Hunted Down: The Detective Stories of Charles Dickens (eBook, ePUB) - Dickens, Charles
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HUNTED DOWN [1860]
I.
Most of us see some romances in life.  In my capacity as Chief Manager of a Life Assurance Office, I think I have within the last thirty years seen more romances than the generality of men, however unpromising the opportunity may, at first sight, seem.
As I have retired, and live at my ease, I possess the means that I used to want, of considering what I have seen, at leisure.  My experiences have a more remarkable aspect, so reviewed, than they had when they were in progress.  I have come home from the Play now, and can recall the scenes of the Drama upon…mehr

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Produktbeschreibung
HUNTED DOWN [1860]

I.

Most of us see some romances in life.  In my capacity as Chief Manager of a Life Assurance Office, I think I have within the last thirty years seen more romances than the generality of men, however unpromising the opportunity may, at first sight, seem.

As I have retired, and live at my ease, I possess the means that I used to want, of considering what I have seen, at leisure.  My experiences have a more remarkable aspect, so reviewed, than they had when they were in progress.  I have come home from the Play now, and can recall the scenes of the Drama upon which the curtain has fallen, free from the glare, bewilderment, and bustle of the Theatre.

Let me recall one of these Romances of the real world.

There is nothing truer than physiognomy, taken in connection with manner.  The art of reading that book of which Eternal Wisdom obliges every human creature to present his or her own page with the individual character written on it, is a difficult one, perhaps, and is little studied.  It may require some natural aptitude, and it must require (for everything does) some patience and some pains.  That these are not usually given to it,—that numbers of people accept a few stock commonplace expressions of the face as the whole list of characteristics, and neither seek nor know the refinements that are truest,—that You, for instance, give a great deal of time and attention to the reading of music, Greek, Latin, French, Italian, Hebrew, if you please, and do not qualify yourself to read the face of the master or mistress looking over your shoulder teaching it to you,—I assume to be five hundred times more probable than improbable.  Perhaps a little self-sufficiency may be at the bottom of this; facial expression requires no study from you, you think; it comes by nature to you to know enough about it, and you are not to be taken in.

I confess, for my part, that I have been taken in, over and over again.  I have been taken in by acquaintances, and I have been taken in (of course) by friends; far oftener by friends than by any other class of persons.  How came I to be so deceived?  Had I quite misread their faces?

No.  Believe me, my first impression of those people, founded on face and manner alone, was invariably true.  My mistake was in suffering them to come nearer to me and explain themselves away.
Autorenporträt
Charles Dickens (1812-1870), an English writer and social critic, is often regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His works enjoy enduring popularity and are celebrated for their humor, vivid characters, and incisive social commentary. Born in Portsmouth, Dickens had to face the hard reality of poverty at an early age, an experience that influenced his writing and lent an empathetic edge to his portrayal of the underprivileged. His colorful literature includes 'Hunted Down: The Detective Stories of Charles Dickens,' a lesser-known collection which showcases his foray into the mystery and detective genre, highlighting his narrative dexterity outside his more conventional social novels. Dickens's literary style blends robust storytelling and acute characterization with trenchant social criticism and an acute awareness of contemporary issues. His serialized novels, a pioneering approach at that time, allowed the wider public accessibility to literature, and his texts remain studies in character and narrative artistry, as well as important documents of Victorian socio-cultural conditions. Renowned for classics such as 'Oliver Twist,' 'Great Expectations,' and 'A Tale of Two Cities,' Dickens's work transcends time, resonating with readers worldwide due to its universal themes of human struggle and triumph.