Nicholas Nickleby: Intro comments and Chapters 1 - 10

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

And a little more …

The Ages of Our Protagonists

You may be wondering about Kate’s age. In chapter 1 we were told that she was 14, “as far as could be told” and that Nicholas was nearly 19. Now the commercial and banks crash has happened, the family are now virtually destitute, and Nicholas is still 19, but Kate is now 17!

I looked into the different editions, of 1848 and 1867, but there seem to be no changes recorded. It seems to be a case of Dickens “thinking on the hoof” as it were.

So Nicholas is nearly nineteen, and Kate is seventeen. We know who else was seventeen … Dickens’s sister-in-law Mary Hogarth, and he was still in deep shock from her death just ten months earlier. You may remember that he wrote a scene in Oliver Twist almost immediately after his month’s mourning break, where Rosie Maylie (view spoiler)[ became gravely ill, and was close to death, but miraculously recovered (hide spoiler)].

We wondered then if this was a bit of wish fulfilment. Dickens was to write many 17 year old girls with sweet natures into his works. He could not get Mary Hogarth out of his head, and wrote about them obsessively, as a tribute to her.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Style and Structure

This chapter continues the irony, right from the sarcastic, epigrammatic title (which Peter mentioned yesterday). When Nicholas Nickleby was published in book form, these chapter headings were there, but in 1867 Dickens also added “running titles” to the opposites pages, e.g. for chapter 3 they were:

Mr Ralph Nickleby Makes Miss La Creevy’s Acquaintance.
Uncle and Nephew.
A Charming Opening for Nicholas.

So they tell in brief what the pages will be about.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

This is my favourite chapter so far! I am quite taken with the hot-headed Nicholas, all loyalty and indignation. But will he regret his quick decisions, we wonder. He seemed to be so easily persuaded that he had a grand future. So he’s optimistic, but naive. I’m beginning to really dislike his Uncle Ralph with his “sneering” and “snarling”.

And I do wonder what Charles Dickens might have in store for Nicholas Nickleby.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I particularly enjoyed Newman Noggs’ way of responding literally. For instance when Ralph wanted to know about the post, we have:

“‘What has come, then?’ inquired Mr. Nickleby.
‘I have,’ said Newman.”

It's hilarious! It strikes me that Noggs might get some satisfaction from being deliberately obtuse, thereby remaining outwardly respectable whilst inwardly feeling anything but!

However my favourite quotation from today’s chapter is:

“‘Somebody went out just now, but I think it was the attic which had been a cleaning of himself,’ replied the girl.”

It is just an aside, from someone (Miss La Creevy’s servant) who we may never see again. Charles Dickens gives us dozens of these tiny cameos, and they are so well observed. John Forster tells us he wrote odd things which took his fancy down in a notebook. I wonder if he wrote this one, where the tenant themselves is referred to by the location of their room, down from an episode in real life. It is so very funny!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

And another comment by the narrator which interested me, follows up the comment near the end of chapter 1 we looked at, about Mrs Nickleby wondering about her husband’s imprudent investing:

“This appeal set the widow upon thinking that perhaps she might have made a more successful venture with her one thousand pounds … and if he had confided in her they might all have been better off that day; with other bitter recollections common to most married ladies, either during their coverture, or afterwards, or at both periods."

Couverture means the legal position of a woman who cannot enter into any contract without the authority of her husband. This condition was finally to be altered by the Married Woman's Property Act 1882 - a long time away yet!

We will soon discover who Mrs Nickleby is based on, (it is a bit too soon to reveal it yet!) but this sweeping and rather barbed comment by the narrator made me wonder if Charles Dickens might have had his own newish marriage in mind, or another’s. It may well be worth noting the relationships between married couples throughout this novel.

Over to you!

[Beth]

Regarding the characters' ages, might we be generous and say that since Ch 3 is from Ralph's perspective, the emphasis is on the fact that Kate appears around 17 while Nicholas appears around 19 - that is, either Kate is still 14 and seems mature for her age or Nicholas is actually about 22 but appears young for his? Or, of course, Dickens changed his mind between parts and retconned it.

The satire of Ch 2 was hilarious and so on point. Now we're getting more into plot and character and, as others have said, seeing some wonderful and memorable quirks in even minor characters. I'm excited to see what insights everyone has!

[Kathleen]

I agree with you, Jean, and like Nicholas right away--particularly the way he spins out such an optimistic future!

And what you say about Noggs: It strikes me that Noggs might get some satisfaction from being deliberately obtuse ... made me think of this line I particularly liked:
“The expression of a man’s face is commonly a help to his thoughts, or glossary on his speech; but the countenance of Newman Noggs, in his ordinary moods, was a problem which no stretch of ingenuity could solve.”

[Lori]

I liked that quote as well, Kathleen about Noggs. He is already proving to be a quirky character, one to remember.

Ralph, however, is not compassionate toward his relations. He felt he was doing his duty and no one would ever thank him for it! He’s never had his own family, I presume. Money was his only love.

From the first chapter I had a sense of Mrs. Nickleby as an ‘Eve’ and her husband as ‘Adam’. She was the one who thought of his brother’s speculating and encouraged it but it ruined them instead. Then after seeing how conniving and suggestive Ralph is in Ch 3, I am convinced that he is the serpent. He really overtakes her mind when he suggests her husband was no good.

To tell the truth, the good lady’s opinion had been not a little influenced by her brother-in-law’s appeal to her better understanding, and his implied compliment to her high deserts; and although she had dearly loved her husband, and still doted on her children, he had struck so successfully on one of those little jarring chords in the human heart … that she had already begun seriously to consider herself the amiable and suffering victim of her late husband’s imprudence.

[Paul]

Lori wrote: "To tell the truth, the good lady’s opinion had been not a little influenced by her brother-in-law’s appeal to her better understanding, and his implied compliment to her high deserts; and although she had dearly loved her husband, and still doted on her children, he had struck so successfully on one of those little jarring chords in the human heart … that she had already begun seriously to consider herself the amiable and suffering victim of her late husband’s imprudence."

Funny how a single sentence might strike different readers in dramatically different ways. When I read this, my opinion of Nicholas' mother definitely fell as she allowed herself to be persuaded to Ralph's opinions of her deceased husband and "conveniently" forgot that it was she who had persuaded him to speculate. Victim indeed ... hah, not so much!

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Yes! I agree with Kathleen about Noggs, and I really did laugh when I read how Noggs literally laughed behind Ralph's back. It was so delicious!

"And the widow, too", added Mr. Nickleby, "all three in London, confound them; all three here, Newman."
"Newman fell a little behind his master, and his face was curiously twisted as by a spasm, but whether of paralysis, or grief, or inward laughter, nobody but himself could possibly explain."

Nicholas' salary of £5/year seems laughable to me. Was this an acceptable entry-level wage for someone without an education?

[Beth]

Bionic Jean wrote: "If not, then you could guess the percentage ..."

I don't know what sort of edition Dee is reading. To start with, Goodreads has the option of tracking percentages rather than pages, so if you have, say, a Kindle copy of the book, you can easily track your progress that way.

With an audiobook, what I do is round to the nearest fifteen minutes, convert to decimal, and get a rough percentage that way.

For example, I am 1:12 into the book which is 33:30 in total.

1:12 --> 1:15 --> 1.25
33:30 --> (no need to round) --> 33.5

Using the calculator app on my phone, 1.25 / 33.5 = .037, which converted to a percentage rounds up to 4%.

I'll actually talk about the book next post. :)

[Beth]

I'm quite fond of Miss LaCreevy, with her yellow outfit and who presses a very reluctant Ralph into taking her pricing card. Dickens is so good at making vivid, minor characters. I was fond of Mrs. Flite in Bleak House as well, so perhaps there's a pattern there of appreciating minor characters who are also older women. :)

I can understand the mild retconning with the ages of the Nickleby siblings. If Nicholas was 22 while Kate was 17, there'd really have been no excuse for him not to have already tried to establish himself in some kind of work, especially if the income his father was receiving from the farm, and/or the interest from the cash inheritance, wasn't sufficient to support the family.

5 pounds per annum is ridiculously small, isn't it? Nicholas is caught between a rock and a hard place, and it's a mark of his naivete that he considers a poorly-paid position well away from London as the launching point of a glorious career.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Beth wrote: "Regarding the characters' ages, might we be generous and say that since Ch 3 is from Ralph's perspective, the emphasis is on the fact that Kate appears around 17 while Nicholas appears around 19 - ..."

This chapter is largely from the narrator's viewpoint, with occasional parts from a specific character's perspective.

Here is the passage you are thinking of:

"A lady in deep mourning rose as Mr. Ralph Nickleby entered, but appeared incapable of advancing to meet him, and leant upon the arm of a slight but very beautiful girl of about seventeen, who had been sitting by her. A youth, who appeared a year or two older, stepped forward and saluted Ralph as his uncle."

The first sentence is the narrator's viewpoint. Logically it would not have said "Mr Ralph Nickleby", if it had been from his perspective.

Only in the second sentence does it say "appeared". So we can only say that Nicholas's age is possibly from Ralph's viewpoint. Later on Mrs Nickleby says:

"Nicholas is very nearly nineteen"

(not 22 as the other "happy onion face" Beth postulated. Gosh this is hard with 2 Beths!)

so it is quite possible that both sentences are the narrator's viewpoint. No, sorry we can't let Mr. Dickens off the hook like that! He simply changed his mind.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Shirley (stampartiste) and Beth

£5 was a pittance for a whole year even then. £1 was worth £138.93 so that makes £694.65 p.a. in real terms today. (I think that is 930.03 United States Dollars.)

Lori - I'm loving the most original idea of Adam and Eve and the serpent! 🐍

And so far, my favourite character is definitely Newman Noggs, though I am drawn to Nicholas 😊

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Technology problems

Beth - Thanks for trying to help Dee. She told us all yesterday that she was "listening to NN on Audible read by B.J. Harrison".

You actually quote me out of context. If you look, I had already told her Goodreads has the option of tracking percentages, just before the bit you quote, where I suggest guessing - this was only if her machine does not say percentages! Mine does but not all do. As a rough guide then, we can estimate the percent by the number of chapters we have read. Or we could do it the way you suggested, though it sounds a bit complicated to me ... 😟

Dee has pm'd me anyway, so as not to divert the thread further, and I gather she has sorted out her problem now.

[Beth]

Bionic Jean wrote: "so it is quite possible that both sentences are the narrator's viewpoint. No, sorry we can't let Mr. Dickens off the hook like that! He simply changed his mind."

One thing that I sometimes have to remind myself while reading older fiction like this is that we can't expect the very subjective, "in a single character's mind" point of view that is very common in today's fiction. As Jean says here, it's a narrator's viewpoint, and I'll add that I think it's omniscient.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Beth wrote: "I'll add that I think it's omniscient ..."

I carefully avoided saying that, as as you'll no doubt remember Beth, Charles Dickens does have a sneaky way of suddenly expostulating and giving us all a lecture! But yes, so far the narrator is an omniscient viewpoint. I wonder how long Charles Dickens will be able to keep it up 😁

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Please could either "Beth with cows and figure on broomstick" and "Beth with happy onion face" help us out, and pick another extra name, initial or number for when we want to talk to you? 😆 Thanks.

[Lee]

from Chapter 1 comments, Claudia wrote: "Being born with a silver spoon in one's mouth is very widely used in French by journalists (they said that about the late former President Giscard d'Estaing) or anyone who has an elevated language ..."
AND "Yes, I have, but Nicholas Nickleby is my favourite!" and quoted entire passages from the French translation..."

Yes, the "silver spoon" phrase is still used in the US today, but it has been supplanted by much uglier verbiage since.
About the young boy: Oh my goodness, Claudia! Perhaps that young genius should join us in our reading! How brilliant he must be!

[Claudia]

I am now enjoying the novel. This chapter drew a few plotlines and introduced the hero, according to the title.

I also noticed the miniatures:

"A miniature painter lived there, for there was a large gilt frame screwed upon the street-door, in which were displayed, upon a black velvet ground, two portraits of naval dress coats with faces looking out of them, and telescopes attached; one of a young gentleman in a very vermilion uniform, flourishing a sabre; and one of a literary character with a high forehead, a pen and ink, six books, and a curtain. There was, moreover, a touching representation of a young lady reading a manuscript in an unfathomable forest, and a charming whole length of a large-headed little boy, sitting on a stool with his legs fore-shortened to the size of salt-spoons. Besides these works of art, there were a great many heads of old ladies and gentlemen smirking at each other out of blue and brown skies, and an elegantly written card of terms with an embossed border."

This (long) description of some details in miniatures reminded me of the significance of pictures in Dickens' novels. Are these miniatures telling us something for the future, or just here "by the way"? Are they a mise en abyme, or just incidental?

[Lee]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Oh I do hope this grows on you Claudia. I did wonder whether the first chapter covered so much "
From Message 128, Ch 1. The family genealogy! I wonder if in earlier centuries repeating family "given" names down through generations was much more common, even expected. I don't see this much in contemporary American names, though in the past the first or "given" name was often repeated. In American, you would more commonly see Ralph Nickleby and then Ralph Nickleby Jr to avoid confusion. I have even seen suffixes such as Jo Weatherford I, Jo Weatherford II, Jo Weatherford III.

It would have been much easier had Dickens used suffixes in chapter 1!

[Beth]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Please could either "Beth with cows and figure on broomstick" and "Beth with happy onion face" help us out, and pick another extra name, initial or number for when we want to talk to you? 😆 Thanks."

Beth N.

happy onion, droplet of mercury, (view spoiler)[metal slime (hide spoiler)]

[Lee]

Kelly wrote: "I read chapter two over a few meals today ..." AND "What does it mean that Mr Bonney's white hat "was so full of papers that it would scarcely stick upon his head"?
Do you not remember how Abraham Lincoln would keep copies of his speeches inside his very tall hat? It was a convenience!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

LOL Beth N. - 😆 Thank you! It's a great profile pic at any rate, as it's instantly recognisable.

Lee - yes, 19th and early 20th century sons were often called after their father, and daughters after their mother. Less so now.

Royal figures often have alternative names; only a select few names are allowed to be the name of the monarch, So for instance "Bertie" became "George VI" when he acceded the throne (though he never expected to have to so do).

[Lee]

Dee wrote: "Jean: A request. Could you, please, post the last page number of each chapter from the edition you are using of NN. I would like to track my journey on Goodreads updates. Thank you."
Dee, I keep handwritten notes as to the last "message" I have read each day so I can return to where I have left off. Otherwise, I am not sure about the difficulty you are having. I also don't begin reading comments for any chapter until I have read that ENTIRE chapter.

Does that help?

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Claudia wrote: "Are these miniatures telling us something for the future ..."

Oh that would have been such a nice idea, Claudia but since it's not a planned novel but a set of adventures written in haste, only a couple might have been in his mind.

But Charles Dickens did live near a shop with oil paintings in its windows as a young child, so perhaps there were some miniatures there.

I'm so pleased you have begun to enjoy it! 😊

[Sam]

I am very much enjoying all the comments as well as the story, thinking about most of them even if I don't comment. I am trying to keep my input minimized so tobetter appreciate the novel as perceived by others. I will add something every other chapter even if nothing stands out just to keep a presence here.

I think we are blessed in reading this novel right after Oliver Twist. It has been mentioned how young a writer Dickens is at this time yet the writing is quite brilliant and mature. We saw it some of this with
O. Twist, but I think we tend to overlook it for various reasons. The writing in N. N. Is further developed and the technicals are IMO, those of a much more practiced writer. For example, in this chapter, Dickens, opens with the humorous exchange between Ralph and Noggs which sets up the meeting with the brother's family but before Dickens has the meeting with family, we have the bit with Miss La Creevy. I think this little delay before the actual family
meeting is extremely mature writing. It not only give Dickens a
chance to show us some of more Ralph's villainy, but the pacing is
slowed to almost a stop while the two discuss Mrs. Nickleby's
finances and suspense builds. Average and even good writers would skip that scene and brought Ralph right to the family. Note how
much better it is the way Dickens does it.
But a further brilliance is the confrontation between Ralph and Nicholas that immediately follows as the family meets first in verbal
dueling but the duel ending with the marvelous stare-down which I want to quote in entirety:

Mrs Nickleby made no other reply than entreating Nicholas by a gesture to keep silent, and the uncle and nephew looked at each other for some seconds without speaking. The face of the old man was stern, hard-featured and forbidding; that of the young one, open, handsome, and ingenuous. The old man’s eye was keen with the twinklings of avarice and cunning; the young man’s, bright with the light of intelligence and spirit. His figure was somewhat slight, but manly and well-formed; and apart from all the grace of youth and comeliness, there was an emanation from the warm young heart in his look and bearing which kept the old man down.
However striking such a contrast as this, may be to lookers-on, none ever feel it with half the keenness or acuteness of perfection with which it strikes to the very soul of him whose inferiority it marks. It galled Ralph to the heart’s core, and he hated Nicholas from that hour.

I think we are lucky to see Dickens young and bold enough to write that confrontation without embarrassment but mature enough to write so we believe it.

[Kathleen]

I rather liked this sentence from the chapter head:

Mr Ralph Nickleby receives Sad Tidings of his Brother, but bears up nobly against the intelligence communicated to him.

For me the terms bears up nobly and intelligence communicated are big contrasts. One is a phrase frequently used and the other sounds like a formal letter.

[Peter]

Like many others who have posted I want to add my vote to those who are enjoying the seemingly eccentric but totally grounded Newman Noggs. It seems that everything he says and every action he takes contains meanings and sub meanings. What I most enjoy is the feeling that Dickens had such fun creating Noggs.

My other favourite minor character is Miss La Creevy. She is a delightful character with a winning personality. As for her occupation as a miniature painter, Dickens must have taken delight in making her stature diminutive as well.

I enjoy the minor characters as much as our headliners. As for Nicholas and his uncle, they are meant to be centre stage and certainly are. Their early verbal sparring is quite revealing of their characters. Ralph’s sneer and snarl is parried by Nicholas’s enthusiasm. Ralph’s entire existence seems to be one of sneers and snarls. This is contrasted by Nicholas’s ‘enthusiasm.’ This contrasting balance of their characters might well track through the novel.

Nicholas’s observation that ‘the pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again’ is a wonderful sentiment. That phrase is one we can all identify with, understand, and, I would speculate, agree with. It certainly helps to favourably align ourselves (or at least me) with Nicholas.

[Jim]

Someone suggested that Ralph Nickleby might have been an early prototype for Scrooge. Whether or not there's any truth in that, it is certain that Dickens was conveying a value judgment in both cases: both men are very successful financially but at no point do they derive any real pleasure from their success. Ralph is querulous, mean spirited, distrustful and resentful at his poor relatives' dependence on him. Similarly, Scrooge denies himself any comforts, lives a gloomy, solitary existence and as his nephew points out, the only person who suffers from his choices is himself. It's easy to shrug off Ralph's behavior because he's the author of his own misery. Already, there are signals that Ralph is not likely to break young Nicholas's spirit by consigning him to a badly paid and possibly dead-end job.

[Beth]

Beth wrote: "If Nicholas was 22 while Kate was 17, there'd really have been no excuse for him not to have already tried to establish himself in some kind of work, especially if the income his father was receiving from the farm, and/or the interest from the cash inheritance, wasn't sufficient to support the family."

You make a very good point, Beth!

I made the mistake of trying to remember the book without having it in front of me, hence the confusion over perspective and precise phrasing.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Please could either "Beth with cows and figure on broomstick" and "Beth with happy onion face" help us out, and pick another extra name, initial or number for when we want to talk to you?"

At the risk of feeling like I'm being told off constantly, you can call me Bethany, if that helps. 😆

[Peter]

Jim wrote: "Someone suggested that Ralph Nickleby might have been an early prototype for Scrooge. Whether or not there's any truth in that, it is certain that Dickens was conveying a value judgment in both cas..."

Yes. I too see a battle shaping up between the manner and man who is Ralph Nickleby and the youthful spirit of young Nicholas.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

It is fantastic to log on here in (my) morning and find such great comments! Every single one deserves a response, but perhaps it is enough to know that lots of us read and enjoy them, and ponder ... 🤔😊

Sam "I am trying to keep my input minimized so to better appreciate the novel as perceived by others. I will add something every other chapter"

This is such a good idea, if it works best for you! Your first sentence worried me, as I'd never want someone to hold back, whether their response is emotional, analytical, or somewhere in between - but on the other hand I do remember one hugely popular group read where we had 80-odd friends in (you might remember this!) 😲 Great, but after a bit I feared it might get out of control, with rather too many keen members commenting every day, and lots of us trying to keep up with them all ... So I did ask to hold back a little, but hated doing it.

To date we have 57 in this read, which is more manageable, and at the moment it's fine if some comment every day. 😁 We all find our own way of coping. (At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll just mention the links in comment 2 once again! They were originally Jenny's idea 😊)

Bethany Beth, that's really helpful thanks! I don't like to think using your full name throws you back to childhood though ... I expect saying "Bethany, dear" would only make it worse 😂 I'm sure we can manage somehow now though, thanks both, for when it's not obvious which Beth we mean.

So now on to the climax of the first installment ...

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Chapter 4: Nicholas and his Uncle (to secure the Fortune without loss of time) wait upon Mr Wackford Squeers, the Yorkshire Schoolmaster

Mr. Squeers is sitting in the Saracen’s Head Inn in Snow Hill:

“near to the jail [Newgate], and by consequence near to Smithfield [market] also, … and the bustle and noise of the city … in that crowded street on which it frowns so darkly—within a few feet of the squalid tottering houses”

He is waiting for parents to appear, and upset that so far only he only has three pupils, which falls short of the amount of students that had been signed up in the summer. One little boy sits waiting with him:

“with evident dread and apprehension … Mr Squeers looked at the little boy to see whether he was doing anything he could beat him for. As he happened not to be doing anything at all, he merely boxed his ears, and told him not to do it again.”



“The Yorkshire Schoolmaster at The Saracen’s Head - Phiz - April 1838

But when the waiter announces that a gentleman has come to see him, Mr Squeers affects a fatherly disposition to the tiny boy:

“‘My dear child,’ said Mr. Squeers, ‘all people have their trials … You are leaving your friends, but you will have a father in me, my dear, and a mother in Mrs. Squeers. At the delightful village of Dotheboys, near Greta Bridge in Yorkshire, where youth are boarded, clothed, booked, washed, furnished with pocket-money, provided with all necessaries—’”

The gentleman is Mr. Snawley, who has two boys in tow whom he wishes to send to Squeers’ school. He is particularly concerned that their morals be focused on. Mr. Squeers tells Mr. Snawley what each boy is required to bring in his luggage, and assures him that the boys will remain at the school as long as payments are made - or until they run away. The men seem to understand more than is said by this.



“The schoolmaster and his companion looked steadily at each other for a few seconds, and then exchanged a very meaning smile - Fred Barnard - 1875”

“Let us understand each other; I see we may safely do so. What are these boys;—natural children?”

Snawley, seemingly displeased, tells Squeers that his sons are not his “natural” [illegitimate] children. Squeers comments that most of the boys at his establishment are, such as the boy he has with him. Snawley explains that he is not their father but their “father-in-law” [stepfather] having married their mother, and he worries that his wife will ruin her sons by indulging them. Snawley wants to send them to a school where they will “rough it a little” have no holidays, and infrequent letter writing. Mr. Squeers assures Snawley that the only letter they write is at Christmas, and in it they talk about how happy they are at the school. Finding this agreeable, Snawley concludes his business arrangements with Squeers.

Ralph Nickleby and Nicholas appear after this interview. Ralph asks Squeers if he remembers him. Squeers identifies him as the man who had paid a 6-monthly account on behalf of some parents, whose child Dorker had died at the school. The headmaster says his wife was very attentive in tending to the sick child, and “Ralph smiled, as if he meant anything but smiling.”

Ralph Nickleby tells Squeers he has found him an assistant, “of about eighteen or nineteen or thereabouts” but Squeers looks at the youthful Nicholas, and says he won’t suit. Ralph tells the headmaster that Nicholas’s father had died and left behind a son who lacks an education and any resources to support himself. He says he doesn’t believe that the headmaster will find anyone better for the position, and then asks for a private word with Mr Squeers. Afterwards, Squeers is suddenly willing to hire Nicholas.

“‘Your uncle’s recommendation has done it, Mr. Nickleby,’ said Wackford Squeers.
Nicholas, overjoyed at his success, shook his uncle’s hand warmly, and could almost have worshipped Squeers upon the spot.”

Squeers tells Nicholas that they will leave the next day with the boys, and Ralph tells Nicholas he has paid his fare already. Nicholas now believes it doesn’t matter than Squeers looks odd, considering that to be true of many bookworms, and decides that his uncle is kind and generous. He thanks him warmly, and Ralph gives him some papers, telling Nicholas to give them to his clerk, and to tell Noggs to wait for him.

Nicholas does what his uncle has instructed, but Mr. Noggs makes him nervous by staring hard at him. He is about to leave when Noggs asks how Ralph Nickleby is helping him. Nicholas tells him in an excited way, and Noggs looks appalled. However, he won’t tell Nicholas why. Nicholas assumes the man is drunk, and leaves.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

This is the end of installment 1. Installment 2 will begin with chapter 5 on Friday. If you would like to read something in between, it is a good time to read the Prefaces, which give us some interesting details! Also do make sure you have read Dickens’s entertaining Proclamation (linked at the start.)

And an extra … this sentence gave me pause for thought; quite a mature observation really:

“things that are changed or gone will come back as they used to be, thank God! in sleep”

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

And a little more …

Yorkshire schools and the Original of Squeers

Cheap boarding schools in Yorkshire dated from the 18th century, and their emphasis on “no holidays” made them ideal for those like Snawley, who wanted to dispose of inconvenient children. As we read in the 1848 Preface, Charles Dickens claimed to have known about them ever since he was a child.

Charles Dickens tells us about a real life headmaster in the second Preface, plus the startling information that several Yorkshire headmasters had claimed that they were the original! There’s little doubt that the main one is his mind was a William Shaw of Bowes Academy in Greta Bridge. He was prosecuted in 1823 for negligence when two boys went blind.

Mr Squeers’s advert is closely modelled on that of William Shaw, which he regularly used to place in newspapers. It also includes notices from other schools as well. The following is an excellent article about William Shaw, with no spoilers. It’s well worth a read, but is a deeply shocking account from history.

http://www.researchers.plus.com/shaw.htm

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

There’s no doubt about my favourite quotation from today’s chapter:

“Mr. Squeers’s appearance was not prepossessing. He had but one eye, and the popular prejudice runs in favour of two.”

😆😂

Charles Dickens is echoing Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s play The Rivals(1775) in which Absolute remarks to Sir Anthony “though one eye may be very agreeable, yet as the prejudice has always run in favour of two, I would not wish to affect a singularity in that article” (Act 3 Sc. 1)

Nevertheless … somehow when Charles Dickens says it one step removed as narrator, it seems funnier, and it is snappier!

By making Squeers grotesque, Charles Dickens makes us able to laugh and also feel horrified. He knew even by this age the importance of entertainment to get his message across. Charles Dickens said he wanted to “put an air of comicality” over the notorious Yorkshire schools, so as “not to disgust and weary the reader”.

So when you find yourself laughing at upcoming events which, if you witnessed them in real life would fill you with horror, do not feel bad! This is what Charles Dickens intended.

Enjoy the day’s break.

[Claudia]

Your great summary, Jean, enhanced at least three facts which left us puzzled and the readers who read the installments back then were kept waiting even more : Mr Squeer's unsaid connivence with Mr Snawley and some intelligence between them, Mr Ralph Nickleby's private and confidential conversation with Mr Squeer (what a name, due to his only eye) and finally Nogg's reaction to Nicholas' enthusiasm when he is hired to go to Yorkshire.

There is definitely something foreboding in this chapter in spite of an undeniable humour, and we are afraid how those poor little ones - be they natural or not - will be welcomed in that school in Yorkshire.

[Kelly]

Bionic Jean wrote: "I particularly enjoyed Newman Noggs’ way of responding literally. For instance when Ralph wanted to know about the post, we have:

“‘What has come, then?’ inquired Mr. Nickleby.
‘I have,’ said Newm..."

Regarding Chapter 3 (does the group mind if we comment on a chapter from a previous day, or should we only make current comments on that day's chapter?)

I chuckled at Noggs' literal response as well and also thought that maybe he was toying with Mr. Nickleby.

I also chuckled at this description of Noggs' face: “The expression of a man’s face is commonly a help to his thoughts, or glossary on his speech; but the countenance of Newman Noggs, in his ordinary moods, was a problem which no stretch of ingenuity could solve.”

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Kelly wrote: "does the group mind if we comment on a chapter from a previous day ..."

Sure, Kelly - that's fine! It's only spoilers we're worried about 😊If anyone transgresses there, I might take up the cudgels on behalf of everyone, and emulate the Inimitable in "devising a summary and terrible mode of execution" to do with hanging on gibbets ... 😡😂

(or just swiftly remove it!)

[Kelly]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Kelly wrote: "does the group mind if we comment on a chapter from a previous day ..."

Sure, Kelly - that's fine! It's only spoilers we're worried about 😊If anyone transgresses there, I might take ..."

Hehehe.
Thank you Jean! I'm a chapter behind already (fully expected that to happen), so my comments may also fall behind. I'm happy to hear that's acceptable and there won't be any need for a gibbet!!!

[Kelly]

Kathleen wrote: "I agree with you, Jean, and like Nicholas right away--particularly the way he spins out such an optimistic future!

And what you say about Noggs: It strikes me that Noggs might get some satisfactio..."

Kathleen, I liked that sentence as well. Noggs is a character that will seem to keep us guessing! (Or is there just nothing there to guess about...? ;-)

[Beth]

Both Noggs and Squeers have a single functioning eye. I don't see any obvious connection whether of meaning/motif or personality between them. It certainly makes those characters memorable, though. :)

Those of us who have read Oliver Twist surely can't help but see some parallels already. A tendency to send unwanted children, whether on an institutional or personal level, to something like a prison, or even to a place where it would be convenient for them to die . . .

Bionic Jean wrote: "So when you find yourself laughing at upcoming events which, if you witnessed them in real life would fill you with horror, do not feel bad! This is what Charles Dickens intended."

. . . with that in mind, what Jean says here is a bit of a relief. I found this rather cartoony passage striking, a feeling of gravity going in reverse as the child is knocked back and forth.

". . . the little boy screwed a couple of knuckles into each of his eyes and began to cry, wherefore Mr Squeers knocked him off the trunk with a blow on one side of the face, and knocked him on again with a blow on the other."

[Connie]

" ‘He goes down with me tomorrow, sir,’ said Squeers. ‘That’s his luggage that he is a sitting upon now. Each boy is required to bring, sir, two suits of clothes, six shirts, six pair of stockings, two nightcaps, two pocket-handkerchiefs, two pair of shoes, two hats, and a razor.’

‘A razor!’ exclaimed Mr. Snawley, as they walked into the next box. ‘What for?’

‘To shave with,’ replied Squeers, in a slow and measured tone.

There was not much in these three words, but there must have been something in the manner in which they were said, to attract attention; for the schoolmaster and his companion looked steadily at each other for a few seconds, and then exchanged a very meaning smile."

These young stepsons were being sent to school with the idea that they would never be returning home anytime before they were the age to shave, which could be years away. It was questionable whether they would even survive that long. Probably the uncaring stepfather would be happier if the boys didn't survive so he would not have to pay the school fees.

[Kelly]

Beth wrote: "I'm quite fond of Miss LaCreevy, with her yellow outfit and who presses a very reluctant Ralph into taking her pricing card. Dickens is so good at making vivid, minor characters. I was fond of Mrs...."

I was a bit surprised that Nicholas had neither job nor education?!

[Kelly]

Lee wrote: "Kelly wrote: "I read chapter two over a few meals today ..." AND "What does it mean that Mr Bonney's white hat "was so full of papers that it would scarcely stick upon his head"?
Do you not remembe..."

Ahhh Abe Lincoln's hat! Yes. Thank you for reminding me, Lee!

There is a children's book, Abe Lincoln's Hat (among others, I'm sure) that talks about this :-)

[Claudia]

Connie wrote: "" ‘He goes down with me tomorrow, sir,’ said Squeers. ‘That’s his luggage that he is a sitting upon now. Each boy is required to bring, sir, two suits of clothes, six shirts, six pair of stockings,..."

Good catch, Connie!

"A razor (...) What for?" (...) "To shave with,’ replied Squeers, in a slow and measured tone.

The "slow and measured tone" of a man who seems to be a paragon of duplicity is disturbing.

[Jenny]

I fell a bit behind so will post my thoughts on Chapter 3 now, and Chapter 4 later!

Is Miss La Creevy trying to hint something to Ralph here- " I who am AT PRESENT-hem- an unprotected female..."
This reminds me a bit of Mr and Mrs Bumble from Oliver Twist!

[Kathleen]

Fred Barnard’s drawing, which Jean posted above, was helpful. While reading, I didn’t understand that the “boxes” are booths - at least that’s the term generally used in the US today.

[Jim]

I’m intrigued by Dickens’ use of ridicule and irony as the means to attack the social injustices and hypocrisy of his day; and it’s revealing to compare his approach with those taken by his contemporaries.
Dickens understood that few if any readers would tolerate a soberly stated diatribe; and that portraying rascals like Snawley or Squeers as the outright villains that they were would quickly grow tiresome. Colorful caricature and ridicule, when skillfully done, is both memorable and effective while also providing entertainment (i.e. selling books) without reducing the sting.
Russian contemporaries, on the other hand, beginning with Gogol, generally applied a very dark, sardonic form of commentary to such matters; it’s a decidedly unfunny brand of humor, with a bitter taste and has even been emulated by modern Russians such as Solzhenitsyn.
Meanwhile, Dickens’ American contemporaries like Hawthorne, Thoreau etc. tended to “take the high road” and would have found it in very bad taste to poke fun at villainy.
With the foregoing in mind, it strikes me that Dickens probably outsmarted them all, considering that his levity helped his books to sell and yet his works have never failed to be taken seriously.