Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Back to the Classic Challenge 2018: The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens


Possibly my favorite category on the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Karen at Books and Chocolate is to read a book from the 19th century because I love Dickens and Trollope and look for any excuse to read them.  This year I chose The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens, published in 1841.   

According to the introduction by Norman Page of the Penguin Classic edition that I read, The Old Curiosity Shop was not intended to be serialized but rather was meant only be a short story about the inhabitants of a  London curiosity shop related by the fictional Master Humphrey  in a periodical titled “Master Humphrey’s Clock”.   But Dickens’ reading public didn’t want short stories narrated by Master Humphrey; they wanted a novel about Little Nell and her Grandfather from the shop.

And so the author obliged them by writing a story about Little Nell and her Grandfather’s quest to escape the clutches of the evil money-lender Quilp.   Quilp tries to mastermind their retrieval with the help of the obsequious lawyer Samson Brass, Brass’ sister Sally (who may be a villainess but is still a better lawyer than Samson though not allowed to practice due to her gender), and Nell’s ne’er-do-well  brother Fred.  Tangentially allied to this side is also Fred’s drinking buddy Dick Swiveller.  On side of righteousness is Nell and Grandfather’s former servant Kit who is thrown out of a job when they leave London but who regains his fortunes and finds support in the most unlikely corners. As usual, Dickens loves writing about coincidences and chance encounters. Most of his novels in my experience couldn’t happen without them!


As often is the case with Dickens’ novels, the bad guys are the most interesting characters. Little Nell honestly does not have any personality other than her saintliness.  My favorite character was Dick Swiveler. As his last name suggests, he is able revolve or pivot and his character arc, while only a small part of the novel as a whole, was most interesting to observe.

I only have two more Dickens' novels to read: Dombey and Son and Barnaby Rudge.  I would rate The Old Curiosity Shop on the lower end of my personal list. While all Dickens novels revel in sentiment, I personally found that this one was particularly obvious in its depiction of good vs. bad.    This observation should be taken with a grain of salt, however, because essentially I adore Dickens and think he is a genius. His least successful effort is well worth reading in my opinion and The The Old Curiosity Shop was wildly popular in its time.

15 comments:

  1. I've read The Old Curiosity Shop twice--the first time I loathed it, but I reread it with the GoodReads Victorian group a year or so ago, and found myself enjoying it. It is over the top in just about every way, and I agree that it is one of my least favorite Dickens novels, but it has its moments. I agree that Dick Swiveler is one of the most interesting characters, and I quite liked Kit, his spunk and his name!

    I've read Dombey and Son and it's quite good, upper middle of pack. I will probably tackle Barnaby Rudge next year. I find reading/listening to be a good format for enjoying/understanding these long novels.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Jane! I agree, listening to longer novels, especially Victorian ones and/or re-reads, are great in audio format. I read this one in print but have listened to Bleak House as narrated by Simon Vance and it was amazing.

      Yes, The Old Curiosity Shop had its moments: the best bits all take place in London, away from Nell and Grandpa IMO. The characters in these sections are also so wonderfully lively: Kit and his mother and brothers, the aforementioned Dick, the Marchioness, Samson and Sally Brass, Mr. Chuckster, and so on.

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  2. I've never read The Old Curiosity Shop, and yet always intended to! I really should take the time to do so. My favorite Dickens is Bleak House.

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    1. Thanks for the comment jenclair! Bleak House is probably my favorite too with Little Dorrit and Great Expectations following closely behind.

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  3. I agree with you on this one, Ruthiella. I love Dickens but this was my least favourite so far. Dick Swiveller & the Marchioness were the highlights for me. Bleak House, Hard Times & Our Mutual Friend are a few of the ones I liked most.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Carol! I loved the Marchioness too. I think Dick is a favorite because he is allowed to be flawed but redeemable, like most people. :)

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  4. Hi Ruthiella, The only Dickens' book I have read is Great Expectations. I want to try Bkeak House or Our Mutual Friend which I have heard good things about. Dickens one of the greatest novelists that ever lived and very impressed that you have only two more of his novels to read.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Kathy! I have a really love for Dickens which has inspired me to read all his novels. They are long books, but (if you like him) once you start, they are actually fairly quick reads.

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  5. Does Little Nell die in this one? Or am I thinking of a different book?

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    1. Oh Lark, that would be spoiling the ending! But there is only one Dickens novel with a character called Little Nell...

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    2. I ask because I saw part of a PBS mini series of this book, at least I think it was of this book, and the girl in it died. Which didn't make me very happy. So I wondered if the series I saw was actually this book. (If that makes any sense at all.) :D

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  6. I love Dickens but this was not my favorite -- Little Nell was so cloyingly sweet and Quilp was just gruesome. I did like Dick Swiveller though.

    Dombey and Son was OK -- there is a lovely relationship between a daughter and a stepmother which is unusual, stepmothers are usually not sympathetic. I was very surprised by how much I liked Barnaby Rudge, which hardly anyone reads anymore. The plot is pretty interesting and there are some beautifully written crowd scenes which reminded me of A Tale of Two Cities. Not the best Dickens, but definitely flashes of brilliance.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Karen! Dick Swiveller was such a great character.

      Barnaby Rudge will probably be my next Dickens title (next year). I remember your enthusiastic blog post about it and am looking forward to reading it!

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  7. We are of similar minds...adoring Dickens. Even at his worst (not saying that's what this is), he is still a delight. Coincident and chance encounter - yep, I don't know what Dickens would do without them (the closest thing I have to a criticism). I think he learned it from Henry Fielding.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Joseph! I am currently reading Les Miserables and there are quite a few coincidences in that tome as well. It keeps the plot moving! :D

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