Status
Available
Publication
New York : Oxford University Press, USA 1998, c1954.
Description
The first of Dickens's historical novels, Barnaby Rudge, written in 1841, is set at the time of the anti-Catholic riots of 1780, with the real Lord George Gordon, leader of the riots, appearing in the book. The characters are caught up in the resulting mob lawlessness which climaxes in the destruction of Newgate prison, an actual event brought to life in the novel. The plot turns on the relationship between Catholic Emma and Protestant Edward, further complicated by the earlier murder of Reuben Haredale, supposedly by Barnaby though actually by his evil father; but the real focus of the book, as so often in Dickens, is London itself. This is a nightmarishly vivid picture ofa capital city's subterranean life. In A Tale of Two CitiesDickens was to recapture his vision of the mob in all its moods, but he never surpassed the sense of pulsating energy and dangerevoked in thecrowd scenes of Barnaby Rudge. Nor did he often rival the touching relationship between Barnaby and his pet raven, Grip, who embodies the mystical powerof innocence. Although Barnaby Rudge is one of Dickens's lesser known novels, the bond between boy and bird makes it one of his most touching.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member fourbears
I’ve read this one twice before and always like it more than it deserves. It’s one of two historical novels by Dickens, a distinction many readers don’t make because all his novels have historical settings for us now. But A Tale of Two Cities (1859) and Barnaby Rudge were both set before
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Dickens’ own time and dealt with a similar subject, mob rule: Barnaby Rudge with the No Popery riots of 1780 and A Tale of Two Cities with the French Revolution.I say I like Barnaby Rudge “more than it deserves” because while the novel has a complex plot that’s not nearly as episodic as his previous novel (The Old Curiosity Shop, reviewed here in April of this year) it’s not as well-developed as later novels (Bleak House in particular). What’s brilliant about the novel is how Dickens follows the rioters, generally disaffected members of society who are ready enough to believe that they are “held back” because Catholics are doing the 18th century equivalent of “taking all the jobs”. Barnaby, raised by his mother and befriended by a talking raven, is described as an “idiot” and is clearly (if not consistently, especially if you consider his speech) somewhat simple. He’s been described by critics as derived from Wordsworth’s “Idiot Boy”, a child of nature who doesn’t understand the wicked world of men. His mother knows that his father killed a man just at the time of his birth and attributes Barnaby’s affliction to that event. She dedicates her life to his welfare.But Barnaby is drawn into the riots on the side of Gordon’s No Popery bunch, not understanding the issues at all, but seeing himself as brave and true and fighting for a good cause. Dickens makes that believable as he makes the rioting and the violence believable. Clearly he understood crowd psychology and the manipulation of ideas. George Gordon might have come up with the ideas that spawned the riots, but it was his cohorts who used those ideas and used him to appeal to the disaffected.There’s the usual compliment of interesting characters, among them a hangman who takes pride in his noble profession, the backbone of the English legal system in his view, and thinks he does the job so expertly that those who are hanged are grateful to him, but who joins the rioters, is caught himself and dragged kicking and screaming to be hanged himself, not at all grateful to the new hangman. There are a couple of pairs of crossed lovers who get together in the end and well as parents and children who are estranged and reunited. Show Less
LibraryThing member Greatrakes
Dicken's other historical novel and much underrated in my view. Containing some stock comedy characters around the village inn, great wrongs to be avenged and all set against the Gordon Riots, with a fine evocation of how rabble rousing can damage society and destroy lives.
Memorable characters
Memorable characters
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include the vain apprentice Sim Tappertit, the amoral and dangerous Mr Chester and the rough and dangerous Hugh, a far more convincing low-life villain than Bill Sykes. Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
This is not one of the better known Dickens novels, but to my my mind, this is at least as good as, if not better than, say, Oliver Twist. The characters from all walks of life are vividly drawn and the political events of the appalling Gordon riots memorably and quite shockingly described. There
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are some good comic characters as well. The last few chapters form a satisfying tying up of the lives of all the characters. Show Less
LibraryThing member lorieac
Excellent and timely. Dickens was a great storyteller.
LibraryThing member roblong
Slow and simply boring for its first quarter, this suddenly comes to life when it moves forward five years to the time of the no-popery riots that are its principal concern. When it does this the novel is hugely enjoyable, and the scenes depicting the storming of Newgate prison are superb (Dickens
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said he wanted to write a better riot than Lord Gordon managed). The fate of poor Barnaby, the simpleton placed at the head of the riotous crowd with no conception of what he is getting himself into, is a vision of individual weakness in the face of the crowd it is hard to forget. It is almost a shame that Dickens bettered this novel by such a distance elsewhere. This deserves to be more broadly read than it is. Show Less
LibraryThing member mbmackay
Dickens' fifth published book is an historical novel built around the Gordon riots of 1780.
The characters seem to be more realistic and better developed than in earlier books. The villains are more believable - Hugh was an abused and neglected orphan who grows to be an abusive and uncontrolled
The comic characters are also well done in this book. The slow thinking publican at the Maypole; Mrs Varden of "an uncertain temper"; Miggs the waspish maid are all well described and a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, Dickens reverts to simplification of good and bad in his portrayal of the riots. He paints a picture where a village idiot and the Crown's hangman become representative leaders of the riots. All a little disappointing.
So, while Wikipedia reports this as a "less esteemed" work of Dickens, I found it to be a good novel, but a poor historic novel. Read January 2012.
The characters seem to be more realistic and better developed than in earlier books. The villains are more believable - Hugh was an abused and neglected orphan who grows to be an abusive and uncontrolled
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adult; John Chester is a picture of an silver tongued upper class villain, Dickens' first real villain from that class; and Gashford as the duplicitous and conniving assistant to Lord Gordon. These characters are so much better than the one dimensional bad guys (like the dwarf in the Old Curiosity Shop) of previous works. The comic characters are also well done in this book. The slow thinking publican at the Maypole; Mrs Varden of "an uncertain temper"; Miggs the waspish maid are all well described and a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, Dickens reverts to simplification of good and bad in his portrayal of the riots. He paints a picture where a village idiot and the Crown's hangman become representative leaders of the riots. All a little disappointing.
So, while Wikipedia reports this as a "less esteemed" work of Dickens, I found it to be a good novel, but a poor historic novel. Read January 2012.
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LibraryThing member leslie.98
4 stars for the book; 4½ stars for this audiobook.
This tale is sort of Romeo and Juliet set in the time of the Gordon Riots between Protestents & Catholics. Of course, as usual with Dickens, there are plenty of subplots and interesting characters.
Mil Nicholson once again is marvelous in this
This tale is sort of Romeo and Juliet set in the time of the Gordon Riots between Protestents & Catholics. Of course, as usual with Dickens, there are plenty of subplots and interesting characters.
Mil Nicholson once again is marvelous in this
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Librivox recording of Dickens. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member burritapal
Historical novel that takes place at the time of the Gordon Riots, when Protestants who hated Catholics so much, wanted them all dead and their property destroyed.
The character of Barnaby Rudge stole my heart; he's not the only one, though. Dickens knows how to create characters that we grow to
The character of Barnaby Rudge stole my heart; he's not the only one, though. Dickens knows how to create characters that we grow to
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love, and anguish for, and are uplifted by when things come out alright for them. The author certainly didn't skimp on any of that, in this work. Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenliz
Dickens' great strength is his characters, and in this he creates another couple of gems. Gabriel Varden is a real salt of the earth type, down to earth, upright, principled as honest as the day is long and caught up in events beyond his control. By contrast, his apprentice is a slimy weasel of a
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man and is not worthy of the locksmith's daughter. The title character is an idiot, but not completely without sense. He's endearing enough that you do care about him. Set in the midst of the Gordon riots of the 1780s, this is a history, being written somewhat later. There's lots of weighty matters in here, crime and punishment, he death penalty, the way that a mob mentality can take over, manipulation of people and events for personal revenge, the works. There's a reason Dickens is still read today, it's because he captures the entire of the human condition. Show Less
LibraryThing member Cecrow
Dickens introduces this novel with several chapters of pure fiction set in 1775, laying out two romance plots and a murder mystery. Then the story jumps ahead five years to the Gordon Riots of 1780 when historical events take over the plot, catching up his characters in the turmoil. There's good
If this is Dickens' least popular novel, I blame its title character. Barnaby is an innocent simpleton whose cognitive abilities slide up and down the scale as the plot demands. He's a rare personality that Dickens could not get a handle on, or at least was less true in portraying for the sake of directing his story. He was also Dickens' third variant on the helpless innocent motif, following Oliver and Little Nell, and the most shallow even by that comparison. From the first page we meet him he is living a vacant-minded idyllic life, and almost nothing shakes him from it. It's as flat a character arc as you might imagine.
The book isn't really about Barnaby, however, despite its title, since there's nothing central about him and he remains a sideshow in his own story. The secondary plot romances are far more engaging and often feel primary. Only thematically can I find a purpose for Barnaby, where he serves as an extreme symbol of disparity between mob mentality and the individuals that comprise it. Potential blame for this novel's being unpopular might also lie with the subject matter. How many people outside England today have heard of the Gordon Riots, or can imagine Protestant extremists? On the other hand riots, political unrest and religious angst are abundantly relevant in our modern context. This work could win a renaissance for reminding us there is nothing new under the sun.
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understanding shown here of how a mob gathers, acts, and is reacted to. This was Dickens' first crack at writing historical fiction and he used several sources to get the details right. Significant characters in the novel (e.g. Lord Gordon) were real people, and their personalities are believed to be accurately portrayed. If this is Dickens' least popular novel, I blame its title character. Barnaby is an innocent simpleton whose cognitive abilities slide up and down the scale as the plot demands. He's a rare personality that Dickens could not get a handle on, or at least was less true in portraying for the sake of directing his story. He was also Dickens' third variant on the helpless innocent motif, following Oliver and Little Nell, and the most shallow even by that comparison. From the first page we meet him he is living a vacant-minded idyllic life, and almost nothing shakes him from it. It's as flat a character arc as you might imagine.
The book isn't really about Barnaby, however, despite its title, since there's nothing central about him and he remains a sideshow in his own story. The secondary plot romances are far more engaging and often feel primary. Only thematically can I find a purpose for Barnaby, where he serves as an extreme symbol of disparity between mob mentality and the individuals that comprise it. Potential blame for this novel's being unpopular might also lie with the subject matter. How many people outside England today have heard of the Gordon Riots, or can imagine Protestant extremists? On the other hand riots, political unrest and religious angst are abundantly relevant in our modern context. This work could win a renaissance for reminding us there is nothing new under the sun.
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LibraryThing member stephengoldenberg
Not the very best of Dickens but still very good. It has all of his strengths and weaknesses, especially an over sentimentalised ending. It starts to have some longueurs towards the middle but then the Gordon Riots kick in and the narrative becomes all action.
LibraryThing member AliceAnna
A mixture of fact and fiction and an indication of things yet to come. The historical perspective of A Tale of Two Cities plus a hint of future plot manipulation and twists and turns best exemplified by Great Expectations. The Gordon Riots of 1780 is the backdrop, but as always, human nature is
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paramount to the tale. Religion was not the important factor to these characters. Despite the cries of 'No Popery,' each and everyone had a hidden agenda. The character of Barnaby himself was less than consistent in tone, but most of the characters were very well-drawn and, frankly, the female characters were a breath of fresh air after that insipid Nell. Overall, a good read. Show Less
LibraryThing member threadnsong
This, truly, is an amazing book. My edition had illustrations on many of the pages, but it still ran to over 700 pages in length. Part of me considers just sticking with this book a significant accomplishment! But in all seriousness, this tome is a monument to observations, to knowledge of human
The first half is, of course, full of Dickensian characters. For me, getting through the first 100 pages, ending with the painting of the character of Hugh, was a hurdle. I can honestly say that a reader can stick with this portion and will find joy and relief in the latter half of the book. The maidens are full of distress and loveliness, the men are jovial and satirical, but Dickens is able to twist the knife in the character of his own father by naming two horrible men, who happen to be fathers of sons John." Both men have good sons, and neither father is deserving of such good sons.
But within the details of the characters lies less satire or over-the-top descriptions and much more malice and true goodness. The character of Barnaby is kind and quaint, the character of Dolly Vickens is sweet and . . . flirtatious without caring whether she breaks men's hearts. The character of Mrs. Vickens is brilliantly martyred (helped by her lady's maid) . . . with an undercurrent of vindictiveness. And Simon Tippertit is almost, but not quite, a spoof of the hapless apprentice . . . until he joins with the apprentice "court" and becomes a court favorite by his similarly uncaring ways.
Then we get to the second half and the Gordon Riots of 1780. I had not known these riots existed, even, and they are brilliantly described in their horrible detail: the sound made by the mob is consistently referred to with water imagery (some earth imagery might also have been good, or references to an avalanche), the destruction they cause is described in horrible detail, and their motivations for destroying the churches? Well, religion is the excuse but hatred and vengeance and a need to get back it others is the real reason. Dickens' descriptions of the "false enthusiasm and vanity of being a leader" as Lord Gordon's foundation for his personality are spot-on, and the methods to motivate a crowd, not by standing on London Bridge and "calling till . . . hoarse . . . might have influenced a score of people in a month. . . . But when vague rumors got abroad, that in this Protestant association a secret power was mustering against the government for undefined and mighty purposes; . . . then the mania spread indeed and the body . . . grew forty thousand strong." These are the truest words about vain and weak leaders that I've read yet.
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motivations, and to mob rule.The first half is, of course, full of Dickensian characters. For me, getting through the first 100 pages, ending with the painting of the character of Hugh, was a hurdle. I can honestly say that a reader can stick with this portion and will find joy and relief in the latter half of the book. The maidens are full of distress and loveliness, the men are jovial and satirical, but Dickens is able to twist the knife in the character of his own father by naming two horrible men, who happen to be fathers of sons John." Both men have good sons, and neither father is deserving of such good sons.
But within the details of the characters lies less satire or over-the-top descriptions and much more malice and true goodness. The character of Barnaby is kind and quaint, the character of Dolly Vickens is sweet and . . . flirtatious without caring whether she breaks men's hearts. The character of Mrs. Vickens is brilliantly martyred (helped by her lady's maid) . . . with an undercurrent of vindictiveness. And Simon Tippertit is almost, but not quite, a spoof of the hapless apprentice . . . until he joins with the apprentice "court" and becomes a court favorite by his similarly uncaring ways.
Then we get to the second half and the Gordon Riots of 1780. I had not known these riots existed, even, and they are brilliantly described in their horrible detail: the sound made by the mob is consistently referred to with water imagery (some earth imagery might also have been good, or references to an avalanche), the destruction they cause is described in horrible detail, and their motivations for destroying the churches? Well, religion is the excuse but hatred and vengeance and a need to get back it others is the real reason. Dickens' descriptions of the "false enthusiasm and vanity of being a leader" as Lord Gordon's foundation for his personality are spot-on, and the methods to motivate a crowd, not by standing on London Bridge and "calling till . . . hoarse . . . might have influenced a score of people in a month. . . . But when vague rumors got abroad, that in this Protestant association a secret power was mustering against the government for undefined and mighty purposes; . . . then the mania spread indeed and the body . . . grew forty thousand strong." These are the truest words about vain and weak leaders that I've read yet.
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