Haha, I love the agreements and disagreements here! Would love to hear everyone else's list of personal favorites--these are subjective, needless to say! Dickens contains multitudes and there is something for everyone 🖤
You've read them all and I have not--I'm short by about four or five. But I'd put Bleak House at the top, then Great Expectations. I would leave Drood at the bottom, or at least not place as high. I read Our Mutual Friend for the first time during lockdown and a friend of mine insists that it's one of the great novels, period, so I have a soft spot for it just because of his enthusiasm.
Since you love Dickens, have you heard of the novel The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep? It is a lightly speculative novel in which Dickens' characters come to life and start causing trouble.
Interesting. Not sure if I'm such a fan of Little Dorrit but the whole circumlocution office et al was definitely memorable. As for greatest writer in history? My vote is for Chaucer, sorry
I would rate Nicholas Nickleby where Hard Times is, and place Our Mutual Friend at or near the top. I would place Martin Chuzzlewit higher - people often complain about the American section, but its only fault is that it is tamer than Mark Twain's portrayal of America in the same time period. Barnaby Rudge should also be higher - it was the second Dickens I read in adolescence, and I still remember it as the best Gothic tale I ever read.
Haha, I'd have Hard Times in my top 5. :-D Takes all kinds! But I'm glad we all properly appreciate A Tale of Two Cities and Little Dorrit. And that is surely one of the best marriage proposals (and responses) of all time.
I couldn't agree more on Hard Times, and I'm glad that there are others who love Pickwick as much as I do. But wow, I think that Barnaby Rudge ranks among the greats. It has Dickens's most creative, varied stable of villains, and the mob scenes make A Tale of Two Cities seem tame. The locksmith is a great hero. I love that novel!
Also: Oliver Twist. Aside from its regrettable antisemitism, about which I wrote here (https://clairelaporte.substack.com/p/antisemitism-and-philosemitism-jews), it's pretty great! The whole den of thieves are excellent characters; Fagin is brilliant (if you can get around the antisemitism). The haunting of the villain Bill Sikes by the image of his victim is one of Dickens's great early portrayals of murder-guilt. The satire on the workhouses and the poor laws more generally is brilliant.
I do wonder if Agatha Christie had Sikes in mind during a key moment at the end of "Endless Night," though probably they were both cribbing from Macbeth.
I read "Hard Times" as my first Dickens in eighth grade and found it so awful I didn't pick up his books again for about ten years. Luckily a friend talked me into reading David Copperfield!
Our Mutual Friend, Bleak House and Little Dorrit have brought me the greatest pleasure of all the Dickens I have read - and indeed are among the books I have most loved reading ever. I remember finishing Bleak House and feeling I was being forced to leave a country I'd loved visiting. While the early scenes of Great Expectations are wonderful, the first person narrator meant that the world of the book - and of David Copperfield - seemed less vivid and varied than other books by Dickens. I know this is a minority (possibly of one) view. Martin Chuzzlewit is also a bit of a slog, for me.
High school Great Expectations soured me, too. Pickwick redeemed that experience, but Bleak House is his best. And the first chapter, the best of that.
I agree 💙!! These were our personal favorites or ones we just keep returning to so often and bring us the most joy. But I can't argue that BH is his best, and the whole opening is just swoon-worthy 😍
So interesting to see how tastes differ. I've read 13 of the 15 (just Our Mutual Friend and Edwin Drood to go) and each book is my favourite while I'm reading it so my favourites are ever-changing. That said, I think the really outstanding novels (the ones that I return to again and again and which never fail to give me new food for thought) are: Pickwick, Little Dorrit, Great Expectations, Bleak House, David Copperfield, Dombey and Son and Nicholas Nickleby. But I do also love Barnaby Rudge and Martin Chuzzelwit. My least favourites are Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities - but maybe I need to re-read them and see if my tastes have changed. One of my favourite characters in the entire canon is Mark Tapley from Martin Chuzzelwit. If I were ever in a really dire situation he's the man I'd love to have at my side to help me through it.
If you want to see where he got his inspiration from, Read some of R.S. Surtees books, with characters like Mr Jorrocks, Facey Romford and Soapey Sponge. A bit coarser and less respectable!
Haha, I love the agreements and disagreements here! Would love to hear everyone else's list of personal favorites--these are subjective, needless to say! Dickens contains multitudes and there is something for everyone 🖤
Great post! It made me want to start reading Dickens again, so that’s about the highest praise I can give you.
This makes our day, Daniel!! Thank you! I'd love to hear which one you begin with :)
You've read them all and I have not--I'm short by about four or five. But I'd put Bleak House at the top, then Great Expectations. I would leave Drood at the bottom, or at least not place as high. I read Our Mutual Friend for the first time during lockdown and a friend of mine insists that it's one of the great novels, period, so I have a soft spot for it just because of his enthusiasm.
Since you love Dickens, have you heard of the novel The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep? It is a lightly speculative novel in which Dickens' characters come to life and start causing trouble.
Yes it was a delightful read!!
A wise decision not to add A Christmas Carol here. It’s above any kind of ranking!
Interesting. Not sure if I'm such a fan of Little Dorrit but the whole circumlocution office et al was definitely memorable. As for greatest writer in history? My vote is for Chaucer, sorry
I would rate Nicholas Nickleby where Hard Times is, and place Our Mutual Friend at or near the top. I would place Martin Chuzzlewit higher - people often complain about the American section, but its only fault is that it is tamer than Mark Twain's portrayal of America in the same time period. Barnaby Rudge should also be higher - it was the second Dickens I read in adolescence, and I still remember it as the best Gothic tale I ever read.
Haha, I'd have Hard Times in my top 5. :-D Takes all kinds! But I'm glad we all properly appreciate A Tale of Two Cities and Little Dorrit. And that is surely one of the best marriage proposals (and responses) of all time.
Oh, and Rach, if you don't use it first, I might someday title my autobiography "I Blame Everything on Sydney Carton." ;-)
haha, Gina, I LOVE THAT 😍 😂 - you really are a long-lost soul-sister!
I couldn't agree more on Hard Times, and I'm glad that there are others who love Pickwick as much as I do. But wow, I think that Barnaby Rudge ranks among the greats. It has Dickens's most creative, varied stable of villains, and the mob scenes make A Tale of Two Cities seem tame. The locksmith is a great hero. I love that novel!
Also: Oliver Twist. Aside from its regrettable antisemitism, about which I wrote here (https://clairelaporte.substack.com/p/antisemitism-and-philosemitism-jews), it's pretty great! The whole den of thieves are excellent characters; Fagin is brilliant (if you can get around the antisemitism). The haunting of the villain Bill Sikes by the image of his victim is one of Dickens's great early portrayals of murder-guilt. The satire on the workhouses and the poor laws more generally is brilliant.
I do wonder if Agatha Christie had Sikes in mind during a key moment at the end of "Endless Night," though probably they were both cribbing from Macbeth.
The main point I take away from this article is that I need to read more Dickens! Well done.
Thank you so much, Rob!! :)
I read "Hard Times" as my first Dickens in eighth grade and found it so awful I didn't pick up his books again for about ten years. Luckily a friend talked me into reading David Copperfield!
Our Mutual Friend, Bleak House and Little Dorrit have brought me the greatest pleasure of all the Dickens I have read - and indeed are among the books I have most loved reading ever. I remember finishing Bleak House and feeling I was being forced to leave a country I'd loved visiting. While the early scenes of Great Expectations are wonderful, the first person narrator meant that the world of the book - and of David Copperfield - seemed less vivid and varied than other books by Dickens. I know this is a minority (possibly of one) view. Martin Chuzzlewit is also a bit of a slog, for me.
Sam Weller & Samwise Gamgee are the two greatest characters in English literature.
And I couldn’t agree more on your selection of The Pickwick Papers as Dickens best book.
HOORAY for another Sam Weller fan!!! I agree, those two Sams are incomparable 🎉🥰
You know I've honestly completely loathed him since I was in high school and was made to read great expectations and tale of two cities.
But that was more than 20 years ago and maybe I should finally get around to reading bleak house
High school Great Expectations soured me, too. Pickwick redeemed that experience, but Bleak House is his best. And the first chapter, the best of that.
I agree 💙!! These were our personal favorites or ones we just keep returning to so often and bring us the most joy. But I can't argue that BH is his best, and the whole opening is just swoon-worthy 😍
So interesting to see how tastes differ. I've read 13 of the 15 (just Our Mutual Friend and Edwin Drood to go) and each book is my favourite while I'm reading it so my favourites are ever-changing. That said, I think the really outstanding novels (the ones that I return to again and again and which never fail to give me new food for thought) are: Pickwick, Little Dorrit, Great Expectations, Bleak House, David Copperfield, Dombey and Son and Nicholas Nickleby. But I do also love Barnaby Rudge and Martin Chuzzelwit. My least favourites are Oliver Twist, The Old Curiosity Shop, Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities - but maybe I need to re-read them and see if my tastes have changed. One of my favourite characters in the entire canon is Mark Tapley from Martin Chuzzelwit. If I were ever in a really dire situation he's the man I'd love to have at my side to help me through it.
I’ve been slowly working my way through all of Dickens’ novels. Hard Times is next up. Oh well, I will persevere.
Eventually. I’ll have to circle back to Pickwick Papers.
If you want to see where he got his inspiration from, Read some of R.S. Surtees books, with characters like Mr Jorrocks, Facey Romford and Soapey Sponge. A bit coarser and less respectable!