Dombey and Son

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Dombey and Son

Dealings with the Firm of Dombey and Son: Wholesale, Retail, and for Exportation

Dombey and Son was Dickens’s seventh novel, and was written in 1848. Martin Chuzzlewit precedes it, and David Copperfield follows it. Even though most people are not too familiar with Dombey and Son, this novel was well received by its readers, and is considered to be the first novel that reflects Dickens’s artistic maturity (Schlicke, 280).

The novel begins with the Dombey family, which is comprised of Fanny Dombey, her husband Paul Dombey, their little daughter Florence, and their newborn son Paul. Shortly after Paul’s birth, Fanny dies, and Mr. Dombey is forced to hire a nurse to take care of the children. Mr. Dombey sends little Paul to school so that he may be well educated and someday work at Dombey’s firm. Dombey does not view little Paul as a son or a loved one; rather, he views him exclusively as a business partner. While Dombey puts all of his energy into Paul, he neglects to love his daughter. She is of no value to him; therefore, he has no regard for her whatsoever. As a result of Dombey’s cold nature, Florence, and little Paul realize that they only have each other. The love between these two siblings is so great, and the bond they make is tight. Sadly, within the first 300 pages of the novel, little Paul becomes sick and dies. The rest of the story is focused on Mr. Dombey and his daughter. Florence constantly shows her father affection, but he constantly acts cold towards her. Dombey and Son explores relationships between business and private life, parent/child relationships, wealth and poverty, old and new, and male/female relationships.

Dombey and Son was serialized in nineteen monthly parts that ran from October 1846 through April 1848 in London's The Graphic magazine. It was illustrated by Hablot Browne, and was published in one volume on April 12, 1848 by Bradbury and Evans (Page, Companion, 149).

Dickens wrote Dombey and Son while residing in Switzerland and Paris. Supposedly, he was having trouble with Dombey during the first few stages, so he decided to relocate to Paris for some inspiration.

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