The GMG Pickwick Club

[Bogey]

The 2002 film is a decent flick. It changes some things around but all in all it's one of the better Dickens cinematic adaptations.

Agree whole heartedly.

[aligreto]

Yes and the eleventh-hour-appearance of their nephew who serves no other purpose than to be husband to Kate. Apparently even back when this book was serialized, it bugged the critics, which made Dickens defend this coincidence in the novel itself by having Tim Linkinwater to contemplate on it in chapter 43. I agree, the plot is a mess. I enjoy Mrs. Nickleby but it bothers me a bit how cruel it was of Dickens to base the character on his own mother. Tragi-comically, Charles's mother apparently didn't recognize herself and asked him whether he thought there ever could be such a woman in existence. Dickens made fun of this in a letter to his friend. His novels are remarkably full of bad or incompetent mothers. His mother problem run deep.

Interesting; I was not aware of that.

[zamyrabyrd]

Hi, I just bought a complete set of Dickens BBC vids from Amazon.uk. The odd part is that the box and subtitles are in Dutch (that one can get rid of). However, this was the best buy for the films I actually wanted to see, tried different combinations but this was the cheapest and most inclusive by far. I am finally getting around to catch up on those novels I never read from a complete set that has been sitting in a box for years. Just finished Little Dorrit, Martin Chuzzlewit and am now doing Our Mutual Friend.
Naturally, I wanted to see how they depicted the debtors' prison in Dorrit. Apparently, the actual building, Marshalsea, was renovated shortly before Dickens' time. Before that it was a notoriously abusive and unsanitary place. 

[Bogey]

Hi, I just bought a complete set of Dickens BBC vids from Amazon.uk. The odd part is that the box and subtitles are in Dutch (that one can get rid of). However, this was the best buy for the films I actually wanted to see, tried different combinations but this was the cheapest and most inclusive by far. I am finally getting around to catch up on those novels I never read from a complete set that has been sitting in a box for years. Just finished Little Dorrit, Martin Chuzzlewit and am now doing Our Mutual Friend.
Naturally, I wanted to see how they depicted the debtors' prison in Dorrit. Apparently, the actual building, Marshalsea, was renovated shortly before Dickens' time. Before that it was a notoriously abusive and unsanitary place.

I have Vol. 2 of this set.  The Vol. 1 set is on my wishlist.  Welcome to the club.  I took the liberty of adding your name to the list on the very first post.

[aligreto]

Hi, I just bought a complete set of Dickens BBC vids from Amazon.uk. The odd part is that the box and subtitles are in Dutch (that one can get rid of). However, this was the best buy for the films I actually wanted to see, tried different combinations but this was the cheapest and most inclusive by far. I am finally getting around to catch up on those novels I never read from a complete set that has been sitting in a box for years. Just finished Little Dorrit, Martin Chuzzlewit and am now doing Our Mutual Friend.
Naturally, I wanted to see how they depicted the debtors' prison in Dorrit. Apparently, the actual building, Marshalsea, was renovated shortly before Dickens' time. Before that it was a notoriously abusive and unsanitary place.

Yes indeed, welcome to the club and enjoy your reading and viewing 

[zamyrabyrd]

Thanks for the hospitality. My re-entry to the world of Dickens is having some freed up time to read and a box of the complete works that has a strange history, but fortuitous in that it ended up with me rather than on the garbage heap.

Right now on eBay, the same 36 volume collection published by Heron is selling for $195 but I saw it listed for more in the past. The point is the people getting rid of it, since they allegedly "didn't have room" are not uneducated, one of them being a lawyer. My husband took this unwanted baggage off their hands and waited for some holiday, don't remember which, to give me as a present!

Many years in between since I read David Copperfield and Tale of Two Cities in high school, and of course other popular novels of his along the way, I am more appreciative now of his artistry as a wordsmith. The way he evokes scenery as in the beginning of Martin Chuzzlewit, is really exceptional. I was also impressed by the fact that most of his novels were done in installments, imposing a kind of structure and discipline like musical form. It might be that Our Mutual Friend is a weaker link, but I am not finished that yet, so will not form an opinion yet.

Right now there is an enticing vintage collection on eBay with bids starting from £1.50! If I didn't have one already, I would be sorely tempted. I just tell myself as with the lawyer's family, I don't have room for more in already groaning bookcases, filled with two and three deep with volumes also on top of one another, not to mention music scores that compete for space...

ZB

[aligreto]

Thanks for the hospitality. My re-entry to the world of Dickens is having some freed up time to read and a box of the complete works that has a strange history, but fortuitous in that it ended up with me rather than on the garbage heap.

Right now on eBay, the same 36 volume collection published by Heron is selling for $195 but I saw it listed for more in the past. The point is the people getting rid of it, since they allegedly "didn't have room" are not uneducated, one of them being a lawyer. My husband took this unwanted baggage off their hands and waited for some holiday, don't remember which, to give me as a present!

Many years in between since I read David Copperfield and Tale of Two Cities in high school, and of course other popular novels of his along the way, I am more appreciative now of his artistry as a wordsmith. The way he evokes scenery as in the beginning of Martin Chuzzlewit, is really exceptional. I was also impressed by the fact that most of his novels were done in installments, imposing a kind of structure and discipline like musical form. It might be that Our Mutual Friend is a weaker link, but I am not finished that yet, so will not form an opinion yet.

Right now there is an enticing vintage collection on eBay with bids starting from £1.50! If I didn't have one already, I would be sorely tempted. I just tell myself as with the lawyer's family, I don't have room for more in already groaning bookcases, filled with two and three deep with volumes also on top of one another, not to mention music scores that compete for space...

ZB

That is the set that I also own. They are well made, nicely bound and wonderfully illustrated and lovely to handle. Interestingly, somewhat like his novels, the set was originally offered in inatallments, one book each month, and that was the way that I collected it. 

[North Star]

Hm, reminds me of Abelardo Morell's work... 

[zamyrabyrd]

That is the set that I also own. They are well made, nicely bound and wonderfully illustrated and lovely to handle. Interestingly, somewhat like his novels, the set was originally offered in inatallments, one book each month, and that was the way that I collected it. 

After perusing all the collections on eBay just now, I think we got the best lot. Even more so, if the collection were patiently built up bit by bit, how could this family get rid of it so carelessly? Oh well, their loss is my gain!

[zamyrabyrd]

Hm, reminds me of Abelardo Morell's work... 

OK the first is Tale of Two Kitties (Cities) but what is the 2nd picture?

[Bogey]

Hm, reminds me of Abelardo Morell's work... 

Love that second shot!  Added your name to the registrar as well, North Star.  Anyone who contribute to this page is in!  And your insights on topics across this forum are always top shelf so your name is a plus to put with ours.

[Bogey]

That is the set that I also own. They are well made, nicely bound and wonderfully illustrated and lovely to handle. Interestingly, somewhat like his novels, the set was originally offered in inatallments, one book each month, and that was the way that I collected it. 

Does this set have the original illustrations?  Any intros at the start of each book by a Dickens' expert/fan?

[North Star]

Love that second shot!  Added your name to the registrar as well, North Star.  Anyone who contribute to this page is in!  And your insights on topics across this forum are always top shelf so your name is a plus to put with ours.

Thank you for your much too kind words, Bill. However, I strongly suspect that I am not worthy of the honour, as I have only read half of Bleak House in translation almost a decade ago (I don't remember exactly why I let it slide, although I suspect that the impatience of youth, school work and wanting to read it in the original language all played a part) and a couple of sentences from the opening of A Tale of Two Cities. I do intend to acquaint myself with the Victorian writer's work in due course, naturally.

Karlo

[Bogey]

Thank you for your much too kind words, Bill. However, I strongly suspect that I am not worthy of the honour, as I have only read half of Bleak House in translation almost a decade ago (I don't remember exactly why I let it slide, although I suspect that the impatience of youth, school work and wanting to read it in the original language all played a part) and a couple of sentences from the opening of A Tale of Two Cities. I do intend to acquaint myself with the Victorian writer's work in due course, naturally.

Karlo

Karlo, it is a pleasure to have you post here when you can.  And it does not have to be only reading.  Movies, tv, artwork, or anything that may connect to the author is most welcome.  And as you might see from other posts, not all of his work thrill us all at the same levels, if at all and this is a perfect page to criticize or hold different opinions of different works.  In fact, those differing opinions and most welcomed.

[zamyrabyrd]

Does this set have the original illustrations?  Any intros at the start of each book by a Dickens' expert/fan?

Our Heron collection has introductions by noted writers and scholars. The illustrations are by "Phiz" I just looked over some books on eBay from 1867 and there are different pictures for Little Dorrit so am not sure when and where they come from. At any rate, here is something about his chief illustrator, "Phiz":

"Perhaps the most significant illustrator for Charles Dickens was Hablot Knight Browne (b. 1815) who contributed, over a twenty three year period, his work and dedication to illustrating his work...Browne most benefited from the untimely death of Robert Seymour, when he succeeded him as Dickens' illustrator for the Pickwick Papers, 1836... Browne was one of Dickens's chief illustrators, who contributed to more than 700 designs in both steel and wood to 10 out of 15 of Dickens' major novels. Browne illustrated for Dickens for over a course of twenty-three years, between the periods of 1836 to 1859."

http://capping.slis.ualberta.ca/cap07/KathyConn/index4.htm

[aligreto]

Does this set have the original illustrations?  Any intros at the start of each book by a Dickens' expert/fan?

Currently reading Edwin Drood [Heron] with an introduction by Malcolm Elwin and illustrations by Luck Fildes if that is of any help to you.

[Bogey]

Currently reading Edwin Drood [Heron] with an introduction by Malcolm Elwin and illustrations by Luck Fildes if that is of any help to you.

Thanks!  From David Purdue's Dickens site:

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was published in monthly parts Apr 1870 - Sep 1870.

Dickens asked his son-in-law Charles Collins to illustrate Edwin Drood. Collins, who married Dickens' daughter Kate, and was the brother of Dickens' friend Wilkie Collins, produced the cover design and the title page vignette before bowing out due to ill health. Dickens then turned to Luke Fildes to illustrate the monthly numbers. Fildes produced 12 illustrations before the novel abruptly ended when Dickens died on June 9, 1870.

[aligreto]

Thanks!  From David Purdue's Dickens site:

The Mystery of Edwin Drood was published in monthly parts Apr 1870 - Sep 1870.

Dickens asked his son-in-law Charles Collins to illustrate Edwin Drood. Collins, who married Dickens' daughter Kate, and was the brother of Dickens' friend Wilkie Collins, produced the cover design and the title page vignette before bowing out due to ill health. Dickens then turned to Luke Fildes to illustrate the monthly numbers. Fildes produced 12 illustrations before the novel abruptly ended when Dickens died on June 9, 1870.

Great; thank you for that intetesting information. They are fine illustrations and I particularly like them.

[North Star]

Karlo, it is a pleasure to have you post here when you can.  And it does not have to be only reading.  Movies, tv, artwork, or anything that may connect to the author is most welcome.  And as you might see from other posts, not all of his work thrill us all at the same levels, if at all and this is a perfect page to criticize or hold different opinions of different works.  In fact, those differing opinions and most welcomed.

Well, there's always this bit from The Simpsons - a few years before they hired the writers shown here...
https://www.youtube.com/v/no_elVGGgW8

[Bogey]

My best friend worked on the show off and on for a number of years.! I'll have to see if that episode is one that he worked on!