NEW Dickens readalong Dombey and Son - the 2025 Dombeyalong!

[Piggywaspushed]

Join me in the next Dickens readalong, Dombeyalongadingdong! This is probably the last big Dickens we haven't done.
The novel was originally published by Dickens in 19 instalments, all exactly 32 pages long (I do find this obsession with 32 pages intriguing- writing to such an exact brief must have involved quite a lot of editing and , as I recall from Nickleby, much padding at times!) and then published in full in 1848. I know nothing of this one really - except the name Paul Dombey sticks in my head. Apparently , this one is more focused on marriage and is read as marking a change in Dickens' presentation of women. Seafaring is involved but this is also his first book about the arrival of railways which Dickens was not altogether sold on. This period was referred to as 'railway mania'. It's really quite hard to conceptualise the rapid progress and change surrounding Dickens.

This one has not been on TV for a long time. Andrew Davies had been working on a version - but it was ditched because it was felt we had had too many 'bonnet dramas'. I swear we have still had many since but rather heavily 'adapted' and maybe Sarah Phelps hasn't read Dombey...

I propose condensing this to an eight month read, using Dickens' shorter sections as a guide . We begin in May, as follows:
May - Chapters 1 - 7
June- Chapters 8-13
July- Chapters 14-22
August - Chapters 23-31
September - Chapters 32-38
October - Chapters 39-45
November - Chapters 46-51
and finishing for Christmas in
December - Chapters 52 - end

Considerably more chapters in this one, so I am guessing some must be quite short.

I'll link Katie's intro in my next post.

Anyone and everyone welcome!

Thank you for the images Terpsichore!
Sadly, I have an edition without illustrations this time. Diogenes the dog is exactly how I imagined him.; wonderfully shaggy.

The advertisement for Jay's Mourning Warehouse is magnificent. There is such detail in it. You could spend a small fortune there if you had the means! Yes, it must have been a massive industry.

Lovely to see a picture of Florence. Thank you.

Yes, I’ll take a pic when I’ve finished with dinner!

‘The Wooden Midshipman on the Look-out’

and the front cover of each instalment, which I love. All illustrations by Hablot K. Browne, or ‘Phiz’ - who illustrated 10 of Dickens’s books, starting with The Pickwick Papers. Though apparently they fell out after 23 years, or rather Dickens dropped him without much explanation.

(Sorry, it’s a bit difficult to get a good full-on shot of the illustrations as the binding’s a bit fragile so I can’t flatten it out)

Thanks Terpsichore!

Definitely don’t flatten out that precious book Terpichore, those are wonderful illustrations, thank you for posting them.

My copy also has the Phiz illustrations - they’re great aren’t they? Here’s one of Paul and Mrs Pipchin which makes her look rather terrifying!

She looks like Judy from Punch & Judy! Paul looks rather adorable though in his skirt and Mary Janes.

That's a brilliant illustration! Thanks Chessie.

I too really enjoyed this section of the book. So much happened! I have to confess I like the major character, which surprises me 😆 but I think it’s because he is deliberately there to lighten the mood and Mrs Skewton is a great addition. I do love how Dickens builds up the characters. Mr Carker is definitely the villain here and is a scary man and I fear for Florence …

And the railway passages were tremendous. That’s another thing it’s difficult for us to get our heads round - how extraordinary it must have been to have this crazy new form of high-speed transport upending everyone’s lives at a time when the fastest you could ever go previously was on a galloping horse for a short period. And most people just would hardly have travelled further than the next village or district, if even that.

The spoiler is what I alluded to when joining the thread, it's the reason why although I think this is my favourite Dickens book I haven't re-read it in 30 years - too unbearably sad.

It came as such a shock to me when I read the book for the first time. When, after finishing it, I eventually read the foreward (I was supposed to be writing an essay and was looking for any help i could get) it stated that it was completely obvious from the start of the book what was going to happen. Erm well not to me it wasn't !! Bloody book's called Dombey and Son!

I have caught up with you all. Not much to add to the discussion already.
I'm really enjoying this Dickens so far. Hoping Florence becomes central to it and proves she's not worthless at some point. Poor Florence!

Back from my holiday and have read everyone's fantastic commentary. Hopefully no more dratted spoilers ahead for the intrepid reader.

We need to read Chaps 23- 31 this August.

Just a quick nudge that we are at the end of August. Stamps feet and sulks.

I have four chapters left to read. I'm just after reading the part where the maid put 'Cleopatra' away for the night. The conversation between mother and daughter was brilliant.

I have already written my review and it is mainly about that chapter!

So far it's the best part of it :)

I'm done and dusted and ready for discussion from tomorrow.
I badly want to be friends with Cousin Feenix.

I’ve still got 4 chapters to go so might be a little late with my comments. I blame family members wanting to hold actual conversation with me over the weekend and not just leaving me alone with Dickens.

I have finished this month’s excellent instalment . Can I specifically talk , however, about how ‘spanking’ the Warwick Castle chapter is?

It has everything – malevolent, ‘gliding’ Carker in the woods, the ominous Macbeth references (what is he up to? Will he meet his nemesis? What is in his future?), the miserable , beautiful Edith, pimped out by her own mother…
Dickens uses a lot of Shakespeare in this novel, I noticed.

The best bit to me was the unmasking of ‘Cleopatra’. It reminded me of that Jonathan Swift poem where the fine lady removes her ‘toilet’. I love Dickens description, revealing the artifice and awfulness:

The painted object shrivelled underneath her hand; the form collapsed, the hair dropped off… the pale lips shrunk, the skin became cadaverous and loose; an old, worn, yellow, nodding woman, with red eyes alone remained in Cleopatra’s place… like a slovenly bundle in a greasy flannel gown.

Then:

The maid collected the ashes of Cleopatra, and carried them away , ready for tomorrow’s revivification

Shudder. It’s brilliant this, isn’t it? She was funny before. Now she reeks of cruelty and malice, all the more hideous when she demands kisses off Florence in subsequent chapters.

The description of Edit and Dombey at Warwick Castle, standing alone in the centre of another room is also fabulous - Grim knights and warriors looked scowling on them ...so unmatched were they, so opposed, and forced and linked together by a chain.

I’m not entirely sure what Edith is being forced to do yet but it’s not good and Carker is on to them.

I can see why people refer to this novel as Dickens most ‘feminist’ work with his themes of marriage contracts, unloved daughters, lost sons , inheritance,and , frankly, the pimping out of young women.

I’m looking forward to see how this develops but I am very worried for Florence. Please come back, Walter?

I did like the description of drunkenness in the wedding chapter, especially the bit when they realised it was only 3 o’clock and they were pissed as farts. Dickens must have liked a tipple or too because he does describe tipsyness awfully well – I remember this from David Copperfield, too.

I am still coping well with the array of characters but profess to being confused by the Chicken??

Casula racism aside, I'm interested by the presence of a Black servant. I read a lot of books about Black history and it is fascinating to see the Black population of London represented in a Dickens novel, albeit reductively.

Hello all!

This was another enjoyable instalment.
I enjoyed your analysis, Piggy and agree with it.

After a slightly slow start, the outing to Warwick Castle was brilliant and worth the wait. The shallow conversion between Cleopatra and Mr. Carker about 'the darling byegone times' of the Middle Ages was funny, while the two of them spied on Mr. Dombey and Edith. Mr. Carker the manager is a really sinister character. Dombey refers back to him in relation to absolutely everything. He seems to be the real power here.

Mrs. Skewton is another very sinister character. That scene between mother and daughter was excellent. It took me by surprise, it was such an abrupt change of tone. Off came the mask and the real person emerged.

I'm glad that Edith is well-disposed towards Florence. She is going to save her as she can't save herself. I liked these lines; 'Gentle Florence tossed on an uneasy sea of doubt and hope; and Mr. Carker, like a scaly monster of the deep swam down below, and kept his shining eye upon her'.

The description of the wedding was also good. Poor Miss Tox was so distraught and even got spurned by her so-called friend Mrs. Chick. (It's very confusing with Mr. and Mrs. Chick and The Chicken. I think the latter is a friend of Toots from the boarding school). I really enjoyed the wedding scene as well, particularly the party in the kitchens at Dombey's. The description of merriment and over-indulgence was great. The ineptitude of Cousin Feenix made me smile. He would be good fun at a party, I think!

Great analysis Piggy and Fuzzy. I binged yesterday on the last three chapters and fell totally into the world of Dombey. The scene is certainly being set for some big drama ahead. I felt so sorry for Mrs Tox, I don’t think Mrs Chick is a great girlfriend

I agree that the use of Mr and Mrs Chick and a character called ‘The Chicken’ is unnecessarily confusing. The Gradesaver website says this of the latter in its character summaries:
The Chicken: A young man of rough manners who becomes good friends with Toots.

I must say I like Toots as a character, such a sweetie.

It’s difficult to believe Domby is so gung-ho about marrying a woman who treats him with such obvious disdain and dislike
I was delighted however that the cold fish Edith turns into a warm loving step mother where Florence is concerned - I thought we were being set up for a David Copperfield, Mr Murdstone turn of events. But two heartless parents or guardians is obviously one too many for Dickens, thankfully.

This is The Gradesaver websites analysis of chapters 26 - 31 in case anyone is interested:

Analysis
This section revolves around Dombey's engagement and marriage and the impact it has on a far-flung cast of characters. The idea of the Dombey household as the nucleus of action that spreads far beyond it is perhaps most evident in the chapter describing the events of the wedding, which reverberates through a number of social rankings. Dombey's actions and choices carry significance for many people around him because of his economic impact and his status as a public figure. This should place him in a position of responsibility, although it rarely seems to impact his choices. At the same time, these scenes make it clear that there is a gossipy, voyeuristic interest in the lives of the Dombey family. They occupy a kind of celebrity position and this exerts a kind of pressure, especially since celebrity does not always ensure popularity. Illustrated most extremely by Carker, but also displayed by other characters like the Dombey servants, there is often a tinge of resentment, and a sense that a downfall would be welcomed by those envious of his power and privilege.
The cynicism around what should be a joyous event is developed most strongly by the insight the reader is given into Mrs. Skewton and Edith's feelings about the marriage. Mrs. Skewton acts as a kind of parallel to Dombey in that her parenting is preoccupied with how she can gain from her daughter's beauty and desirability. She believes Edith should welcome the chance to marry Dombey, whether or not she feels affection for him. Edith occupies a much more ambivalent position in that she expresses disgust and self-loathing with the feeling that she is selling herself. However, she also seems resigned to this fate. She does not believe that there is any possibility of happiness left for her, and seems to think that her mother's education has corrupted her perspective so much that she can indeed only aspire to money-driven marriages, even if she resists at the same time. In this way, Edith's perspective shows the damaging effects of bad parenting, perhaps prefiguring what could have become of Paul had he not died with his childhood innocence intact. By having been taught that money is the most important thing, and that her beauty is a tool for achieving it, Edith has been irreparably damaged.
At the same time, Florence's innocence, innate goodness, and willingness to love, pierce through even Edith's cynicism. She quickly warms to her stepdaughter and feels ferociously protective of her, especially when it becomes clear that Florence's beauty has caught Mrs. Skewton's attention. Edith knows that her mother will try to warp Florence's perspective, values, and sense of modesty, and is determined to prevent her own unhappy fate from being passed onto the next generation. In this way, Edith does function as a kind of surrogate parent to Florence. At the same time, however, her sense of shame is so deep that Edith fears a kind of moral contamination and tries to draw boundaries between herself and Florence. This reflects the way in which, although she has not yet committed any sexual transgression, Edith thinks of herself already as a kind of fallen woman, and her marriage to Dombey is revealed as a form of legalized and socially sanctioned prostitution.
The reaction of characters to Dombey's marriage functions as a kind of test for their true feelings and intentions. Florence is immediately hopeful and optimistic: she is eager to forge a relationship with her stepmother and wonders if this is the occasion that will finally allow her to bond with her father. Miss Tox is deeply hurt by the news–so hurt that her long hidden emotions come to the surface, and Mrs. Chick finally realizes her friend's long-standing affection for her brother. While Mrs. Chick has been unimpressed with the news of the wedding, resenting the idea that anyone would be good enough for her brother, but she is so outraged by what she considers a betrayal from her friend that she ends the relationship. This signals the Dombey family pride, as well as the perception that those outside the family circle are inherently inferior, and should be viewed as threats.

I thought analysis around Edith’s reaction to Florence was interesting, suggesting that, despite being chaste Edith already feels like a fallen woman with her mother as her pimp!

I was under the impression that, far from being oblivious to Mrs Tox’s intentions towards her brother Mrs Chick had encouraged and planted the seed of those intentions, so I’m not sure that I agree with Gradesaver on her suddenly seeing the light and ending the friendship. I think with the introduction of Edith, Mrs Chick has realised that her esteemed brother can do so much better in looks and status than her poor old friend, and having Mrs Tox around under these circumstances is an embarrassment and a constant reminder of her original misplaced lowly ambitions for her brother. This being the case she cuts poor Miss Tox off completely in favour of the higher society she now finds herself moving in. Hopefully a decision that will come back to bite Mrs Chick on the bum!

I agree with your views on Mrs Chick Desdamona. Gradesaver has it wrong. She is despicable and is no friend to Miss Tox as Summerbaby81 said.