Charles Dickens` powerful black comedy of of hypocrisy & greed, ” Martin Chuzzlewit” is edited with an introduction & notes by Patricia Ingham in ” Penguin Classics”. The greed of his family has led wealthy old Martin Chuzzlewit to become suspicious & misanthropic, leaving his grandson & namesake to make his own way in the world. & so young Martin sets out from the Wiltshire home of his supposed champion, the scheming architect Pecksniff, to seek his fortune in America. In depicting Martin`s journey
- an experience that teaches him to question his inherited self-interest & egotism
- Dickens created many vividly realized figures: the brutish lout Jonas Chuzzlewit, plotting to gain the family fortune; Martin`s optimistic manservant, Mark Tapley; gentle Tom Pinch; & the drunken & corrupt private nurse, Mrs Gamp. With its portrayal of greed, blackmail & murder, & its searing satire on America Dickens`s novel is a powerful & blackly comic story of hypocrisy & redemption. In her introduction, Patricia Ingham examines characterization, the central themes of the novel, & Dickens`s depiction of America. This edition also
Includes:: two new prefaces, Dickens`s postscript written in 1868, his working papers, a note on Mrs Gamp`s eccentric speech, a chronology, updated further reading, appendices & original illustrations by ` Phiz`. Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language, whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books, including ” Oliver Twist”, ” Great Expectations”, ”A Tale of Two Cities”, ” David Copperfield” & ” The Pickwick Papers”, have been adapted for stage & screen & read by millions. If you enjoyed ” Martin Chuzzlewit”, you might like Dickens`s ” Dombey & Son”, also available in ” Penguin Classics”.