Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was the most popular novelist of the Victorian era and remains one of the most widely read English-language writers in the world. He wrote under the pressure of serial publication — many of his novels appeared chapter by chapter in magazines — which gave his prose a pace-driven, theatrical quality that suits speed reading.
Two of his most read novels are available free on warpread.
The novels, in recommended reading order
| Novel | Words | Time at 350 WPM | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Great Expectations | 185,000 | 8h 48m | Start here — the most propulsive |
| A Tale of Two Cities | 135,000 | 6h 26m | The most structurally compressed |
Where to start
Start with Great Expectations. The novel opens with one of the most memorable scenes in English fiction — the young Pip, alone in a graveyard, confronted by an escaped convict — and it never loses that grip. Pip's narration is self-aware and self-critical; the novel knows its protagonist is often wrong about himself, and lets you see it. Miss Havisham is the most theatrical of Dickens's eccentrics, and Magwitch's backstory is more moving than the reader expects.
A Tale of Two Cities is the better choice if you want something shorter and more structurally unified. It lacks the expansive cast of Dickens's other novels — it is a love story set against the French Revolution — and the famous opening and closing lines ("It was the best of times, it was the worst of times" / "It is a far, far better thing that I do") bracket a genuinely affecting narrative about sacrifice and class.
What Dickens did
Dickens was the first novelist to make the urban poor visible as subjects of serious fiction. His London — the debtors' prisons, the workhouses, the law courts, the fog — is a character in its own right. He was also a technical innovator: Bleak House (not in warpread's current library) pioneered the dual-narrative structure; Little Dorrit (also not yet available) used the prison as a sustained metaphor.
The two novels available in warpread's library represent Dickens at his most accessible. Both are in the Victorian fiction genre alongside Hardy, Eliot, and the Brontës.
Dickens and speed reading
Dickens's prose is ideal for RSVP. His sentences have a theatrical, performative rhythm — he wrote for public readings as well as print — and the chapter-ending cliff-hangers maintain forward momentum. At 350–400 WPM, the set-piece scenes (the graveyard opening of Great Expectations, the execution scene of A Tale of Two Cities) hit with particular force because the pace matches the drama.
The descriptive passages — Dickens's London fogs, his interiors — can be read slightly faster. The dialogue always repays full attention: his characters' voices are among the most distinctive in English fiction.
Read Great Expectations free on warpread →
FAQ
Q: Which Dickens novel should I read first? A: Great Expectations — the most propulsive and emotionally complex. A Tale of Two Cities is a fine shorter alternative.
Q: Is Dickens difficult to read? A: Difficulty 3 out of 5. Written for a mass Victorian audience, so the prose is designed to hold attention. The main adjustment is length and the absence of modern compression.
Q: How long does it take to read Great Expectations? A: About 185,000 words — approximately 8 hours 48 minutes at 350 WPM.
Frequently asked questions
Which Dickens novel should I read first?
Great Expectations. It is the most propulsive of his major novels — the first-person narration of Pip's rise from the Kent marshes drives the plot forward without Dickens's characteristic digressions. It is also the most emotionally complex, with Miss Havisham and Magwitch as two of his most memorable creations. A Tale of Two Cities is a fine second — shorter, more compressed, and the most structurally tight of his longer novels.
Is Dickens difficult to read?
Dickens is rated difficulty 3 out of 5. He was writing for serial publication — instalments in magazines, read by a mass Victorian audience — so the prose is designed to hold attention across weeks of waiting. His characters are vivid and his plots are eventful. The main adjustment for modern readers is the length: Great Expectations is 185,000 words, and Dickens doesn't compress the way Austen or Hemingway do. But the pace is maintained throughout.
How long does it take to read Great Expectations?
Great Expectations is approximately 185,000 words — about 8 hours 48 minutes at 350 WPM. Across a week of 45-minute daily RSVP sessions, that is approximately 12–13 sessions. Dickens's prose is well-suited to RSVP: the sentences have a theatrical rhythm, and the cliff-hanger chapter endings maintain momentum.
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