Colourful classic (Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens)

Member Name: alysonfreeman

Product:	Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens
Date:	11/08/01 (214 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A classic

Disadvantages: Harder work than a modern novel

This is the tale of the Nickleby family, who fall on hard times. They are at the mercy of the “wicked uncle”, Ralph Nickleby, who is mean and bitter.
Nicholas, the hero of the story, is a young man of great honour and high ideals. He accepts his uncle’s offer of a post as tutor at Dotheboys Hall, a school in Yorkshire. Here we meet the wonderfully grotesque Wackford Squeers, the headmaster. His only thought is to take money from the families of the unfortunate boys placed at his establishment, and they are half-starved and ill-treated.
Nicholas stands up for the boys, and eventually leaves in the company of the sad and pathetic Smike.
Meanwhile, his sister is being exploited by Ralph and is introduced to a group of young men who have no honourable intentions towards her. She manages to resist their advances, but only at the cost of her uncle’s wrath.
Nicholas finds a job with the Brothers Cheeryble and through them meets Madeline, with whom he falls in love. His sister Kate also meets Frank, the Cheerybles' nephew.
Eventually good triumphs over evil and Ralph gets his just desserts. The lovers marry and they all live happily ever after.

I read this novel after seeing the dramatisation on television. The characters were so vivid that I wanted to see how they came across in the original.
The characters are just as colourful in the book, if not more so, and the element of caricature and humour comes over strongly. Although the points Dickens makes are heavily emphasised, it is all done so cleverly that the reader does not feel preached at.
Reading the book does involve a little work, as the old-fashioned language needs concentration and some of the words used are unfamiliar. I could see the charm of Dickens’ work – the novel was originally published in serial form, and his public must have awaited each episode with pleasure and anticipation – much like our generation with soaps!
I e
njoyed the experience of reading this book – reading Dickens is something I have always meant to get around to, and I will certainly read some more. At the cost of only £1, the Penguin Popular Classics series means that everyone can afford to buy a few – seems like a bargain to me!

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