The GMG Pickwick Club

[Bogey]

Inspector Bucket is on the case!  About 100 pages from completing my first read of Bleak House.

[Elgarian]

And to been at this table:

http://blog.oup.com/2012/12/cratchits-dinner-christmas-carol/

Oh yes, more pudding, please. And God bless us, every one.

Incidentally (and almost irrelevantly, although it does refer to the possible consequences of a meal rather than the meal itself), I've always enjoyed the brilliance of this bit of Scroogean conversation with Marley's ghost:

"You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato. There's more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!"

[Karl Henning]

Gentlemen, the refreshed vigor of this thread has been an example, and I have resumed my perusal of The Papers.

[vandermolen]

A great admirer of Dickens here. A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and David Copperfield are the ones I know and love most. My favourite character is Betsy Trotwood in David Copperfield, although I also have a soft spot for Mr Dick and his kite. Favourite film version has to be the David Lean movie of Great Expectations, in a class of its own in regard to Dickens adaptations. When I was at university I also liked the TV serialised version of David Copperfield with Martin Jarvis as a terrific Uriah Heep and Arthur Lowe (Mr Manwering of 'Dad's Army' fame to British audiences) wonderful as Mr Micawber. The 30s movie version with W.C. Fields in the same role is also great. As for versions of A Christmas Carol the one I like best featured George C. Scott as Scrooge. I saw this with my wife at the cinema when we were first going out so maybe that colours my view of it but it is a fine version and usually available dirt cheap on DVD. A Happy Christmas to us all, one and all.  Recently I enjoyed visiting the Dickens House and Museum in Broadstairs, Kent.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Amusingly enough, my favorite christmas carol is the one with Muppets (admittedly I haven't seen that many adaptations of it).

[vandermolen]

Amusingly enough, my favorite christmas carol is the one with Muppets (admittedly I haven't seen that many adaptations of it).

I've heard that that is good (with Michael Caine I think). Must look out for it, especially as I enjoy 'The Dark Crystal'. 

[Bogey]

Amusingly enough, my favorite christmas carol is the one with Muppets (admittedly I haven't seen that many adaptations of it).

Funny.  On CBS Sunday Morning some experts tend to agree with your assessment as it being the best:

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/the-story-of-a-christmas-carol/

[Bogey]

A great admirer of Dickens here. A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations and David Copperfield are the ones I know and love most. My favourite character is Betsy Trotwood in David Copperfield, although I also have a soft spot for Mr Dick and his kite. Favourite film version has to be the David Lean movie of Great Expectations, in a class of its own in regard to Dickens adaptations. When I was at university I also liked the TV serialised version of David Copperfield with Martin Jarvis as a terrific Uriah Heep and Arthur Lowe (Mr Manwering of 'Dad's Army' fame to British audiences) wonderful as Mr Micawber. The 30s movie version with W.C. Fields in the same role is also great. As for versions of A Christmas Carol the one I like best featured George C. Scott as Scrooge. I saw this with my wife at the cinema when we were first going out so maybe that colours my view of it but it is a fine version and usually available dirt cheap on DVD. A Happy Christmas to us all, one and all.  Recently I enjoyed visiting the Dickens House and Museum in Broadstairs, Kent.

Copperfield, even with me still needing the end of Bleak House to wrap up, is still my favorite.  And like you. it probably comes from the fact that there are too many characters that are my "favorite" and too many moments that I cannot wait to re-read again.

[Bogey]

Jeffrey, you may pull up a chair as we propose a toast, to you, the newest member of the Pickwick Club!  Huzzah!

[Karl Henning]

Huzzah!

[Elgarian]

More huzzahs! Gentlemen, let us rejoice in the Pickwickian progress being made.

Am I alone in having a soft spot for the version of A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge?

[Karl Henning]

More huzzahs! Gentlemen, let us rejoice in the Pickwickian progress being made.

Am I alone in having a soft spot for the version of A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge?

I've not seen it, so my response is a non-signifier 

[Bogey]

More huzzahs! Gentlemen, let us rejoice in the Pickwickian progress being made.

Am I alone in having a soft spot for the version of A Christmas Carol with Patrick Stewart as Scrooge?

Loved his audio version....LOVED it!  However, I thought the film version fell short.  Just my take, though.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Copperfield, even with me still needing the end of Bleak House to wrap up, is still my favorite.  And like you. it probably comes from the fact that there are too many characters that are my "favorite" and too many moments that I cannot wait to re-read again.

Dickens himself thought Copperfield was his best one (not sure if I've already mentioned it). Couple of times he changed his mind momentarily (Chuzzlewit was his favorite before he wrote Copperfield and while writing Great expectations he seemed to prefer it) but ultimately always returned to David Copperfield as his "favorite child".

[vandermolen]

Jeffrey, you may pull up a chair as we propose a toast, to you, the newest member of the Pickwick Club!  Huzzah!

Am delighted to be in such distinguished company - Hurrah! 
Mulled Wine in celebration I think.

[Elgarian]

Loved his audio version....LOVED it!  However, I thought the film version fell short.  Just my take, though.

Oh the film is uneven, certainly. But I found my mental image of Scrooge was changed after I saw Patrick Stewart acting the role - I hear his voice, and see his face, in my imagination.

[Bogey]

And I will mark part of this Christmas Day as remembering that I finished with Bleak House between dinner and desert.  A wonderful read for sure.

[zamyrabyrd]

I am right now into the 2nd volume of "Our Mutual Friend", having never read it before. It is not an easy work to penetrate, some of the prose is rather turgid and it does get a little tedious at times with intricate satires of genteel society and the circumlocutions of anything official. His facility for fitting the characters to their names is virtuosic. Maybe Scott Fitzgerald took a cue from Dickens in some of his inventive appellations.
I read that some think this is one of his best works. Has anyone read it and what do you think of it?
ZB

[Bogey]

I am right now into the 2nd volume of "Our Mutual Friend", having never read it before. It is not an easy work to penetrate, some of the prose is rather turgid and it does get a little tedious at times with intricate satires of genteel society and the circumlocutions of anything official. His facility for fitting the characters to their names is virtuosic. Maybe Scott Fitzgerald took a cue from Dickens in some of his inventive appellations.
I read that some think this is one of his best works. Has anyone read it and what do you think of it?
ZB

Interesting.  I still need to get through a handful of more mainstream titles like Little Dorrit and such before I tackle this one.  However, after finishing Bleak House, I will move to a different author for some reading and then come back to Dickens in the spring or early summer.

[Jaakko Keskinen]

Has anyone read it and what do you think of it?
ZB

Along with Little Dorrit, Copperfield and Great Expectations OMF is one of my favorites. It has several pages that are among the worst that he ever wrote but also countless pages where he seems to be on the very height of his literary powers and are absolute joy to read.