Little Dorrit seeps sentimentality on every one of its nearly 700 pages. Dickens is critiquing the British system of debtors’ prisons by showing how a family becomes undone, first by debt and later by riches. William Dorrit is imprisoned as a debtor. Amy (aka, Little Dorrit) is his saintly daughter. Fanny, his snobbish daughter, is a constant burden. Edward (aka, Tip) is a worthless idler. Someone bursts into tears on a regular basis. Arthur Clennam, returns to England after 20 years in the East, and befriends the Dorrits. Through Clennam’s efforts at the Circumlocution Office (aka, the British Treasury), Dorrit is released from debtors’ prison, becomes rich, and more disasters befall him. I slogged page by page, tear-jerker scene by tear-jerker scene, through Little Dorrit. I finished it, but if had been one page longer I might have bailed. The BBC version of Little Dorrit sits on my stack of Watch Real Soon DVDs so you’ll be seeing a review of that performance soon. As for the book, it is far from Dickens’ best. GRADE: C
Thanks for reading this so we won’t have to, George!
I have the five-part Masterpiece Theater series recorded, so we’ll see how that is.
I’m sure the BBC version of Little Dorrit will tone down some of sentimentality. In the book, it’s overdone.
I watched the first one last night and liked it. Found it very funny. My husband slept through it so I guess I’ll be watching the rest of it alone.
Watching Dickens at night is a recipe for sleepiness. You should have tried something with explosions to keep your husband awake.
Like frogmen invading the White House, for example….
Exactly, Jeff.