Little Dorrit Books

This is one of Dickens best novels in terms of overall continuity but it also is his most static: almost all scenes occur inside prisons - mostly debtors prison - and there's a lot of it - 1000 pages. And there's not a lot happening in those prisons. I think that Bleak House, Our Mutual Friend and Martin Chuzzlewit are also long novels that are more entertaining (and of course there are all of the 'episodic' Dickens novels to read), but Little Dorrit is one of his better crafted works. If you seriously like Dickens, then this is worth the time.

While Hard Times was written at about the same time as Little Dorrit, the two could not be more different. Hard Times features 1-dimensional characters you couldn't care less about; Little Dorrit's father, the Father of the Marshalsea, is one of Dickens' most complex creations, and you sympathize with him at the same time as you dislike him. His mental breakdown at the end is particularly poignant. The Circumlocution Office in Little Dorrit seems to foreshadow Kafka's Castle, whihe factories in Hard Times are cardboard propoganda.

(Aside: the best Dickens film adaptation I have ever seen was of Little Dorrit. For some reason, that is still unavailable on DVD.)

Little Dorrit was not well received upon its original publication in monthly segments from 1855-1857 because critics and readers of the time were unhappy with the complicated nature of the story and its dark tone. To this day, it is one of the lesser known Charles Dickens novels, a fate it does not deserve.

Much of the novel takes place in the Marshalsea prison for debtors, an environment with which Dickens was familiar due to his own family history. William Dorrit, father of "Little Dorrit," has been confined to the prison for so long when the book opens that he has become known inside its walls as "Father of the Marshalsea." He has lost all hope of ever being released from the prison and has learned to enjoy the respect that he receives there from prison employees and fellow-prisoners alike. In fact, he has been imprisoned for so long that Little Dorrit, born inside the prison walls, is now a young woman working as a seamstress outside the walls in order to be able to bring her father some of the luxuries not provided to prisoners. She faithfully returns to the prison every evening in order to see that her father is as comfortable as possible.

Into this mix arrives one Arthur Clennam, only recently returned to London from several years in India when he meets Little Dorrit while visiting his mother. Clennam is struck by the selflessness of Amy Dorrit and befriends the family in an attempt to make their lives somewhat easier. But in true Dickens style, Clennam and the Dorrits will find their roles reversed after Clennam is swindled of his fortune and William Dorrit is found to be heir to a large fortune.

But this is only one of the book's major plotlines. Dickens also spends hundreds of pages introducing a predatory Frenchman and describing how this despicable man is attempting to extort money from Clennam's mother because he knows some dark secret of hers that she is desperate to keep hidden.

At its heart, Little Dorrit is a love story, one that seems destined for a sad ending because middle-aged Arthur Clennam feels that Little Dorrit can never see him as anything more than a friend and father-figure. She, on the other hand, living in complete poverty, does not feel worthy of Clennam's attention. Pride proves to be a two-way street, and when Little Dorrit finally admits her love for Clennam, he is broke and refuses her because he does not want to leave the prison at her expense.

Little Dorrit is filled with side-characters who have distinct personalities and stories of their own to tell. It is through them that Dickens so successfully recreates the world of early nineteenth century London as experienced by all class levels of its inhabitants. Admittedly, this is a long book (the Wordsworth Classic edition runs 740 pages but others clock in at over 1,000 pages) but it is well worth the effort. It is always a treat to lose yourself in the world of Charles Dickens and Little Dorrit is no exception.

I have always loved Dickens, but hadn't read any in a while, and never might have read "Little Dorrit" if I hadn't recently read a biography of Dorothy Day that mentioned that this was her favorite and that she kept a copy of it by her bed. Let me just say that I understand why someone whose life was dedicated to the homeless and downtrodden would have found this book - out of all of Dickens - the most inspirational. It is particularly masterful at depicting how being flung to the bottom of the heap can create psychological damage that no amount of wealth can ever undo. We see the corruptions both of extreme wealth and degrading poverty. And we are also shown most convincingly one small figure who remains uncorrupted by both extremes, who finds her greatest joy in service and in following the steps of the Master. (Little Dorrit has a wonderful speech to this effect as she confronts Mrs. Clennam's championing of Old Testament-inspired vengeance.) The characters are endlessly interesting, whether engaging or loathesome, and altogether, long as it was, I was sorry to see it end!

This is a long book - it feels like a 1000 pages - but it is a masterpiece. Dickens takes us from Marseilles, home to an evil man whose smile makes his moustache disappear under his top lip and draws us into a dark, damp, murky Victorian London where one's whole future existence seems to be mapped out at birth, and where to escape from one's perceived 'destiny' is both sacriligeous and impossible. The Marshalsea Prison is a place all of us can visualise - a debtors prison from which many fail to escape, the dubious honour of the Father of the Marshalsea bestowed on the longest-serving inmate. Little Dorrit - Amy - is the daughter of the Father of the Marshalsea and this is her tale, one which stretches across the grime of smoggy nineteenth century London to the pollution of Continental Europe. The cast of characters is fascinating and Dickens rarely misses a trick - each is easily comparable to people any of us knows today. I studied this book at school and I have read it four or five times since.

I disagree with those who say this was not one of Dickens's best novels; on the contrary, I feel it is one of his very best. I believe many critics and those who study Dickens would agree. I had a difficult time getting into the book after the initial few chapters but was richly rewarded as I continued on. The length of the book is quite intimidating; however, it is well worth the effort to read it. I could not put the book down as I came to the last 100 or so pages. I absolutely loved it by the time I finished the book. It is one of Dickens's darker novels, which may put some off. Even so, many, if not most, of his novels deal with unpleasant topics, and there is quite a bit of humor in the book to balance the darkness. In fact the book is full of balance, wonderful Dickens prose, masterful characterization, as well as one the best plots. I will read this novel again when I have the time to savor it.

This recording is superb! Like all of Dickens these tapes show excelent writing skills!

I love Dickens. Many do not. The main reason people don't give him a fair chance is because he's incredibly wordy. Yes, a 10 page chapter can be entirely breezed through but maybe two paragraphs and you probably haven't missed anything. And yes, he did get paid by the word, but I will tell you he earned every penny of it. If you have the patience and concentration to absorb his writing, you get so much. Little Dorrit is a long one (~900 pages) but a most worthy novel to read. The characters in this story are some of the most endearing and interesting that I have ever read. The story itself is darker than other Dickens novels I have read and it's pretty critical of "society," but in this day and age, it still remains relevant. He criticizes the government for its reluctance to do its job, he mocks the hypocracy and pretensions of higher society, and he shows the bleak side of revenge. This was such a great book. The characters were so well developed and so well intertwined that it was not predictable in the slightest. So many modern novels can be so cliche these days, it's refreshing to read something so old be so new.

Among the reasons to come to earth must surely be the chance to read this novel. Shaw called this novel a masterpiece among masterpieces. My opinion is that this novel is the greatest of the sixteen. It is less bland than Bleak House, more poignant than Copperfield. I started it desultorily, distracted greatly by events in my life. But gradually as I read it dawned on me that sentence by sentence Dickens was here at his most trenchant. I began to be charmed by the characters, some of the greatest in his oeuvre. For all the darkness in the conception--a girl born and raised in debtor's prison--Little Dorrit is a wonderful character. Arthur Clennam is a real man. I adore Flora's deranged speech and her tenderness. Fanny is a delight! And there are Doyce and Pancks--and the Meagles and Pet and Tattycoram--and there are so many secrets! And isn't Blandois the precursor of Fosco? Oh, I could go on. To the Circumlocution Office and Barnacles and Merdle - and Afferty and Flintwich and Mrs. Clennam--such a wonderful feast of characters--with the Marshallsea hovering over all.

How well Dickens uses dialogue to identify character; how amusing are their tics. The characters fall into strata. The main of them, characterized by Clennam, Doyce, and Pancks, are at the level of small businessmen, tradesmen. Below them are the destitutes. A little above them are Mrs. Clennam, Casby, the Meagles. And high above them the Merdles, Gowans, and the like. The novel finds its way at the lower levels--it's a novel of the lower middle class and the lower class and the poor--and down there is so much life and love and devotion. It was strong medicine for me, cognitively dissonant, for Little Dorrit to love with such devotion. And Clennam loves her so deeply though he had no love in his life to that point. Where did he find such love in himself?

Dickens does not just give the action. Unlike so many other writers (almost all), he lets the characters be themselves, revealing the plot from time to time as they get to it, but seldom hurrying. They are being themselves and leading their lives--of course caught up in the great machine of the novel; it's as though Dicken's characters' clothes get caught in the huge, creaking machinery of his plots which then tugs them along, or perhaps grinds them up...

The novel is too full of words. It's verbose. Many times I could not follow the sense. It's labored. There are plot shifts just for the sake of changing the experiment.

But as I finished the novel a benediction fell upon me--a moment that cannot be put into words.

This was a mandatory reading for a Literary Theory class and I must say, at first, I was less than pleased. I have read Dickens a few times before tackling "Little Dorrit" (David Copperfield is my favorite) and his works aren't always "gripping." However, upon finishing the novel there was a great sense of accomplishment. This story reveals so much about the wrongs of high society and the importance of appearances. In this 800 page epic, Dickens gives us a love story that can actually be useful in, and comparable to, today's world.
I left this book feeling most glad that I had been "made" to read it because it has reminded me that times have not changed so very much when it comes to what's important in life.
In warning, it is not exactly quick in pace (considering it was written serially for periodicals over several months of time) but it does have an important message...and the characters are just quirky enough to make it interesting. Dickens even delves into the surreal once or twice, which makes for a nice twist.
A tip: If you find yourself in the middle of a harsh winter in, say Michigan, and you have some free time in your days, this book would perfectly fit the mood. Warning!: Do not take this one to the beach for leisure reading!!!

Little Dorritt was born at Marshalsea-the debtors prison. Her father is something of an informal mayor (`father') of the place, and everyone imprisoned there pays him homage-and alms- for his long suffering good nature and the 'tone' he sets for the experience of being thrown in jail Indeed, Mr. Dorritt has raised self pity to an art form. Little Dorritt is small and wan. People continually ask her if she `has strength and can endure things.' She reminds them she was born in the poor house. Through the kind offices of `a friend,' Arthur Clennam, midway through the book, the family is released from prison, debts paid and they live the genteel life that Mr. Dorritt always assumed was his birthright. In a classic case of projection, Mr. Dorritt prattles to Amy (Little) Dorritt how she should not be morose, and she should forget life in the poor house. 'Put on airs for the sake of the servants so they would remember 'their place.' Mr Dorritt goes on to assure Amy `he has completely wiped the sad episode of living in debtors prison' from his mind. In order to secure his place in society, Mr. Dorritt seeks favor from an unseen Mr. Merdle who it seems has the economy of the entire world in the palm of his hand. Indeed, Fanny Dorritt, Amy's sister is also smitten with the Merdle clan and seeks the favor of Edmund Merdle, just so she can put on even more superior airs than Mrs. Merdle does. The circumlocutions of speech, especially those Mr. Dorritt and Mrs. Merdle use, when these characters talk to one other in itself is worth the price of admission. Amy is devoted to her father and shows little interest in social activities. She does however manage, through her needlework, to make the acquaintance of Mrs. Clemmens, Arthurs mother- that's how Arthur comes to learn of Mr. Dorritt's legal plight and thanks to Arthur they got away from Marshalsea, the debtor's prison. In time, Mr. Dorritt falls sick. He stands up at a dinner party to give his `welcome to Marshallsea speech, much to the embarrassment of all the high society types there present. Hence the contrast between the two societies, the debtors and the wealthy. Mr. Dorritt's disease in terminal and inevitably, we meet Mr. Merdle when he comes to commiserate with Fanny, his son Edmund and the other mourners. The mighty economic dynamo who has been the talk of the town-is oddly contrite. In leaving the wake, he asks in all humility, if he might have a pen knife...one of the wedding tokens from Edmund and Fanny's wedding. Mr. Merdle then privately kills himself.
All his financial wheelings and dealings were false and the family is busted. Arthur Clemmens is busted too, and Amy goes to find him at Marshalsea in her families old lodgings. She insists on helping him and he is ashamed as he believes he was not only instrumental in their release from Marshalsea but also in connecting the family with the notorious Mr. Merdle. Amy will have nothing to do with this all this pathos. She goes to plead Arthur's case with his mother who has money locked up in a vault. She has been paralyzed for a very long time and is unable to walk. The steward is furious that the family fortune should be spent to pay Arthur's debts as the steward believes and has tried to convince Mother that Arthur is a spendthrift playboy. The steward wants the money for his loyal service.
Mother rises from her chair and with assistance from Amy and her maid, descends the stairs and sees the steward open the safe, at which point the house collapses. Amy takes the money, frees Arthur and the two are married.
I give you a sketch of the plot in an effort to help the reader navigate through this book. Little Dorrit gives good service in depicting Debtors prison and paints a very Dickensian scene, as another reviewer commented, there is a sense of accomplishment in completing this read.

I'm busy reading the Dickens catalogue, chronologically. Despite the length and depth of "Little Dorrit," I read it in much less time than any other Dickens work thus far. So much is so good here: vivid narrative description, 3-D characters, subtle moral lessons, twisty plot with solid resolutions. When I first got to know Amy, my first thought was that she was too good and pure to live all the way through the novel. Then, as I came to know her better, I vowed that if Dickens did kill her off, I'd read no more of him! Needless to say, I was pleased with the way things turned around, so that Amy ended up back in the prison -- but in such altered circumstances! Recommended for experienced Dickensians.