If you enjoyed this post, be sure to see The Period Films List , with the best British, historical and costume dramas sorted by era. I enjoyed your review, but Mr. Merdle is not the head of the Circumlocution Office. Sorry to find fault. Love the blog. Thank you!
Sign me up for the newsletter! Lesli March 9, at am 2 years ago. Willow and Thatch March 9, at am 2 years ago. Read all. Sign In. Episode guide. Play trailer Drama Mystery Romance. See more at IMDbPro. Episodes Browse episodes. Top Top-rated. Trailer Little Dorrit German Trailer. Little Dorrit. Photos Top cast Edit. Tom Courtenay Mr. Dorrit as Mr. Judy Parfitt Mrs. Dickens is also critical of the lack of a social safety net, the treatment and safety of Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens Little Dorrit is a novel by Charles Dickens, originally published in serial form between and Dickens is also critical of the lack of a social safety net, the treatment and safety of industrial workers, as well the bureaucracy of the British Treasury, in the form of his fictional "Circumlocution Office".
In addition he satirises the stratification of society that results from the British class system. But it is much, much more than that. By now Dickens had established himself as a literary phenomenon. He was an enormously popular novelist, but he was keen to sustain his literary status as well as entertain the crowds.
He lived in Folkestone, Paris, Boulogne and London, as well as travelling for speeches and business. He continued to write, edit, and give public readings, be involved in the lives of his children, and was as enthusiastic about the theatre as ever. He produced and acted in 6 plays and farces during this time, helped by his friend Wilkie Collins, although Dickens was very much the driving force behind them.
And his letters reveal that he was approaching a domestic crisis, and increasingly frustrated with his marriage. He was preoccupied by the idea of freedom in all areas; freedom assumed a greater and greater importance to him, and he was increasingly impatient with the Victorian constraints of his time.
Little Dorrit is the novel which comes out of this state of mind. The themes of prisons and being trapped in various ways, both physically and psychologically, permeate throughout the book. Dickens certainly felt himself trapped, whatever others thought. Of course, the irony was that the only way for those incarcerated to survive there, was by purchasing items to keep themselves fed and clothed. Getting out was well nigh impossible, as being incarcerated, they could rarely earn any money!
It was very much like a village behind bars, and although it was 30 years since his father had been imprisoned there and the prison had been closed down in , Dickens had never returned to look at it. Only when he came to write Little Dorrit , did Dickens nerve himself to visit the parts of it which were still standing. If there is just one, it would be Arthur Clennam. Dickens may well have decided to name his novel after Amy, since she is one of the very few virtuous unaffected characters, always seeking opportunities for each of her family, and through sheer determination, working towards the best life they can all have.
She may be small in stature, but her heart and courage are great indeed. We also follow the story of Arthur Clennam. She is attended by Flintwinch, a malicious man, twisted in both body and mind, who has wheedled himself into being her business partner, and forced the family servant, Affery, to marry him.
These three form a unholy trio. The scenes set here have a gothic unearthly quality, and Affery, with her terrified nonsensical babbling, comes across as some kind of wise seer. There is hatred and malevolence here; a deep-seated resentment, but we are not privy to its cause, and neither is Arthur. There are myriad minor characters who make this novel sparkle, although it is a sinister sparkle, perhaps as in sparkly vampires. There is the avaricious Casby, with his flowing white hair and twinkly eyes, with a semblance of benevolence shining out of his bald head.
Maria, like Flora, was pretty and flirtatious, and the daughter of a highly successful banker similar enough to a property-owner. Dickens found her talkativeness especially irritating, and quickly attempted to extricate himself from all but the most essential social contact with her — and always strictly in public. Perhaps an old affection did temper his pen, however. Although it seems a cruel, heartless portrait initially, Flora reveals herself to have a heart of gold, and hidden perceptiveness, as the novel proceeds.
The silent ones are often more shadowy. It was deposited on every lip, and carried into every ear. There never was, there never had been, there never again should be, such a man as Mr Merdle. Nobody, as aforesaid, knew what he had done; but everybody knew him to be the greatest that had appeared. John Sadleir had resigned his ministerial position, when he was found guilty of being implicated in a plot to imprison a depositor of the Tipperary Bank, because the individual in question had refused to vote for him.
John Sadleir had ended his life by drinking prussic acid. She values her own status, money and etiquette above all else. She grows greatly in character, but initially has understandable feelings of resentment. She was a foundling, who has ostensibly been adopted by the Meagles.
We have a veritable panoply of characters then, full of energy and life, spilling from the pages, as always in a novel by Dickens — and there are many more I have not mentioned. And the dastardly villain of the piece? For this novel does not start out in the dank gloom of the Marshalsea, but in an oppressive hellhole of a prison in the blistering heat of the South of France.
Mysteries abound in this novel. There is truth, but mostly there are lies, and secrets. There is the collapse of an institution, both metaphorically and in a very dramatic literal scene.
It is doom-laden, with delusions and dreams; mysterious creaking sounds are seen to be prophetic. There is a suicide — and a murder — and animal cruelty. In the second part, there is restitution of a sort, and there is punishment.
Debts are paid. Poverty is transformed into riches, and those who were kind to each other when they were poor, become more spiteful or selfish, considering such earlier behaviour to be humiliating.
Starting in Marseilles, the action removes to London and then Venice — a crumbling, decaying edifice, reflected in the degeneration of the characters within it. In Little Dorrit any prosperity is almost a guarantee that the wealth will be put to bad use.
Even that decidedly decent fellow Daniel Doyce, intelligent and kind, the inventor of an unspecified mechanical wonder, is unable to get a patent for it in the Circumlocution Office, and we fear for his future. Nothing in Little Dorrit is what it appears to be. Almost all the characters are self-seeking, and the message of the novel is a very bleak one indeed. It has a far wider purview — Dickens here attacks the whole of British society.
The novel Little Dorrit does not merely indicate a dark view of human nature, but is a savage indictment of the corruption at the heart of British institutions, and the effects of British economic and social structure upon every single individual.
Dickens shows with this embittered novel that he believes British society to be rotten to the core, and riddled with deceit. This is another metaphor for that great destroyer of originality, the Circumlocution office. Together with the Stiltstalkings, the Barnacles infest both government and society, going around in circles, spewing red tape, and accomplishing nothing.
They ensure that no business which might promote the common good is ever done, crushing both originality and initiative, and rendering all relationships false. Dickens was well placed to comment on the Civil Service, and his view was savage, waspish — and also very witty. The extraordinary achievement of Little Dorrit is that such a devastating and dour indictment of British society and institutions can be so very readable, so topical, yet at the same time so current, in its description of the never-ending wheels grinding on in the Civil Service — and to contain such delightful characters.
And now I can see the final scene in the book open up before my eyes. Went down into a modest life of usefulness and happiness If you approach the altar and look up at the left panel of the magnificent stained glass window behind it, you will see the figure of St George, see that his foot is resting on a piece of parchment. Directly beneath this is a much smaller, kneeling figure of a girl, whose hands are clasped in prayer, and whose poke-bonnet is dangling from her back.
We have that here, but we also have a deep sense of doom, or foreboding. Their destinies lie heavily shrouded in the ether; the fug of the city.
I cannot think of a more apt description. View all 45 comments. Now this book is primarily a love story although in a convoluted narrative, containing fraud, murder, suicide and hate, domestic violence A evil man who likes doing evil things, however some think this is a comedy Arthur Clennam the son after twenty ye Now this book is primarily a love story although in a convoluted narrative, containing fraud, murder, suicide and hate, domestic violence Arthur Clennam the son after twenty years in China working with the recently deceased father in business comes home at the age of forty a virtual stranger in his native land of England And the people old friends and particularly relatives unknown, they in reality are strangers.
Mother, Mrs. Clennam cold, intelligent, unforgiving lady with dark secrets in a wheelchair for many years Clennam wonders why? The parents were for a numerous time, estranged. In the same house a poor little woman of 22, Amy Dorrit a part time servant there that for obvious reasons Arthur calls "Little Dorrit," the timid girl doesn't mind Her father William has been in debtors prison, Marshalsea for 23 years But of course his daughter Amy lives with him in the ugly compound taking care of the wretch, the widower two other children envious Fanny , and Edward the drunk have shed the bad remembrances or tried to and live outside, not very well though.
Arthur falls for Amy but being 18 years older is he entitled, feeling uncomfortable and sees various women, Flora a lady he almost married but the flame is out only Little Dorrit can lite. Starting a new business with Daniel Doyce a brilliant inventor lacking the ways of bookkeeping they are perfect until the troubles begin; money or not enough as it is everywhere.
However the wealthiest man in England all say Mr. Merdle, has a get- rich- quick business proposition, Arthur is tempted.
Then Mr. Blandois, not his real name for sure he has many, the evil man mentioned before, reenters the scene bringing gloom and destruction for those unable or unwilling to pay up, a mustached villain with a pointed nose the very image of mid 19th century, blackmail is his game.
To anyone who has read Mr. Dickens will surmise the ending but the fun is taking the long log obstacles road getting there. Little Dorrit is such a lovable girl which any person with a heart will love. The bad thing is they only exist in fiction. View all 8 comments. My favourite Dickens of them all, and this was just the first time I'd read this! I felt that this was Dickens' primary take on the tightrope that the masses tried to balance their lives on to survive, with the very real threat of possible and quick imprisonment hanging over them all.
A grand tale of fortunes won and lost, that reveals so much about Victorian society. Back from overseas, Arthur Clennan takes a kindly interest in his family's seamstress Amy Dorrit, and her father who's in a debtor My favourite Dickens of them all, and this was just the first time I'd read this!
Back from overseas, Arthur Clennan takes a kindly interest in his family's seamstress Amy Dorrit, and her father who's in a debtor's prison. Through these relationships Clennan and I, the reader get to see how the system doesn't work; and the significant impact debtors' imprisonment has not only on the families involved, but on society as a whole. This was part of a journey I was undertaking to read most of Dickens work, but I was not prepared to find such a gem as this.
A wonderful reflection of Dickens in his writing maturity, and hopefully a story for the ages. View all 4 comments. Jul 20, Stas' rated it it was amazing. A forgotten classic, hidden among so many other fine works that Chuck produced. I laughed, I cried and I nearly peed myself because I refused to put the book down. It has been clinically proven that those who find Dickens too maudlin or sentimental are either emotionally stunted or full-on cold hearted sociopaths.
Clinically proven. Not suprisingly, Kafka loved this book what with the Circumlocution Office and the strange almost alternate reality of Marshalsea Debtors Prison. If you have never re A forgotten classic, hidden among so many other fine works that Chuck produced. If you have never read Dickens, give yourself a good hard slap now and get started. Jul 16, Violet wells rated it it was amazing. If only Dickens didn't almost always place at the heart of his novels the adored meek little girl woman.
She's rarely the shining moral light he wants her to be. Because she's created with too much sentimentality. Sentimentality is his other problem. If only he had seen more worth in trees and less in pretty garden flowers. But his novels always end in a domesticated garden with pretty flowerbeds and trimmed hedgerows and lawns. I had to abandon David Copperfield because for me the onslaughts of If only Dickens didn't almost always place at the heart of his novels the adored meek little girl woman.
I had to abandon David Copperfield because for me the onslaughts of whimsy ruined all the brilliant stuff. That said, I had a whale of a time with Little Dorrit. Yes, I wanted to shake Little Dorrit herself at times and found myself more supportive of her flawed and not entirely nice sister but this novel is so brilliantly put together, features so many masterpieces of character study and is such a fabulous biting and very funny satire of the ruling class, the privileged elite, which has lost none of its bite and relevance, that it's a joyous read from beginning to end.
I've fallen in love with Charles Dickens again. View all 18 comments. Dec 25, Sara rated it it was amazing Shelves: classics , gutenberg-download , victorian , 19th-century-literature. I read the book very slowly one chapter a day with full discussions in the Dickensians group, and my appreciation of it rose daily.
I'm afraid one read is just not enough for this complex and profound novel. My hat is always off to Mr. Dickens, one of the greatest writers of all time. I did not find these characters as compelling nor his plot as tight as usual, but still a worthy read and much enjoyed. The loves and hates in this novel were also somewhat contrived. Of course, those emotions can be pretty arbitrary in real life. Mainly, however, I did not feel that the explanation for the mysteries at the heart of the novel really made good sense.
So, not on a level with Great Expectations or Bleak House , but still Sprinkled amid the convoluted story of Amy Dorrit and Arthur Clennam is a diatribe on bureaucracy that felt far too familiar. Hold up your hand if Mr. Rugg, rubbing his hands with a cheerful air. And, when I came across this passage, I could not help thinking of Bernie Madoff: Numbers of men in every profession and trade would be blighted by his insolvency; old people who had been in easy circumstances all their lives would have no place of repentance for their trust in him but the workhouse; legions of women and children would have their whole future desolated by the hand of this mighty scoundrel.
Every partaker of his magnificent feasts would be seen to have been a sharer in the plunder of innumerable homes, every servile worshipper of riches who had helped to set him on his pedestal, would have done better to worship the Devil point blank.
Rather than individual episodes only being available for seven days, series stacking means you can now view throughout the whole time that Little Dorritt is on air. What are these? Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience.
0コメント