The Cricket on the Hearth (Fall River Press Edition)

By Charles Dickens

In 1846 Charles Dickens celebrated the comforts of home and hearth in his beloved story The Cricket on the Hearth. Now you can enjoy the same good fortune symbolized by Dickens’s cheerful chirping cricket with this charming gift set, perfect for giving good luck to friends and family, or inviting it into your own home.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fall River Press
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781435136953

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and social critic. Regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era, Dickens had a prolific collection of works including fifteen novels, five novellas, and hundreds of short stories and articles. The term “cliffhanger endings” was created because of his practice of ending his serial short stories with drama and suspense. Dickens’ political and social beliefs heavily shaped his literary work. He argued against capitalist beliefs, and advocated for children’s rights, education, and other social reforms. Dickens advocacy for such causes is apparent in his empathetic portrayal of lower classes in his famous works, such as The Christmas Carol and Hard Times.

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9781435136953_1_0002_0019781435136953_1_0003_0019781435136953_1_0003_002

CHARLES DICKENS

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This 2010 edition published by Fall River Press.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without prior written permission from the publisher.

This book is part of The Cricket on the Hearth kit

and is not to be sold separately.

Cover art by Nate Pride

Book design by Maria Mann

Fall River Press

122 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

ISBN: 978-1-4351-3695-3

Sterling ISBN 13: 978-1-4351-3695-3

TO

LORD JEFFREY

This little book is inscribed, with

the affection and attachment of his friend,

THE AUTHOR

December, 1845

CONTENTS

List of Illustrations

Introduction

Chirp the First

Chirp the Second

Chirp the Third

co

ILLUSTRATIONS

FRONTISPIECE

D. Maclise, R.A.

TITLE

D. Maclise, R.A.

CHIRP THE FIRST

R. Doyle

THE CARRIER’S CART

C. Stansfield, R.A.

JOHN’S ARRIVAL

J. Leech

JOHN AND DOT

J. Leech

CHIRP THE SECOND

R. Doyle

CALEB AT WORK

J. Leech

BOXER

E. Landseer, R.A.

TILLY SLOWBOY

J. Leech

MRS. FIELDING’S LECTURE

J. Leech

CHIRP THE THIRD

R. Doyle

JOHN’S REVERIE

J. Leech

THE DANCE

J. Leech

co

INTRODUCTION

ONE OF CHARLES DICKENS’S BEST-KNOWN SHORTER works, The Cricket on the Hearth was first published in December of 1845, the third of five Christmas books Dickens wrote between 1843 and 1848. But Dickens had not originally planned it that way.

In 1845, Dickens conceived the idea of a weekly magazine to be entitled The Cricket, whose contents (as he wrote to his friend John Forster) would have a vein of glowing, hearty, generous, mirthful beaming reference in everything to Home, and Fireside. Though Dickens was soon sidetracked by other projects, the cricket resurfaced later that year when plans were set in motion for a new Christmas book in which a cricket would feature as a little household god—silent in the wrong and sorrow of the tale, and loud again when all went well and happy. It was printed in an edition illustrated generously by five artists and quickly became Dickens’s bestselling Christmas book.

Its Christmas release date notwithstanding, The Cricket on the Hearth only vaguely references the holiday season—which is, perhaps, how it should be. Through his Christmas books, Dickens hoped to encourage readers to express the sentiments we associate with Christmas—generosity, charity, compassion for others, and general jolliness—all the year round. How Dickens came to choose a cricket as the symbol of that spirit can be surmised from the epigraph he hoped to run beneath the title of his magazine: A cheerful creature who chirrups on the Hearth. Dickens attributed that line to the classical text Natural History, by Pliny the Elder. Pliny was the first of many writers with whom Dickens would have been familiar who describe in their writings the good luck brought by crickets. (Small wonder that the cranky toymaker Tackleton, who likes to scrunch crickets, is the least lucky character in Dickens’s tale.)

Regardless of how crickets were depicted in popular legend up to the nineteenth century, the success of Dickens’s A Cricket on the Hearth ensured that they would be seen as representatives of good luck thereafter. For more than a century and a half, readers of this ageless classic have come to appreciate the sentiment of its heroine’s cheerful reflection that, to have a Cricket on the Hearth, is the luckiest thing in all the world!

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CHIRP THE FIRST

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The Kettle began it! Don’t tell me what Mrs. Peerybingle said. I know better. Mrs. Peerybingle may leave it on record to the end of time that she couldn’t say which began it; but, I say the Kettle did. I ought to know, I hope? The Kettle began it, full five minutes by the little waxy-faced Dutch clock in the corner before the Cricket uttered a chirp.

As if the clock hadn’t finished striking, and the convulsive little Haymaker at the top of it, jerking away right and left with a scythe in front of a Moorish Palace, hadn’t mowed down half an acre of imaginary grass before the Cricket joined in at all!

Why, I am not naturally positive. Every one knows that. I wouldn’t set my own opinion against the opinion of Mrs. Peerybingle, unless I were quite sure, on any account whatever. Nothing should induce me. But this is a question of act. And the fact is, that the Kettle began it, at least five minutes before the Cricket gave any sign of being in existence. Contradict me: and I’ll say ten.

Let me narrate exactly how it happened. I should have proceeded to do so, in my very first word, but for this plain consideration—if I am to tell a story I must begin at the beginning; and how is it possible to begin at the beginning, without beginning at the Kettle?

It appeared as if there were a sort of match, or trial of skill, you must understand, between the Kettle and the Cricket. And this is what led to it, and how it came about.

Mrs. Peerybingle going out into the raw twilight, and clicking over the wet stones in a pair of pattens that worked innumerable rough impressions of the first proposition in Euclid all about the yard—Mrs. Peerybingle filled the Kettle at the water butt. Presently returning, less the pattens: and a good deal less, for they were tall and Mrs. Peerybingle was but short: she set the Kettle on the fire. In doing which she lost her temper, or mislaid it for an instant; for, the water—being uncomfortably cold, and in that slippy, slushy, sleety sort of state wherein it seems to penetrate through every kind of substance, patten rings included—had laid hold of Mrs. Peerybingle’s toes, and even splashed her legs. And when we rather plume ourselves (with reason too) upon our legs, and keep ourselves particularly neat in point of stockings, we find this, for the moment, hard to bear.

Besides, the Kettle was aggravating and obstinate. It wouldn’t allow itself to be adjusted on the top bar; it wouldn’t hear of accommodating itself kindly to the knobs of coal; it would lean forward with a drunken air, and dribble, a very Idiot of a Kettle, on the hearth. It was quarrelsome; and hissed and spluttered morosely at the fire. To sum up all, the lid, resisting Mrs. Peerybingle’s fingers, first of all turned topsy-turvy, and then, with an ingenious pertinacity deserving of a better cause, dived sideways in—down to the very bottom of the Kettle. And the hull of the Royal George has never made half the monstrous resistance to coming out of the water, which the lid of that Kettle employed against Mrs. Peerybingle, before she got it up again.

It looked sullen and pig-headed enough, even then; carrying its handle with an air of defiance, and cocking its spout pertly and mockingly at Mrs. Peerybingle, as if it said, I won’t boil. Nothing shall induce me!

But Mrs. Peerybingle, with restored good humour, dusted her chubby little hands against each other, and sat down before the Kettle: laughing. Meantime, the jolly blaze uprose and fell, flashing and gleaming on the little Haymaker at the top of the Dutch clock, until one might have thought he stood stock still before the Moorish Palace, and nothing was in motion but the flame.

He was on the move, however; and had his spasms, two to the second, all right and regular. But, his sufferings when the clock was going to strike, were frightful to behold; and, when a Cuckoo looked out of a trap-door in the Palace, and gave note six times, it shook him, each time, like a spectral voice—or like a something wiry, plucking at his legs.

It was not until a violent commotion and a whirring noise among the weights and ropes below him had quite subsided, that this terrified Haymaker became himself again. Nor was he startled without reason; for these rattling, bony skeletons of clocks are very disconcerting in their operation, and I wonder very much how any set of men, but most of all how Dutchmen, can have had a liking to invent them. There is a popular belief that Dutchmen love broad cases and much clothing for their own lower selves; and they might know better than to leave their clocks so very lank and unprotected, surely.

Now it was, you observe, that the Kettle began to spend the evening. Now it was, that the Kettle, growing mellow and musical, began to have irrepressible gurglings in its throat, and to indulge in short vocal snorts, which it checked in the bud, as if it hadn’t quite made up its mind yet, to be good company. Now it was, that after two or three such vain attempts to stifle its convivial sentiments, it threw off all moroseness, all reserve, and burst into a stream of song so cosy and hilarious, as never maudlin nightingale yet formed the least idea of. So plain, too! Bless you, you might have understood it like a book—better than some books you and I could name, perhaps. With its warm breath gushing forth in a light cloud which merrily and gracefully ascended a few feet, then hung about the

Reviews for The Cricket on the Hearth (Fall River Press Edition)

[nadinec.keels · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When all is well in John and Dot Peerybingle's happy home, the cricket chirps away. When something's amiss, the cricket goes silent. Now this sudden silence in the Peerybingles' lives signals a staggering turn of events coming to them and to a few of their neighbors in The Cricket on the Hearth by author Charles Dickens.Well! I realize this classic novella has been treated as a Christmas tale since its original publication. While the story itself doesn't really have anything to do with Christmas, I ate up this warm and whimsical Fairy Tale of Home as I would a holiday read.It's clever and fussy in style, abundantly old-fashioned, and peppered with caricatural characters. There's a jaunty bounce to much of it (for instance, is not the surname "Peerybingle" as jolly and over-the-top as "Fezziwig," that jolly good surname in A Christmas Carol?) and the humor is plenty chuckle-worthy.It took some time before I caught on to the plot, but I was all right with waiting—what with a personified kettle and the adorable Boxer bounding and barking about and all. But I became more interested as the plot really kicked in, along with the fantastical/magical aspects of this homey story that speaks on family and friends, truth and trust.Oh, it isn't on the same level as the renowned Carol, but this tale is worth a read for fans of Dickens.

[kristykay22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In his third Christmas novella, Dickens moves away from the moral instruction of a Christmas Carol and the strong (too strong, in my opinion) social commentary of The Chimes into a pleasant domestic drama. Mr. and Mrs. Peerybingle have a happy home and a young baby, looked after by their comic nursemaid Tilly Slowboy. John is much older than his wife of one year, Dot, but they have a sweet and loving relationship, accompanied by the happy sound of a cricket on their hearth. Their neighbor, the Scroogey Tackleton (who everyone calls "Gruff and Tackleton" after his toy shop, which includes the name of his dead partner) is also looking to marry a much younger woman, Dot's school chum May, and he enlists John and Dot to help convince May that this is a good idea (May's mother is already sold on the idea because of Tackleton's money). They gather at the home of Tackleton's poorly-treated toymaker, Caleb, and his blind daughter Bertha for a Sunday dinner, and things go awry when a strange old man who hitched a ride on John Peerbingle's cart joins the group. Tackleton sees only the bad in everything (and swears that he always smashes any crickets on HIS hearth!) and sows seeds of doubt in John's mind about Dot's faithfulness. After a long night wrestling with his feelings and being swayed by that sweet cricket and his fairies, John faces the new day with a clear mind. In the end, Dot explains everything, things turn out quite well, and even old Gruff and Tackleton sees the error of his ways. There is a big happy dance and things seem wonderful until we hit the last paragraph: "But what is this! Even as I listen to them, blithely, and turn towards Dot, for one last glimpse of a little figure very pleasant to me, she and the rest have vanished into air, and I am left alone. A Cricket sings upon the Hearth; a broken child’s-toy lies upon the ground; and nothing else remains."Dickens! You rascal! Despite his attempt at a downer of an ending, this is a fun and engaging read. Sentimental, but perked up with humor and love for his characters, even their sweet dog. It is easy to see why this was a huge hit in its day and spawned multiple stage versions -- it has a romping Shakespearean comedy feel to it with disguised lovers, misunderstandings, and everything being put right by the end. Highly recommended for any Dickens / Victorian story lovers.

[quondame · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

What could project Gutenberg be thinking to put that constipated cricket cover on this book. 3 old men, 3 young women, one married to one of old men, one the daughter, one the fiance. This depiction of domesticity in a May-October relationship shadowed by the obvious blight in the coming May-December marriage is really not of our time, and not to my taste.

[kristelh_15 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Part of the Christmas books written by Dicken's, this being the third and much less dark than The Chimes and The Christmas Carol. I listened (relistened) to the audio by read by Jim Dale. He is good but I kept hearing Harry Potter characters. This is a nice story, ends well. It has three "chirps" or parts.

[wvlibrarydude · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Started slow with dialogue and action that became confusing at time. It took about two thirds of the book to get to where things started to develop into a story one could follow. The writing quickly turned into a story that drew me in and held me to the end. A four star except for the beginning, but it is well worth finish.

[edward.lorn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Cricket on the Hearth Review If you're a fan of Charles Dickens, this book is a must read. If you're a fan of Jim Dale, this is a must listen. The audio book is definitely the way to go here, though, because Dale is as amazingly versatile as ever, and perfectly compliments Dickens's prose.However, if you don't like Dickens, Dale will not change your mind. You will quite possibly hate this book. Like Shakespeare, he can be somewhat of an acquired taste, much because this style of writing has been dead for a century.

[nosajeel · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nowhere close to A Christmas Carol, and a little overly sentimental, the biggest virtue of the book is Tackleton, the cynical toymaker, although his conversion to good at the end is unconvincing and never would have happened in one of Dickens' novels.

[mikedraper · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It takes a while for the reader to understand what is happening in this story. Possibly, I'm used to a long character development in novels and this is a short story. I also didn't understand what was meant by a cricket in the hearth.Caleb lives in an impoverished home with his blind daughter, Bertha. His boss, Takleton, is stern and to make his daughter feel better about his boss, Caleb exposes Takleton's virtues. He does such a good job that Bertha falls in love with Takleton.We learn that Takleton is to be married and Bertha feels hurt with the news. Then a new character appears and there is a major change in the direction of the story.The conclusion is nicely done and everyone forgives one another and they find happiness.The short story came out as a Christmas story and gives readers a lesson about love and forgiveness.

[mrslee_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A man and woman happily married only one year, with a new baby, invite a stranger into their home. In the next few days, their marriage is practically dissolved by misunderstandings. In this story we meet several of their neighbors as well. All lovely characters, created by the master character builder, Charles Dickens.The cricket in this story is somewhat like the Oracle at Delphi, never showing an untruth, but very difficult to interpret. I enjoyed the humor in the story, although I became very impatient with a couple of the characters. Dickens always makes one woman saccharine sweet and annoying, and one man as dense as a brick. Still, the formula makes for a nice little tale.

[buffalogr · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great read...Charles Dickens Christmas novels...duh. Thanks, Audible, for the freebie.

[susiesharp_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Got this free from Audible narrated by Jim Dale, and so glad I did. I really enjoyed this short story, who knew a cricket could be a “fairy godmother”. It’s Dickens it has happy and sad moments, and of course a moral about changing the way you act and live and some Christmas miracles.3 ½ Stars

[bookishbat · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Dickens at his most melodramatic. The villain is clearly The Villain, all but twirling his mustache to wed the young girl who obviously doesn't love him. There is a heroine thought to have committed a moral crime, a hero wronged, a good/saintly girl with a handicap (blindness), etc. etc. Melodrama in all ways, and because it's a short story we don't get much character development, so we don't really see any of these as complete, three dimensional beings. As in most melodrama, there is indeed a happy ending. So there's that, I suppose.

I'd put this down as worth reading only because it's Dickens, if you need a reminder that in some ways he wasn't always better than his contemporary writers. If you find this shockingly dull then I must assure you that there is a LOT of this sort of short story filling up various magazines of the times. They're not reprinted for a reason (the dullness/predictability), and you get the sense that most authors churned this sort of thing out to pay the bills.

[lhlogan1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A solid read by Dickens.

[derekt2rowswell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

1st 1927. Very good condition without dustwrapper. 'A Fairy Tale of Home'. Red cloth, gilt titles and vignette. Pictorial endpapers. 8 colour plates plus b/w illustrations. 182 pages, top edge gilt. Spine and corners bumped. Some uneven fading to spine and covers. Foxing to first few and last few pages. Contents clean.

[mbmackay · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is Dickens' third Christmas book, and the supernatural theme continues with fairies this time, to follow the ghosts and goblins of the previous books. It is a sickly sweet folksy tale of misunderstandings between lovers, and characters in disguise, and people planning to marry the wrong person - a little like a Shakespearean farce. Just a little too schmaltzy for me. Read Feb 2012.

[souloftherose · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The third of Mr Dickens' Christmas Books and much less gloomy than The Chimes. A gentle story about marriage, love and fidelity; Dickens left social criticism to one side for this one. He wanted The Cricket to be '... a vein of glowing, hearty, generous, mirthful, beaming references in everything to Home, and Fireside.' It's Christmas and John Peerybingle has been married to his much younger wife Dot, for almost a year when he is led to believe by the grisly toymaker, Mr Tackleton, that she is having an affair. Tackleton himself is due to be married to another younger woman and the toymaker's assistant, Caleb Plummer, realises that by pretending to his blind daughter that Tackleton has been generous and loving to them their whole lives (when of course he has been the exact opposite) that Caleb has caused his daughter to fall in love with Tackleton and she is distraught that Tackleton is getting married to someone else.But the cricket on the hearth sings to Peerybingle and helps him to remember the love he has for his young wife and there is almost a fairy tale happy ending with Tackleton's reform being so rapid as to be slightly startling. As usual for Dickens, his characterisations are brilliant and even if the rapid reform of Tackleton is a little too rapid to be truly realistic, the Christmas Books were intended to be fables rather than gritty, realistic dramas and the ending is truly heartwarming.