is arguably, as James R. Kincaid puts it, Dickens’s “funniest novel” (132). It is a work transitional between the loosely plotted comedy of
The Old Curiosity Shop(1840-1) and the more tightly plotted social criticism of
Dombey and Son(1846-8). It is built around the tale of the misanthropic and selfish Martin Chuzzlewit whose wealthy grandfather (of the same name) denies his suit to marry a young orphan he has adopted, Mary Graham, and who then ships for America as an architect for the Eden Land Corporation (a name which satirically conjoins paradise to capitalism), a fraudulent concern which ruins and nearly kills him, thus allowing him to return to England a sadder and wiser man, now worthy of Mary’s hand.
The novel was originally issued in monthly parts
4641 words
Citation: White, Adam. "Martin Chuzzlewit". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 29 August 2013 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=3719, accessed 26 April 2024.]
