The Pickwick Papers

by Charles Dickens, Charles Bernard-Derosne, Charles Plumptre Johnson

Book Overview

Charles Dickens's satirical masterpiece, The Pickwick Papers , catapulted the young writer into literary fame when it was first serialized in 1836-37. It recounts the rollicking adventures of the members of the Pickwick Club as they travel about England getting into all sorts of mischief. Laugh-out-loud funny and endlessly entertaining, the book also reveals Dickens's burgeoning interest in the parliamentary system, lawyers, the Poor Laws, and the...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812967275
• ISBN13: 9780812967272
• Release Date: August 2003
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 779 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 5.2" x 8.1"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

One of my Favorite Books Ever!

I absolutely love The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club! It has an old fashioned air and is full of hilarious dialogue. There are many unrelated short stories told throughout the novel, as well, which adds interest. It has a very similar style as Jules Vern's Five Weeks in a Balloon and Around the World in Eighty Days, two more books in my top ten.

A Jovial Lighthearted Romp

Pickwick Papers is a wonderful book, and no doubt much has been written about it in academic and literary circles. But from a layman's perspective, it is simply a fun read. One would almost think it the work of a great master approaching the end of a career, consciously deciding to lay down the heartache of Great Expectations or the martyrdom of A Tale of Two Cities to take a jovial and whimsical jaunt through the English language and the realm of imagination. Yet the bumbling and somehow delightful misadventures of the Pickwickians fall at the beginning of Dickens' career. Comic relief is offered well before Hard Times sets in.Take an independently wealthy, magnanimous old fellow and surround him with a group of close friends. Send them together on a journey of desire to explore the world about them, meet new people, and experience the fullness of life, and you essentially have the plot of Pickwick Papers. The plethora of characters Dickens introduces along the way add considerable color to the narrative, not only because they come from such a vast array of backgrounds, but because they themselves are colorful in their own right:The first and most obvious example might be that of Mr. Alfred Jingle, the loquacious vagabond rapscallion who rescues the Pickwickians from an altercation with a feisty coach driver. One of Mr. Pickwicks cohorts, Mr. Snodgrass, receives a blow to the eye during the incident, after which Mr. Jingle is pleased to suggest the most efficacious remedies: "Glasses round-brandy and water, hot and strong, and sweet, and plenty-eye damaged, sir? Waiter! Raw beef-steak for the gentleman's eye-nothing like raw beef-steak for a bruise, sir; cold lamp-post very good, but lamp-post inconvenient-damned odd, standing in the open street half an hour with your eye against a lamp-post-eh-very good-ha! ha!" While Pickwick reads the legend of Prince Bladud by candlelight, we find this description of King Hudibras: "A great many centuries since, there flourished, in great state, the famous and renowned Lud Hudibras, king of Britain. He was a mighty monarch. The earth shook when he walked-he was so very stout. His people basked in the light of his countenance-it was so red and glowing. He was, indeed, every inch a king. And there were a good many inches of him too, for although he was not very tall, he was a remarkable size round, and the inches that he wanted in height he made up in circumference." The young surgeon, Benjamin Allen, is described as "a coarse, stout, thick-set young man, with black hair cut rather short and a white face cut rather long [...] He presented altogether, rather a mildewy appearance, and emitted a fragrant odour of full-flavoured Cubas." Dickens notes that the casual visitor to the Insolvent Court "might suppose this place to be a temple dedicated to the Genius of Seediness" and whose vapors are "like those of a fungus pit." Seated in this luxuriant ambience, we find an attorney, Mr. Solomon Pe

A British Don Quixote

This hilarious book tells the outrageous adventures of a cast of characters to remember forever. It's a joyous, humane, and faithful portrait of the British society. It is full of acuteness, irony, tenderness and sarcasm about the human condition. As in all of his books, Dickens reflects his experiences (prison for debts, etc.) in this book which tells the love affairs, countless drunken nights and fights in which the Pickwickians get. Apparently a book whose only purpose is to entertain, it is, like all intelligent humor, a bitter but optimist critique of the human being. The cast of characters is wonderful, and you will be just delighted you picked up this volume."The Pickwick Papers" was the first fictional book by Dickens, and it shows how capable of good humor he was. The title's character is a restless good-spirited man, a Don Quixote with a British touch, whose adventures are less noble and a lot more messy that those of the Don. The story of his friendship with the rest of the crew is hilarious and moving at the same time. Come read the story of this excentric lot, as they drink their way in and out of trouble.

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

I don't think I've ever read a novel half as entertaining as The Pickwick Papers. I agree with the reviewer who said that it was as if Dickens had a million jokes that he wanted to get off of his chest. And such wonderful characters! The last part of the book though is more about Mr. Pickwick himself than about the club. He also becomes less of a doofus and more of a lovealbe and sympathetic character as the novel progresses. If you are ever down and feeling depressed then this is the book to read.Sam Weller is one of Dickens greatest characters, the book really comes into its own when he becomes Mr.Pickwicks servent.

One of the great literary works of all time

Pickwick papers must rate as one of the greatest literary works in English. The sheer numbers of characters woven into the storyline and how well they mesh together is incredible. Pickwick and Sam Weller must rank among the top literary characters in English literature.

An extensive cast meshes flawlessly with various subplots.

Having never read any Dickens before - and unaware this was his maiden effort - I was hooked from the first few pages. The benevolent Mr. Pickwick, with his faithful sidekicks, experiences Victorian England as a well-to-do citizen. While the bulk of this novel deals with the "softer" side of society, the hard-edged aspects of the era are nonetheless acknowledged. With memorable characters, marvelous misadventures, subtle comedic touches, and an occasional suprise around the corner, this novel holds it's own as a "classic." My only "Pickwick" regret was waiting this long (24 yrs. old) to read it. This book will undoubtedly serve as a springboard for ALL of Charles Dickens' works.