Up until this book, I have loved everything I've ever read by Dickens. For some reason, I grew to dislike this book. It contains the usual interesting Dickensian character sketches, but the story plodded along drearily for me.

What a surprise!! Just when I thought it was time to go back and re-read a favorite Dickens, I’m so glad I didn’t miss this one.

For the uninitiated –
Dickens wrote two historical fiction novels: A Tale of Two Cities, and the one nobody’s heard of: Barnaby Rudge. TOTC centers on the French Revolution (around 1789); Barnaby Rudge is set during 1775-1780 and highlights the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of ’80.

I read TOTC earlier this year, and in my opinion, Barnaby Rudge runs circles around it.

I learned a bit about the Gordon Riots, an event I knew nothing about beforehand. So, that’s all well and good. But this was just a great story! Good fiction based on a piece of little-known historical fact, with some filial drama and a bit of murder mystery thrown in. It was evenly paced (on the main). Chock-full of captivating scenes, both the close-ups and the wide-angle dramas. It had that wonderful Dickens blend of the comic and the tragic. But what stands out most in my reading experience was how much I was invested in every character. I cared so much about every single one, almost equally. I thought about them a lot when I wasn’t reading, (which is certainly *NOT* something I can say about TOTC).

Out of everyone though, it was poor, simple-minded Barnaby who stole the show – despite the fact that he was absent for large portions of the story. And even given that fact, it is understandable to me why his name is the book’s title. What a creation: A grown man who’s naïve as a child, with a talking raven for a pet. He was a great character to interact with, and to filter the events of this novel through. This was just so well done, the whole thing.

I give Barnaby Rudge a hearty recommendation, especially to those who enjoy Dickens. I’d always heard that this book, and Martin Chuzzlewit, were his “lesser” novels, the ones his fans can safely skip. I don’t know about Chuzzlewit (yet), but please don’t overlook Barnaby Rudge. It’s a goodie.







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Can you believe it?

Time again for December Dickens! As the years keep passing, things keep changing, but one thing stays: the cuddle-up with a Dickens in December.

Let the adventure begin...

Somehow breaking a tradition, I have to confess that finishing this Dickens did not make it my instant favourite. It has all the ingredients of the classic Dickens, and I liked it well enough, some characters more than others, but for me, the emotional spark was missing. It was a FINE novel, but I miss the superlatives that usually come to mind when recapping all the tosses and turns of a Dickensian narrative. I missed the outrageously awful villains and the funnier-than-funny sidekicks.

When I have read my last Dickens (Erwin Drood, up in December 2023), this one most certainly won't be my first pick for a re-read.

But I am glad I read it anyway, and it filled me with the joy only Dickens sentences can offer!

Just another great novel by Dickens!

Ancora una volta, la magia di Dickens si è compiuta.

This is an unjustly neglected part of the Dickens canon. It takes as its background the Gordon ant Catholic riots of the late 1700s but its concern is not really religion. Dickens was a Christian in the broadest sense and was across his books critical of both Catholicism and evangelical Protestants. Here, there are some of his gloomy Calvinist cliches - which are not unjustified totally in Victorian terms but it’s still an irritating stereotype. If his catholic characters seem to have more gravitas they are not without fault - the Hounding if a wrong man for murder, killing in a duel and some joining the riots for the sake of anarchy and criminality.

Dickens concern is with intolerance, violence and families. As someone who has a troubled relationship with his feckless father and to an extent became a troubled father in return, he gives us two such scenarios here. His familiar criticism of criminal justice is much in evidence here.

The title character is a mentally handicapped teenager who holds the key to a murder mystery, is caught up in the riots and nearly pays for it with his life. Whereas in David Copper field Mr Dicks condition is hugely depressive, Barnaby’s is a prelapserian childlike innocence that is tried and abused.

The climax, with. half of London destroyed and Newgate stormed - one senses that Dickens , whose childhood was blighted by debtors prison is after vengeance here - is thrilling stuff . The book has only been filmed once in 1960 and if the BBC can do a bang up job with a patchy book like Martin Chuzzlewit then it’s time this had an airing. Some good character journeys complete an underexposed classic.

The 5th book in my Dickens challenge
I think this book may be my favourite Dickens so far (although Mr Pickwick still holds a special place in my heart!)
It’s hard to summarise everything this story covers but it was varied and insightful and suspenseful and wonderful!
The full title is: “Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'eighty” and it deals with the Gordon (anti-Catholic) Riots in London in 1780 whilst also following the fortunes of young Barnaby Rudge and other acquaintances of his. The tale contains mystery, supernatural elements, a thwarted love story and of course the chaos and violence of the riots. It’s a book that deals with almost every aspect of life and humanity.

I’m struggling to articulate my thoughts but I’ll try and break them down into something coherent.

SPOILERS ahead:

MYSTERY/SUPERNATURAL
The story opens with a tale of a double murder related round the fire in a cosy pub to a mysterious stranger - the perfect Gothic-esque setting! This tale becomes pivotal to the plot. We learn that young Barnaby Rudge’s father was one of the murder victims. Throughout the book this murder and its repercussions seem to haunt certain characters. Real or imagined ghostly figures appear throughout and play on the conscience and secrecy of those involved. The idea of guilt and conscience is thus examined and the experience of men labouring under suspicion whether real or imagined, deserved or not, is cleverly contrasted..

NATURE/NURTURE/FAMILY
There are wonderful characters throughout, and their morality and behaviour is often affected by their surroundings and upbringing, however there are also instances when certain characters react in opposition to their familial background. The question of personal conscience or morality in contrast with inherited values and expectations is an interesting one.

Barnaby - is described as “a natural” and it is implied that his mental faculties were impaired due to the shock his mother received whilst pregnant at the time of the murder. He’s raised in kindness and is one of the more honest and honourable characters, despite what we later discover about his father.
Hugh - a wild ruffian with no known family, Hugh is a violent, chaotic character. It transpires that he is descended from gypsies and was abandoned by his aristocratic father. The violence of his mother’s fate and his lack of a loving upbringing may explain his nature. When we discover who his father is, some of his more wicked behaviour also makes sense. It's hard to say how Hugh would have turned out, had he been raised differently. His final behaviour towards Barnaby shows he has some capacity for honour.
Edward Chester- Edward’s father is perhaps the most insidiously evil character in the whole book, yet Edward himself is honest and honourable. He manages to resist the influence of his detached and unfeeling father.
Dolly Varden - Dolly is inconstant, vain and fickle in many ways, yet she’s a faithful friend to Emma. Her father is a figure of such integrity that Dolly’s fickleness is unexpected, although her mother’s moods oscillate quite wildly. Ultimately Dolly’s good nature prevails.
There are many other interesting and carried characters but these offer the main

GRIP/NATURAL WORLD
As in many other Dickens novels, rural or country life is portrayed as an aspirational, wholesome idyll, in contrast with the chaos of a city such as London. Barnaby and his mother seek refuge and anonymity in quiet country life.
Animal companions are also interesting. Barnaby has his cantankerous and characterful Raven, Grip, at his side throughout and Grip is often portrayed as keenly insightful.
Hugh has his faithful dog and even when faced with a violent fate, his last thoughts are of his canine companion.

RELIGIOUS BIGOTRY/MORALITY/MOB MENTALITY
Perhaps some of the most powerful aspects of this book are those that deal with people’s motivations for “good” or “bad” behaviour. Dickens does well to highlight the prejudice behind the riots and questions any “true” religious motivations:

“That what we falsely call a religious cry is easily raised by men who have no religion, and who in their daily practice set at nought the commonest principles of right and wrong; that it is begotten of intolerance and persecution; that it is senseless, besotted, inveterate and unmerciful; all History teaches us.”

The discussion of the motivations for and the behaviour of the rioters is, unfortunately, still relevant to much of what is happening in the world today when ignorance and intolerance mix.

GOODNESS
Personal responsibility for moral behaviour is a prevalent theme. Gabriel Varden embodies this perfectly. He claims no strong religious motivation but behaves according to his own moral compass and conscience and thereby contrasts the hypocrisy and falseness of many of the other characters such as Sir John Chester, Sim Tappertit and Miss Miggs.

Also Mr Haredale, who although less likeable than Gabriel, faces his own personal dilemmas in how to act for the best. He realises that some measure are unacceptable, despite his belief he’s acting for the greater good.

“Let no man turn aside, even so slightly, from the broad path of honor, on the plausible pretence that he is justified by the goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means. Those that cannot, are bad; and may be counted so at once, and left alone.”

FINAL THOUGHTS
There’s a lot more I’d like to say about this book but I can’t corral my thoughts very well. It was a wonderful read - very atmospheric, with superlative characters - Gabriel Varden may be my favourite Dickens character yet and Sir John Chester my least. Barnaby and Grip were a delightful duo. The portrayal of the riots was all immersing and got my heart racing as well as making me feel disgust for such horrific behaviour. In true Dickens style it all works out in the end but there’s perhaps a more sober ending for some than others. This was a worthwhile and thought-provoking read and sadly still relevant in today's world.

Barnaby Rudge, Charles Dickens

Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty (commonly known as Barnaby Rudge) is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. It was Dickens' first historical novel. His only other is the much later A Tale of Two Cities, also set in revolutionary times. It is one of his less popular novels and has rarely been adapted for film or television.

Gathered around the fire at the Maypole Inn, in the village of Chigwell, on an evening of foul weather in the year 1775, are John Willet, proprietor of the Maypole, and his three cronies.

One of the three, Solomon Daisy, tells an ill-kempt stranger at the inn a well-known local tale of the murder of Reuben Haredale which had occurred 22 years earlier on that very day. Reuben had been the owner of the Warren, a local estate which is now the residence of Geoffrey, the deceased Reuben's brother, and Geoffrey's niece, Reuben's daughter Emma Haredale.

After the murder, Reuben's gardener and steward went missing and were suspects in the crime. A body was later found and identified as that of the steward, so the gardener was assumed to be the murderer. ...

تاریخ نخستین خوانش: روز دوازدهم ماه نوامبر سال1997میلادی

عنوان: بارنابی روج در دو جلد؛ نویسنده: چارلز دیکنز؛ مترجم: محمد مجلسی؛ تهران، نشر دنیای نو، سال1374، در دوجلد، و در1115ص؛ شابک جلد یک9646564844؛ شابک جلد دو9646564852؛ چاپ دوم دنیای نو، اسماعیل رستم زاده؛ سال1378؛ در دوجلد؛ موضوع داستانهای نویسندگان بریتانیا - سده19م

آقای «هاردال» ملکداری بزرگ است، که برادرش، و پیشکار او، سالها پیش به قتل رسیده اند، و راز قتل آنها هنوز آشکار نشده است، دختر زیبای برادرش «اما» نیز با او زندگی میکند؛ دختر عاشق «ادوارد» است، ولی پدر «ادوارد» و عموی «اما»، دشمن یکدیگرند، و ...؛

تاریخ بهنگام رسانی 21/10/1399هجری خورشیدی؛ 06/10/1400هجری خورشیدی؛ ا. شربیانی

It was the best of Dickens, it was the worst of Dickens, it was the age of good endings, it was the age of interminably slow beginnings, it was the epoch of a great action sequences, it was the epoch of overly elaborate character work, it was a 5-star conclusion, it was a 1-star beginning, it was a book with some of Dickens finest writing, it was a book with some of Dickens slowest narrative–in short was one of those vastly uneven books very hard to categorize. 2.5/5

3.5 - it is Dickens after all

"Let no man turn aside, ever so slightly, from the broad path of honour, on the plausible pretence that he is justified by the goodness of his end. All good ends can be worked out by good means. Those that cannot, are bad; and may be counted so at once, and left alone."


It seems just wrong to give a Dickens novel three stars. I did enjoy Barnaby Rudge but I just couldn't make myself love it. One of my main issues with the book was with the titular character himself, Barnaby Rudge. Dickens is nothing if not master of characterization. He can make me fall in love with and become invested in fictional characters like no other author yet I just couldn't connect with Barnaby. In fact, most of the novel focused on characters I couldn't connect with. While I enjoyed the action and drama of the riots and was entertained by the character interactions, there was some truly funny dialogue between Hugh and Simon, I found these characters to be detestable and didn't really care whether or not they met a bad end. The characters I could see myself loving seemed to play along the sidelines. While the ending did redeem this some bit, it just wasn't enough. Gabriel Varden and Joe Willet were two characters I wanted more of! To me, they were true Dickens characters; real, flawed yet trying. I would have loved more of them, more of the murder mystery hanging over the characters of the Warren, and could have done less with the riots, lootings, and fires.

The introduction by John Bowen in Penguin Classics edition of Barnaby Rudge that I read points out that, “When Dickens first thought of writing an historical novel five years before as a struggling hack author, it had seemed to promise the chance of literary respectability as well as popular success. When it finally appeared, it did so within a literary culture that had been transformed by his own work”. The introduction posits a few other arguments and suggestions as to why Barnaby Rudge is possibly Dickens least popular novel, but I think this one made the most sense to me. I liked Barnaby Rudge but it did feel at times to me that it was not quite “Dickens”; the story and the dialogue occasionally felt constrained and stilted.

That said, even the lesser Dickens novels are genius and worth reading, in my opinion. The subtitle to Barnaby Rudge is “A Tale of the Riots of ‘Eighty”. The Gordon Riots of 1780 would have been near history to Dickens writing in 1840 and certainly there would have been people who were still alive who had had first-hand experience of the riots during Dicken’s childhood and youth. These riots, which took place in London, were anti-Catholic and extremely violent and destructive and they serve as the focal point for the story.

Typical for Dickens, the novel takes the strands of various characters and their stories and eventually binds them all up by the end. The book is part ghost story, part love story, part revenge story and part historical romance. The novel’s namesake, Barnaby, is an unlikely hero. He is what was called “a natural” in Victorian times and would now probably be diagnosed as developmentally disabled. He is cheerful and loving, particularly good with animals. But he is also easily swayed and the fomenters of the riot take advantage of this. Barnaby Rudge is possibly the most violent Dickens novel I have read (even more so that A Tale of Two Cities). It is full of wonderful character of course. The good locksmith Gabriel Varden, the annoying lady’s maid Miggs, the lethargic John Willets, etc. But the character who stood out to me was Hugh, who is a villain and yet I found him strangely sympathetic.

A most unlikely hero is introduced by Charles Dickens in his 1840 published historical novel Barnaby Rudge. Few authors have ever attempted to record the likes of Barnaby (two, however come to mind … John Steinbeck’s Lenny in Of Mice and Men and Winston Groom’s Forrest in Forrest Gump). Barnaby Rudge is a novel of epic proportions (920 pages). It loosely relates the actions occurring in the Gordon Riots of 1780. Barnaby is a trusting, simple-minded young man with a big heart that is talked into situations far beyond his control. The character really moved me and I believe that this is Dickens’ most emotional and (possibly) dramatic work.
It is my contention that a unique trademark of nineteenth century literary fiction is the importance of storytelling that drastically outweighs the action and plot importance that appears more dominant in later twentieth and early twenty-first century novels. Barnaby Rudge is a good example of this assertion. Another mark of 19th Century novel is how something is stated often outweighs what is said giving the work, as a whole, a sort of poetic quality. The colloquy used in these novels gives a good idea of how the spoken language has evolved; downward.