Through the Shadowlands . . . and back again

Dickens' Wit

A passage from Our Mutual Friend offers a succinct look into the sheer genius of Charles Dickens:

Mr. Podsnap was well to do, and stood very high in Mr. Podsnap's opinion. Beginning with a good inheritance, he had married a good inheritance, and had thriven exceedingly in the Marine Insurance way, and was quite satisfied. He never could make out why everybody was not quite satisfied, and he felt conscious that he set a brilliant social example in being particularly well satisfied with most things, and, above all other things, with himself.

Thus happily acquainted with his own merit and importance, Mr. Podsnap settled that whatever he put behind him he put out of existence. There was a dignified conclusiveness -- not to add a grand convenience -- in this way of getting rid of disagreeables which had done much towards establishing Mr. Podsnap in his lofty place in Mr. Podsnap's satisfaction. . . .

Mr. Podsnap's world was not a very large world, morally; no, nor even geographically: seeing that lathough his business was sustained upon commerce with other countries, he considered other countries, with that important reservation, a mistake, and of their manners and customs would conclusively observe, "Not English!" when, Presto! with a flourish of the arm, and a flush of the face, they were swept away.

posted by shadowlands7 @ 12:10:00 PM