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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
Kinda like the bible in that the first chapter is one of the greatest things ever written, so everything that comes after must be lesser than...
Just finished the David Timson audio reading of Pickwick. What a complete and utter joy. Finished disc 25 and started over again with disc 1. Delightful fun!
adventurous
challenging
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
funny
hopeful
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
It is the fate of most men who mingle with the world, and attain even the prime of life, to make many real friends, and lose them in the course of nature. It is the fate of all authors or chroniclers to create imaginary friends, and lose them in the course of art.
Charles Dickens debuteerde in 1836 op 24-jarige leeftijd met The Pickwick papers, een schelmenroman over de avonturen van de heer Pickwick en diens vrienden, de Pickwickclub. Oorspronkelijk werden de avonturen in een reeks van afzonderlijke verhalen gepubliceerd, die destijds tot groot vermaak en de doorbraak van de jonge Dickens leidden.
Helaas deden de verhaaltjes mij weinig. Ze geven in zekere zin een geestig beeld van de Engelse samenleving aan het begin van de negentiende eeuw, maar hebben weinig om het lijf. Het taalgebruik van Dickens is onmogelijk en ik vermoed dat veel referenties uit die tijd me zijn ontgaan. Waarschijnlijk had ik er beter aan gedaan een Nederlandse vertaling met noten te kiezen. Zo nu en dan moest ik tijdens het lezen aan het werk van Tolkien denken: mogelijk liet de schrijver van [b:The Hobbit|5907|The Hobbit, or There and Back Again|J.R.R. Tolkien|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1546071216l/5907._SY75_.jpg|1540236] zich inspireren door Dickens, bijvoorbeeld voor de kneuterigheid van hobbits of de loyaliteit van knecht Sam, een figuur die ook in The Pickwick papers een continue rol speelt.
Met twee sterren doe ik dit werk ongetwijfeld tekort; ze reflecteren uitsluitend mijn eigen gevoelens erbij.
“She has produced some delightful pieces, herself, sir. You may have met with her 'Ode to an Expiring Frog,' sir.”
Meh… not my favourite but I’m trying to read more books by men. Might abandon the goal though, I’m NOT enjoying it.
Meh… not my favourite but I’m trying to read more books by men. Might abandon the goal though, I’m NOT enjoying it.
How a 24-year-old had the depth of understanding of human relationships to write about them with such humor is mind-blowing. Sam Weller, Mr. Pickwick's man servant, may be the greatest sidekick in history.
Charming and blithe but about 50% too long. Seems like another age that I started reading this.
I haven't enjoyed Charles Dickens so much in the past, but I loved the Pickwick Papers! The book is episodic at first as Mr. Pickwick and his friends travel around and have various adventures, or listen to stories. However, just as I was getting tired of that style of writing Dickins brings on the Mrs Bardell plot, and gives the remainder of the book more solid form. The scene where she thinks that he is proposing to her, when he is actually explaining that he plans to hire a servant is hilarious. Her lawsuit for breach of promise allows Dickens to write about the horrors of the legal system and debtors prison, two themes he felt very strongly about. This was a very funny book, and I think I will try reading some more Dickens some day.
Memorable characters but the plot never quite materializes. (Confession time: I skimmed a few parts.)