I can do brimming with humanity, and I often slog through the most depressing of novels - I am actually a huge fan of Dickens (though I'm no scholar on the subject Tatty -thats you
), but these aint no Dickens-ish.
Come on now. With Dickens, you have ultra depressing and degraded, but for the most part there is always a clearly painted victim with redeeming qualities, and various others in myriad stages of ethical development. Despite how dark Dickens painted the world, you always had the sense that Good would win over Evil....in the end. Of course, if I remember it correctly, Dickens' worldview was shaped by his "suffering is our lot in life" and "good always wins in spite of great tribulation" christian family. There is a hope in his works that transcends the dark picture he paints.
I like Dickens' approach to depravity, because he really does "humanize" them in such a way that even though you absolutely want to HATE and are disgusted with the antagonist(s), you cant help but to pity them. I think it must be that you perceive in his work an overall acknowledgement of 'the human condition" and an apology for it.
The Wire? The Shield? Deadwood? There is also an acknowledgement of the depravity......with no apology, and therefore no hope. They struck me as kind of like:
I'm here, Im like this, and I'm never gonna change - DEAL with it. Not to be funny, but I actually perceived that approach as hopeless, desperately Godless and fundamentally depressing.
If man truly cannot triumph over this kind of depravity - what is left to us?
Dickens = There is good in the world even though it basically sucks.
Deadwood = The world sucks.
The Shield = The world sucks.
The Wire = The world sucks.