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Every so often I stumble across the Wikipedia page of an author from the 19th or 20th century who was _hugely_ successful in their time, writing many bestsellin
by chilmers 3y ago
Every so often I stumble across the Wikipedia page of an author from the 19th or 20th century who was _hugely_ successful in their time, writing many bestselling books, and yet is almost totally forgotten now. They must have justifiably believed they had attained some kind of artistic immortality, yet it turned out not to be so (at least, probably not to the degree they expected — they do at least merit a Wikipedia entry, which is more than most of us will ever get).
- gumby 3y agoI remain astonished that Dickens has endured while Wilkie Collins has faded. The two were contemporaries, but Collins was much more famous and successful (and the inventor of the detective novel!). Yet hardly anyone reads even The Moonstone any more, while much of Dickens’ work is not only read but has become cultural touchstones (Scrooge, Oliver Twist, etc).
- zabzonk 3y agoi am not at all astonished, at a uk grammar school in the 60s we were forced to read "the moonstone" for our eng.lit. o-level, at the same time as "great expectations" - guess which we liked more.
- bsder 3y agoHow bad is "The Moonstone" for you to like "Great Expectations" better? "Great Expectations" bored me to tears. "Tale of Two Cities" is an OK book with a terrible book taking up 2/3 of pages inserted in the middle. If Dickens hadn't written "A Christmas Carol," I don't think anybody would know who he is.
- zabzonk 3y agoin my opinion GE is the great british novel. it takes a child through to an adult (very scarily at the start) in a really believable sequence, beautifully (and often very funnily) written. and both endings (there are two) make me cry. moonstone is a sub sherlock holmes detective story
- gumby 3y ago> moonstone is a sub sherlock holmes detective story Moonstone was the original. And personally I always thought Holmes’ leaps to be implausible, even as a kid. But I did enjoy your comment in one way: one of my step kids watched Blade Runner and said, “Just the usual grimy-future cop story with robots.” We all have that perspective sometimes.
- zabzonk 3y agobut of course dickens did publish a detective novel, or at least one featuring a detective in a major role (Bleak House) prior to The Moonstone. of course the two writers were friends, and undoubtedly influenced each other.
- OfSanguineFire 3y agoThere was a Collins revival around the turn of the millennium, when editions of popular classics took on The Moonstone. That book thus appeared on shelves all over the world, including in the meagre English selection of Eastern European bookshops.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]