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March 22, 2013



Has he ever actually read Dickens?

That's a very good question! Doesn't sound like it, does it?

I got a 92 as well. I'm not sure I agree with the conclusions he makes. Obviously there is a difference between Bulwer-Lytton and Dickens, as one is celebrated as a great author and the other is...not. The inability of the test takers to differentiate between the two would seem more likely to stem from their unfamiliarity with Victorian prose than actual similarity in the quality of the writng.

Wow. What an epic fail.
Firstly, "internet poll" and "scientific" are pretty much mutually exclusive. It didn't go up from there.
The premise that you can assume people are educated if they come from an area with a University is also not scientific. That is a false assumption--firstly, IP addresses are a stab in the general direction of but not a reliable guide to location. Secondly, did he count all universities or only ones he knew the names of? Was he biased against second tier colleges in rural areas? Actually, those considerations don't come into play at all because as you said the whole question itself is flawed.
Really, Bulwer-Lytton? The Worst?
...And even if Bulwer Lytton WAS the worst, and even if we COULDN'T tell objectively that most people couldn't tell the difference between him and Dickens just mean that most people have no taste?
And the reason no one can tell the dead white guys apart is because they aren't separate people. There's only one giant amorphous dead white guy to whom we attribute everything, and the dead non-white-or non-guys whom we ignore completely.* :D
*Except Jane Austen.

I took quiz as well, and scored 100 percent. I'm not bragging mind you. It's just that, while I've read every Dickens novel several times, I've read nothing by Bulwer-Lytton. As opposed to...nothing by either.

You're the first person I know of who got 100 percent! Well done!

Thank you Gina! I'm not sure if my area qualifies as "educated," but I do know that I am (and very proudly I might add), what many people refer to as a Dickens geek. I'm new to this blog/site. Very much enjoying it! Well done yourself!

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Happy 200th, Mr. Dickens!

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