Barnaby Rudge (Everyman's Library CLASSICS)

by Charles Dickens (Author), Charles Dickens (Author), Charles Dickens (Author), Charles Dickens (Author), Peter Ackroyd (Introduction), George Cattermole And Hablot K. Browne ('phiz') (Designer)

• New

  Hardcover
  2005

  $21.59

  The first of Dickens's historical novels, Barnaby Rudge, written in 1841, is set at the time of the anti-Catholic riots of 1780, with the real Lord George Gordon, leader of the riots, appearing in the book. The characters are caught up in the resulting mob lawlessness which climaxes in the destruction of Newgate prison, an actual event brought to life in the novel. The plot turns on the relationship between Catholic Emma and Protestant Edward, further complicated by the earlier murder of Reuben Haredale, supposedly by Barnaby though actually by his evil father; but the real focus of the book, as so often in Dickens, is London itself. This is a nightmarishly vivid picture ofa capital city's subterranean life. In A Tale of Two CitiesDickens was to recapture his vision of the mob in all its moods, but he never surpassed the sense of pulsating energy and dangerevoked in thecrowd scenes of Barnaby Rudge. Nor did he often rival the touching relationship between Barnaby and his pet raven, Grip, who embodies the mystical powerof innocence. Although Barnaby Rudge is one of Dickens's lesser known novels, the bond between boy and bird makes it one of his most touching.

• Used

  Paperback
  1996

  $3.35

  Published in 1841 as part of MASTER HUMPHREY'S CLOCK,the journal founded by Dickens,BARNABY RUDGE is the earlier of Dickens's two historical novels(the other being A TALE OF TWO CITIES).It is set in the period of the Gordon anti-popery riotof 1780 and contains powerful evocations of mob violence,culminating in the sackof Newgate.The main story is a romantic one about the troubled love affair of Emma Haredale,whose father has been mysteriously murdered,and Edward Chester,sonof Sir John Chester,a villain who helps to instigate the riots.

• Used

  Hardcover
  1954

  $5.98

  A young man's innocent involvement in a revolt serves as the basis for Dickens's historical novel about the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780.

• New

  paperback
  

  $12.17

  Charles Dickens's Barnaby Rudge is a vivid portrait of London's descent into anarchy, where 'King Mob' rules the streets, and innocent lives are swept up in the chaos. This Penguin Classics edition is edited with an introduction and notes by John Bowen. Set against the backdrop of the Gordon Riots of 1780, Barnaby Rudge is a story of mystery and suspense which begins with an unsolved double murder and goes on to involve conspiracy, blackmail, abduction and retribution. Through the course of the novel fathers and sons become opposed, apprentices plot against their masters and Protestants clash with Catholics on the streets. And, as London erupts into riot, Barnaby Rudge himself struggles to escape the curse of his own past. With its dramatic descriptions of public violence and private horror, its strange secrets and ghostly doublings, Barnaby Rudge is a powerful, disturbing blend of historical realism and Gothic melodrama. This edition is based on the one-volume publication of Barnaby Rudge , reproducing all the original illustrations by 'Phiz' and George Cattermole. Appendices include a map of London at the time of the Gordon Riots and the preface to the 1868 edition. Charles Dickens is one of the best-loved novelists in the English language, whose 200th anniversary was celebrated in 2012. His most famous books, including Oliver Twist , Great Expectations , A Tale of Two Cities , David Copperfield and The Pickwick Papers , have been adapted for stage and screen and read by millions. If you enjoyed Barnaby Rudge , you might like Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities , also available in Penguin Classics . One of Dickens' most neglected, but most rewarding, novels. (Peter Ackroyd).