Questions About Death and Mr. Pickwick

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Should I read The Pickwick Papers before reading this book? Or is it ok to read first?

S.n. Jarvis There is no need at all to read The Pickwick Papers before reading this book. Both books are entirely self-contained. However, if you have already rea…moreThere is no need at all to read The Pickwick Papers before reading this book. Both books are entirely self-contained. However, if you have already read The Pickwick Papers, you will find 'echoes' of The Pickwick Papers which other readers will miss. Some people therefore do read The Pickwick Papers first - but probably more people have been led to read The Pickwick Papers AFTER reading Death and Mr Pickwick. If you do that, you will then hear the echoes, but simply in reverse order. In my view, The Pickwick Papers has the greatest backstory of any work of fiction - SUCH a compelling story, that it cried out to be turned into a novel in its own right. That's what Death and Mr Pickwick does. And that is also why you do not need to read The Pickwick Papers first. Indeed, you do not need to read The Pickwick Papers at all to appreciate the power of the backstory, but you should do, because it is a great book, and deserves to be more widely known. (less)

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