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1、pickwick papersDespite its length, Pickwick never tries your patience. Its delightfully humorous from beginning to end. Samuel Pickwick is the bumbling, middle-aged, wealthy namesake of this novel. Hes the leader of a small group of single men that gets into all sorts of mischief, both physical and
2、social. Booze is rampant. Apparently liquor back then was much more a part of daily life than today; everywhere these guys go they party and get drunk. They get into trouble with the law, women, unsavory characters, and more. Characterization is superb. This is one of the few novels Ive read for whi
3、ch I can actually say that I got to know the characters. In most books Ive read, the characters remain two-dimensional and the plot is what carries the story. In Pickwick, the *characters* are the essence of the story and the novel wouldnt be memorable at all if a lesser author were attempting to br
4、eathe life into these people. The Penguin edition includes a decent collection of endnotes to help explain unfamiliar portions oi recommended, particularly if you enjoy classic literature! Dickenss later works overshadow this gem due to their maturity, but Pickwick beats them all in enthusiasm, humo
5、r, and wit. I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that Charles Dickens, if he lived today, would still classify as an authors author. Hes a master of all the things that make for great writing and storytelling. Dickens has an ear for dialogue most authors would kill their own mothers to possess. He
6、 also is a master of creating vivid scenery, another sign of excellence essential to great writing and one which many authors lack. Finally, but not least in importance, Dickens knows character development. He REALLY knows how to develop intriguing characters, to the point where many of his books sp
7、awned figures that have become literary archetypes. Not bad for a guy who grew up in extremely adverse circumstances. He even spent some time in a factory sticking labels on bottles after his fathers imprisonment for debt. Most people wouldnt recover from such poverty, but Dickens did. He went on to
8、 a successful career in journalism before settling down as an author of serial novels. This format, which allowed Dickens to write and release his stories piecemeal, made him a great success with the public. The anticipation for the latest chapter or two of his stories often led to near riots. Not m
9、any writers can duplicate this feat today. The Pickwick Papers is one of Dickenss earliest works, written when the author was a mere twenty-four years old. You wouldnt know his age by reading the story, though. Pickwick is a work that delivers healthy doses of sophisticated humor, keen observations
10、on pressing social issues, romance, and a mature knowledge of human behavior. Its of course fiction, although Dickens presents the story as a true series of events documented by the Pickwick Club, a social organization founded by retired businessman and all around merry fellow Samuel Pickwick. In th
11、e 1820s, Pickwick and several friends embark on a series of journeys through Southern England, a journey that lasts for roughly two years. Ostensibly, the businessman and his fellows take the trips to learn more about their country. Instead, their travels turn into a series of often hilarious events
12、 mixed with a few serious scrapes. Pickwick must constantly save individuals from the machinations of one Alfred Jingle, an itinerant scalawag with a penchant for wooing women for their money. In between these adventures, our hero must contend with a lawsuit filed by a former female employee who tho
13、ught he wanted to marry her, save his friends from numerous imbroglios involving members of the opposite sex, survive a stay in a debtors prison, and live through a couple hundred other adventures both major and minor. If I had to list one overarching theme I enjoyed most about The Pickwick Papers,
14、its got to be the humor. This book is one of the funniest things Ive read in ages. Were talking laugh out loud and laughing later when remembering scenes from the book funny. Much of the humor centers on Pickwicks manservant Sam Weller, a guy prone to uttering some of the most hilarious sayings youl
15、l likely see in any book. Wellers father is even more amusing, and when father and son sit down to write a letter to a lovely young woman whos caught Sams eye, well, prepare to hold your sides. Also worth a belly laugh or two is the chapter where Pickwick and his friends visit the town of Eatanswill
16、 in time to witness the results of a contentious local election. Dickenss observations about party politics and media manipulation are not only highly amusing, but also relevant to our own age. And who can forget the courtroom scenes where the lawyer makes Pickwick, this kindly old gentleman who wou
17、ldnt hurt a fly, look like an absolute monster? I could go on and on. If you read this book without cracking up, check your pulse because youre probably dead. Another element of the book I enjoyed concerns Dickenss ability to write scenes that simply overflow with the joy of living. A lengthy chapte
18、r describing Pickwicks stay with some country friends over Christmas serves as an excellent example. The sheer bliss of this part of the book is infectious, as Dickens makes us marvel at the simple delight of spending a few days in the company of good friends, good food, and good entertainment. On t
19、he other hand, the author isnt above indulging in an activity hes become famous for, namely showing the reader the depths of human suffering. There is far less misery in The Pickwick Papers than there is in Oliver Twist, to cite one example, but its still here. The debtors prison in which Pickwick s
20、tays for a time provides the author with a perfect forum for attacking Englands tradition of imprisoning those unfortunate souls who cannot pay their creditors. I marvel at how Dickens can balance these two extremes in the space of a single novel. In this way, The Pickwick Papers manages to encompas
21、s life in both its good and bad aspects. I read the Penguin Classics edition of The Pickwick Papers, and Im glad I did. The supplementary material is copious and helpful more often than not. I didnt care much for the introduction from Robert L. Patten, however, which I thought tried to read too much
22、 into the story. I did appreciate the footnotes that help explain the English geography, slang, and popular culture references found throughout the story. Further material provides information on the three illustrators who worked on the story, biographical details of Dickenss life, and even maps tra
23、cing Pickwicks myriad travels through the English countryside. Reading The Pickwick Papers makes me realize that Ive neglected this authors works for far too long. I cant praise this book enough; its that entertaining and that good. Give it a go as soon as possible!Customer Reviews Charles Dickens i
24、s best known for his harsh portrayals of Victorian England (especially in A Christmas Carol). But this 1st book shows that he can draw hilarious comedy as well. We meet the Pickwick Club. (Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Winkle.) They are a bumbling group, but they are benevolent. U
25、ndoubtedly, Mr. Pickwick was based on Charles Dickenss father. The great Charles Dickenss father was a warm hearted and caring man, but he was also unlucky. He did in fact spend time in the debtorss prison. Well, moving on, the Pickwick club meets the comical villain Mr. Jingle. Mr. Jingle gets the
26、Pickwick club into various sorts of trouble. He stops a would be wedding between Mr. Tupman and Rachael Wardle. (Jingle himself wants Rachaels fortune.) Well, Jingle shows himself to be good at double talk and alienates the 2. While his plot fails, he tricks Pickwick into appearing in a girls school
27、 after hours. Youll probably notice that this book (like Moby Dick) is full of digressions. We hear unrelated tales from different characters. (To some, this is a welcome technique while others find it annoying. Though the tale of Gabriel Grub does foreshadow the phenomenal Christmas Carol.) Moving
28、on, in a well worded passage Mr. Pickwick leads his landlady Widow Bardell into thinking he wants to marry her, when in fact he was just considering hiring a man servant. And of course Mr. Pickwick goes on trial for not keeping a promise of marriage. (Charles Dickens himself actually did many live r
29、eadings of this chapter.) While we know Mr. Pickwick was is not guilty, he ends up being charged 750 pounds which he refuses to pay. And of course, he (like Charles Dickenss father goes to prison). While he can afford the money, he refuses to pay because he is innocent. The scenes of the prison brea
30、k the comedy. Even Widow Bardell is thrown in prison by Dodson and Fogg. But all is not lost. Pickwicks servant Weller comes to his aid. And Mr. Pickwick realizes that he must leave prison to help Mr. Winkle. (Mr. Winkle has married Arabella, and her brother is not so happy about it.) Mr. Pickwick p
31、ays what he must to exit the prison and he of course comes to the aid of his friend Mr. Winkle. The story ends in utter happiness. Mr. Pickwick even forgives Mr. Jingle. Perhaps the greatest thing about this book is that it is NOT ONLY hilarious comedy, but it shows how true friends stick by one ano
32、ther, and it even takes it to the next level by showing the wonders of fogiveness. This book drove England Pickwick mad when it came out. (There were Pickwick coats, hats, cigars, candy, and canes.) Need we ask why? Novel by Charles Dickens, first published serially from 1836 to 1837 under the pseud
33、onym Boz and in book form in 1837. This first fictional work by Dickens was originally commissioned as a series of glorified captions for the work of caricaturist Robert Seymour. His witty, episodic accounts of the kindly, naive Samuel Pickwick and his friends in the Pickwick Club were instantly suc
34、cessful in their own right, however, and made Dickens a literary sensation. From the Back Cover In The Pickwick Papers (1837), members of the eponymous club recreate the ludicrous follies of nineteenth century England. Yet beneath the grotesqueries they chronicle runs a counterpoint of debtors prisons, corruption and unreformed elections. With characteristic compassion and caustic satire, Dickens confronts the darker side of these charming anecdotes, in the novel that vaulted him from journalistic obscurity to literary pre-eminence.
