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Available
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Genres
Collection
Publication
Wordsworth Editions (1994), Edition: New Ed
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. Humor (Fiction.) HTML: This uproarious comic novel is a must-read for lovers of classic British humor. The Diary of a Nobody follows the travails of one Charles Pooter, a middle-class clerk with high-society aspirations and outrageous delusions of grandeur. You'll laugh out loud at Pooter's pretentiousness and plenteous faux pas as he attempts to move up the treacherous ladder of social class in nineteenth-century London..
Media reviews
User reviews
LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
The Diary of a Nobody written by George Grossmith and illustrated by his brother Weedon Grossmith is an English comic novel that was first published as a serial in Punch magazine in 1888-89 and then presented in book form in 1892. The book is written as the diary that records the daily lives of a
Much of the humor in this book is developed from the Pooter’s attempt to rise above their middle class life and the social humiliations that this resulted in. Charles Pooter’s pretensions and petty concerns become a wry satire on middle class aspirations that often sees the reader chuckling and wincing at the same time.
The Diary of a Nobody is a quick and amusing read that is quaint and funny yet also gives us a glimpse into the past and a way of life that has for the most part disappeared. Even though the book is more than a century old, many will recognize the timeless character of Pooter from their own social circle or even from gazing into the mirror.
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London clerk, Charles Pooter, his wife Carrie, his son Lupin and many of his friends and acquaintances over a 15 month period has become a true classic and is still in print today.Much of the humor in this book is developed from the Pooter’s attempt to rise above their middle class life and the social humiliations that this resulted in. Charles Pooter’s pretensions and petty concerns become a wry satire on middle class aspirations that often sees the reader chuckling and wincing at the same time.
The Diary of a Nobody is a quick and amusing read that is quaint and funny yet also gives us a glimpse into the past and a way of life that has for the most part disappeared. Even though the book is more than a century old, many will recognize the timeless character of Pooter from their own social circle or even from gazing into the mirror.
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LibraryThing member booksaplenty1949
"I left the room with silent dignity but caught my foot in the mat." (Dec 21). This sentence pretty much sums up the humour of The Diary of a Nobody. We can all probably relate; hence the enduring appeal of this little book.
LibraryThing member leslie.98
Mr. Pooter decides to keep a diary in the hopes of one day becoming the Pepys of the late Victorian era. He is a clerk of a somewhat stuffy and pompous nature but with a love of bad puns and jokes (luckily for him his wife shares his sense of humor!).
I found him a little reminiscent of "The Irish
Grossmith's satire has captured the beginning of the end for the middle-class Victorian way of life with Pooter and his son. Pooter's worries about his son Lupin's future could be seen as a reflection of a greater concern about security and expectations for the middle-class workers and their families if the rigidity of the old-fashioned methods gives way, while Lupin's attitudes point up the impatience of the rising generation with the adherence to outmoded ideas and practices.
I found him a little reminiscent of "The Irish
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R.M." in his never-ending series of domestic mishaps - both of these books amuse yet puzzle me. As a person who has never even seen a domestic servant much less employed one, the battle of control between master & servant baffles me to some extent. It clearly baffles Mr. Pooter as well! He persists in thinking that he is the master and so is deserving of respect despite the fact that he rarely gets that respect even from his own son. Grossmith's satire has captured the beginning of the end for the middle-class Victorian way of life with Pooter and his son. Pooter's worries about his son Lupin's future could be seen as a reflection of a greater concern about security and expectations for the middle-class workers and their families if the rigidity of the old-fashioned methods gives way, while Lupin's attitudes point up the impatience of the rising generation with the adherence to outmoded ideas and practices.
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LibraryThing member gpower61
This is a strong contender for funniest book ever written and Mr Charles Pooter, the quixotic Victorian suburban nobody of the title, a comic creation of unalloyed genius. The older I get the more I identify with Mr Pooter, the middle aged city clerk and resident of The Laurels, Brickfield Terrace,
It’s often accused of snobbery, of course; the fashionable Grossmith brothers, stars of D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Victorian stage, glancing down with sneering condescension at the lower-middle classes in their sprawling suburbs. This, I think, underestimates the subtlety of the writing in addition to ignoring the glaring fact that Pooter is one of the most sympathetic characters in all fiction. Who could fail to love this gentle and well-meaning man? Pooter may be a pompous ass but he is a thoroughly decent pompous ass; a loving husband and father (to the unflappable Carrie and wayward yet clever son Lupin) and loyal friend to Mr Gowing (who ‘is always coming’) and Mr Cummings (who ‘is always going’). He works hard and his heart is always in the right place even if his brain isn’t. The Grossmiths, like all great comedians, triumphantly have it both ways, simultaneously satirising and celebrating their subject matter. They capture the stultifying boredom, conformity and small-mindedness of suburbia while making you envy it’s satisfying completeness and self-assurance.
The Diary of a Nobody first appeared in Punch between May 1888 and May 1889. It was in many ways topical humour and perhaps not designed to last. When published as a book, in extended form in 1892, most of the the critics certainly displayed little recognition that they were witnessing the birth of a classic. One reviewer, sounding uncannily like Pooter himself, disapproved of its ‘vulgarity’ and ‘tastelessness.’ That it has endured is no mystery. It’s a deeply humane and insightful comedy which provokes superior laughter while making you squirm inwardly with excruciating self-recognition. All human aspiration, pretension and vanity - in both senses of that word - is here; the whole world in an unfashionable suburb. Truly life-enhancing stuff.
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Holloway. He represents everything I dread becoming and yet secretly know I already am: his self-delusion and pomposity; his habit of making appallingly bad jokes which only he laughs at; his unfailing knack of thinking of a brilliant rejoinder five minutes after the conversation has ended. Only the irredeemably self-deluding and pompous could fail to catch at least a partial reflection of themselves in this irredeemably self-deluding and pompous man. Wanting only to maintain his dignity he is ruthlessly stripped of it at every unfortunate turn. He is forever outwitted by tradesmen, whom he naturally regards as his social inferiors, and sent up by junior clerks at the office. A slave to etiquette and ‘doing the right thing’ his own stupidity ensures that he never fails to do the wrong thing. His life is a never-ending succession of social embarrassments. As John Lennon once sang of his own Nowhere Man - ‘isn’t he a bit like you and me?’It’s often accused of snobbery, of course; the fashionable Grossmith brothers, stars of D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Victorian stage, glancing down with sneering condescension at the lower-middle classes in their sprawling suburbs. This, I think, underestimates the subtlety of the writing in addition to ignoring the glaring fact that Pooter is one of the most sympathetic characters in all fiction. Who could fail to love this gentle and well-meaning man? Pooter may be a pompous ass but he is a thoroughly decent pompous ass; a loving husband and father (to the unflappable Carrie and wayward yet clever son Lupin) and loyal friend to Mr Gowing (who ‘is always coming’) and Mr Cummings (who ‘is always going’). He works hard and his heart is always in the right place even if his brain isn’t. The Grossmiths, like all great comedians, triumphantly have it both ways, simultaneously satirising and celebrating their subject matter. They capture the stultifying boredom, conformity and small-mindedness of suburbia while making you envy it’s satisfying completeness and self-assurance.
The Diary of a Nobody first appeared in Punch between May 1888 and May 1889. It was in many ways topical humour and perhaps not designed to last. When published as a book, in extended form in 1892, most of the the critics certainly displayed little recognition that they were witnessing the birth of a classic. One reviewer, sounding uncannily like Pooter himself, disapproved of its ‘vulgarity’ and ‘tastelessness.’ That it has endured is no mystery. It’s a deeply humane and insightful comedy which provokes superior laughter while making you squirm inwardly with excruciating self-recognition. All human aspiration, pretension and vanity - in both senses of that word - is here; the whole world in an unfashionable suburb. Truly life-enhancing stuff.
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LibraryThing member Malteser1
I love this book - it's the second time I've read it and I enjoyed it this time just as much as the first.
Charles Pooter, an ordinary little man, albeit rather pompous and self opinionated, decides to keep a diary to record the daily events of his life. Through this diary we learn so much about
This book was first published over 100 years ago and I think it's a little classic. Consisting of only about 150 pages, it's an easy, enjoyable read and I'd recommend it to anyone.
Charles Pooter, an ordinary little man, albeit rather pompous and self opinionated, decides to keep a diary to record the daily events of his life. Through this diary we learn so much about
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him as he records his hopes and aspirations, together with the many mishaps which befall him. He constantly reminded me of Captain Mainwaing of Dad's Army fame. The story is full of gentle humour and you have to warm to Charles as he struggles to achieve a higher place in society and cope with his errant son Lupin.This book was first published over 100 years ago and I think it's a little classic. Consisting of only about 150 pages, it's an easy, enjoyable read and I'd recommend it to anyone.
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LibraryThing member Madeehaness
A pleasantly amusing read. Although, if I ever feel the urge to read about awkward misunderstandings, clumsy accidents, embarrassing situations and the not-remarkably-funny jokes, of an unconsciously snobbish, inarticulate, fairly ridiculous, self important nobody in a middle class household I can
Which, quite naturally, leads me to wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Pooter, "Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see--because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'--why my diary should not be interesting."
So,
Coming soon to a bookshop near you: The Diary of a Yet Another Nobody
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always flip through my own diary.Which, quite naturally, leads me to wholeheartedly agree with Mr. Pooter, "Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see--because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'--why my diary should not be interesting."
So,
Coming soon to a bookshop near you: The Diary of a Yet Another Nobody
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LibraryThing member aaronbaron
I read a review that identified Diary of a Nobody as the missing link between Dickens and Waugh. So, naturally, I bought a copy posthaste. It consists of the quasi-amusing adventures of a rather stupid, pompous clerk and his obnoxious friends and family. Grossmith duly attacks the dullness,
I can see what the review was getting at; in that the book does read like a midway point between the profuse vaudeville of Dickens and the astringent wit of Waugh, but like many missing links it lacks the greatness of its more justly famous forbears and descendents. When Dickens rolled up his sleeves for a satirical foray, he made a point of also showing some redeeming qualities of even the most ridiculous of his characters. As all of us have our own mix of good and foolish qualities, Dicken’s technique made his satire all the more poignant, as it was aimed at figures whom we could actually recognize in the world around us. Grossmith does not extend this humanist gesture to his objects of ridicule. As such, his characters are little more than caricatures, with about as much longevity as a political cartoon, and the laughter they inspire is both short-lived and mean-spirited.
Waugh also never showed humanist mercy, and the objects of his scorn are often no more dimensional than the sharp blades he thrusts into their heart. Yet Waugh was never just a cartoonist; there is a pervasive melancholy in his works that emerges amidst the laughter. While Dickens was a moralizing crusader who satirized in the name of social reform and moral growth, Waugh believed that all of the best aimed barbs in the world could not change things for the better. He also know that he himself tacitly collaborated in every character, institution, and ideology that his works so spuriously ridicule. His satire was triggered by resistance rather than reform, and his attacks were often aimed at himself, giving his work a self-reflective edge that transcended mere mockery. Grosssmith, on the other hand, never even hints that his character’s foolishness embodies the madness of the new age, or that their absurdities in any way reflect his own. He writes like a high school bully, making fun of the nerds in the marching band. Diary of a Nobody may be a missing link, but it best serves as a transfer point between two vastly superior destinations
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self-importance, and ignorance of suburban life, and he often hits the mark, but in the end I lost all interest in the book. I can see what the review was getting at; in that the book does read like a midway point between the profuse vaudeville of Dickens and the astringent wit of Waugh, but like many missing links it lacks the greatness of its more justly famous forbears and descendents. When Dickens rolled up his sleeves for a satirical foray, he made a point of also showing some redeeming qualities of even the most ridiculous of his characters. As all of us have our own mix of good and foolish qualities, Dicken’s technique made his satire all the more poignant, as it was aimed at figures whom we could actually recognize in the world around us. Grossmith does not extend this humanist gesture to his objects of ridicule. As such, his characters are little more than caricatures, with about as much longevity as a political cartoon, and the laughter they inspire is both short-lived and mean-spirited.
Waugh also never showed humanist mercy, and the objects of his scorn are often no more dimensional than the sharp blades he thrusts into their heart. Yet Waugh was never just a cartoonist; there is a pervasive melancholy in his works that emerges amidst the laughter. While Dickens was a moralizing crusader who satirized in the name of social reform and moral growth, Waugh believed that all of the best aimed barbs in the world could not change things for the better. He also know that he himself tacitly collaborated in every character, institution, and ideology that his works so spuriously ridicule. His satire was triggered by resistance rather than reform, and his attacks were often aimed at himself, giving his work a self-reflective edge that transcended mere mockery. Grosssmith, on the other hand, never even hints that his character’s foolishness embodies the madness of the new age, or that their absurdities in any way reflect his own. He writes like a high school bully, making fun of the nerds in the marching band. Diary of a Nobody may be a missing link, but it best serves as a transfer point between two vastly superior destinations
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LibraryThing member MeditationesMartini
"Met a Mr. McCarvill. Did not care for him."
This is cute stuff. The mighty, noble venality of the petty bourgeois. Yer modern equivalent might be a "Home Improvement" that gets that that Tim Allen dude is fucking terrible, but finds some affection anyway because it's the terrible old regular people
This is cute stuff. The mighty, noble venality of the petty bourgeois. Yer modern equivalent might be a "Home Improvement" that gets that that Tim Allen dude is fucking terrible, but finds some affection anyway because it's the terrible old regular people
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that keep things going. Show Less
LibraryThing member mirrani
The book is as the title claims; a diary of events that could have happened to any random someone in the late 1800s. There is nothing hefty here, there is no real serious issue, just the life of a man who is part of a family, who have friends and meet people. It sounds completely uninteresting, but
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it's a classic and the comedy is a real joy to experience, as is the history itself. If you ever wanted to feel as if you were in a family from history, you should think about picking this one up. Show Less
LibraryThing member shabacus
When I was a kid, I didn't get most of the references in Bugs Bunny cartoons. I watched and loved them, but much of the pop culture references of the 30s, 40s, and 50s went right over my head. At least, they did at first. Turns out, I had begun to pick up on those references just by watching, and
The humor in The Diary of a Nobody is a lot like that for me. I'm pretty good at picking out the lines that are supposed to be humorous, and when they're not, I start to look for what I might be missing.
The result is a very educational experience. I learned a lot about middle class English life in the 1890s. What struck me most of all was how similar, in many ways, it was to today.
A short read, and recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about a culture not so far removed from our own.
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eventually they became funny for me.The humor in The Diary of a Nobody is a lot like that for me. I'm pretty good at picking out the lines that are supposed to be humorous, and when they're not, I start to look for what I might be missing.
The result is a very educational experience. I learned a lot about middle class English life in the 1890s. What struck me most of all was how similar, in many ways, it was to today.
A short read, and recommended for anyone who wants to learn more about a culture not so far removed from our own.
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LibraryThing member John_Vaughan
In my youth there was a BBC Radio program called ITMA – It’s That Man Again. I kept running across a certain Charles Pooter and references to his diaries in much of my reading. Eventually I realized, from the comments that indicated sheer pleasure, that this was a book I should own and read,
I fail to see said Mr. Pooter to himself one day, - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'-why my diary should not be interesting and published. So publish he does, or rather two brothers, George and Weedon Grossmith created and publish a series of humorous articles for the magazine Punch that were eventually published in 1892 as the book Diary of a Nobody.
Mr. Pooter soon proves to us that he certainly is not a ”Somebody” but the little details of his so little life are surprisingly engaging and eventually, as you close and shelve the book, you find that you can feel at least a “warm regard” for this character. Of course, few of us will be able to hold him in the highly pretentious regard he holds himself, or enjoy his “puns” and little jokes quite as much as he does!
But most readers will find they have a chuckling sympathy for Mr. Pooter’s struggle for a decent life.
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even if it was just fiction. I very quickly read and enjoyed this little book that I shelved it, for a later reread, and forgot to review it. Why is that important – just another reader’s review after all – because people who enjoy reading, and have a sense of wit, need to know of it … do read it!I fail to see said Mr. Pooter to himself one day, - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody'-why my diary should not be interesting and published. So publish he does, or rather two brothers, George and Weedon Grossmith created and publish a series of humorous articles for the magazine Punch that were eventually published in 1892 as the book Diary of a Nobody.
Mr. Pooter soon proves to us that he certainly is not a ”Somebody” but the little details of his so little life are surprisingly engaging and eventually, as you close and shelve the book, you find that you can feel at least a “warm regard” for this character. Of course, few of us will be able to hold him in the highly pretentious regard he holds himself, or enjoy his “puns” and little jokes quite as much as he does!
But most readers will find they have a chuckling sympathy for Mr. Pooter’s struggle for a decent life.
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LibraryThing member Sarahsponda
Not as funny as I wanted it to be—and I think it’s because I kept feeling sorry for Mr Pooter, instead of laughing at him—but for something published in 1892, it’s pretty good!
LibraryThing member Clurb
This was OK. I wasn't laughing myself silly, but the humour is still there and everyone likes a good bit of mockery of the lower middle class.
LibraryThing member meggyweg
Considering that nothing in particular really happened in this book -- no deaths, no divorces, no marriages among the important characters, no births, etc. -- I found it surprisingly interesting. This is an excellent portrait of middle-class Victorian England life that, I think, would be useful to
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someone researching the period. And it was amusing and definitely a page-turner; Lupin's employment woes did it for me. Show Less
LibraryThing member isabelx
Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have never even heard of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth.
An oldie but a goodie. I
An oldie but a goodie. I
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have just bought a hardback copy from a charity shop so I will be releasing my paperback copy. Show Less
LibraryThing member bennyb
An enjoyable read. Plenty of comedy and I also liked the punch style cartoons and the Victorian photographs. A nice light read.
LibraryThing member Big_Bang_Gorilla
Being the quotidian reflections of humble civil servant Charles Pooter, who at night poured out his hilariously deadpan reflections on his mundane life and work to his journal. This is the funniest book ever written.
LibraryThing member Davidgnp
Charles Pooter slips fully-formed into these pages and delights us with his naive observations on his own humdrum domestic life in Victorian England. Among the great skills of the brothers Grossmith who created this classic character are their ability to make Pooter's low-reaching snobbery
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endearing, the clarity of caricature that allows us to see the real world behind cast in an absurd light, and a quality of humour that wraps us in like welcome guests at a modest but convivial party. Show Less
LibraryThing member stevejwales
The diary of suburban "nobody" Charles Pooter who, while being the target for a (gentle) satire of the Victorian middle class, is quite endearing in his complete lack of self-awareness and his unfailing belief in the power of terrible puns to amuse anyone... Instantly recognisable characters and
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situations and just as funny over a century after it was published. Show Less
LibraryThing member SandDune
The diary of Charles Pooter, a clerk in the City of London at the end of the nineteenth century, who doesn't see why he shouldn't have just as much right to publish his diary as the next man. As the epigraph says:
Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have
So in this gentle comedy we are introduced to Pooter's wife Carrie, his friends Cummings and Gowing, and above all to his only son Lupin, whose relationship to his father proves without a doubt that the generation gap was not invented in the 1960s! For while Pooter is respectable, conservative and intensely loyal to the firm for which he has worked for over 20 years, Lupin is prone to losing his job, getting home in the early hours of the morning, getting up at lunchtime and is a mystery and a worry to his father. But above all the book pokes fun (in a gentle way) at Mr Pooter's constant attempts to maintain his status as a lower-middle class gentleman in his residence at Brickfields Terrace, constantly thwarted by dealings with prosperous tradesmen who think themselves every bit as good as he is.
This isn't laugh out loud funny, but it is a gentle humour which has stood the test of time.
Why should I not publish my diary? I have often seen reminiscences of people I have
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never even herd of, and I fail to see - because I do not happen to be a 'Somebody' - why my diary should not be interesting. My only regret is that I did not commence it when I was a youth'So in this gentle comedy we are introduced to Pooter's wife Carrie, his friends Cummings and Gowing, and above all to his only son Lupin, whose relationship to his father proves without a doubt that the generation gap was not invented in the 1960s! For while Pooter is respectable, conservative and intensely loyal to the firm for which he has worked for over 20 years, Lupin is prone to losing his job, getting home in the early hours of the morning, getting up at lunchtime and is a mystery and a worry to his father. But above all the book pokes fun (in a gentle way) at Mr Pooter's constant attempts to maintain his status as a lower-middle class gentleman in his residence at Brickfields Terrace, constantly thwarted by dealings with prosperous tradesmen who think themselves every bit as good as he is.
This isn't laugh out loud funny, but it is a gentle humour which has stood the test of time.
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LibraryThing member Condorena
The wit and humor in this novel stands the test time.
LibraryThing member Michael.Rimmer
I have shelved this book as "humour" in deference to what it says on the back-cover blurb, but, despite being patriotically partial to the English style of gentle, parochial fun-poking, this just didn't quite hit the spot.
It's certainly interesting enough to finish and has some amusing moments to
I will, I think, give it another try in a few years in order to see whether time has added to its charm, but for now I shall shelve it with mild disappointment.
It's certainly interesting enough to finish and has some amusing moments to
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enjoy, but I didn't take to Mr Pooter and his circle in the way I expected. I was (foolishly, I suppose) hoping for another Mr Pickwick and his club, but the Grossmiths are not Dickens, but then, who is?I will, I think, give it another try in a few years in order to see whether time has added to its charm, but for now I shall shelve it with mild disappointment.
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LibraryThing member Vivl
I don't think I was supposed to like Mr Pooter but I felt great sympathy for a simple and conventional man and felt him unfairly picked on.
LibraryThing member wendyrey
One of the funniest books I have ever read. Mr Pooter is a scatterbrained charmer who does the daftest things for apparently sensible reasons.
Among other idiocies he paints his bath red with what turns out to be paint not suitable for metal and ends up covered with paint himself.
Endearing and
Among other idiocies he paints his bath red with what turns out to be paint not suitable for metal and ends up covered with paint himself.
Endearing and
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hilariously funny Show Less
LibraryThing member Kristelh
English comic novel set in 1890's is a novel of Charles Pooter, a clerk. Through its humor the reader gets a picture of 1890 and what it is to be neither upper social or lower social class. Remarkably, could fit yet today.
Subjects
Awards
Language
Original publication date
1892
Physical description
6.93 inches
ISBN
1853262013 / 9781853262012