Review: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens wrote The Pickwick Papers, formally known as The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.
This was Dickens' first novel and his most humorous. It’s not his most structured or plotted, but this doesn’t mean its not high quality. It is a fun read.
This story records the escapades of Samuel Pickwick, a gentleman, along with his three companions: Mr. Tupman, unlucky in love it would seem, Mr. Winkle, and Pickwick’s ward Mr. Snodgrass. They travel with Sam Weller, Pickwick’s man servant. As Pickwick has established a club named after himself, with the purpose of discover and the study of human nature, these members of the journey through the South East of England, encountering numerous situations, be they sad, embarrassing or wholesome.
As is often the case with novels, love is one of the plotlines and several characters experience love or find themselves inadvertently entangled in various romantic intrigues. The members of the Pickwick club are gentlemen, and these situations range from marriage to misunderstandings, but never beastly behaviour on behalf of the Pickwick club.
The story is an entertaining look at human nature, both from the personalities of the Pickwick club members, but also the people they meet. Although Pickwick often finds himself in absurd circumstances, he consistently demonstrates his benevolence and earns the affection of those around him. Nevertheless, he still faces those who wish to do evil to him, and this situation involves his landlady, Mrs. Bardell, who mistakenly believes that Pickwick has proposed to her and subsequently takes him to court for damages.
Key characters include:
Samuel Pickwick – the protagonist of the narrative often exhibits pomposity though he is quite naive outside of his usual sphere of influence. He is optimistic and trusting in the goodness of others.
Sam Weller – Pickwick’s servant, this endearing cockney frequently finds himself hurrying to rescue his master.
Tracey Tupman – ‘the overly impressionable Tupman, who combines the wisdom and experience of age with the enthusiasm and passion of youth, embodying the most intriguing and forgivable of human frailties – love.’
Nathaniel Winkle – ‘the athletic Winkle’ is not as skilled in sports as he claims, happily for the reader.
Augustus Snodgrass - ‘the lyrical Snodgrass’ is the calmest of Pickwick’s friends!
Alfred Jingle – the ‘bad guy’ of the book. He goes through life in disguises and relies on the good natures of others to manipulate them.
Mrs Bardell – Pickwick’s landlady, who is as much a casualty as he is of their miscommunication and the ensuing legal battle.
210 by Charles Dickens
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Review by Shieldmaiden