Status
Available
Genres
Publication
Oxford [u.a.] : Oxford Univ. Press, 1991.
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML: The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is, according to Dickens, a novel about selfishness. And every member of the Chuzzlewit family is given the chance to display their own brand thereof, among them the infamous villain Jonas Chuzzlewit. After sales of the first few serial installments were poor, Dickens moved the action to America, which he satirized as a vast wilderness peopled by likewise selfish characters..
User reviews
LibraryThing member Ganeshaka
I tend to overdo my pleasures. Very recently, I've read Dombey and Sons, Hard Times, Our Mutual Friend, and the Mystery of Edwin Drood. So it's only to be expected that I should encounter a little Dickens fatigue. And along about page 600 of Martin Chuzzlewit, the thought kept popping into my mind,
Yes, I'd had it with ole "Sairey" Gamp, who seemed to have no purpose in Dicken's universe, except to annoy the hell out of me with her quaint dialect stylings and her bottle on the mantelpiece when she was so "dispoged". Not to mention how she precipitated a debilitating series of Robin-Williams-in-Doubtfire-drag flashbacks.
And those Pecksniff hoes, Cherry and Merry? Like any time I want more of that action, there's a thousand starlet wannabe's on Youtube looking sideways at a web cam, mis-accenting their dialogue and raising their eyebrows like they all suffer from the same bizarre tic doloureux. Enuff a dat, thank you very much.
I did enjoy Martin Jr. and Mark Tapley, when - to hum a bit of Paul Simon - they "walked off to look for America." Dickens riff list of New York City newspapers was genius "The Sewer, The Stabber, The Family Spy, The Private Listener, The Peeper, The Plunderer, The Keyhole Reporter, and The Rowdy Journal." Indeed, what with wire photos, colored printing, the Internet , it's nice to see that a century of technological change hasn't really spoiled the industry, eh wot?
I found myself comparing Chuzzlewit to Our Mutual Friend. Both novels contained a universe of characters. In both, the ecology - the way they fed and fed on one another - was similarly complex. Both used major plot twists. But Our Mutual Friend has a much better flow (no pun about the Thames intended). And equivalent characters are much more interesting in Our Mutual Friend. Little Jenny Wren, for example, steals the show very much like Gamp does in Chuzzlewit, and has a role of equal proportion, but I think she's far more interesting and funny.
Bottom line - two things - first, if you're thinking of broadening your reading of Dickens, choose Our Mutual Friend over Martin Chuzzlewit; second, Chuzzlewit doesn't have much forward motion, so focus on enjoying the eccentricities of the characters rather than expecting much from the plot.
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like those Interstate motel advertisements, "if this had been John Sanford's 'Prey on Greed', I would be home by now."Yes, I'd had it with ole "Sairey" Gamp, who seemed to have no purpose in Dicken's universe, except to annoy the hell out of me with her quaint dialect stylings and her bottle on the mantelpiece when she was so "dispoged". Not to mention how she precipitated a debilitating series of Robin-Williams-in-Doubtfire-drag flashbacks.
And those Pecksniff hoes, Cherry and Merry? Like any time I want more of that action, there's a thousand starlet wannabe's on Youtube looking sideways at a web cam, mis-accenting their dialogue and raising their eyebrows like they all suffer from the same bizarre tic doloureux. Enuff a dat, thank you very much.
I did enjoy Martin Jr. and Mark Tapley, when - to hum a bit of Paul Simon - they "walked off to look for America." Dickens riff list of New York City newspapers was genius "The Sewer, The Stabber, The Family Spy, The Private Listener, The Peeper, The Plunderer, The Keyhole Reporter, and The Rowdy Journal." Indeed, what with wire photos, colored printing, the Internet , it's nice to see that a century of technological change hasn't really spoiled the industry, eh wot?
I found myself comparing Chuzzlewit to Our Mutual Friend. Both novels contained a universe of characters. In both, the ecology - the way they fed and fed on one another - was similarly complex. Both used major plot twists. But Our Mutual Friend has a much better flow (no pun about the Thames intended). And equivalent characters are much more interesting in Our Mutual Friend. Little Jenny Wren, for example, steals the show very much like Gamp does in Chuzzlewit, and has a role of equal proportion, but I think she's far more interesting and funny.
Bottom line - two things - first, if you're thinking of broadening your reading of Dickens, choose Our Mutual Friend over Martin Chuzzlewit; second, Chuzzlewit doesn't have much forward motion, so focus on enjoying the eccentricities of the characters rather than expecting much from the plot.
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LibraryThing member libraryhermit
From reading the reviews of this book and from the mood of the reviewers in citations I have read over the years, it does not seem like this is in the top 5 of best known or best regarded works by Dickens.
Usually the best 5 are the following group:
A Tale of Two Cities
A Christmas Carol
David
Great Expectations
The Pickwick Papers.
I can see why some of those other books might be more famous. Until a wave of mini-series dramatizations gathered momentum in recent years, maybe the only way to see Dickens on the screen for many audiences (certainly the audience that I formed a part of) was to go to a movie theatre, or wait for a movie to be broadcast on television. All that has changed.
If I am not mistaken, this is one of the books that became a mini-series or a movie or both, I am not sure which.
But back to the point I started out with, I want to find out answers to the question, is this book of any lesser quality than any other Dickens books, especially the five mentioned above?
I know one man who would cycle through all the Dickens novels in a big loop. I do not know what order he did them in, or if it was a different order every time, or how long it took him each time to go through them. All I know is that he would read through every single book of Dickens before starting all over again. I think that really says something about the consistent quality of all the books, as well as the ability of Dickens to inspire intense loyalty for a lifetime in many of his readers.
The section about the journey to The United States in Martin Chuzzlewitt was quite surprising to me. Not that it should be. It is just that I mostly assume all journeys of characters across the Atlantic to be by those from Henry James novels, and going the other direction. Of course most trips, apart from emigration, are return trips, and so I will just say that the second half of Henry James novels would be in the opposite direction too.
But I guess I should go back and do a survey of how many European characters in Henry James novels go to America and then come back. The imbalance that I have guessed at may actually not exist.
So, I ask all other LibraryThing readers of Martin Chuzzlewitt; is it just as good as all of the other Dickens books; or an alternate question, what is the best Dickens book?
Usually the best 5 are the following group:
A Tale of Two Cities
A Christmas Carol
David
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CopperfieldGreat Expectations
The Pickwick Papers.
I can see why some of those other books might be more famous. Until a wave of mini-series dramatizations gathered momentum in recent years, maybe the only way to see Dickens on the screen for many audiences (certainly the audience that I formed a part of) was to go to a movie theatre, or wait for a movie to be broadcast on television. All that has changed.
If I am not mistaken, this is one of the books that became a mini-series or a movie or both, I am not sure which.
But back to the point I started out with, I want to find out answers to the question, is this book of any lesser quality than any other Dickens books, especially the five mentioned above?
I know one man who would cycle through all the Dickens novels in a big loop. I do not know what order he did them in, or if it was a different order every time, or how long it took him each time to go through them. All I know is that he would read through every single book of Dickens before starting all over again. I think that really says something about the consistent quality of all the books, as well as the ability of Dickens to inspire intense loyalty for a lifetime in many of his readers.
The section about the journey to The United States in Martin Chuzzlewitt was quite surprising to me. Not that it should be. It is just that I mostly assume all journeys of characters across the Atlantic to be by those from Henry James novels, and going the other direction. Of course most trips, apart from emigration, are return trips, and so I will just say that the second half of Henry James novels would be in the opposite direction too.
But I guess I should go back and do a survey of how many European characters in Henry James novels go to America and then come back. The imbalance that I have guessed at may actually not exist.
So, I ask all other LibraryThing readers of Martin Chuzzlewitt; is it just as good as all of the other Dickens books; or an alternate question, what is the best Dickens book?
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LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Martin Chuzzlewit (1843-44) is Dickens sixth novel, written after his first visit to America. It is generally considered transitional between his earlier and later works of maturity, Dickens borrows less from the picaresque (Martin's trip to America) and begins to focus on character development and
This is my sixth Dickens novel and they all take forever to read, at this point I have probably spent more time reading Dickens than any other novelist. The more I read the more I respect and enjoy, there is not a page that doesn't have an amazing passage, very often I find myself reading it aloud, acting out the scene and characters (something Dickens himself sometimes did while writing). There is a sense of the unlimited, of imagination unbounded - it's the same feeling I had when younger playing D&D or reading Lord of the Rings, a rich tapestry world with no end of possibility. His descriptions and choice of words are truly unique. Even if the plot is circumstantial and old-fashioned, Dickens can be read for his aesthetic and artistic beauty alone. The more immersed in Dickens one becomes, the more impressed upon the 19th century mind-set, emotions, way of thinking - a sense of the emotional, feeling, that no history book could portray.
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a central theme, creating a unique style of his own. The theme, as Dickens says in the Preface, is "selfishness". It was written at the same time he wrote A Christmas Carol, and at the time he thought of Chuzzlewit the best novel to date - he was particularly attached to his characters Tom and Mary Pinch. Today the novel is one of his lesser known and read, although still generally has a positive critical reception.This is my sixth Dickens novel and they all take forever to read, at this point I have probably spent more time reading Dickens than any other novelist. The more I read the more I respect and enjoy, there is not a page that doesn't have an amazing passage, very often I find myself reading it aloud, acting out the scene and characters (something Dickens himself sometimes did while writing). There is a sense of the unlimited, of imagination unbounded - it's the same feeling I had when younger playing D&D or reading Lord of the Rings, a rich tapestry world with no end of possibility. His descriptions and choice of words are truly unique. Even if the plot is circumstantial and old-fashioned, Dickens can be read for his aesthetic and artistic beauty alone. The more immersed in Dickens one becomes, the more impressed upon the 19th century mind-set, emotions, way of thinking - a sense of the emotional, feeling, that no history book could portray.
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LibraryThing member Cecrow
The character Martin Chuzzlewit is comparable to Ebenezer Scrooge, an exceedingly wealthy man to whom money brings only grief, but surrounded by a large family comically obscene in its obsession with his estate. In true Dickens fashion the most honest and monetarily disinterested among them, if not
I can't agree with Mr. Chesterton that it's rife with melancholy. In fact, while I didn't expect another Dickens novel to rival The Pickwick Papers for humour, this one stands in the running albeit with a nastier streak. The sarcasm and satire dials are turned up to 11, especially where Mr. Pecksniff is concerned. This is also the infamous novel in which Dickens goes America-bashing, following upon his tour of that country, which holds its own kind of fascination. I was most taken up when reading about Pecksniff since the novel feels devoted to showcasing him. Some of the minor characters - Jonas, Gamp, etc. - I was less keen on having to spend chapters with, but eventually these pay a dividend. Martin Jr. has an arc to his character that eventually does make him likeable if you can wait for it.
I read each chapter in the spirit of sharing Dickens' having fun with his characters rather than worrying where his plot was going. Like the novels that preceded, it's not terribly focussed. He was becoming more sensitive to this critique, to judge from his introduction, and apparently with his next (Dombey and Son) he finally began to get a handle on it. This won't be my favourite of his but neither would I rate it his worst, and even Dickens at his worst is not a very bad thing.
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entirely likeable - Martin's grandson and namesake - is the one Martin Sr. trusts least of all. I can't agree with Mr. Chesterton that it's rife with melancholy. In fact, while I didn't expect another Dickens novel to rival The Pickwick Papers for humour, this one stands in the running albeit with a nastier streak. The sarcasm and satire dials are turned up to 11, especially where Mr. Pecksniff is concerned. This is also the infamous novel in which Dickens goes America-bashing, following upon his tour of that country, which holds its own kind of fascination. I was most taken up when reading about Pecksniff since the novel feels devoted to showcasing him. Some of the minor characters - Jonas, Gamp, etc. - I was less keen on having to spend chapters with, but eventually these pay a dividend. Martin Jr. has an arc to his character that eventually does make him likeable if you can wait for it.
I read each chapter in the spirit of sharing Dickens' having fun with his characters rather than worrying where his plot was going. Like the novels that preceded, it's not terribly focussed. He was becoming more sensitive to this critique, to judge from his introduction, and apparently with his next (Dombey and Son) he finally began to get a handle on it. This won't be my favourite of his but neither would I rate it his worst, and even Dickens at his worst is not a very bad thing.
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LibraryThing member JonRob
Although not one of Dickens' more popular books, this is one of the ones I re-read frequently. It has some of the author's most memorable characters - Sarah Gamp with her imaginary friend Mrs. Harris, the hypocrite Pecksniff, the low-life rascal Montague Tigg who transforms himself into the
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high-life rascal Tigg Montague (not the best choice of alias, one might think), the awful Jonas Chuzzlewit and the determinedly jolly Mark Tapley - the list goes on and on. Although it is fair to say that chapter 1 is probably the worst thing Dickens ever wrote (if there's a stronger contender, I don't want to know) there are some brilliant bits of writing, particularly the description of the commercial boarding-house Todgers's and the part of London in which it stood. It is sometimes said that that there are only seven basic plots, and that one of them is The Man Who Found Out Better; this book is overloaded with examples, from the title character to Pecksniff's daughter Mercy. The 90's TV adaptation was a creditable attempt, but the only way to get the authentic Dickens experience is from the book. Show Less
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
Charles Dickens wrote this book between 1842 and 1844 when it was published in monthly installments. According to Wikipedia early response to it was disappointing although Dickens felt it was his best work. In order to increase sales Dickens added a plot line that took several characters to the
There are two Martin Chuzzlewits in the book. One is the grandfather of the other. The senior Chuzzlewit raised the junior but when the young man fell in love with the female orphan (Mary Graham) that the senior had taken in to look after him Martin senior threw out Martin junior. Senior Chuzzlewit was very rich but he cut his grandson out of his will and he told Mary from the beginning that she could expect nothing in his will either. There are many relatives who could hope that they would receive the estate. We get introduced to all of them when Martin senior becomes ill while travelling near the village where a relative (and scoundrel), Seth Pecksniff, lives. Pecksniff calls himself an architect and he makes his living by taking in students to learn architecture. If the students learn anything it is because of Thomas Pinch, Pecksniff's assistant, who is probably the nicest character in the book. (Mark Tapley, an assistant to the innkeeper where Martin Senior stays, is another genuinely nice person but he is a little peculiar.) Pecksniff has recently lost one student so he inveigles another to take his place and that student is none other than Martin Junior. Soon Pecksniff is after the Chuzzlewit fortune and, in order to ingratiate himself with Martin Senior, he throws Martin Junior out. Mark Tapley is desirous of finding another situation; he wants some place where his good humour is really tested by adversity. Mark proposes that he become a servant to Martin Junior and the two of them set off to America. In steerage accommodations on the ship going there Mark is indeed tested and he rises to the occasion but it is in America where he really proves his mettle. Martin Junior has implored Thomas Pinch to convey messages to Mary, little realizing that Thomas is in love with Mary himself. When Pecksniff discovers this he fires Pinch, again to curry favour with Chuzzlewit senior. Another branch of the Chuzzlewit family, Anthony and his son Jonas, play an important role in the plot. Suffice it to say that murder is involved.
Eventually the evil-doers get their just desserts and the kind and good are rewarded but there are many twists and turns along the way and it takes over 750 pages to reach the end. I enjoyed the book though and any fan of Dickens who has not read it should do so.
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United States. His portrayal of the USA is scathing as he peoples it with hucksters and braggarts and violence. Although Dickens later said this was a satirical portrayal I couldn't help but think it could have been written in our current century.There are two Martin Chuzzlewits in the book. One is the grandfather of the other. The senior Chuzzlewit raised the junior but when the young man fell in love with the female orphan (Mary Graham) that the senior had taken in to look after him Martin senior threw out Martin junior. Senior Chuzzlewit was very rich but he cut his grandson out of his will and he told Mary from the beginning that she could expect nothing in his will either. There are many relatives who could hope that they would receive the estate. We get introduced to all of them when Martin senior becomes ill while travelling near the village where a relative (and scoundrel), Seth Pecksniff, lives. Pecksniff calls himself an architect and he makes his living by taking in students to learn architecture. If the students learn anything it is because of Thomas Pinch, Pecksniff's assistant, who is probably the nicest character in the book. (Mark Tapley, an assistant to the innkeeper where Martin Senior stays, is another genuinely nice person but he is a little peculiar.) Pecksniff has recently lost one student so he inveigles another to take his place and that student is none other than Martin Junior. Soon Pecksniff is after the Chuzzlewit fortune and, in order to ingratiate himself with Martin Senior, he throws Martin Junior out. Mark Tapley is desirous of finding another situation; he wants some place where his good humour is really tested by adversity. Mark proposes that he become a servant to Martin Junior and the two of them set off to America. In steerage accommodations on the ship going there Mark is indeed tested and he rises to the occasion but it is in America where he really proves his mettle. Martin Junior has implored Thomas Pinch to convey messages to Mary, little realizing that Thomas is in love with Mary himself. When Pecksniff discovers this he fires Pinch, again to curry favour with Chuzzlewit senior. Another branch of the Chuzzlewit family, Anthony and his son Jonas, play an important role in the plot. Suffice it to say that murder is involved.
Eventually the evil-doers get their just desserts and the kind and good are rewarded but there are many twists and turns along the way and it takes over 750 pages to reach the end. I enjoyed the book though and any fan of Dickens who has not read it should do so.
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LibraryThing member Dreesie
Phew! This is long and I needed a break over halfway through, but I did it! A lot of Dickens' themes in this book are still relevant today--swindlers, employment, marriage, education, family, care of the elderly, and more. I do wish I had kept a character cheat sheet, as so many people are in and
I think my favorite character was Mrs Gamp--widow, midwife, overnight nurse, and nurse to the elderly or injured--just an older woman trying to make her way in mid-19th-century London. Mark Tapley was a little TOO jolly for my taste, the Pecksniffs (all) just annoying (as intended, I believe), Martin the elder is perhaps meant to be the favorite--or maybe Martin the younger. Not Jonas, nor Anthony, nor Tigg/Montague--obviously.
I actually enjoyed the American interlude. No, it didn't really fit, but Dickens completely nailed many points of American history at that time (swindling, boomtowns and made-to-order "boom" towns, etc etc).
But, I am glad to be done.
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out, though the serial nature of the original publication helped a bit.I think my favorite character was Mrs Gamp--widow, midwife, overnight nurse, and nurse to the elderly or injured--just an older woman trying to make her way in mid-19th-century London. Mark Tapley was a little TOO jolly for my taste, the Pecksniffs (all) just annoying (as intended, I believe), Martin the elder is perhaps meant to be the favorite--or maybe Martin the younger. Not Jonas, nor Anthony, nor Tigg/Montague--obviously.
I actually enjoyed the American interlude. No, it didn't really fit, but Dickens completely nailed many points of American history at that time (swindling, boomtowns and made-to-order "boom" towns, etc etc).
But, I am glad to be done.
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LibraryThing member AliceAnna
Not one of my favorites. Too long and too unfocused for my taste. The American journey didn't offend me -- it just didn't seem to fit. Characterized as a comic masterpiece by Forster, I disagree totally. Pecksniff was too mean-spirited to be funny as was the hypocritical Ms. Gamp (not to mention
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the fact that I couldn't understand a bloody word she said). It just didn't do much for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member JeroenBerndsen
Dickens' own personal favorite of his stories and I think one of mine too. An amazing satire on how selfish people can get. It's not on the short side, but if you can sit through it it's worth your while.
Martin Chuzzlewit is Charles Dickens' comic masterpiece about which his biographer, Forster,
Martin Chuzzlewit is Charles Dickens' comic masterpiece about which his biographer, Forster,
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noted that it marked a crucial phase in the author's development as he began to delve deeper into the 'springs of character'.Old Martin Chuzzlewit, tormented by the greed and selfishness of his family, effectively drives his grandson, young Martin, to undertake a voyage to America. It is a voyage which will have crucial consequences not only for young Martin, but also for his grandfather and his grandfather's servant, Mary Graham with whom young Martin is in love. The commercial swindle of the Anglo-Bengalee company and the fraudulent Eden Land Corporation have a topicality in our own time. This strong sub-plot shows evidence of Dickens' mastery of crime where characters such as the criminal Jonas Chuzzlewit, the old nurse Mrs Gamp, and the arch-hypocrite Seth Pecksniff are the equal to any in his other great novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member pmtracy
Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens wasn’t a particularly long novel (unlike War and Peace) nor was the language particularly challenging (like the writing of Proust) yet I had a difficult time completing this novel.
The characters in the book were incredibly rich, but many of them were
Sending a few of the characters off to America to try to make a fresh start was a bit confusing. It didn’t further the story and really only provided the author with a means at taking pot shots at the “U-nited States.” He made the entire country out to be a savage, disease infested wilderness run by a bunch of con-men. The characters’ survival of their time in Eden, however, did help forge their bonds through the remainder of the story.
One main theme in the story, found in much of Dicken’s writing, is a commentary on class distinction. While Pinch was a surveyor and civil engineer, trades that are considered to be respectable today, he was always treated as a second class citizen by the Pecksniffs; often to the point of appearing to be no more than a lap dog. However, his higher caliber of character raises him in the end.
The entire Pecksniff-Chuzzlewit clan could justify any means of advancing their standing. From their poor treatment of others, swindling through Ponzi schemes and even murder, nothing was beneath them and everything was rationalized to be morally acceptable. Their self righteous attitudes towards their foul deeds made them all the more corrupt.
In retrospect, I think my difficulties may have roots in the fact that I simply didn’t like the people about which I was reading. The story was secondary to the characters and their moral defects.
The characters in the book were incredibly rich, but many of them were
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completely unlikeable. The entire Pecksniff family, father and daughters alike, were despicable. The duplicitous nature of Seth Pecksniff made me ill each time he entered the scene. His blatant hypocrisy and pandering in the hopes of increasing his wealth and social standing was nauseating. While the daughters may have received unfair treatment by other characters, the manner in which they treated Pinch more than warranted the karmic payback. Jonas Chuzzlewit, a swindler and wife beater, at least received his due in the end.Sending a few of the characters off to America to try to make a fresh start was a bit confusing. It didn’t further the story and really only provided the author with a means at taking pot shots at the “U-nited States.” He made the entire country out to be a savage, disease infested wilderness run by a bunch of con-men. The characters’ survival of their time in Eden, however, did help forge their bonds through the remainder of the story.
One main theme in the story, found in much of Dicken’s writing, is a commentary on class distinction. While Pinch was a surveyor and civil engineer, trades that are considered to be respectable today, he was always treated as a second class citizen by the Pecksniffs; often to the point of appearing to be no more than a lap dog. However, his higher caliber of character raises him in the end.
The entire Pecksniff-Chuzzlewit clan could justify any means of advancing their standing. From their poor treatment of others, swindling through Ponzi schemes and even murder, nothing was beneath them and everything was rationalized to be morally acceptable. Their self righteous attitudes towards their foul deeds made them all the more corrupt.
In retrospect, I think my difficulties may have roots in the fact that I simply didn’t like the people about which I was reading. The story was secondary to the characters and their moral defects.
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LibraryThing member markfinl
Much to my surprise, Martin Chuzzlewit turned out to be one of my favorite Dickens books, right behind Bleak House and Great Expectations. It's funnier than most of his books and features one of Dickens' best villains, Seth Pecksniff (what a name). I have just one more Dickens novel, Our Mutual
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Friend, to finish and I can say I completed Dickens' oeuvre. It has taken me only ten years to do it. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbmackay
This is Dickens' sixth major work, written when he was 31/32 years old. His writing skills are visibly improving, the characters are better developed and the plot structure is sound. But the reliance on coincidence and plot twists is typically Dickens. The book starts well, introducing the key
The book was written after Dickens' first trip to the USA and he is humourously critical of much of the pretension he found there. He must have lost audience support in the US as a result, because the edition I read had a postscript, written around the time of his second visit 20 years later, stating how much the place has improved! Dickens' takes a progressive position on slavery and excoriates the practice in the US. He also paints an interesting picture of the gentleman, young Martin Chuzzlewit, learning how to live a better life from his servant, Mark Tapley - not a common position for an author to take in this era.
A long book, at 786 pages, but as usual, I found myself drawn in to a real page turner in the last third of the work. Read February 2012.
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characters gradually, developing them as the book proceeds. For the first time, the major villain (Pecksniff) is a rounded, believable creation. The major hero (Pinch) is also well developed, but just a little too good to be entirely credible. The seemingly obligatory comic character (Mrs Gamp) makes too many appearances and stays on the scene too long for my taste.The book was written after Dickens' first trip to the USA and he is humourously critical of much of the pretension he found there. He must have lost audience support in the US as a result, because the edition I read had a postscript, written around the time of his second visit 20 years later, stating how much the place has improved! Dickens' takes a progressive position on slavery and excoriates the practice in the US. He also paints an interesting picture of the gentleman, young Martin Chuzzlewit, learning how to live a better life from his servant, Mark Tapley - not a common position for an author to take in this era.
A long book, at 786 pages, but as usual, I found myself drawn in to a real page turner in the last third of the work. Read February 2012.
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LibraryThing member Momtosamandliv
My first Dickens book...and I was hooked. I never would have guessed it, but I LOVED this book. Many nights I was up way too late because I just couldn't put it down. Dickens, of course, masterfully develops the characters until they are practically in the room with you. The story unfolds in
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rambling but quite pleasing way. By the time it is finished, all of the characters are quite exposed for who (and what) they really are and justice is done up as only Dickens can do it. Show Less
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Probably this novel (apparently Dickens' favorite) deserves 3 1/2 stars. Certainly, the last quarter of this measures up to his best but, unfortunately, I can't say the same for the first 75%. I did appreciate Dickens' satire of Americans (Martin the younger is a victim of someone selling him
Maybe I'm just suffering from reading too much Dickens in a short stretch of time, having read Dombey and Son, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities (audiobook), A Christmas Carol, several other short stories and poems, in addition to this book, in the past 35 days.
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worthless land in a scheme reminiscent of selling the Brooklyn Bridge). Maybe I'm just suffering from reading too much Dickens in a short stretch of time, having read Dombey and Son, Bleak House, A Tale of Two Cities (audiobook), A Christmas Carol, several other short stories and poems, in addition to this book, in the past 35 days.
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LibraryThing member jmoncton
Martin Chuzzlewit follows that formula that Dickens is so good at executing - our hero is basically a good person, but has some character flaws. Hero goes on a journey/experiences some serious hardship. Hero reforms and repents. And everyone lives happily ever after. I don't mind this formula and
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many of his stories that follow it, like Our Mutual Friend, end up being one of my favorite classics. But, in this story, our hero Martin Chuzzlewit goes on a journey to the United States and not only does he face physical hardship, but has to endure the crassness and shallow liberality of Americans. Definitely there was an agenda here describing Dickens dislike of certain American qualities. In some ways this was enlightening to see a visitor's viewpoint of America during the 1800's, but the message was too strong, and some of those quirky characters that he executes so well became a sounding board for his agenda. Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
The story: This is of the Chuzzlewit family and is a study of hypocrisy and selfishness and this book is a study of character. Some might say exaggerated but they do represent people in society. The Peckniffs and Sarah Gamp, the Jonas and the Martins Chuzzlewits. The book is called the last of
I am glad to have read this book. I needed to read about Sarah Gamp. Being educated as a nurse with a background of having worked in hospitals, Ms Gamp has always been a stereotype that I’ve encountered but hadn’t read the book. Dickens mentions that she was not atypical of attendants at the time and many hospitals were poor institutes at best.
Dickens never disappoints. It takes awhile to get into the rhythm of his books but they are always good. I have to say, that Sean Barrett did such a wonderful job of reading the story. Every character had their own voices, women were women (some were manly women) and men voices were men's’ voices except for the whiny barber. If willing to read a pdf file, the one listed above is of excellent quality and contains Dickens comments about the American part of the story.
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Dickens picaresque novels. Another unique element is the American portion of the story which is a caricature of America. Dickens had just returned from a tour to the US and from this book, he was not impressed with us. Some could find this offensive but the more I read it the more I accepted that it did represent the US as a character that is no different that characters of England that Dickens has featured in his books. And last, this is a story of romance and endings that will not disappoint. I am glad to have read this book. I needed to read about Sarah Gamp. Being educated as a nurse with a background of having worked in hospitals, Ms Gamp has always been a stereotype that I’ve encountered but hadn’t read the book. Dickens mentions that she was not atypical of attendants at the time and many hospitals were poor institutes at best.
Dickens never disappoints. It takes awhile to get into the rhythm of his books but they are always good. I have to say, that Sean Barrett did such a wonderful job of reading the story. Every character had their own voices, women were women (some were manly women) and men voices were men's’ voices except for the whiny barber. If willing to read a pdf file, the one listed above is of excellent quality and contains Dickens comments about the American part of the story.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
This was one of the only two of Dickens's full length novels I had never read (the other is Dombey and Son). It's fair to say it's not going to become one of my favourites. The theme of the novel is selfishness, shown most consistently by Seth Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit, and initially also by
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the title character and his namesake grandfather ("The curse of our house..has been the love of self; has ever been the love of self. How often have I said so, when I never knew that I had wrought it upon others"). Young Martin's redemption comes after his near death experiences in a town in the back of beyond in America. The American portion of the novel is probably its most well known characteristic, being so unlike anything else in Dickens, but which forms a only small part of book. It is based on Dickens's own experiences of his first visit to the States, where he seems to have been most struck by three different wildly different phenomena: the horrors of slavery; the unpleasantness of the habit of tobacco chewing and spitting; and the complete absence of any copyright laws in the States at the time, which meant his works were being abused in his eyes. Most of the characters did not really impress in this one. The midwife Mrs Gamp is probably the best known and quite an effective comic character, though she has hardly entered the top pantheon of the author's most famous creations. My favourite was probably young Martin's loyal companion Mark Tapley, though I also liked Tom Pinch and his sister Ruth. Pecksniff's daughters the inaptly named Mercy and Charity take after him and were also quite amusing, and it was interesting to see how Mercy's character changed during the course of her book after undergoing her own redemption through a miserable marriage. All in all, though, this was a bit of a chore in places, albeit with some dramatic events and a couple of violent deaths. Show Less
LibraryThing member samfsmith
Another great Dickens’ novel of biblical proportions. Even the pages of this edition have a scriptural feel to them - thin and vellum-like, with the added benefit of the original illustrations.
And the novel is everything that I have come to expect of Dickens. Plenty of memorable characters and
This is also the novel where Dickens turns his satirical eye on the United States, since two of the characters immigrate in quest of their fortune, and are horribly disappointed. In the appendix, there is actually a postscript where Dickens attempts to make amends.
So heft a copy of this 800 page tome and give it a read - you won’t be disappointed.
And the novel is everything that I have come to expect of Dickens. Plenty of memorable characters and
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scenes and a plot full of unexpectedly and unbelievable coincidences. You just have to suspend your modern cynicism and go with it - when you do, it’s incredibly satisfying. Every character, no matter how insignificant, gets their just desserts at the end.This is also the novel where Dickens turns his satirical eye on the United States, since two of the characters immigrate in quest of their fortune, and are horribly disappointed. In the appendix, there is actually a postscript where Dickens attempts to make amends.
So heft a copy of this 800 page tome and give it a read - you won’t be disappointed.
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LibraryThing member pgchuis
Old Martin Chuzzlewit believes that his relations are only interested in him because he is rich (and this is mostly true), but mysteriously falls for the sycophantic attentions of the hypocritical Mr Pecksniff. His grandson, also Martin Chuzzlewit, falls out with him over Martin's choice of bride
There are many other characters and strands to the story which Dickens ingeniously brings together at the end. For a while I wondered why the novel had the title it did and who Martin and Tom's mysterious benefactors were, but all was made clear in the denouement. The good ended happily and the bad unhappily, although I did feel a twinge for Charity. I can see why the scenes set in America caused a bit of a stir - they are very harsh - but the tone is pretty sarcastic throughout. A very satisfying conclusion.
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and the younger Martin goes to America to seek his fortune. There are many other characters and strands to the story which Dickens ingeniously brings together at the end. For a while I wondered why the novel had the title it did and who Martin and Tom's mysterious benefactors were, but all was made clear in the denouement. The good ended happily and the bad unhappily, although I did feel a twinge for Charity. I can see why the scenes set in America caused a bit of a stir - they are very harsh - but the tone is pretty sarcastic throughout. A very satisfying conclusion.
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LibraryThing member santhony
It was a happy day when I, for whatever reason, elected to sample Charles Dickens. Having read A Tale of Two Cities in high school, I digressed to more popular fiction (Michener, Clavell, McMurtry, King, Grisham), as well as periods of science fiction and even non-fiction (Ambrose, McCollough for
I read some Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Steinbeck and Hemingway with mixed success before reading Great Expectations. I liked it enough to read David Copperfield, and I was hooked. A Tale of Two Cities followed and then Oliver Twist (not my favorite), Bleak House and Nicholas Nickleby before taking on this lengthy novel.
Martin Chuzzlewit takes its name not from one, but two characters in the novel, a very wealthy, old gentleman and his grandson. While there are numerous story threads involved in the work, the overarching theme involves the ultimate disposition of the elder Chuzzlewit’s substantial fortune, the characters maneuvering for a piece of it and those on the periphery.
As in almost all Dickens’s work, the beauty of the novel lies in the original and classic characters created therein. Heretofore, I had heard people referred to as “pecksniffs” without any understanding of the meaning (aside from context) or the source of the reference. Mr. Pecksniff and his daughters are central characters in this novel. The story was penned shortly after Dickens returned from a tour of the United States and that country does not show well in the younger Martin’s experiences there.
Having read several Dickens works prior to this one, I was aware that a period of acclimation is required before becoming comfortable with both the language and the cultural landscape, however the comfort that I eventually attained in the previous novels was more difficult to come by here. To be honest, some of the dialogue, especially that of the old nurse was virtually unintelligible.
Make no mistake, at nearly 900 pages this is a real door stop, with long periods of very slow advancement. Not my favorite of the several Dickens novels I have read, but not the worst.
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example), before making an effort to upgrade my reading list.I read some Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Steinbeck and Hemingway with mixed success before reading Great Expectations. I liked it enough to read David Copperfield, and I was hooked. A Tale of Two Cities followed and then Oliver Twist (not my favorite), Bleak House and Nicholas Nickleby before taking on this lengthy novel.
Martin Chuzzlewit takes its name not from one, but two characters in the novel, a very wealthy, old gentleman and his grandson. While there are numerous story threads involved in the work, the overarching theme involves the ultimate disposition of the elder Chuzzlewit’s substantial fortune, the characters maneuvering for a piece of it and those on the periphery.
As in almost all Dickens’s work, the beauty of the novel lies in the original and classic characters created therein. Heretofore, I had heard people referred to as “pecksniffs” without any understanding of the meaning (aside from context) or the source of the reference. Mr. Pecksniff and his daughters are central characters in this novel. The story was penned shortly after Dickens returned from a tour of the United States and that country does not show well in the younger Martin’s experiences there.
Having read several Dickens works prior to this one, I was aware that a period of acclimation is required before becoming comfortable with both the language and the cultural landscape, however the comfort that I eventually attained in the previous novels was more difficult to come by here. To be honest, some of the dialogue, especially that of the old nurse was virtually unintelligible.
Make no mistake, at nearly 900 pages this is a real door stop, with long periods of very slow advancement. Not my favorite of the several Dickens novels I have read, but not the worst.
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LibraryThing member cstebbins
Dickens' particular combination of cynicism and sentimentality is downright revolting.
LibraryThing member tungsten_peerts
I probably shouldn't write a review at this point, but I'm feeling loquacious on this sleety Friday. Back in undergraduate school, I became a Dickens fiend, quickly collecting the Signet paperback editions of the majority of his novels.
I started this one, but did not finish it & at this 40-year
I also never got to the "America" bits which were reputed to be pretty insulting. :^)
Honestly, wouldn't it be great if all villains were so transparent? It'd be boring, but ... you'd get more work done.
I started this one, but did not finish it & at this 40-year
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distance cannot recall why not. I need to go back to it and see whether, at 60, I can allow C. D. to hoodwink me into accepting his tendency to give characters names like "Chevy Slyme".I also never got to the "America" bits which were reputed to be pretty insulting. :^)
Honestly, wouldn't it be great if all villains were so transparent? It'd be boring, but ... you'd get more work done.
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LibraryThing member TheGalaxyGirl
I've been reading and for the most part enjoying all of Dickens' works, and it was time to read Martin Chuzzlewit. It starts out slow and dense, and the plot (I use that term loosely) crawls along until we reach the scenes at Todgers' Boarding House. The narrative livens up and I was thinking, oh
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good, now we're into classic Dickens. But no. We leave Todgers to go back into the narrative morass. The characters aren't as finely drawn as they are in the major works, or even Little Dorritt (which I read prior to MC). Honestly, I just found this novel too boring to go on with. I stopped reading at about halfway, because I literally could not stop yawning. I'll go on to the next one, and hope for better things. Show Less
LibraryThing member threadnsong
Really, really did not like this book. The characters, while he wished to show greed in all its manifestations, are mere caricatures instead of the strongly drawn characters from Olde Curiosity Shoppe and Barnaby Rudge. (Not that they don't have their own caricature characters as well, but they do
And the action? Hmmm. I don't mind the US being shown from its ugly side; there was certainly some history that went on in the mid-1800s that didn't quite make it into the books. But again, the painting of the events in Eden are so lost in the larger narrative, not to mention the journey there, that it just loses its impact.
There are some Dickens fans who like this book, so more power to them.
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have some character characters.)And the action? Hmmm. I don't mind the US being shown from its ugly side; there was certainly some history that went on in the mid-1800s that didn't quite make it into the books. But again, the painting of the events in Eden are so lost in the larger narrative, not to mention the journey there, that it just loses its impact.
There are some Dickens fans who like this book, so more power to them.
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LibraryThing member burritapal
This is a story about a family whose members are extremely greedy and selfish. The family head is a wealthy man who is already old, So naturally the family members are looking forward to being left money in his will. But he's so disgusted with the his selfish greedy Kin, that he does his utmost to
Dickens has the talented gift of carefully observing his fellow human beings and surroundingsand being able to transcribe those observances into meaningful language, allowing you to visualize the setting and characters of the scenes. Along with his illustrations, it's easy to picture this as you are reading about it. Moreover, Dickens loves to have you assume something about a character and later prove you woefully wrong. This book is no exception, as you feel puzzled by the flyleaf's insistence that Pecksniff is a hypocritical user of his fellow msn, yet his language and comportment seem to give a lie to this. Also, you feel no great love for the grizzled head of the Chuzzlewit family, old Martin, because he seems like an such a curmudgeon, who wants to keep all his money to himself. Well, later on we the readers learn that we are wrong about both these characters--Pecksniff turns out to be a horribly nasty, conniving creature, and Martin Chuzzlewit turns out to be a lovely humane character. I absolutely loved this book, notwithstanding Dickens' terrible treatment of the United States by his characters. Lol--in the postscript, he gives a sort of apology for this, and insists that this postscript be included with every further printing and edition of this book.
Likable quote:
P.63
"And now the morning grew so fair, and all things were so wide awake and gay, but the sun's seeming to say - -Tom had no doubt he said -- 'I can't stand it any longer: I must have a look,' streamed out in radiant Majesty. The mist, too shy and gentle for such Lusty company, fled off, quite scared, before; and as it swept away, the hills and mountains and distant pasture lands, teeming with placid sheep and noisy crows, came out as bright as though they were unrolled bran new for the occasion. In compliment to which Discovery, the brook stood still no longer, but ran briskly off to Bear the tidings to the watermill, 3 miles away."
Notable quote:
P.116
"When mr. Pecksniff and the two young ladies got into the heavy coach at the end of the lane, they found it empty, which was a great comfort; particularly as the outside was quite full and the passengers looked very frosty. For as mr. Pecksniff justly observed -- when he and his daughters had burrowed their feet deep in the straw, wrapped themselves to the chin, and pulled up both windows -- it is always satisfactory to feel, in Keen weather, that many other people are not as warm as you are. And this, he said, was quite natural, and a very beautiful arrangement; not confined to coaches, but extending it into many social ramifications. 'For' (he observed), 'if everyone were warm and well-fed, we should lose the satisfaction of admiring the fortitude with which certain conditions of men bear cold and hunger. And if we were no better off than anybody else, what would become of our sense of gratitude; which,' said mr. Pecksniff with tears in his eyes, as he shook his fist at a beggar who wanted to get up behind, 'is one of the holiest feelings of our common nature.' "
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avoid them all, and disappoint their hopes for any share in inheritance.Dickens has the talented gift of carefully observing his fellow human beings and surroundingsand being able to transcribe those observances into meaningful language, allowing you to visualize the setting and characters of the scenes. Along with his illustrations, it's easy to picture this as you are reading about it. Moreover, Dickens loves to have you assume something about a character and later prove you woefully wrong. This book is no exception, as you feel puzzled by the flyleaf's insistence that Pecksniff is a hypocritical user of his fellow msn, yet his language and comportment seem to give a lie to this. Also, you feel no great love for the grizzled head of the Chuzzlewit family, old Martin, because he seems like an such a curmudgeon, who wants to keep all his money to himself. Well, later on we the readers learn that we are wrong about both these characters--Pecksniff turns out to be a horribly nasty, conniving creature, and Martin Chuzzlewit turns out to be a lovely humane character. I absolutely loved this book, notwithstanding Dickens' terrible treatment of the United States by his characters. Lol--in the postscript, he gives a sort of apology for this, and insists that this postscript be included with every further printing and edition of this book.
Likable quote:
P.63
"And now the morning grew so fair, and all things were so wide awake and gay, but the sun's seeming to say - -Tom had no doubt he said -- 'I can't stand it any longer: I must have a look,' streamed out in radiant Majesty. The mist, too shy and gentle for such Lusty company, fled off, quite scared, before; and as it swept away, the hills and mountains and distant pasture lands, teeming with placid sheep and noisy crows, came out as bright as though they were unrolled bran new for the occasion. In compliment to which Discovery, the brook stood still no longer, but ran briskly off to Bear the tidings to the watermill, 3 miles away."
Notable quote:
P.116
"When mr. Pecksniff and the two young ladies got into the heavy coach at the end of the lane, they found it empty, which was a great comfort; particularly as the outside was quite full and the passengers looked very frosty. For as mr. Pecksniff justly observed -- when he and his daughters had burrowed their feet deep in the straw, wrapped themselves to the chin, and pulled up both windows -- it is always satisfactory to feel, in Keen weather, that many other people are not as warm as you are. And this, he said, was quite natural, and a very beautiful arrangement; not confined to coaches, but extending it into many social ramifications. 'For' (he observed), 'if everyone were warm and well-fed, we should lose the satisfaction of admiring the fortitude with which certain conditions of men bear cold and hunger. And if we were no better off than anybody else, what would become of our sense of gratitude; which,' said mr. Pecksniff with tears in his eyes, as he shook his fist at a beggar who wanted to get up behind, 'is one of the holiest feelings of our common nature.' "
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