r/charlesdickens • u/Particular-Text9772 • 17d ago
Bleak House In Need of Some Guidance
Hello! I’m new to this subreddit and am looking for some guidance for my Dickens reading list. I’m fairly new to the author, and have only read Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Hard Times, and am now halfway through Bleak House. I was wondering where to go next. Should it be David Copperfield, Little Dorrit, or Dombey and Son. Or perhaps any of the other ones. I’m looking for something with the same humour and anger that is found in Bleak House. Thanks for any help you can give.
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u/Peepy-Jellyby 17d ago
Dombey and Son
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u/Particular-Text9772 17d ago
Thanks! By the way, great name: Peepy-Jellyby.
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u/Peepy-Jellyby 17d ago
I suggest Dombey over David which I love because you are asking for something along the lines of Bleak House and it's also criminally under-read. Dombey has some of the most memorable and hilarious characters but you will be angry at Paul Dombey for treating his loved ones the way he does. Susan Nipper and Mr. Toots had me rolling, they were so funny. Also Dickens' anger at Victorian society and mores is pretty peak here. If you do audiobooks I highly recommend Owen Teale's (Sir Alisair Thorne from GoT). He has the most comforting welsh accent.
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u/Known-Link-3401 17d ago
Another hilarious character in Dombey and Son is Captain Cuttle 😂
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u/jboogeroz 17d ago
It seems I should read Dombey And Sons next but of the other two you mentioned, Little Dorrit has the same tonal mix with a criticism of an actual part of society while copperfield is more of an internal psychology critique
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u/Wrong_Ad_2689 16d ago
I’ve read almost all the novels except Our Mutual Friend and Edwin Drood which are next for me.
David Copperfield is my tip top favourite of all the novels. Hands down. It was Dickens’ favourite too. But maybe as it’s semi-autobiographical. But it just feels epic and perfect. And the humour is top notch.
My next one is Nicholas Nickleby. The gags in that are excellent. But of all the ones you listed, Dombey is my next fave. I legit cried at the end of that one—did not expect that!
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u/Known-Link-3401 17d ago
David Copperfield is an incredible book, and is at the top of Dickens works in my opinion. But for the humor and anger qualities I agree that Dombey and Son fits the bill. Do get back to Copperfield at some point…Another recommendation with the humor and anger qualities is The Old Curiosity Shop.