The Old Curiosity Shop

The first-person narrator of the novel’s first three chapters gives up his position of authority in the story so that the characters can “speak and act for themselves” (36). The narration that follows comes from a detached, third-person narrator who has access to everyone’s thoughts and feelings. What purpose does the narratorial shift serve?

One critique of sentimentalism is that it may fail to interrogate the systemic causes of the misfortunes it portrays, and that there is occasionally an ethical issue of people feeling sympathy but not taking action to help (e.g., “I feel bad, and that’s enough”). Choose two characters from the novel and examine how one exemplifies the best of sentimentalism and how the other embodies the failings mentioned above. Do not rely on plot summary.

The male characters in the novel are typically crueler than their female counterparts, with the exception of the Brasses. In a well-crafted essay, explore Sally’s characterization as a “dragon” and how that is significant to the novel’s portrayal of its female characters in general.

One of Dickens’s recurring themes is that adults disregard children’s lives and experiences. In a carefully constructed essay, discuss how the novel explores Nell and Kit’s internal lives, especially in scenes where adults are confronted with the existence of such rich internal lives. Avoid plot summary.

Throughout the course of the novel, different characters express different views of death—especially the deaths of children, like the schoolmaster’s favorite student. When Nell herself passes away, how do those previous meditations reappear in the characters’ behaviors? Do their actions in grief align with their earlier philosophizing? Do not rely on plot summary.

Although Dickens frequently wrote about the lower classes and the poor, he addressed his works to the middle class, and as a result both rich and poor feel at times like caricatures of themselves. Select a scene from the novel in which one such character transcends their stereotypes to display depth of emotion or thought.

As addressed earlier in this study guide, Nell’s journey at times mirrors Christian’s journey in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Explore two or three significant parts of Nell’s journey and their alignment with elements of The Pilgrim’s Progress. Avoid mere plot summary of both texts.

In literature, scenes in which characters share a drink or a meal are significant because such acts of communion reflect mutual trust. Select a scene from the novel in which characters dine or drink together and write a thoughtful essay in which you examine the relationship dynamic in that scene with trust in mind. Do not summarize the plot.