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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fantastic
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Sam Weller is the real star here, let's be real.
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Casting:
Mr. Pickwick - Mark Williams
Sam Weller - Nick Moran
Mr. Weller Sr. - Sting (because I'd already mentally cast Nick as Sam, and my only notion of a father to Nick is his movie-dad Sting in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Mr. Winkle - Ben Whishaw
Mr. Jingle - Russell Brand
Annnnd that's about it. I'm more than three quarters of the way through these adventures, but some of the characters just don't stick. Mr. Tupman? Mr. Snodgrass? They're supposed to be just as important members in the Pickwick Club as Mr. Winkle, but they're very much in the background. And anyway, I find it difficult to mentally-cast Dickens, especially when he's being so damned satirical about everyone and everything. Everyone becomes a caricature. It's like a Monty Python sketch half the time. Granted, when the plot moves into the Fleet debtor's prison, it's not as much of a lark, but even with this grim shift, interactions continue to be ridiculous in the main.
Mr. Pickwick - Mark Williams
Sam Weller - Nick Moran
Mr. Weller Sr. - Sting (because I'd already mentally cast Nick as Sam, and my only notion of a father to Nick is his movie-dad Sting in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels)
Mr. Winkle - Ben Whishaw
Mr. Jingle - Russell Brand
Annnnd that's about it. I'm more than three quarters of the way through these adventures, but some of the characters just don't stick. Mr. Tupman? Mr. Snodgrass? They're supposed to be just as important members in the Pickwick Club as Mr. Winkle, but they're very much in the background. And anyway, I find it difficult to mentally-cast Dickens, especially when he's being so damned satirical about everyone and everything. Everyone becomes a caricature. It's like a Monty Python sketch half the time. Granted, when the plot moves into the Fleet debtor's prison, it's not as much of a lark, but even with this grim shift, interactions continue to be ridiculous in the main.
Pickwick Papers is a travelog for those who like a slurp or two, and food. Alcohol is imbibed pretty much any time of the day, in various forms, many times accompanied with slap up meals, being in debtors prison doesn't even hinder the quenching of thirst, with porter, gin, rum, brandy, or whatever else. Of course there are the tales of travels, relationships, adventures and misadventures as well. Great humour, great stories. I was a fan of Dickens as a teenager but I had never read The Pickwick Papers, and as always with Dickens, it gives you a feel of how different, bad and good, the 19th century was, and unfortunately how undifferent it was to modern times.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced