It's book 5 in my year of Dickens, and I can't believe I read the whole thing!
The author's first novel is, in many ways, not his best novel. Unlike others, The Pickwick Papers has no clear focus, no main character with whom the reader can sympathize. Instead, this is a rollicking (well, at least in that time) trip through England with a cast of characters. Along the way, love, hilarity, and debtor's prison ensue.
Main characters include:
- Pickwick, the wealthy and predictably eccentric master of ceremonies
- Sam Weller, Pickwick's servant and colorful character on his own
- Mr. Jingle, a huckster and constant thorn in Pickwick's side
- Snodgrass, Winkle, and Tupman, Pickwick's friends
- Dodson & Fogg, the most unscrupulous lawyers ever
This novel is long, long, long. Reading it seemed to take forever. If you have to read one novel by Dickens, don't read this one.
5/20/08
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