Our Mutual Friend
Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens, published by Penguin Publishing Group in February 1998, is a significant work that showcases Dickens’s last complete novel. This edition, part of the Penguin Classics series, spans 928 pages and presents a satirical exploration of Victorian society through the lens of an inheritance tied to Old Harmon’s profitable dust heaps. The narrative follows young John Harmon, who is presumed drowned, and the kindly dustman Mr. Boffin, who becomes the unexpected beneficiary of the fortune. Dickens’s portrayal of a dark, macabre London is filled with a diverse cast of characters, each reflecting the complexities of life in a city shaped by the Thames and the influence of wealth.
Readers will find a richly symbolic narrative that delves into themes of death and renewal, as well as the corrupting power of money. The novel features a variety of characters, including Gaffer Hexam, Bella Wilfer, the Veneerings, and Silas Wegg, each contributing to the intricate tapestry of Victorian life. This edition includes the text of the first volume from 1865, original illustrations, a chronology, and revised further reading, enhancing the reader’s understanding of Dickens’s work.
Official synopsis Publisher
Charles Dickens’s last complete novel and a glorious satire spanning all levels of Victorian society
Our Mutual Friend centres on an inheritance – Old Harmon’s profitable dust heaps – and its legatees, young John Harmon, presumed drowned when a body is pulled out of the River Thames, and kindly dustman Mr Boffin, to whom the fortune defaults. With brilliant satire, Dickens portrays a dark, macabre London, inhabited by such disparate characters as Gaffer Hexam, scavenging the river for corpses; enchanting, mercenary Bella Wilfer; the social-climbing Veneerings; and the unscrupulous street-trader Silas Wegg. The novel is richly symbolic in its vision of death and renewal in a city dominated by the fetid Thames, and the corrupting power of money. Our Mutual Friend uses text of the first volume edition of 1865 and includes original illustrations, a chronology and revised further reading. As Adrian Poole writes in his introduction to this new edition, ‘In its vast scope and perilous ambitions it has much in common with Bleak House and Little Dorrit, but its manner is more stealthy, on edge, enigmatic.’
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
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