The Diary of a Nobody (Paperback)

George Grossmith

ISBN 10: 1853262013 / ISBN 13: 9781853262012

Edité par Wordsworth Editions Ltd, Herts, 1994

A propos de cet article

Paperback. 'The Diary of a Nobody' is based on a series of amusing columns written between 1888-9 for Punch, and published as a novel in 1892 with illustrations by Weedon. The book has remained in print ever since that first publication. The diary is that of Mr Charles Pooter, a city clerk of lower middle-class status but significant social aspirations, living in Upper Holloway. Other characters include his wife Carrie (Caroline), his son Lupin, his friends Mr Cummings and Mr Gowing, and Lupin's unsuitable fiancee, Daisy Mutlar. The humour derives from Pooter's unconscious gaffes and self-importance, as well as the snubs he receives from those he considers socially inferior (i.e. tradesmen). The book has spawned the word "Pooterish" to describe a tendency to take oneself excessively seriously. Pooter is mentioned in John Betjeman's poem about Wembley. AUTHORS: George started his career as a court reporter for The Times, Weedon as an artist. They both later became actors. George created many famous baritone roles in the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan at the Savoy theatre. George retired in 1900 and died in Folkestone in 1912. Weedon retired in 1917 and died in London in 1919. The diary is that of someone who acknowledges that he is not a "somebody" - Charles Pooter, a clerk in the city of London, chronicles with often hilarious detail the everyday life of the lower middle classes during the great Victorian Age. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.

N° de réf. du vendeur 9781853262012

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: The Diary of a Nobody (Paperback)
• Éditeur: Wordsworth Editions Ltd, Herts
• Date de parution: 1994
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 1853262013
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9781853262012
• Reliure: Paperback
• État de l'article: new

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

With an Introduction and Notes by Michael Irwin, Professor of English Literature, University of Kent at Canterbury.

The Diary of a Nobody is so unassuming a work that even its author, George Grossmith, seemed unaware that he had produced a masterpiece. For more than a century this wonderfully comic portrayal of suburban life and values has remained in print, a source of delight to generations of readers, and a major literary influence, much imitated but never equalled.

If you don't recognise yourself at some point in The Diary you are probably less than human. If you can read it without laughing aloud you have no sense of humour.

Quatrième de couverture

'Pooter fits into a tradition of absurd humour that the British do so well, from Jonathan Swift through to Edward Lear and Monty Python' Time Out

Mr Charles Pooter is a respectable man. He has just moved into a very desirable home in Holloway with his dear wife Carrie, from where he commutes to his job of valued clerk at a reputable bank in the City. Unfortunately neither his friends Mr Cummings and Mr Gowing, nor the butcher or the greengrocer's boy seem to recognise Mr Pooter's innate gentility, and his disappointing son Lupin has gone and got himself involved with a most unsuitable fiancee...

George and Weedon Grossmith's comic novel, perfectly illustrated by Weedon, is a glorious, affectionate caricature of the English middle-class at the end of nineteenth century.

See also: Three Men in a Boat