Barnaby Rudge: v. 2 [Hardcover]

Charles Dickens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1978

Written at a time of social unrest in Victorian Britain and set in London at the time of the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots, Dickens's brooding novel of mayhem and murder in the eighteenth century explores the relationship between repression and liberation in private and public life. Barnaby Rudge tells a story of individuals caught up in the mindless violence of the mob. Lord George Gordon's dangerous appeal to old religious prejudices is interwoven with the murder mystery surrounding the father of the simple-minded Barnaby. The discovery of the murderer and his involvement in the riots put Barnaby's life in jeopardy. Culminating in the terrifying destruction of Newgate prison by the rampaging hordes, the brilliant descriptions of the riots are among Dickens's most powerful. Barnaby Rudge looks forward to the dark complexities of Dickens's later novels, whose characters also seek refuge from a chaotic and unstable world. This edition includes all the original illustrations, plus an illuminating Introduction and notes.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-12-Dicken's tale of private lives and public events takes place in the unrest of the 1780's London. This BBC production includes a full cast, music, and sound effects.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

(in full Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of 'Eighty) Historical novel by Charles Dickens, published in 1841. Barnaby Rudge was Dickens' first attempt at a historical novel. It is set in the late 18th century and presents with great vigor and understanding (and some ambivalence of attitude) the spectacle of large-scale mob violence. In a case of mistaken identification, Barnaby Rudge, the mentally retarded son of a murderer, is arrested as a leader of a mob of anti-Catholic rioters. Subsequently jailed and sentenced to death, he is pardoned at the scaffold. --The Merriam-Webster Encyclopedia of Literature --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 424 pages
• Publisher: Imprint unknown (November 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0862251052
• ISBN-13: 978-0862251055
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't start here, but don't stop till you've read this, November 23, 2001

By 

Russael BK Johanys (Seoul, Korea) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Barnaby Rudge (Penguin English Library) (Paperback)

Barnaby Rudge is an early Dickens novel, his first historical novel, of the Gordon riots of 1780, about fifty years before his time. The book is a mere 634 pages, that is, two thirds as long as Copperfield but a 100 pages longer than The Old Curiosity Shop. One of Dickens' strong points is atmosphere, and this novel is one of his best in that department. His description of the Maypole Inn and its proprietor, slow John, is marvelous. Much of the book describes the riots and their effect on various characters. Barnaby himself is an idiot, but such an excellent character for all that. The villians actually have good qualities in this book. And by the way, the Raven Grip is supposedly the model for Poe's raven. I would not start reading Dickens with Barnaby, but even though it's not as well known as ten other of his novels, I can highly recommend if you like other Dickens to give this book a read. I intend to reread it in my next round of Dickens rereading.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An account of the Gordon riots of 1780., February 3, 2005

By 

S. Schwartz "romonko" (alberta canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Barnaby Rudge (Penguin Classics) (Paperback)

Dickens is one of my favourite authors, and I took up this book simply because I wanted to read all his books. "Barnaby Rudge", though is a little different than some of Dickens' other works. For one it's about a true historical happening. The riots of 1780 actually did occur. It's one of his shorter books, and it was written earlier on in his career. The book is really not where a reader should start with Dickens' books, but it should be read nonetheless. It still has the same great characterizations and atmosphere that we expect from Dickens, and it's still a good story. Barnaby is quite the character. We have to laugh at his antics, and Slow John at the Maypole Inn is absolutely wonderful. I read this book quite awhile ago, and while I'm writing this review, I'm thinking I need to reread it again. Wonderful atmosphere!

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An action-packed historical novel, October 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Barnaby Rudge (Penguin English Library) (Paperback)

This is a well paced and fast-moving historical novel set during the anti-popery riots in London in 1780. Although not as grippingly exciting as Dicken's other historical novel, A Tale Of Two Cities, there is plenty of drama here to sustain the reader's interest.

The fictional characters are well woven into the historical setting, and the portrayal of these characters gives the book some of its best comic moments, from the suave Edward Chester, to the vengeful Simon Tappertit, to the spiteful Miss Miggs, to the devious hangman, Dennis. The hero of the book is Gabriel Varden, whom Dickens repeatedly describes, rather clumsily, as "the honest locksmith". Varden has to suffer constant friction in his own household between himself, his wife, his apprentice and his maid, and this agitation reflects the agitation of the masses in the streets.

One of the best features of the book is the way it successfully carries a number of plot lines. The main one of these concerns a murder committed many years previously for which no-one has been convicted. There are several other sub-plots such as the tension between the Catholic Haredale and the Protestant Chester, Joe Willet's love for Varden's daughter, the comical scheming of the apprentice locksmith against his master and the presence of a shadowy stranger who pursues Barnaby Rudge's mother. Some elements of the plot fizzle out a bit too easily towards the end, such as the attempt to kidnap Haredale's daughter, but the overall effect of the book is very satisfying.

This is one of Dicken's least remembered novels, but I think it is well worth reading and an excellent introduction to his work.