Pendennis (Thackeray, 1850)

Thackeray, William Makepeace. Pendennis. Pub. 1850. Ed. John Sutherland. Oxford: World's Classics, 1999.

Transpose notes from 1875 ed to Sutherland

General Notes

• interesting how much class makes a difference in development between pen and david
• also Thackeray isn't interested in childhood at all whereas for Dickens it's central to the first third of the book - pen is 16 when we start
• also difference in character: P is a rascal where D is just undisciplined
• 1850 preface interesting for acknowledgement of serialization pressures
• 13 young Arthur's idolization of his mother like Copperfield - though Mrs P seems more deserving of the "angel" title
  • but her "idol worship" of his father and uncle cause problems - 14
• 14 "He had not got beyond the theory yet...prison-house"
• 56 really funny - Pen effuses while Ms F thinks about household chores
• 65 satirizing the "jolly old times" of travel by mail coach
• 72 the structure is charmingly haphazard, almost metonymic - Mrs P mentions knowing the danger of premature engagements and this sets up a Ch VII, which gives little Laura's background (interrupting and building suspense for the resolution of Pen's engagement)
• 103 the Major craftily convinces Costigan Pen has no money (which is true - 120)

Theme Tracking

Reading and Writing

• 14 "He never read to improve himself out of school-hours, but, on the contrary, devoured all the novels, plays, and poetry on which he could lay his hands."
• 24 first writing - poetry in County Chronicle
• 26 Mr Smirke his tutor gives Pen an Elzevir Horace
• 68 Pen's "imaginative phrensy" with verse in his head and paper steven on his bed
• 84 the major encourages Pen to read in Debrett's every day
• 113 Emily rather indifferently parcels up Pen's letters when she decides it's over
• 134 the book club

Materiality

• 2 material description of the Major's correspondence and his "Hot newspaper"

Shakespeare References

• 24 "he read Shakespeare to his mother (which she said she liked, but didn't)"
• 33 Foker "Mrs Dropsicum, Bingley's mother in law, Great in Macbeth"
• 48 Ms Fotheringay prepping to be Ophelia when she and Pen meet, then P quizzes her on Hamlet and Kotzebue
• 55 Pen's fathers love of the bard, though he didn't much read the works
• 58 "He [Smirke] and Mrs. Pendennis brought books of Hamlet with them to follow the tragedy, as is the custom of honest country-folks who go to a playbin state."