Master Humphrey's Clock

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 271K words
Chapters: 28

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Master Humphrey's Clock by Charles DickensAuthor: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 1996

Editor's review

Master Humphrey's Clock is a work by Charles Dickens, first serialized in periodical form and later published as a collection; Project Gutenberg now offers a free electronic edition. Framed around the old gentleman Mr. Humphrey and his friends telling stories by the fireside, the book links together multiple narratives, including early serialized portions of what later became the standalone novel The Old Curiosity Shop. It is an important text for understanding the structure and publication methods of Dickens's middle period. Its value lies not only in the stories themselves but in showing the form of Victorian serial literature: narrators, listeners, and stories nest layer upon layer, and readers can sense how Dickens managed a periodical and shaped reader expectations. For Dickens enthusiasts and students of English literature, it fills a gap in the complete works; for general readers, it can be browsed as a collection of short stories. The electronic edition is in the original English and is fairly long, so reading it in sections according to the frame structure is advised.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Loyal readers who want to complete their knowledge of Dickens's works
Students of English literature studying Victorian serial literature
Classic literature lovers who enjoy frame narratives and short story collections
Readers with experience reading English originals who are willing to read a long work slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers who only want the complete standalone edition of The Old Curiosity Shop and not the frame sections
Beginners with limited English reading experience who may be put off by a long serial structure
Readers who expect a strong single-plot narrative and lack patience for nested stories

Reading tips

Learn about the book's periodical serialization background before starting the text; this makes the structure easier to grasp.
Read section by section through each story unit within the frame; there is no need to force yourself to read it all in one sitting.
When you reach the parts related to The Old Curiosity Shop, compare them with the standalone edition to see the differences.
Take notes on the relationship between narrators and stories to avoid confusion over plot threads.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and The Old Curiosity Shop?

Master Humphrey's Clock is a serial publication Dickens edited and wrote for, framed by stories told by Mr. Humphrey and others; The Old Curiosity Shop was first serialized within this frame. The two are related in content, but this book is not the same as the standalone edition of The Old Curiosity Shop.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to Dickens?

It is not really recommended as a first Dickens. The structure is loose, with stories linked by a frame, and it is better suited to readers who have already read his major works and want to understand his middle-period form. For an introduction, start with works with more concentrated plots.

Any advice for reading the electronic edition?

This book is long and in the original English. Use a reader that lets you adjust font size and add bookmarks, and break your progress down by story unit. Use a dictionary for Victorian expressions; there is no need to struggle over every word.

Comments

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About the author

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 Author

Charles Dickens (Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870) is one of the most influential novelists in the history of English literature. The library holds 115 of his works, including novels, novellas and short stories; representative titles include The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. He was known for serialized fiction, with plot twists and vivid characters, and he used humor and satire to portray Victorian society, paying particular attention to poor children, the lower classes and education, and his works often convey warmth and moral concern. In the library his works are often classified under "inspirational growth," and many of his novels have been adapted for stage and screen and are widely circulated. Public information about the details of his life is limited, so no speculation is offered here.