The Expedition of Humphry Clinker
Author(s): Tobias Smollett
Genre(s): Epistolary Fiction, Satire
Narrators: David Lawrence, Rachel Lintern, Debra Lynn, Ruth Golding, TriciaG, Martin Geeson, Neeru Iyer, Amy
Number of Chapters: 85
Length: 17 hours and 32 minutes
Language: English
The Expedition of Humphry Clinker was the last of the picaresque novels of Tobias Smollett, and is considered by many to be his best and funniest work.
Published in London on 17 June 1771, it is an epistolary novel, presented in the form of letters written by six different characters: Matthew Bramble, a Welsh Squire; his sister Tabitha; their niece and nephew, Jery and Lydia Melford; Tabitha's maid Winifred Jenkins; and Lydia's suitor, Wilson.
Much of the comedy arises from differences in the descriptions of the same events by different participants. Attributions of motives and descriptions of behavior show wild variation and reveal much about the character of the teller. The setting, amidst the high-society spa towns and seaside resorts of the 18th century provides his characters with many opportunities for satirical observations on English life and manners. (Summary by Wikipedia)