38 h 25 minAudiobook12 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In a family circling a rich old man, how can anyone tell love from greed?
Charles Dickens fills Martin Chuzzlewit with relatives who want money and a rich old man who doubts their love. Young Martin loves Mary Graham, but his grandfather refuses to accept his choice and sends him away with nothing. Proud and determined to make his fortune, Martin turns to Seth Pecksniff, an architect whose fine talk of virtue hides a hunger for advantage.
Martin heads for America with Mark Tapley, a cheerful companion eager to test his good spirits against real hardship. Back in England, gentle Tom Pinch puts his trust in Pecksniff, while Jonas Chuzzlewit grows impatient for his father's money. Across these tangled lives, Dickens explores selfishness through social comedy, fraud, family quarrels, and people who dress greed in respectable clothes.
What you’ll discover
- Kind words, grasping hands Watch Pecksniff preach goodness while taking money, credit, and whatever advantage comes within reach.
- Cheer against the odds Meet Mark Tapley, who seeks hardship worthy of his stubborn determination to stay jolly.
- Trust under pressure Follow Tom Pinch's loyalty as signs of Pecksniff's falseness gather around him.
- Comedy with a sharp edge Encounter Mrs Gamp, a talkative, drinking nurse who often quotes her imaginary friend.
- A hard look inward Explore the question beneath Martin's ambitions: can he stop thinking only of himself?
Who will love it
For readers who love social comedy, sharp portraits of hypocrites, and family plots with many threads, from money and marriage to fraud and self-discovery.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A Family Circling a Rich Old Man
- Pecksniff Preaches While He Takes
- Young Martin Is Cast Out and Turns to Pecksniff
- London, Fraud and the Murky Company
- Eden in America Is a Swamp
- Martin Learns That He Has Been Selfish
- Tom Pinch Faces the Truth About Pecksniff
- What the Novel Says About Selfishness
- How Dickens Tells It, and Why Mrs Gamp Stays
Who’s who
- Martin Chuzzlewit the youngerA proud young man, cast out by his grandfather for loving Mary Graham, who wants to make his own fortune and is slow to see his selfishness.
- Old Martin ChuzzlewitA rich, suspicious old man who distrusts every relative and wants to know who truly cares for him rather than for his money.
- Seth PecksniffAn architect and hypocrite who speaks constantly of virtue while he takes money, credit, and advantage wherever he can.
- Tom PinchPecksniff's gentle, loyal assistant, who believes the best of everyone and wants only to be useful to those he admires.
- Mark TapleyA cheerful ostler who wants to find a place so hard that staying jolly there would truly earn him credit.
- Jonas ChuzzlewitA hard, clever young man who learned greed from his miserly father and wants the family money without waiting for it.
- Montague TiggA shabby swindler who reinvents himself as chairman of a grand insurance company and wants to profit from other people's trust.
- Mrs GampA talkative, drinking nurse and midwife who lives by sickness and death, and often quotes her imaginary friend Mrs Harris.
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- Large-print eBook
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- Audiobook
- 38 h 25 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
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- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Martin Chuzzlewit
by Charles Dickens · 1844
Young Martin crosses the Atlantic to seek his fortune in a land where promises conceal fraud.
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From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1 of 9
A Family Circling a Rich Old Man
The novel opens with the Chuzzlewit family, a clan that Dickens traces back with mock pride through the centuries. What matters is the present. The oldest and richest member is Martin Chuzzlewit, a man who has grown suspicious of everyone around him because he is sure they care only for his money.
His relatives prove him right in the most obvious way. They gather, quarrel, and whisper about who will be favoured. Among them are Anthony Chuzzlewit, a miser, and his son Jonas, who has learned from his father that money is the only thing worth having. Another is Seth Pecksniff, who dresses his greed in the language of virtue.
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What is Martin Chuzzlewit about?
It follows the Chuzzlewit family as they scheme over the fortune of old Martin Chuzzlewit. His grandson, young Martin, is cast out for love, and the story shows how greed, hypocrisy, and fraud work in England and America.
Who is Seth Pecksniff?
Pecksniff is an architect who speaks constantly about virtue while he cheats and takes advantage of others. He takes fees from pupils, has little real skill, and is one of Dickens's best-known hypocrites.
Why does Martin Chuzzlewit go to America?
Young Martin wants to make his fortune after his grandfather disowns him. He is drawn by a land scheme and travels with Mark Tapley, only to find that the promised settlement is a swindle. Dickens drew on his own 1842 visit.
The author
Charles Dickens
1812–1870 · English novelist
Charles Dickens was an English novelist born in Portsmouth in 1812. He lived in London and later at Gad’s Hill Place in Kent, where he died in 1870. His books include The Pickwick Papers (1836–1837), A Christmas Carol (1843), David Copperfield (1849–1850), and Great Expectations (1860–1861).
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