The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
This post contains both affiliate links and spoilers for a book published in 1836.
First Line
“The first ray of light which illumines the gloom, and converts into a dazzling brilliancy that obscurity in which the earlier history of the public career of the immortal Pickwick would appear to be involved, is derived from the perusal of the following entry in the Transactions of the Pickwick Club, which the editor of these papers feels the highest pleasure in laying before his readers, as a proof of the careful attention, indefatigable assiduity, and nice discrimination, with which his search among the multifarious documents confided to him has been conducted.“
Plot Summary
From things I’ve read about the book:
The story follows the adventures of a group of friends, led by the wealthy and well-intentioned Mr. Pickwick, as they travel around England, getting into various comical and sometimes sentimental scrapes. Along the way, they encounter a wide range of characters, including eccentric aristocrats, scheming lawyers, and colorful working-class figures. The novel is notable for its humor and satire, as well as its vivid and detailed portrayal of 19th-century English life.
Which really isn’t a plot, per se. I will deliver my own assessment as we go along.
Why I Picked This Book
This is the start of my journey to read all of Dickens’s novels in chronological order. As this was the first he wrote, we start here.
Where I'm At
It is unseasonably warm for January, compared to winters past. That Christmas has just passed, and that season’s association with Dickens makes me long to curl up in from of a fire with a cozy blanket and cut of tea to read this. It makes me wonder what reading Dickens in the heat of summer will be like. While I had no problem zipping through all five of the Christmas stories in December, I wonder if the weather is why I’m struggling to get into this book. It’s not for lack of enjoyment; more a matter of mood.
Insofar as I have had any time to read in the past week, I am enjoying this so far. Dickens’s prose is dense, but it’s also evocative. It requires you to pay attention, so when you’re stressed out and reading as an escape, it’s perfect. All of Dickens’ books are wordy, even gratuitously verbose because he wrote serials. “The Pickwick Papers” feels excessive even for Dickens, however, likely because it was his first novel and he was still getting a feel for his personal style. Which is my way of saying that I forgive Charles for not getting immediately to the point.
My Feelings So Far
While I have no timetable to finish this novel or the Dickens challenge in general, I am not as far into this book as I would like to be. Hopefully, life stops throwing me curveballs and I can get back on track. I would like to get through at least a hundred or so pages a week, which isn’t unreasonable even with all of the other things on my TBR. What I have read I have greatly enjoyed, but between the time crunch and barely being into the book, I don’t feel I’ve read enough to offer commentary yet.