im trying to read ‘a christmas carol’ by charles dickens quite literally one of the easiest books to read ever and i cant do it. at all. im trying to reread this one bit over and over and i am stressed out because my brain cant grasp it at all? what do i do? am i just stupid? english is my first language aswell and i have to read this by tomorrow, i’ve genuinely spent 2 hours reading this and got past 12 pages. wtf

‘The owner of one scant young nose, gnawed and mumbled by the hungry cold as bones are gnawed by dogs, stooped down at Scrooge’s keyhole to regale him with Christmas carol: but, at the first sound of - “God bless you, merry gentleman! May nothing you dismay!” Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of act that the singer fled in terror, leaving the keyhole the fog and even more congenial’

is this just a normal sentence?? can you see where my confusions coming from or am i just dyslexic or whatever.

  • AcolyteofAconite@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    10 months ago

    That’s no normal sentence LMAO. Let me translate:

    A boy, whose nose was thin—a sign of winter taking its toll, and as stripped of flesh as a dog’s gnawed-on bone would be—crouched by Scrooge’s door to sing him a carol. However, right after he said the first stanza of “God rest ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay—”, Scrooge grabbed his cane so menacingly, the boy immediately fled, leaving his doorstop barren and alone in the heavy fog and even heavier frost.

    You could probably understand that just fine. I’ve said the same thing, but language evolves and Dickens is difficult to understand.

    Honestly, if it’s going to take you hours to read through and the reading process isn’t fun for you, you may as well watch one of the many movie adaptations out there. It’ll take less time and you’ll get the same/a better amount of understanding. (This isn’t meant as an insult; reading should be enjoyable, and I didn’t find Christmas Carol enjoyable to read, either. The Muppet Christmas Carol is a favorite childhood movie of mine, though.)

    • bakhtinbaby@alien.topBEnglish
      1·
      10 months ago

      It’s a perfectly legible sentence and not hard to understand at all. Your version reads like shit and completely messes up the artistry of the original.