圖書信息
外文書名: 匹克威克傳
叢書名: Bantam Classic
簡裝: 912頁
正文語種: 英語
開本: 32開
ISBN: 0553211234
條形碼: 9780553211238
尺寸: 17.8 x 11 x 3.6 cm
重量: 417 g
作者簡介
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens (born Feb. 7, 1812, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Eng.-died June 9, 1870, Gad's Hill, near Chatham, Kent) British novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period.His fiction career began with short pieces reprinted as Sketches by “Boz” (1836). He exhibited a great ability to spin a story in an entertaining manner and this quality, combined with the serialization of his comic novel The Pickwick Papers (1837), made him the most popular English author of his time. The serialization of such works as Oliver Twist (1838) and The Old Curiosity Shop (1841) followed. After a trip to America, he wrote A Christmas Carol (1843) in a few weeks. With Dombey and Son (1848), his novels began to express a heightened uneasiness about the evils of Victorian industrial society, which intensified in the semiautobiographical David Copperfield (1850), as well as in Bleak House (1853), Little Dorrit (1857), Great Expectations (1861), and others. A Tale of Two Cities (1859) appeared in the period when he achieved great popularity for his public readings. Dickens's works are characterized by an encyclopaedic knowledge of London, pathos, a vein of the macabre, a pervasive spirit of benevolence and geniality, inexhaustible powers of character creation, an acute ear for characteristic speech, and a highly individual and inventive prose style.
內容簡介
The high-spirited work of a young Dickens, The Pickwick Papers is the remarkable first novel that made its author famous and that has remained one of the best-known books in the world. In it the inimitable Samuel Pickwick, his well-fed body and unsinkable good spirits clad in tights and gaiters, sallies forth through the noisy streets of London and into the colorful country inns of rural England for a series of sparkling encounters with love and misadventure. From the wit of cockney bootblack Sam Weller to the unforgettable Fat Boy and rascals like the amorous Mr. Jingle and the unscrupulous lawyers Dodson and Fogg, The Pickwick Papers reels with joyous fantasy, infectious good humor, and a touch of the macabre--a classic work that G. K. Chesterton called "the great example of everything that made Dickens great... a] supreme masterpiece."
媒體評論
It has been called "the supreme epic of English life".
Spotlight Review
1.Hilarious, delightful, June 4, 2002
Reviewer: Ritesh Laud (Houston, TX USA)
Charles Dickens wrote The Pickwick Papers in his early 20s, but the writing is first rate and as witty as any seasoned author could have done in his place! Like many of Dickens's works, Pickwick was published in monthly installments, or "numbers" as they were called then. Although Dickens originally intended to end the story at the twentieth number, the popularity of the series (and the resultant income) convinced Dickens to double the length to forty numbers. The end result is a large offering that'll take you a while to get through (~750 pages in the excellent Penguin edition, which I read).
Despite its length, Pickwick never tries your patience. It's delightfully humorous from beginning to end. Samuel Pickwick is the bumbling, middle-aged, wealthy namesake of this novel. He's the leader of a small group of single men that gets into all sorts of mischief, both physical and social. Booze is rampant. Apparently liquor back then was much more a part of daily life than today; everywhere these guys go they party and get drunk. They get into trouble with the law, women, unsavory characters, and more.
Characterization is superb. This is one of the few novels I've read for which I can actually say that I got to know the characters. In most books I've read, the characters remain two-dimensional and the plot is what carries the story. In Pickwick, the *characters* are the essence of the story and the novel wouldn't be memorable at all if a lesser author were attempting to breathe life into these people.
The Penguin edition includes a decent collection of endnotes to help explain unfamiliar portions of the text. Nevertheless, there were still quite a few words and concepts peculiar to early 19th century England that I didn't grasp. This edition also has maps of southern England and a key to the specific locations that the Pickwickians visit. In addition, two appendices reprint some of the announcements and prefaces that Dickens wrote in relation to the work.
Highly recommended, particularly if you enjoy classic literature! Dickens's later works overshadow this gem due to their maturity, but Pickwick beats them all in enthusiasm, humor, and wit.
2.Pure and shining brilliance, August 16, 2005
Reviewer: Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA)
I have absolutely no doubts whatsoever that Charles Dickens, if he lived today, would still classify as an author's author. He's a master of all the things that make for great writing and storytelling. Dickens has an ear for dialogue most authors would kill their own mothers to possess. He also is a master of creating vivid scenery, another sign of excellence essential to great writing and one which many authors lack. Finally, but not least in importance, Dickens knows character development. He REALLY knows how to develop intriguing characters, to the point where many of his books spawned figures that have become literary archetypes. Not bad for a guy who grew up in extremely adverse circumstances. He even spent some time in a factory sticking labels on bottles after his father's imprisonment for debt. Most people wouldn't recover from such poverty, but Dickens did. He went on to a successful career in journalism before settling down as an author of serial novels. This format, which allowed Dickens to write and release his stories piecemeal, made him a great success with the public. The anticipation for the latest chapter or two of his stories often led to near riots. Not many writers can duplicate this feat today.
"The Pickwick Papers" is one of Dickens's earliest works, written when the author was a mere twenty-four years old. You wouldn't know his age by reading the story, though. "Pickwick" is a work that delivers healthy doses of sophisticated humor, keen observations on pressing social issues, romance, and a mature knowledge of human behavior. It's of course fiction, although Dickens presents the story as a true series of events documented by the "Pickwick Club," a social organization founded by retired businessman and all around merry fellow Samuel Pickwick. In the 1820s, Pickwick and several friends embark on a series of journeys through Southern England, a journey that lasts for roughly two years. Ostensibly, the businessman and his fellows take the trips to learn more about their country. Instead, their travels turn into a series of often hilarious events mixed with a few serious scrapes. Pickwick must constantly save individuals from the machinations of one Alfred Jingle, an itinerant scalawag with a penchant for wooing women for their money. In between these adventures, our hero must contend with a lawsuit filed by a former female employee who thought he wanted to marry her, save his friends from numerous imbroglios involving members of the opposite sex, survive a stay in a debtor's prison, and live through a couple hundred other adventures both major and minor.
If I had to list one overarching theme I enjoyed most about "The Pickwick Papers," it's got to be the humor. This book is one of the funniest things I've read in ages. We're talking laugh out loud and laughing later when remembering scenes from the book funny. Much of the humor centers on Pickwick's manservant Sam Weller, a guy prone to uttering some of the most hilarious sayings you'll likely see in any book. Weller's father is even more amusing, and when father and son sit down to write a letter to a lovely young woman who's caught Sam's eye, well, prepare to hold your sides. Also worth a belly laugh or two is the chapter where Pickwick and his friends visit the town of Eatanswill in time to witness the results of a contentious local election. Dickens's observations about party politics and media manipulation are not only highly amusing, but also relevant to our own age. And who can forget the courtroom scenes where the lawyer makes Pickwick, this kindly old gentleman who wouldn't hurt a fly, look like an absolute monster? I could go on and on. If you read this book without cracking up, check your pulse because you're probably dead.
Another element of the book I enjoyed concerns Dickens's ability to write scenes that simply overflow with the joy of living. A lengthy chapter describing Pickwick's stay with some country friends over Christmas serves as an excellent example. The sheer bliss of this part of the book is infectious, as Dickens makes us marvel at the simple delight of spending a few days in the company of good friends, good food, and good entertainment. On the other hand, the author isn't above indulging in an activity he's become famous for, namely showing the reader the depths of human suffering. There is far less misery in "The Pickwick Papers" than there is in "Oliver Twist," to cite one example, but it's still here. The debtor's prison in which Pickwick stays for a time provides the author with a perfect forum for attacking England's tradition of imprisoning those unfortunate souls who cannot pay their creditors. I marvel at how Dickens can balance these two extremes in the space of a single novel. In this way, "The Pickwick Papers" manages to encompass life in both its good and bad aspects.
I read the Penguin Classics edition of "The Pickwick Papers," and I'm glad I did. The supplementary material is copious and helpful more often than not. I didn't care much for the introduction from Robert L. Patten, however, which I thought tried to read too much into the story. I did appreciate the footnotes that help explain the English geography, slang, and popular culture references found throughout the story. Further material provides information on the three illustrators who worked on the story, biographical details of Dickens's life, and even maps tracing Pickwick's myriad travels through the English countryside. Reading "The Pickwick Papers" makes me realize that I've neglected this author's works for far too long. I can't praise this book enough; it's that entertaining and that good. Give it a go as soon as possible!Customer Reviews
1.Charles Dickens's 1st Smash!, July 24, 2006
Reviewer: Bradley Headstone "Sean ARES Hirsch" (New York)
It is interesting that both William Shakespeare and Charles Dickens began their writing careers with a comedy. Charles Dickens is best known for his harsh portrayals of Victorian England (especially in "A Christmas Carol"). But this 1st book shows that he can draw hilarious comedy as well. We meet the Pickwick Club. (Mr. Pickwick, Mr. Snodgrass, Mr. Tupman, and Mr. Winkle.) They are a bumbling group, but they are benevolent. Undoubtedly, Mr. Pickwick was based on Charles Dickens's father. The great Charles Dickens's father was a warm hearted and caring man, but he was also unlucky. He did in fact spend time in the debtors's prison. Well, moving on, the Pickwick club meets the comical villain Mr. Jingle. Mr. Jingle gets the Pickwick club into various sorts of trouble. He stops a would be wedding between Mr. Tupman and Rachael Wardle. (Jingle himself wants Rachael's fortune.) Well, Jingle shows himself to be good at double talk and alienates the 2. While his plot fails, he tricks Pickwick into appearing in a girls' school after hours. You'll probably notice that this book (like "Moby Dick") is full of digressions. We hear unrelated tales from different characters. (To some, this is a welcome technique while others find it annoying. Though the tale of Gabriel Grub does foreshadow the phenomenal "Christmas Carol.") Moving on, in a well worded passage Mr. Pickwick leads his landlady Widow Bardell into thinking he wants to marry her, when in fact he was just considering hiring a man servant. And of course Mr. Pickwick goes on trial for not keeping a promise of marriage. (Charles Dickens himself actually did many live readings of this chapter.) While we know Mr. Pickwick was is not guilty, he ends up being charged 750 pounds which he refuses to pay. And of course, he (like Charles Dickens's father goes to prison). While he can afford the money, he refuses to pay because he is innocent. The scenes of the prison break the comedy. Even Widow Bardell is thrown in prison by Dodson and Fogg. But all is not lost. Pickwick's servant Weller comes to his aid. And Mr. Pickwick realizes that he must leave prison to help Mr. Winkle. (Mr. Winkle has married Arabella, and her brother is not so happy about it.) Mr. Pickwick pays what he must to exit the prison and he of course comes to the aid of his friend Mr. Winkle. The story ends in utter happiness. Mr. Pickwick even forgives Mr. Jingle. Perhaps the greatest thing about this book is that it is NOT ONLY hilarious comedy, but it shows how true friends stick by one another, and it even takes it to the next level by showing the wonders of fogiveness. This book drove England Pickwick mad when it came out. (There were Pickwick coats, hats, cigars, candy, and canes.) Need we ask why?
2.Grab Some Punch and Join the Party, December 12, 2005
Reviewer: Christopher M. Williams "BulgarianPoke" (Shumen, Bulgaria)
I've often wondered that if I had to attend a party or a ball that was made up of every character of a particular author's body of work, whose creations would I wish to meet? You couldn't do much better than Charles Dickens, and surely the host of such a gathering would be Mr. Pickwick of the Pickwick Club. The club, discovered in a collection of "posthumous papers," is something of a toast masters society that journeys from London to the English countryside and back again in search of various forms of stimulation. Instead of finding that philosophical, poetic, and scientific wisdom that they are in search of, more often they stumble into situations not of their own making. Nearly always, hilarity ensues. They spirit of the novel is both jolly and tender; never has a book so often made me want to join the action. And while I haven't read every Dickens novel, I doubt that you will find a more wonderful pair of friends that Samuel Weller and Mr. Pickwick. The two are genuine and devoted friends, despite their differences in interests, mannerisms, and stations in life.
Regarding the very long novels of the 19th century (this may sound obvious), they take some getting used to, especially to readers of much shorter contemporary novels. One inevitably will forget a character or a detail that appears on p. 35 as they read p. 700. Yet, one should remember that the novel came out in 19 monthly installments, and thus does not call for a quick reading. One can set the book aside for a few days and not worry about losing the plot; there isn't really a plot. Like a television series today, the adventures involve the same principle characters, with many of the supporting characters reappearing throughout the narrative. But the work itself is less a story than a canvas, and there is no central conflict or tension.
My first crack at one of Dickens' long novels was David Copperfield, which was also my first review on this site. I gave it 2 stars, despite the fact that I enjoyed so many pieces of it. Trying to race through a Dickens novel will end in frustration and exhaustion. Don't be afraid to read other books simultaneously.
Lastly, do yourself a favor and read the Introductions written by GK Chesterton. These essays both elevate one's own reading of the novel, and provide pleasure and insight in their own right. They bypass both the jargon and ostentatious learning that can make contemporary criticism a battle to read.
