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The Pickwick Papers

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The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, better known as The Pickwick Papers, is the first novel by Charles Dickens. It was originally an idea by Robert Seymour, the illustrator, to which Dickens was asked to contribute as an up and coming writer following the success of Sketches by Boz, published in 1832. Dickens, supremely confident as ever, increasingly took over the unsuccessful monthly publication after Seymour had committed suicide. With the introduction of Sam Weller the book became the first real publishing phenomenon, with bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books and other merchandise. It was inspired by a town, Corsham. The name Pickwick is likely to have come from that of a nearby farm, Pickwick Lodge Farm. Pickwick is the part of Corsham which is on the A4, once the main road from London to Bristol.

Plot summary

Template:Spoiler The novel's main character, Mr. Pickwick, is a kind old gentleman, the founder of the Pickwick Club. He is usually portrayed by illustrators as a round-faced, clean-shaved, portly gentleman wearing spectacles. Mr. Pickwick's travels with his friends, Mr. Nathaniel Winkle, Mr. Augustus Snodgrass, and Mr. Tracy Tupman, and their adventures is the chief theme of the novel. Some memorable adventures are: Mr. Pickwick's legal case against his landlady, Mrs. Bradell, who is suing him for the breach of promise to marry her and Mr. Pickwick's incarceration at the Fleet for his stubborn refusal to pay the compensation to that lady (the unscrupulous Dodson and Fogg's law firm prosecuted poor Pickwick). Although The Pickwick Papers has a rather irregular structure, with many unconnected adventures and the absence of a thought-out plot, its main literary value and appeal is formed by its numerous unforgettable heroes. Each personage in The Pickwick Papers (just as in many other Dickens' novels) is drawn comically, often with exaggerated features of character. Apart from Mr. Pickwick himself, the most entertaining characters of the novel are Mr. Pickwick's valet (Sam Weller), his father Weller Senior (who does not really know if his name is written as Veller or Weller), Mr. Alfred Jingle, who is a charlatan and impostor,the merry habitants of Dingley Dell farm and Joe, the "fat boy", who consumes great quantities of food and constantly falls asleep in any situation at any time of day.

Characters in "The Pickwick Papers"

  • Mr. Pickwick – the main protagonist and founder of the Pickwick Club
  • Mr. Nathaniel Winkle –
  • Mr.Augustus Snodgrass –
  • Mr.Tracy Tupman –
  • Mrs.Bradell – Pickwick's landlady
  • Sam Weller – valet to Pickwick
  • Weller Senior – father to Sam
  • Mr. Alfred Jingle – charlatan
  • Joe – farm boy
  • Mr. Wardle- Owner of a farm in Dingley Dell. Pickwick's friend. Joe is his servant.


Template:Endspoiler

Film, TV or theatrical adaptations

The novel has been filmed several times, including:

  • 1913 - a silent short starring John Bunny as Pickwick and H. P. Owen as Sam Weller
  • 1921 - The Adventures of Mr Pickwick, silent, starring Frederick Volpe and Hubert Woodward
  • 1952 - starring James Hayter and Harry Fowler

There have also been BBC radio and television adaptations. The first TV adaptation was by Constance Cox.

Publication

The novel was published in 19 issues over 20 months; the last was double-length and cost two shillings. In bereavement for his sister-in-law Mary Hogarth, Dickens missed a deadline and consequently there was no number issued in May 1837. Numbers were typically issued on the last day of its given month:

  • I - March 1836 (chapters 1-2);
  • II - April 1836 (chapters 3-5);
  • III - May 1836 (chapters 6-8);
  • IV - June 1836 (chapters 9-11);
  • V - July 1836 (chapters 12-14);
  • VI - August 1836 (chapters 15-17);
  • VII - September 1836 (chapters 18-20);
  • VIII - October 1836 (chapters 21-23);
  • IX - November 1836 (chapters 24-26);
  • X - December 1836 (chapters 27-28);
  • XI - January 1837 (chapters 29-31);
  • XII - February 1837 (chapters 32-33);
  • XIII - March 1837 (chapters 34-36);
  • XIV - April 1837 (chapters 37-39);
  • XV - June 1837 (chapters 40-42);
  • XVI - July 1837 (chapters 43-45);
  • XVII - August 1837 (chapters 46-48);
  • XVIII - September 1837 (chapters 49-51);
  • XIX-XX - October 1837 (chapters 52-56).

It is interesting to keep the number divisions and dates in mind while reading the novel, especially in the early parts. The Pickwick Papers, as Charles Dickens' first novel, is particularly chaotic: the first two numbers featured four illustrations by Robert Seymour and 24 pages of text. Seymour killed himself and was replaced by R.W. Buss for the third number; the format was changed to feature two illustrations and 32 pages of text per issue. Buss didn't work out as an illustrator and was replaced by H.K. "Phiz" Browne for the fourth issue; Phiz continued to work for Dickens for 23 years (he last illustrated A Tale of Two Cities in 1859).

See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Online editions

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