Dombey and Son

[OrmIrian]

Anyone listening to this atm. I thought I was a hard-nosed old cow these days but Dickens can still reduce me to a sobbing wreck even though I've read the book many many times. Paul Dombey died in this episode and I was sitting with tears pouring down my face.

Bloody sentimental Victorians......>>

I read it for A level English many more years ago than I would care to think about, and thought it was mawkish and sentimental.

I read it again a couple of years ago as part of an OU course, and this time I enjoyed it a bit more. There is a lot of comedy in some of the characterisation, which I enjoyed more second time around. There is also a lot more menace about some of the writing which contrasts really well with the humour. I do still think that much of the writing is over-sentimental - as, of course, it was designed to be in order to keep it popular.

This is not my favourite Dickens novel, although I do like Dickens as a writer, particularly his descriptive narrative. His social commentary is always interesting, as are his thoughts on the coming of the industrial age in general and, in this novel, the coming of the railways.

I prefer Bleak House. I think that many children are too young to really appreciate Dickens - it's such a marathon read that it puts them off.

Bleak House is my favourite Dickens too, and well overdue a re-read in my case.

It was beautiful, wasn't it? I think I was 'got' by the bit yesterday when Paul was looking out to sea feeling he was being called away. I always think I'm going to hate Dickens and then get totally drawn into it; I find it quite haunting in a way I never expect to, IYSWIM? I should probably try to actually read some!

Definitely camicazi! I love reading Dickens - in fact they spoiled me for shorter books for many years. Starting to read a novel with less than 500 pages felt like I was being cheated

Dickens is very haunting - the stuff about Lady Dedlock in Bleak House is a case in point.

I've given myself the shivers now just thinking about it.

Problem with Bleak house is since the BBC adaptation a few years back I can only see Gillian thingy when I think of Lady D....she was very good but she's replaced my original image of her.

Dickens sentimentality is acceptable because it was aimed at all classes. He could get just as sugary over a pauper's child as over Paul Dombey. No double standards. And he had much compassion - witness Lady D.

Yes, and there are always lots of murky (sp?) landscapes and shadows and suggestions of 'spookiness' (you can tell I've got an English degree, can't you?!). I tried to do a module on Dickens once, but in the first lesson we had an extract to read and everyone kept talking about the social background etc. and I just liked the descriptions! Perhaps I should have stuck it out! I worry about starting a Dickens now though, in case I never get time to finish it.

I really like Dombey and Son. I haven't heard the serialisation but I remember the bit you descibe....poor little Paul - and it's Florence who has to suffer isn't it? I agree that parts of it are sentimental but I think it is a great book in so many other ways that the maudlin bits can be forgiven.

I adore Dickens (like others, my favourite is probably Bleak House) but found Dombey and Son sooooo mawkish. Paul's death so wrung out. Ugh. But not my least favourite, an accolade which goes to Hard Times.

If you read the first 2/3 of any Dickens novel you've got the best of it. After that he starts trying to tie up the plot, and things can become ridiculous and/or sentimental. Even Great Expectations becomes a bit farcical towards the end.

I liked Hard Times, but probably because we did it at school, and really got to know it, but I'm not enjoying Dombey and Son on R4 at all,and it does seem to be going on for years!

Don't forget Dickens was paid by the line, so there's a LOT of padding in all his work. A good edit wouldn't go amiss.

Dombey and Son is the one Dickens that all Russians know, as it was ideologically sound. I started reading it but didn't finish (see above)