Dickens, like, totes as bad as the worst writer in the world, evah!?!

Mindfulness

I saw this on the BBC News website yesterday.

In a recent study published in the journal of quantitative linguistics, entitled "Scientific evaluation of Charles Dickens", the author suggests that the "quality of Dickens' prose is the same as that of Bulwer-Lytton".

'Big deal' you might think, until you realise that Bulwer-Lytton is widely considered to be the worst writer in the history of written English.

The results of the study were gained by means of a survey, located here, that is still available to take.

Those who took the survey were presented with a number of pieces of prose and asked to determine if it was written by Dickens or Bulwer-Lytton. In the end, the results showed that people only got the correct answer 50% of the time, indicating that they were unable to tell the prose of Dickens from that of Bulwer-Lytton.

Now to be honest, the methodology of this 'scientific' evaluation leaves a lot to be desired, I can't emphasise how badly it has been conducted, especially considering the conclusion drawn by the author. For starters, the quality of an author's prose is not dependent on a small number of paragraphs from that author's body of work. Secondly, without seeing the paragraphs before and after the segments of prose chosen and without knowing the context it is not possible to judge the quality of the prose (imo).

All this study shows is that for a small number of paragraphs taken from a few bits of the authors (plural) catalogue of work, readers are unable to tell which of the author wrote a particular piece of text.

There can be no doubt that if Dickens were alive today an editor would take a hatchet to approximately 80% of the long-winded, rambling prose but that's not the point. The modern writing world has changed and even reader's of popular fiction prefer an 'easy' read with sentences that are short and snappy rather than long and convoluted. Dickens' writing is a product of its time and I for one love his writing.

Mardy Bum

Being unable to read the methodology and the background of the participants I cannot comment unequivocally however it appears to be a very basic experiment which measured peoples (unsure of qualifications) ability to critique literature.

If these people were all taken off the street for such a purpose I'm not surprised this occurred. If these people are all literature students it may be more telling.

Personally the only real way to measure something like this would be with the methodology of neuroscience i.e which writer lights up the pleasurable parts of the brain.

It is very easy to cherry pick quotes from anybody and make them sound intelligent or stupid. Shakespeare or Hip Hop is a perfect example. Most people will get it wrong.

mickmackey1

Mardy Bum wrote: »

Shakespeare or Hip Hop is a perfect example. Most people will get it wrong.

16/25...:o:o

HeadPig

Meaningless without context. Take this passage for example:

Outragedy of poetscalds! Acomedy of letters! I have them all, tame, deep and harried, in my mine’s I. And one of these fine days, man dear, when the mood is on me, that I may willhap cut my throat with my tongue tonight but I will be ormuzd moved to take potlood and introvent it Paatryk just like a work of merit, mark my words and append to my mark twang, that will open your pucktricker’s ops for you, broather brooher, only for, as a papst and an immature and a nayophight and a spaciaman spaciosum and a hundred and eleven other things, I would never for anything take so much trouble of such doing. And why so? Because I am altogether a chap too fly and hairyman for to infradig the like of that ultravirulence. And by all I hold sacred on earth clouds and in heaven I swear to you on my piop and oath by the awe of Shaun (and that’s a howl of a name!) that I will commission to the flames any incendiarist whosoever or ahriman howsoclever who would endeavour to set ever annyma roner moother of mine on fire. Rock me julie but I will soho!

Looks like nonsense by an imbecile doesn't it? Without context we cannot say (but many will argue that this particular excerpt would still be nonsense in context!).

--Kaiser--

Is it Joyce? It does sound like nonsense written by an imbecile

HeadPig

--Kaiser-- wrote: »

Is it Joyce? It does sound like nonsense written by an imbecile

Yes, from Finnegans Wake.