Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
72 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 4 years ago - ★★★★ - 11 ratingsOriginally published in monthly installments between 1855 and 1857, the novel focuses on the various forms of imprisonment, both physical and psychological, while also concentrating on dysfunctional family ties. Accordingly, Dickens avidly criticizes the social deficiencies of the time including injustice, social hypocrisy, the austerity of the Marshalsea debtors’ prison, and bureaucratic inefficiency.
The novel kicks off with the introduction of William Dorrit, the oldest prisoner in the Marshalsea prison, who is also referred to as The Father of the Marshalsea. His imprisonment is owed to poor business decisions, which have secured him a place in the debtors’ prison in London. Here he shares accommodation with his wife and children Fanny and Tip, and later the Dorrits welcome their second daughter Amy, who is born inside the prison and is incidentally the Dorrit of the title. The eponymous Little Dorrit grows to become a meek and benevolent young woman who despite her poor financial state, unselfishly takes care of her whole family without the slightest complaint. At the same time the novel welcomes Arthur Clennam, a somewhat idle man in his forties, who has just returned to London following his father’s death after years abroad on family business. Returning to see his mother, a cold and bitter woman, Arthur intends to discuss some details concerning their family business. Troubled by his family’s past, Arthur is determined to uncover the truth behind their fortune. Later, he becomes acquainted with Amy Dorrit, and a special friendship develops between the two, as Arthur sees it as his duty to take the young woman under his protection and unravel the mysterious past surrounding both their families. Consequently, the novel observes the mysterious intertwinement between the two families, as their carefully kept secrets slowly come to light.
Nevertheless, Little Dorrit offers a colorful set of characters, a gripping central plot, and several subplots which essentially bring about the notion of redemption. Moreover, it serves as a vivid example to support the idea that anyone is able to reverse their fortune and bring down the invisible walls that seem to confine one to their self-condemned imprisonment. A classic tale depicting Victorian England with its bleak shortcomings and enduring hope, Little Dorrit enthralls with its convoluted relationships, twists and a plethora of characters and subplots, which essentially makes the lengthy novel a pleasure to devour.
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Episodes
00 – Book 1, 1857 Edition Preface
January 02, 2024 00:00 - 4 minutes - 1.91 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
01 – Book 1, Chapter 1 – Sun and Shadow
January 01, 2024 00:00 - 37 minutes - 16.2 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
02 – Book 1, Chapter 2 – Fellow Travellers
December 31, 2023 00:00 - 34 minutes - 15.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
03 – Book 1, Chapter 3 – Home
December 30, 2023 00:00 - 36 minutes - 16.2 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
04 – Book 1, Chapter 4 – Mrs Flintwinch has a Dream
December 29, 2023 00:00 - 8 minutes - 3.81 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
05 – Book 1, Chapter 5 – Family Affairs
December 28, 2023 00:00 - 31 minutes - 13.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
06 – Book 1, Chapter 6 – The Father of the Marshalsea
December 27, 2023 00:00 - 28 minutes - 12.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
07 – Book 1, Chapter 7 – The Child of the Marshalsea
December 26, 2023 00:00 - 28 minutes - 12.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
08 – Book 1, Chapter 8 – The Lock
December 25, 2023 00:00 - 29 minutes - 13.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
09 – Book 1, Chapter 9 – Little Mother
December 24, 2023 00:00 - 35 minutes - 16.2 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
10 – Book 1, Chapter 10 – Containing the Whole Science of Government
December 23, 2023 00:00 - 53 minutes - 23.8 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
11 – Book 1, Chapter 11 – Let Loose
December 22, 2023 00:00 - 27 minutes - 12.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
12 – Book 1, Chapter 12 – Bleeding Heart Yard
December 21, 2023 00:00 - 24 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
13 – Book 1, Chapter 13 – Patriarchal
December 20, 2023 00:00 - 56 seconds - 27.7 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
14 – Book 1, Chapter 14 – Little Dorrit’s Party
December 19, 2023 00:00 - 31 minutes - 14.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
15 – Book 1, Chapter 15 – Mrs Flintwinch has another Dream
December 18, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
16 – Book 1, Chapter 16 – Nobody’s Weakness
December 17, 2023 00:00 - 36 minutes - 16.2 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
17 – Book 1, Chapter 17 – Nobody’s Rival
December 16, 2023 00:00 - 24 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
18 – Book 1, Chapter 18 – Little Dorrit’s Lover
December 15, 2023 00:00 - 27 minutes - 11.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
19 – Book 1, Chapter 19 – The Father of the Marshalsea in two or three Relations
December 14, 2023 00:00 - 32 minutes - 14.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
20 – Book 1, Chapter 20 – Moving in Society
December 13, 2023 00:00 - 36 minutes - 16.2 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
21 – Book 1, Chapter 21 – Mr Merdle’s Complaint
December 12, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
22 – Book 1, Chapter 22 – A Puzzle
December 11, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
23 – Book 1, Chapter 23 – Machinery in Motion
December 10, 2023 00:00 - 41 minutes - 19.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
24 – Book 1, Chapter 24 – Fortune-Telling
December 09, 2023 00:00 - 41 minutes - 18.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
25 – Book 1, Chapter 25 – Conspirators and Others
December 08, 2023 00:00 - 26 minutes - 11.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
26 – Book 1, Chapter 26 – Nobody’s State of Mind
December 07, 2023 00:00 - 34 minutes - 15.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
27 – Book 1, Chapter 27 – Five-and-Twenty
December 06, 2023 00:00 - 32 minutes - 14.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
28 – Book 1, Chapter 28 – Nobody’s Disappearance
December 05, 2023 00:00 - 19 minutes - 8.58 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
29 – Book 1, Chapter 29 – Mrs Flintwinch Goes On Dreaming
December 04, 2023 00:00 - 20 minutes - 8.58 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
30 – Book 1, Chapter 30 – The Word of a Gentleman
December 03, 2023 00:00 - 42 minutes - 19.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
31 – Book 1, Chapter 31 – Spirit
December 02, 2023 00:00 - 41 minutes - 18.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
32 – Book 1, Chapter 32 – More Fortune-Telling
December 01, 2023 00:00 - 23 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
33 – Book 1, Chapter 33 – Mrs Merdle’s Complaint
November 30, 2023 00:00 - 25 minutes - 11.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
34 – Book 1, Chapter 34 – A Shoal of Barnacles
November 29, 2023 00:00 - 24 minutes - 10.5 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
35 – Book 1, Chapter 35 – What was behind Mr Pancks on Little Dorrit’s Hand
November 28, 2023 00:00 - 33 minutes - 15.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
36 – Book 1, Chapter 36 – The Marshalsea becomes an Orphan
November 27, 2023 00:00 - 19 minutes - 8.58 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
37 – Book 2, Chapter 1 – Fellow Travellers
November 26, 2023 00:00 - 40 minutes - 18.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
38 – Book 2, Chapter 2 – Mrs General
November 25, 2023 00:00 - 12 minutes - 4.77 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
39 – Book 2, Chapter 3 – On the Road
November 24, 2023 00:00 - 42 minutes - 19.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
40 – Book 2, Chapter 4 – A Letter from Little Dorrit
November 23, 2023 00:00 - 9 minutes - 3.81 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
41 – Book 2, Chapter 5 – Something Wrong Somewhere
November 22, 2023 00:00 - 42 minutes - 19.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
42 – Book 2, Chapter 6 – Something Right Somewhere
November 21, 2023 00:00 - 40 minutes - 18.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
43 – Book 2, Chapter 7 – Mostly, Prunes and Prism
November 20, 2023 00:00 - 29 minutes - 13.4 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
44 – Book 2, Chapter 8 – The Dowager Mrs Gowan is reminded that ‘It Never Does’
November 19, 2023 00:00 - 31 minutes - 14.3 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
45 – Book 2, Chapter 9 – Appearance and Disappearance
November 18, 2023 00:00 - 39 minutes - 17.2 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
46 – Book 2, Chapter 10 – The Dreams of Mrs Flintwinch thicken
November 17, 2023 00:00 - 20 minutes - 8.58 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
47 – Book 2, Chapter 11 – A Letter from Little Dorrit
November 16, 2023 00:00 - 15 minutes - 6.68 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
48 – Book 2, Chapter 12 – In which a Great Patriotic Conference is holden
November 15, 2023 00:00 - 40 minutes - 18.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com
49 – Book 2, Chapter 13 – The Progress of an Epidemic
November 14, 2023 00:00 - 40 minutes - 18.1 MBMore great books at LoyalBooks.com