So I had a poll up on my sidebar for a while and people voted, quite a lot of people in fact, and The Pickwick Papers won. Only just, but win it did, so sorry Little Dorrit (a very close runner up) but on we go with Samuel and Co. Because it is longer than A Tale of Two Cities, and because the whole finishing Dickens before Christmas thing seemed to work well last year, I'm actually planning to start mid November and post on Mondays with the introductory post around November 17th and the first section the week after. We'll have to read about twelve chapters a week to make it work out over five weeks, finishing on December 22nd. I'm really hoping that some of you are going to join me with this, because I really don't think I have the motivation to attack this tome alone! Don't make me do it on my own!
Just to entice you in, here's a little bit of info which I have gleaned from the ever-reliable source of Wikipedia...
The novel's main character, Samuel Pickwick, Esquire, is a kind and wealthy old gentleman, and the founder and perpetual president of the Pickwick Club. To extend his researches into the quaint and curious phenomena of life, he suggests that he and three other "Pickwickians" (Mr Nathaniel Winkle, Mr Augustus Snodgrass, and Mr Tracy Tupman) should make journeys to places remote from London and report on their findings to the other members of the club. Their travels throughout the English countryside by coach provide the chief theme of the novel.
With the introduction of Sam Weller in chapter 10, the book became the first real publishing phenomenon, with bootleg copies, theatrical performances, Sam Weller joke books, and other merchandise.
If you're like me and a Little Women fan you will also probably remember the chapter where they talk about the Pickwick Club. I will admit that as being my primary motivation for wanting to read this book, and if it's rubbish I'm going to have to seriously reconsider the amount of trust I put in Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Those who are regular readers will know how much of an impact this is likely to have on me, so for the sake of my children please readalong with me! Just so I have support if it's rubbish...
If you're interested in reading along with me, please link up your blog (or twitter, tumblr, whatever) in the linky below so I can visit you all! Feel free to nick the button above and stick it on your blogs or whatever. Equally if you're better at graphics than I am (not hard) please feel free to make a better one and use that. Either way, see you back here in November for a schedule type thingy...
