Riassunto
Riassunto di Martin Chuzzlewit
A chi è rivolto
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.
Che cos’è questo libro
Martin Chuzzlewit is a comic novel by Charles Dickens. It appeared in monthly parts from 1843 to 1844 and then as a book. Dickens said he meant to show selfishness in all its forms, and he built the whole story around one family where almost everyone wants the same thing: the money of a rich old man.
The book was not an easy start. Dickens changed course by sending his young hero across the Atlantic. That choice drew on his own trip to the United States in 1842, and the American chapters are some of the sharpest satire he wrote. Back in England, the book gives us Seth Pecksniff, a hypocrite who preaches kindness while he grabs, and Sarah Gamp, a drinking nurse who has become a figure in English comedy.
You get a large cast, a plot of money, marriage and fraud, and a good deal of laughter. Along the way you learn how a young man named Martin might stop thinking only of himself. The first key point begins with the family itself, and with the old man they all circle like birds.
In questo riassunto
- 1A Family Circling a Rich Old ManFree
- 2Pecksniff Preaches While He Takes
- 3Young Martin Is Cast Out and Turns to Pecksniff
- 4London, Fraud and the Murky Company
- 5Eden in America Is a Swamp
- 6Martin Learns That He Has Been Selfish
- 7Tom Pinch Faces the Truth About Pecksniff
- 8What the Novel Says About Selfishness
- 9How Dickens Tells It, and Why Mrs Gamp Stays
Punto chiave 1 di 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.
Old Martin has a grandson, also named Martin, whom he raised. He has also taken in a young orphan woman, Mary Graham, as a kind of companion and nurse. The old man believes his grandson has fallen in love with her for the wrong reasons, and he turns against the match. This quarrel sets the rest of the story going.
Dickens uses the family gathering to introduce a whole way of seeing. Each relative pretends to love the old man while watching his health and his will. The comedy lies in how openly they betray themselves while believing they are hiding it.
The point for the reader is that greed in this book is never only about money. It shapes how people talk, how they smile, how they mourn, and how they treat the poor and the sick. Dickens wants you to notice that early, because the family's habits spread into every other part of the story.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Martin Chuzzlewit the younger
- A proud young man, he quarrels with his wealthy grandfather over his love for Mary Graham.
- Old Martin Chuzzlewit
- Young Martin's rich grandfather suspects that his relatives care more about his money than about him.
- Seth Pecksniff
- An architect who takes paying pupils, he disguises self-interest with moral speeches and employs Tom Pinch.
- Tom Pinch
- Pecksniff's gentle assistant admires his employer and offers friendship without sharing the family's appetite for wealth.
- Mark Tapley
- A cheerful ostler, he accompanies young Martin to America seeking circumstances that will truly test his good spirits.
- Jonas Chuzzlewit
- Anthony Chuzzlewit's grasping son resents waiting for money and courts one of Pecksniff's daughters.
- Montague Tigg
- A shabby swindler, he exploits other people's trust and becomes involved in Jonas Chuzzlewit's business dealings.
- Mrs Gamp
- A talkative nurse and midwife, she drinks heavily and invokes her imaginary friend Mrs Harris.
- Mary Graham
- Old Martin's companion is loved by his grandson, whose attachment to her provokes their family quarrel.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 346,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 23 h 5 min
- Listening time38 h 25 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 12 other languages
Questions about Martin Chuzzlewit
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.
Who is Mrs Gamp and who is Mrs Harris?
Mrs Gamp is a talkative, drink-loving nurse and midwife in London. She often quotes the opinions of her friend Mrs Harris, who seems to exist only in her talk. Her voice is among Dickens's most loved comic inventions.
Is Martin Chuzzlewit hard to read?
It has a large cast. The style is lively and funny, and the plot is easy to follow once you know the main families. It was first published in monthly parts from 1843.