Monday, October 24, 2005

The Pickwick Papers


What a book!

Why is a classic called a classic? Read this book and you'll see why. The 'plot' is free-wheeling, amazingly detailed, hilarious and unputdownable. The language used is rich and sophisticated.

There's Mr. Pickwick and his gentlemen friends going from place getting into all kinds of strange situations. One particular situation where a lady mistakenly assumes that Mr. Pickwick has proposed to her and thereafter files a breach-of-promise is pure genius. I strongly believe that PG Wodehouse borrowed his style from Charles Dickens. There are similarities that are just too close.

Pickwick Papers should be required reading in an abridged form in school and in an unabridged form in college.

2 comments:

Shankari said...

Nice of you to point to this! Was contemplating another read of Dickens- Dombey & Son. If you've read it, I'd like to read your take on it as a father, as a son.

Ozymandias said...

Pickwick papers happens to be my favourite book of fiction ever! Happy that you discovered it!