The Old Curiosity Shop
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The Old Curiosity Shop is a novel by the author Charles Dickens. The plot follows the life of Little Nell and her grandfather, both residents of The Old Curiosity Shop.
The Old Curiosity Shop (along with Barnaby Rudge) was one of two novels which Dickens published in his short-lived weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock, which lasted from 1840 to 1841, when Barnaby Rudge was published. The Old Curiosity Shop was printed as a separate book in 1841.
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Plot introduction
The book was extremely popular when first written but is now one of Dickens's least read stories. This is unfortunate as it is one of his funniest and most entertaining. Its fall from favour is largely due to the novel's alleged sentimentality. Oscar Wilde reflected the views of many critics when he said 'One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing.'
Like all of Dickens's novels, the book is full of wonderful characters. Mrs. Jarley, the owner of a travelling waxworks, Quilp the dwarf and Dick Swiveller especially stand out. Little Nell and her grandfather's travels through the blasted, industrial backgrounds of Victorian England are also powerfully descriptive.
Plot summary
The Old Curiosity Shop tells the story of little Nell, a beautiful and virtuous young girl who lives with her grandfather in his shop of curiosities. Her grandfather loves her dearly, and Nell does not complain, but she lives a lonely existence without friends of her own age. Her only friend is Kit, an honest young lad who works at the shop, and whom she is teaching to write. Unbeknowst to Nell, her grandfather is obsessed with their precarious financial position and is attempting to make Nell a good inheritance by winning at cards. He keeps these nocturnal activities a secret, but borrows heavily from the evil Quilp, a dwarf, in order to raise new capital. In the end, he gambles away what little money they own, and Quilp seizes the opportunity to take possession of the shop and make Nell's and her grandfather's lives a misery. Indeed, her grandfather suffers a breakdown, which leaves him bereft of his wits. Courageously, Nell decides to escape Quilp, and she and her grandfather run away to the country to live as beggars.
However, a further plot is afoot against Nell. Convinced that the old man has stored up a fortune for Nell, her wastrel brother convinces the good natured but easily led Richard Swiveller to help him track Nell down so that Swiveller can marry her and the two can share Nell's supposed inheritance. To this end they join forces with Quilp, who knows full well that there is no fortune, but sadistically chooses to 'help' in order to enjoy the misery it will inflict on all concerned. Quilp begins to try and track Nell down, but the fugitives are not easily discovered. Having fallen in with a number of characters, some villainous and some kind, Nell succeeds in leading her grandfather to safe haven in a far off village. But this has come at a considerable cost to Nell's health.
Meanwhile, Kit who lost his job at the curiosity shop has found new employment with the kind Mr and Mrs Garland. Here he is contacted by the mysterious 'single gentleman' looking for news of Nell and her grandfather. The two go after them unsucessfully, and encounter Quilp who is also hunting for the runaways. Quilp forms a grudge against Kit and has him framed as a thief. Kit is sentenced to transportation. His redemption comes from an unlikely source, as Richard Swiveller helps to prove Kit's innocence. Quilp is hunted down and dies trying to escape his pursuers. At the same time a coincidence leads Mr Garland to a knowledge of Nell's whereabouts, and he, Kit, and the 'single gentleman' (who turns out to be the younger brother of Nell's grandfather) go to find her. Sadly, by the time they arrive, Nell has died as a result of her arduous journey.
Characters in "The Old Curiosity Shop"
Major characters
- Little Nell
- Nell's grandfather
- Kit Nubbles
- Quilp
- Dick Swiveller
Other characters
- Sampson Brass
- Sally Brass
- Mrs Jarley
- The single gentleman
- Mr Garland
- The Marchioness
Literary significance & criticism
Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science
The shop itself is to be found in Portsmouth Street London.
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
Release details
Major editions
- 1840 – 1841, UK, Chapman and Hall, Pub date (88 weekly parts) April 1840 to November 1841, Serial as part of Master Humphreys' Clock
- 1841, UK, Chapman and Hall (ISBN not used), Pub date ? ? 1841, Hardback (first edition)
- 1995, USA, Everymans Library ISBN 0460876007, Pub date ? ? 1995, Paperback
- 1997, UK, Clarendon Press ISBN 0198124937, Pub date 13 November 1997, Hardback
- 2001, UK, Penguin Books Ltd ISBN 0140437428, Pub date 25 January 2001, Paperback (Penguin Classic)
External links
Template:Wikisource Online editions
- Template:Gutenberg
- The Old Curiosity Shop – complete book in HTML one page for each chapter.
- The Old Curiosity Shop - Searchable HTML version.
- The Old Curiosity Shop - Easy to read HTML version.tr:Antikacı Dükkanı (kitap)