The Life of Charles Dickens as Revealed in His Writings, Volume 1 |
Common terms and phrases
Abbey admirable amiable amusing Barnaby Rudge Bleak House Boz's Broadstairs Bull called Canterbury Cathedral chalk character Charles Dickens charm Chatham Chatham Dockyard Christmas church clock Cloisterham Condette Copperfield curious Dean delightful described Dickens's dinner door doubt Dover Edmund Yates Edwin Drood eyes Falstaff fancy feelings festival Folkestone Forster Furnival's Inn Gadshill genial Hall Hardelot heart High Street horse humorous interesting Kent Kentish knew lady light Little Dorrit lived London look memory miles Mitton morning never night novel once passage passed Pavilionstone Hotel person Pickwick Pickwickian picture picturesque pleasant poor travellers recall recognise river road Rochester Rochester Cathedral round Satis House scene seemed sketch sort stone story strange thing thought tion told touch town Tupman turn twinkle walk watering-place Wilkie Collins window wonderful write written wrote young
Popular passages
Page iii - Biron they call him ; but a merrier man, Within the limit of becoming mirth, I never spent an hour's talk withal : His eye begets occasion for his wit ; For every object that the one doth catch The other turns to a mirth-moving jest...
Page 45 - Amidst the swains to show my book-learned skill, Around my fire an evening group to draw, And tell of all I felt and all I saw; And, as a hare, whom hounds and horns pursue, Pants to the place from whence at first she flew — I still had hopes — my long vexations past, Here to return, and die at home at last.
Page 10 - I cannot call to mind, now, how I came to hear about Yorkshire schools when I was a not very robust child, sitting in by-places, near Rochester Castle, with a head full of PARTRIDGE, STRAP, TOM PIPES, and SANCHO PANZA...
Page 249 - As a so eminently respectable man, Mr. Podsnap was sensible of its being required of him to take Providence under his . protection. Consequently he always knew exactly what Providence meant. Inferior and less respectable men might fall short of that mark, but Mr. Podsnap was always up to it. And it was very remarkable (and must have been very comfortable) that what Providence meant was invariably what Mr. Podsnap meant.
Page 116 - On the edge of the river I could faintly make out the only two black things in all the prospect that seemed to be standing upright ; one of these was the beacon by which the sailors steered — like an unhooped cask upon a pole — an ugly thing when you were near it ; the other a gibbet, with some chains hanging to it which had once held a pirate.
Page 42 - On the left of the spectator lay the ruined wall, broken in many places, and in some, overhanging the narrow beach below in rude and heavy masses. Huge knots of sea-weed hung upon the jagged and pointed stones, trembling in every breath of wind ; and the green ivy clung mournfully round the dark and ruined battlements.
Page 42 - Bright and pleasant was the sky, balmy the air, and beautiful the appearance of every object around, as Mr. Pickwick leaned over the balustrades of Rochester Bridge, contemplating nature, and waiting for breakfast. The scene was indeed one which might well have charmed a far less reflective mind, than that to which it was presented. On the left of the spectator lay the ruined wall, broken in many places, and in some...
Page 100 - I have my eye upon a piece of Kentish road, bordered on either side by a wood, and having on one hand, between the road-dust and the trees, a skirting patch of grass. Wild flowers grow in abundance on this spot, and it lies high and airy, with a distant river stealing steadily away to the ocean, like a man's life.
Page 137 - Seven miles out are the Goodwin Sands !(you've heard of the Goodwin Sands?) whence floating lights perpetually wink after dark, as if they were carrying on intrigues with the servants. Also there is a big lighthouse called the North Foreland on a hill behind the village, a severe parsonic light, which reproves the young and giddy floaters, and stares grimly out upon the sea.
Page 243 - Tell Catherine that I have the most prodigious, overwhelming, crushing, astounding, blinding, deafening, pulverizing, scarifying secret, of which Forster is the hero, imaginable, by the whole efforts of the whole British population. It is a thing of the kind that, after I knew it (from himself) this morning, I lay down flat as if an engine and tender had fallen upon me.