Re: The Enlightenment in HARD TIMES

Charles Dickens (cdickens@RMPLC.CO.UK)
Tue, 13 Jan 1998 14:27:57 -0100 

My dear Miss Suzy,

  It's not entirely clear to me what you mean when you speak of parts of
"Hard Times" which might help you evaluate "the positive or negative aspects
of the Enlightenment."  Your capital letter suggests that, by the
"Enlightenment," you mean that phase in the history of ideas, during the
seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when new philosophical methods and new
scientific procedures were making the created world a more intelligible place.
  I suppose that parts of "Hard Times" do allude to this phase indirectly,
in so far as they challenge the thinkers who, in the nineteenth century,
sometimes called themselved Utilitarians, and who took the view that matters
of political economy, matters of human happiness, could be decided by
calculation and appeal to reason alone.  These ever seemed to me the least
wise among philosophers.
  If this will serve your purpose, may I modestly recommend that you look at
the first three paragraphs of Book One, Chapter Eleven?

Faithfully yours,


Charles Dickens
________________________________________________________________________________
>Dear Mr. Dickens,
> To be honest it's been the first novel of your's that i've ever read.
>But it's a fact that nothing is too late to discover.
>My name is Suzy,I am a student in English teaching department and iam
>recieving literature lessons.When i first read your book i got realy
>interested with your style,it was very differnt,sad,witty but rather
>hard to read(for me).
> Well,i want to ask you a little quesion about "Hard Times" if you will
>appriciate.
> If i ask you to choose a scene in "Hard Times" that helps you to
>evaluate the positive OR the negative aspects of the Enlighenment which
>scene will it be and why?
> I will be realy happy if you would be able to help me in my question,
>because i am still searching for the right answer.
>  I am looking forward for your re-mail
>                 Faithfully,
>                            Suzi
>
>

======================
Charles Dickens
charles_dickens@rmplc.co.uk
Author