Dickens.

ove figure Charlesa Dickensa ostaju prepoznatljive.

So striking is his body of work that it gave rise to its own adjective.

Njegov književni opus toliko je izuzetan da je dobio i svoj vlastiti pridjev.

But what are the features of Dickens's writing that make it so special?

Ali koje su značajke Dickensovih djela koje ga čine tako posebnim?

Dickens’s fiction brims with anticipation

Dickensove fikcije prepune su predviđanja

through brooding settings, plot twists, and mysteries.

kroz bolne okolnosti radnje, obrate i misterije.

These features of his work kept his audience wanting more.

Ove značajke njegovih djela pridobile su publiku koja je željela još.

When first published, his stories were serialized,

Kada su prvi put objavljene, njegove su novele dolazile u nastavcima,

meaning they were released a few chapters at a time in affordable literary journals

svaki put je objavljeno nekoliko poglavlja u dostupnim književnim izdanjima,

and only later reprinted as books.

a poslije su objavljene kao knjige.

This prompted fevered speculation over the cliffhangers

Ovo je izazvalo žestoke špekulacije oko neizvjesnosti radnje

and revelations he devised.

i otkrića koja je planirao.

Serialization not only made fiction available to a wider audience

Nastavci nisu samo učinili fikciju dostupnom široj publici

and kept them reading,

i naveli je da čita,

but increased the hype around the author himself.

nego se povećalo i zanimanje za autora.

Dickens became particularly popular for his wit,

Dickens je postao naročito popularan zbog svojeg smisla za humor,

which he poured into quirky characters and satiric scenarios.

koji je unio u domišljate likove i satirične scene.

His characters exhibit the sheer absurdity of human behavior,

Njegovi likovi prikazuju čisti apsurd ljudskog ponašanja

and their names often personify traits or social positions,

i njihova imena često su oličenje osobine ili socijalne grupe,

like the downtrodden Bob Cratchit,

kao potlačeni Bob Cratchit,

the groveling Uriah Heep,

ili prijetvorni Uriah Heep

and the cheery Septimus Crisparkle.

i vedri Septimus Crisparkle.

Dickens set these colorful characters against intricate social backdrops,

Dickens je stvorio raznolike likove protiv zamršenih socijalnih pozadina,

which mimic the society he lived in.

koji oponašaju društvo u kojem je živio.

For instance, he often considered

Primjerice, često je razmišljao

the changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution.

o promjenama donesenim tijekom Industrijske revolucije.

During this period,

Tijekom tog razdoblja,

the lower classes experienced sordid working and living conditions.

niži staleži su iskusili grozne radne i životne okolnosti.

Dickens himself experienced this hardship as a child

Sȃm Dickens je iskusio tegobe još kao dijete

when he was forced to work in a boot blacking factory

kada je bio primoran raditi u tvornici pasti za cipele,

after his father was sent to debtors' prison.

nakon što je njegov otac poslan u zatvor zbog dugova.

This influenced his depiction of the Marshalsea prison in Little Dorrit,

To se odrazilo na njegov pogled na zatvor Marshalsea u Maloj Dorrit,

where the titular character cares for her convict father.

gdje se lik iz naslova brine za svog osuđenog oca.

Prisons, orphanages, or slums may seem grim settings for a story,

Zatvori, sirotišta, sirotinjske četvrti možda se čine odbojnim mjestima za priču,

but they allowed Dickens to shed light

ali su omogućili Dickensu da objasni

on how his society's most invisible people lived.

život onih koji su društvu gotovo nevidljivi.

In Nicholas Nickleby,

U Nicholasu Nicklebyju,

Nicholas takes a job with the schoolmaster Wackford Squeers.

Nicholas počinje raditi sa svojim učiteljem Wackfordom Squeersom.

He soon realizes that Squeers is running a scam

Ubrzo uviđa da Squeers provodi prevaru

where he takes unwanted children from their parents for a fee

gdje uzima neželjenu djecu od roditelja za proviziju

and subjects them to violence and deprivation.

i vodi ih prema nasilju i neimaštini.

Oliver Twist also deals with the plight of children in the care of the state,

Oliver Twist govori i o stanju djece za koju brine država,

illustrating the brutal conditions of the workhouse

prikazujući brutalne uvjete po domovima

in which Oliver pleads with Mr. Bumble for food.

u kojoj Oliver moli gospodina Bumblea za hranu.

When he flees to London, he becomes ensnared in a criminal underworld.

Kada bježi u London, upada u klopku kriminalnog podzemlja.

These stories frequently portray Victorian life

Ove priče često portretiraju Viktorijansko doba

as grimy, corrupt, and cruel.

kao prljavo, korumpirano i okrutno.

But Dickens also saw his time as one in which old traditions

Ali Dickens je također gledao na svoje razdoblje kao ono

were fading away.

u kojem stare tradicije nestaju.

London was becoming the incubator of the modern world

London je postao inkubator modernog razdoblja

through new patterns in industry, trade, and social mobility.

pomoću novih oblika industrije, trgovine i socijalne mobilnosti.

Dickens's London is therefore a dualistic space:

Dickensov London je, zapravo, dualistički prostor:

a harsh world that is simultaneously filled with wonder and possibility.

grub svijet koji je istovremeno pun čuda i mogućnosti.

For instance, the enigma of Great Expectations

Primjerice, enigma Velikih očekivanja

centers around the potential of Pip,

pozornost skreće na Pipa,

an orphan plucked from obscurity by an anonymous benefactor

siroče spašeno od strane anonimnog dobročinitelja

and propelled into high society.

i uvedeno u visoko društvo.

In his search for purpose,

U svojoj potrazi za smislom,

Pip becomes the victim of other people’s ambitions for him

Pip postaje žrtva tuđih ambicija

and must negotiate with a shadowy cast of characters.

i mora pregovarati s mračnim nizom likova.

Like many of Dickens’s protagonists,

Kao mnogi Dickensovi protagonisti,

poor Pip's position is constantly destabilized,

Pipov jadan položaj je neprestano nestabilan

just one of the reasons why reading Dickens

i jedan je od razloga zašto je čitanje Dickensa

is the best of times for the reader,

nešto najbolje za čitatelja,

while being the worst of times for his characters.

dok je nešto najstrašnije za njegove likove.

Dickens typically offered clear resolution by the end of his novels,

Dickens tipično daje jasan završetak na kraju svojih novela,

– with the exception of The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

- osim izuzetka, Tajne Edwina Drooda.

The novel details the disappearance of the orphan Edwin under puzzling circumstances.

Novela prikazuje nestanak siročeta Edwina pod nejasnim okolnostima.

However, Dickens died before the novel was finished

Međutim, Dickens je preminuo prije negoli je novela završena

and left no notes resolving the mystery.

i nema bilješki koje bi odgonetnule misterij.

Readers continue to passionately debate over who Dickens intended as the murderer,

Čitatelji nastavljaju žustro raspravljati kome je Dickens namijenio ulogu ubojice

and whether Edwin Drood was even murdered in the first place.

te je li Edwin Drood uopće i bio ubijen.

Throughout many adaptations,

Preko mnogih adaptacija,

literary homages,

književnih hommagea

and the pages of his novels,

i stranica njegovih novela,

Dickens’s sparkling language and panoramic worldview

Dickensov sjajni jezik i panoramski svjetonazor

continue to resonate.

nastavljaju postojati.

Today, the adjective Dickensian

Danas, pridjev "dickensovski"

often implies squalid working or living conditions.

često podrazumijeva sirotinjske radne i životne uvjete.

But to describe a novel as Dickensian is typically high praise,

Ali opisati novelu kao dickensovsku znači veliku pohvalu

as it suggests a story in which true adventure and discovery

i sugerira priču u kojoj se prava avantura i otkriće

occur in the most unexpected places.

pojavljuju tamo gdje najmanje očekujemo.

Although he often explored bleak material,

Iako je često istraživao mračne teme,

Dickens’s piercing wit never failed to find light in the darkest corners.

Dickensov humor nikad nije razočarao, nalazeći svjetlost u najmračnijim kutevima.