Our Mutual Friend, is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quoting from the character Bella Wilfer in the book, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life".It was a foggy day in London, and the fog was heavy and dark. Animate London, with smarting eyes and irritated lungs, was blinking, wheezing, and choking; inanimate London was a sooty spectre, divided in purpose between being visible and invisible, and so ...
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Our Mutual Friend, is one of his most sophisticated works, combining savage satire with social analysis. It centres on, in the words of critic J. Hillis Miller, quoting from the character Bella Wilfer in the book, "money, money, money, and what money can make of life".It was a foggy day in London, and the fog was heavy and dark. Animate London, with smarting eyes and irritated lungs, was blinking, wheezing, and choking; inanimate London was a sooty spectre, divided in purpose between being visible and invisible, and so being wholly neither. Gaslights flared in the shops with a haggard and unblest air, as knowing themselves to be nightcreatures that had no business abroad under the sun; while the sun itself when it was for a few moments dimly indicated through circling eddies of fog, showed as if it had gone out and were collapsing flat and cold.
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Add this copy of Our Mutual Friend to cart. $33.15, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Independently published.
Dickens' Our Mutual Friend is a great read and this is a good readable addition with good notes. We recommend it.
Leslie
May 14, 2011
My Favorite Dickens novel
I've read 14 Dickens novels (am on my 15th) and have enjoyed this one the most. The plot lines are engrossing -- it's fascinating to see how they intertwine. The male characters and their psychologies are so well drawn that it's hard to imagine they're not real, especially Wegg, Rokesmith, Headstone, and -- as minor as he is -- Twemlow.
The theme of identity plays out on many fascinating levels, like peeling an onion. There are identities that are kept secret, deliberately misrepresented, misunderstood, self-questioned, and illusory. It makes for a fascinating psychological study.
Setting is particularly well done in this novel -- the river is so predominant that many scholars consider it one of the book's characters, and rightly so.
Some plot denouements require suspension of disbelief (doesn't Dickens usually?). They don't detract from the novel as a whole, however; instead they invite reflection, discussion, and debate.
One of the things I especially like about this novel is its emotional complexity. This is perhaps a darker novel than Dickens fans have come to expect, but there are still laugh-out-loud moments as well as scenes that invite long and deep reflection. And, as in most Dickens novels, there are female characters -- like Lizzie Hexam -- whom you sometimes just want to shake and say, "Shape up!" or "Get a grip!"
This is a novel that completely engaged me on both an intellectual and emotional level. I heartily recommend it. And don't try to speed through it. Go slowly and savor it.
Frances G
May 1, 2011
Charles Dickens in writing this book helped us to know about child labor, sanitary conditions, distinctions between the rich and the poor. He also was what I would say our original environmentalist. This book should be on the reading list in our high schools.
