Il Circolo Pickwick

Di Charles Dickens

Non è facile fornire una trama di quest'opera, uno dei più grandi libri dell'umorismo inglese, perché, più che un romanzo, si tratta di una serie eterogenea di vicende e di quadretti tipici della borghesia inglese sotto la sovranità della regina Vittoria.

I numerosissimi personaggi vengono tutti mirabilmente e minuziosamente inquadrati, e, tra i vari protagonisti, la maggior parte dei quali è soffocata dai propri vizi e dalla propria mala fede, si salva solo il fondatore del "Pickwick Club", il sig. Pickwick, appunto, l'unico dotato di autentica e struggente ingenuità.

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• Lingua: Italiano
• Editore: E-text
• Data di uscita: 11 mag 1997
• ISBN: 9788890359781

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens had a prolific collection of works including fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and articles. The term “cliffhanger endings” was created because of his practice of ending his serial short stories with drama and suspense. Dickens’ political and social beliefs heavily shaped his literary work. He argued against capitalist beliefs, and advocated for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens advocacy for such causes is apparent in his empathetic portrayal of lower classes in his famous works, such as The Christmas Carol and Hard Times.

Recensioni su Il Circolo Pickwick

[jonfaith · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

The Pickwick Papers promised heft. Weighing in at 900 pages and larded with indices and erudite observations, the project promised muscle training, if nothing else. The serial natural of the narrative and general zany approach was also apprehended. I simply wasn't prepared, however, for Sam Weller. Oh lord, he may be my favorite character in recent memory. I wasn't prepared for such. I was expecting tales of the idle and curious confronting rural and proltarian situations, if only for hilarity and general misunderstanding to ensue. I didn't expect the wit and loyalty of young Weller, especially as the novel takes a rather dark turn and visits the black humors of Dickens' past. Along the journey, politicans, journalists, bankers and lawyers submit to tar-and-feathering: we are all the better for such. There's a surfeit of humiliation, but few are actually mean, as such.

Yes, the final fifth met the approval standards of its period. There are a slew of marriage plots to be resolved. Somehow that struck me as an addendum for decorum's sake. The novel becomes a meditation on friendship; between Pickwick and Weller, Sam and his father, the reader and Dickens.

I'm looking forward to reading all of Dickens this year; The Pickwick Papers was a marvelous inaugeration.

[therebelprince · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

Dickens' second important book (after Sketches by Boz), and first novel, The Pickwick Papers is a real delight. A comic travelogue that reminds me of a cross between Pynchon's Mason and Dixon and a particularly silly Jeeves short story, it's a book in which only the most minor things go wrong, characters' lives are primarily about meditation and misunderstanding, and one can easily understand why it caused a sensation in 1836, and how Dickens came about at just the right time to capture the public spirit with his own twist on the sentimental literature of the era. I probably wouldn't recommend this for newcomers to Dickens, who should go on to read his next work, Oliver Twist, but once you know you enjoy works from this era, this is a kind of warm sip of brandy for the soul.

[goldengrove_1 · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

The strange thing with Pickwick is that, although I enjoyed it a lot whilst actually reading, I wasn't desperate to get back to it in between. I think it's because it's so very episodic (far more so than Dickens' other works), and because it takes a while for the characters to establish themselves. It's fascinating to trace the origins of a lot of JKJerome's humour in it - parts are so very like Three Men in a Boat

[atimco-1 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

Pickwick Papers is one of Charles Dickens' earliest works and so it's hard not to read it looking for the seeds of everything to come later in his body of writing. Absurdity, humor, tragedy, chicanery, romance, fancy, lawsuits, debtors' prison, and more are here in good measure to richly repay Dickens' readers. At times the interposition of tragic or comedic vignettes seem a bit forced, like short stories Dickens edited in to fill space. Pickwick and the others interact with these tales very little, simply hearing them and then moving on with their adventures without commentary. Some are unrelievedly tragic; others are crazily hilarious and fanciful, like the armchair coming to life and telling his story. But it's the characters that make this loosely connected string of stories so memorable. Samuel Weller is one of my favorite literary characters of all time. I think he must have inspired Tolkien's Sam Gamgee at some level; both are utterly devoted to their masters and have a sturdy, rustic self possession that is highly distinctive. And I can't think of Tony Weller without smiling. And of course, Mr. Pickwick himself. And Snodgrass, and Tupman, and Winkle, and Wardle, and Jingle, and Job, and all the rest of that merry bunch. Quite simply, this is splendid fun.

[eamonn12 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

So much has been written about this book, first published in 1837. It remains a favourite with Dickens readers and the 1959 Collins edition which I have just read has a succinct introduction which gives a reason for this popularity. Alec Waugh writes: "['The Pickwick Papers'] is the work of a very young man, a young man with a heaven sent gift of friendliness and laughter, who was saying, exactly as he wanted to say it, the thing that he was impelled to say. And he was never quite that again; he was never again wholly free from the influence of his popularity and success". I am a great admirer of Dickens, and from a very early age, but I admit the truth of Waugh's remarks. As he grew older (and so phenomenally successful) he began to 'sermonise' a lot and sprawl out his plots rather too much. He was a great editor who, himself needed an editor.But that was later. This is his first, and it's a great book. A real 'pick-me-up'. So many parts still make me laugh, after so many readings: Mr Pickwick being discovered at night in the garden of the boarding school where he had been lured on a false errand; Then later ending up by mistake in an old lady's bedroom; and Mr Winkle agreeing to go horse riding, even though he had no experience in the equestrian arts ('What makes him go sideways?' said Mr Snodgrass [in the carriage] to Mr Winkle in the saddle. 'I can't imagine,' replied Mr Winkle. His horse was drifting up the street in most mysterious manner, side first…); and many more. Mr Pickwick is of course the prototype of many subsequent portly, good humoured old gentlemen who come to the rescue of various characters in distress in his later novels. such as the Cheeryble brothers, in Nicholas Nickleby, and Oliver's long lost grandfather in Oliver Twist. But none of these descendants are really so full of joviality, generosity and pure goodwill as is Pickwick. He's a tonic.

[bradgers-1 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

I agree with Roald Dahl -- this book alone is proof that Dickens was a genius. Until I read this I was not aware of how much Wodehouse owed to Dickens. Seriously, though, it's basically a series of short stories loosely linked with a pasted-together plot, but the stories are, by and large, absolutely hilarious. It does slow down a bit with the debtor's prison preachiness, but hey, it's Dickens, you've gotta expect a bit of that. A great, great read.

[charlie68_1 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

What can I say about this book and this performance? Spectacular! Classic Dickens, with classic Prebble narration, it doesn't get better than this.

[jeffome · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Finally got through this......I've been reading it for a very long time, it seems.....another case of the wrong book at the wrong time for my busy schedule, I think. It is a long book and it does have some of that pesky 'dialect' that I seem to struggle with. With that said, however, i did rather enjoy the book......Parts of it actually made me laugh out loud....others put me to sleep.....that would be my biggest complaint.......for my taste it was somewhat inconsistent. The good parts were really good and the others seemed interminable. Of course I have since learned that like so many of these types of books, it was initially written in serial form; a bunch of snippets over time that were eventually published as one work. On the plus side, i was totally captivated by the level of detail devoted to day to day living in England in the early 1800's, most of it understandable. Dressing habits, eating habits, traveling details, life in a country inn, legal system details, etc., etc. were all very captivating and believable, in spite of how different much of it is from our current experience. Likewise, I was very intrigued that in spite of the difference in time and place from this book to today, the sentiments and reactions to situations seemed remarkably appropriate and timely...I had to keep reminding myself that this was written 180+ years ago! All in all, a positive experience that will likely stay with me for awhile......and the entire set of Dickens is on the shelf and i do look forward to reading those.

[readafew · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

This was a long read but continually improved to the end. I enjoyed this book even though it took me longer than normal to get through it. Dickens seemed to poke fun at everyone in this book, Lawyers, Doctors, Gentlemen, Politicians and many others. The first half of the book Pickwick and friends are made out to be just bumbleing ignorant gentlemen whose escapades we are able to laugh at. By the end they are shown to be careing generous people we don't want to say goodbye to. I shall in the future read more of Dickens works.

[leslie398 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Simon Prebble was marvellous as the narrator in this Dickens classic. In particular, I liked his voices for Sam Weller and his father. So glad that I found an unabridged digital audiobook edition through Hoopla!I am so glad that I decided to reread this early Dickens novel! Thanks to Jean & John, whose great enjoyment during their reread a few years ago made me reconsider this ;)I first read this in my early 20s and was disappointed with it; since then, for many years, I have considered this one of Dickens lesser books. This time, I found it full of humor and wonderful characters. Although I generally get the free public domain Kindle editions of classics, I am glad that I spent the little bit it cost to get the illustrated edition. The illustrations alone are worth it!

[birdy55 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

One of the three books I read when I'm either doing chemo or recovering from a bad illness.

[wktarin · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

LIght-hearted and delightful.

[samfsmith_1 · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

Dickens' first novel, and it shows a little in the beginning, I think. A very slow start. Throughout the novel there is the convention of the author speaking to the reader, commenting on the action. Quite old fashioned.It's a series of anecdotes and tales, loosely linked, but it improves greatly as it progresses. I think Dickens was learning his craft, and getting better at it, as he went along.

[j5v5d5a5 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Hilarious in parts.

[lsteph1967 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

Very humorous, I didn’t expect to be laughing out loud at a Charles Dickens novel. I almost put it down after a couple of pages, but I am so glad I didn’t. I didn’t much care for the stories within the story. I found them to be an interruption to the flow of the book, but I can understand that the young Dickens was probably was working out different ideas and styles. I was a little sad when I finished it, didn't want to see it end, but I enjoyed the ending very much, the leaving of Mr. Pickwick and company happy and healthy. I will definitely be reading a lot more of Charles Dickens. Happy birthday Mr. Dickens :)

[yogipoet · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

i think this was the first dickens i'd read and was surprised i enjoyed it so much, went on to read more after that.

[esquilinho_1 · Valutazione: 2 su 5 stelle]

delightful.: Dickens's first, and most light-hearted, work. It's an episodic novel, originally published in monthly installments, about the adventures of Mr Pickwick, the wannabe-womaniser Mr Tupman, the poet Mr Snodgrass and Mr Winkle, who have all formed a club, the aim of which is simply to observe life. You can see the influence it had on much later works by the likes of P G Wodehouse, E F Benson etc. There are many funny scenes here, some involving broad slapstick, such as Mr Pickwick being dumped in a wheelbarrow in the village pond! There's even fore-runners of the bedroom farce, as in the episode when Mr Pickwick ends up, (purely by accident you understand), in the bedroom of a middle-aged lady at a hotel in Ipswich. Coming in and out of the story at intervals is the incorrigible chancer Mr Jingle, who makes a living trying to con money out of impressionable women. This also must be where the Dickensian image of Christmas first came from, with the Pickwickians going to spend a traditional Christmas at Dingley Dell. Dickens achieves the feat of creating a light-hearted comedy, which never descends into whimsy. It is a tale of stagecoaches (coming to the end of their natural life, as the railway was beginning to take off when Dickens wrote this), poor people living off oysters, with oyster-stalls along the streets (not then a rich man's delicacy), and vivid details of coaching inns and old London hostelries. It is an engaging tribute to the late Georgian era of Dickens's youth.

[paulusm_3 · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

A top read: witty and enjoyable

[bria4lynne · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

I believe this was my favorite book in ninth grade. Once through the first chapter I laughed through the whole book.

[nicole_a_davis · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

Definitely not one of Dickens' best works. I actually could only get through about a third, maybe less, of it. It was a little bit too scattered--there's a cast of characters common to each chapter but no over-arching plot which I did not like.

[satyridae · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

This book makes me want to outlaw the teaching of classics to schoolchildren and hide all the Dickens on a high shelf with the porn so that there's half a chance that kids might read it. This is hilarious stuff. Who knew that they got to be classics for a reason? I approached this book with no small amount of trepidation, and in next to no time was laughing out loud. It's one thing to be reading alone and smile at a funny bit, but to be laughing, no, whooping helplessly, is another thing entirely. DH was sure he hated Dickens, any and all Dickens, so I read to him some of the elder Weller's philosophy on marriage. He kept trying not to laugh, but it was hopeless. This is really funny stuff. And Dickens was a mere lad of 24 when he wrote it.

[fatherofaeris · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

This was my first exposure to Dickens as an adult. I had recently read Stoker's Dracula which is a good example of the end of Victorian literature. Craving more of this era in literature and knowing that Dickens was the most highly acclaimed author of this period, I decided to read his first novel. It enthralled me. There are most likely tons of little quips and satirical stabs at society in this book that will go over my head because I have not lived through those times......but it was still a hell of a read and I enjoyed every moment. This is one of the oldest books that has ever made me laugh out loud. I will definitely be reading more of Mr. Dickens.

[john257hopper · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

Dickens's first published novel (1836-37) and what an absolute comic masterpiece this was and still is. Pickwick and Sam Weller are incredibly memorable creations and one of the best comedy double acts in English literature. There are numerous other memorable characters in this novel which, though slightly rambling, does have a central plot other than Pickwick and his companions' peregrinations across the country, that of the slapstick accusation against him of breach of promise by the widow Mrs Bardell and her unscrupulous lawyers, Dodson and Fogg, for which our hero is tried, found guilty, refuses to pay the fine and is in consequence sent to the Fleet prison. This provides Dickens with the opportunity to expose another evil of his time, that of the condition of poor debtors, those unable to pay their way in the prisons of the time, where food and lodging had to paid for by the prisoners, thus meaning that the poor debtors rotted and starved, unless charitable persons outside took pity on them (rich prisoners could afford to pay for luxury and comfort so had a much easier time of it inside). Indeed the whole concept of imprisoning people for debt seems absurd, as they by definition cannot then even try to repay their debts. An absolute gem of a novel that set Dickens on the road to well deserved fame and literary immortality.

[pnorman4345 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

The language is vital, the cast of characters is great, the beginnings of an interest in the issues of the industrial revolution is starting, altogether this is a wonderful book.

[santhony_35 · Valutazione: 4 su 5 stelle]

It was a happy day when I, for whatever reason, elected to sample Charles Dickens. Having read A Tale of Two Cities in high school, I digressed to more popular fiction (Michener, Clavell, McMurtry, King, Grisham), as well as periods of science fiction and even non-fiction (Ambrose, McCollough for example), before making an effort to upgrade my reading list.I read some Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Steinbeck and Hemingway with mixed success before reading Great Expectations. I liked it enough to read David Copperfield, and I was hooked. A Tale of Two Cities followed and then Oliver Twist (not my favorite), Bleak House, Nicholas Nickleby and Martin Chuzzlewit before taking on this lengthy novel.The Pickwick Papers was Dickens’s first published novel and set him apart among his contemporaries. It features a club of London gentlemen, headed up by Mr. Pickwick, who travel the countryside and chronicle their adventures. Within many chapters are short vignettes or “tales” either told by the characters or presented from another written source, very reminiscent of The Canterbury Tales.As in almost all Dickens’s work, the beauty of the novel lies in the original and classic characters created therein. Sam Weller and Mr. Jingles take their places alongside such other Dickens characters as Uriah Heap and Mr. Pecksniff as truly memorable Dickensian creations.As in other Dickens works, a period of acclimation is required to become comfortable with the vocabulary and social conventions of the era, and while I can’t rank this work at the absolute top of the Dickens pantheon (David Copperfield and A Tale of Two Cities), I certainly enjoyed it more than Oliver Twist, Bleak House and Martin Chuzzlewit, putting it on a par with Nicholas Nickleby and Great Expectations.

[literarysarah · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

One of Dickens' most lighthearted works. Laugh-out-loud funny at times.

[bookmarkme · Valutazione: 1 su 5 stelle]

My first Dickens and a struggle to get into. I'll re-visit when I've developed my reading some more.

[klerulo · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

Very droll, highly entertaining.

[cecrow · Valutazione: 5 su 5 stelle]

Four well-to-do gentlemen of the upper class launch a club for pontificating, but find they've little to talk about. They endeavour to become more worldly by travelling about the countryside, where they tumble into one situation after another that's comprised of mistaken identities and various other misunderstandings. Exacerbating this is the pride of one or two in the party who can't admit when they aren't made of the stuff that's attributed to them (Chapter Nineteen's hunting party is the perfect example.) Some classics are just plain fun to read - Don Quixote, The Three Musketeers, Tristram Shandy, etc. The Pickwick Papers is one of these. Once you adapt to the language, there’s almost nothing but good times ahead except for the social satire of the Fleet episode.Dickens' first novel, initially published as a monthly serial (I think most if not all of his novels were?), lacks much of a cohesive overarching plot. As explained in his introduction, he wasn't planning ahead for a finished product that would be read all at once. The result is a book that can easily be put aside at any time. It’s also a book that can easily be picked up again days or weeks later, resumed without much consequence, and still be just as enjoyable. I wish now that I'd written down every instance of Sam Weller saying something innocuous, then comparing it to another scenario that makes it hilarious. Pickwick is a unique treasure trove of light humour with an approach, tone and language that no modern novel can ever hope to emulate.

[wvlibrarydude · Valutazione: 3 su 5 stelle]

I would actually give Pickwick Papers 3.5 stars. One can tell that Dickens wrote this at the beginning of his career. The characters and situational humor comes through at times, but there are chapters that struggle. As the chapters progress, the writing becomes stronger.
Sam Weller and Mr Pickwick are characters that one warms to with fondness and many a chuckle. If you would like to read a more modern version of this type of story telling with situational comedy founded on humorous characters, then I strongly recommend the adventures of the Moosepath League by Van Reid. It starts with Cordelia Underwood.