The Pickwick Papers - chapter 12-14

Installment 5 of 20, in The Pickwick Papers 180th anniversary readalong, hosted by On Bookes, and commencing in July, just as Dickens’ fifth installment was published.

I didn’t cheat – honest. I read my chapters in July, but I just didn’t get to my review until today.

Chapter 12: Nothing terribly exciting in this short chapter, just a classic failure to communicate. The reader is introduced to Pickwick’s landlady, Mrs. Bardell, a widow who keeps an orderly and comfortable house. The narrative recounts a conversation between Pickwick and Mrs. Bardell, in which the reader clearly understands that: a. Mrs. Bardell believes Pickwick is leading up to a proposal of marriage. And b. Pickwick is unaware of Mrs. Bardell’s mistaken impression. The reader is not quite clear WHAT Pickwick IS leading up to, but is certain it isn’t a proposal of marriage. It is eventually revealed he is proposing taking on a manservant, which would necessarily mean another boarder, and therefore require the landlady’s approval. At a highly emotional moment, the Pickwickians arrive, along with the prospective manservant, one Mr. Sam Weller.

Chapter 13: Is a rather timely chapter, for those of us in the good ole USA, as it is about the sharp political divide in the municipality of Eatanswill, and between the Blues and Buffs. The Pickwickians arrive in Eatanswill at the height of the political turmoil – presumably simply to observe. The Pickwickians avow friendship, or at least acquaintance, with a Blue loyalist, out of simple desire to obtain lodgings. They do indeed find a bed for everyone, but it is a bit out of the ordinary. Snodgrass and Tupman lodge at the inn, while Pickwick, Winkle, and Weller lodge at the home of the editor of the Blue leaning newspaper.

The Blue candidate, the Honourable Samuel Slumkey wins the closely fought contest, quite possibly by kissing a few more babies than his Buff rival Horatio Fizkin, Esq.

Chapter 14: Is perhaps the most bizarre chapter yet. Snodgrass and Tupman are engaged in the typical bawdy and boastful banter at the public house, when one of the patrons tells a tale, that he learned from his uncle, and avows to be true. It is a tale told by an infamous bagman, Tom Smart, and how he came to win the hand of a widowed landlady. The short version: he was initially confounded by a rival, a tall man with a black beard, but he is given the secret of how to supplant the tall man – by a chair – yes a chair, in his room. It should be noted that the bagman had at least five glasses of punch that evening, but it must also be noted that the advice he received, or believed he received, from the chair proved worthy.

Not my favorite installment, and these chapters seemed a bit disjointed. Stay tuned.

Pickwick Papers Introduction

Chapters 1-2

Chapters 3-5

Chapters 6-8

Chapters 9-11

Chapters 12-14

Chapters 15-17

Chapters 18-20

Chapters 21-23

Chapters 24-26

Chapters 27-29

Chapters 30-32

Chapters 33-34

Chapters 35-37

Chapters 38-40

Chapters 41-43

Chapters 44-46
Chapters 47-49
Chapters 50-52
Chapters 53-55
Chapters 56-57
Wrap Up