Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens is a mid-19th century novel that explores themes of poverty, social injustice, and the constraints of the prison system. The story follows Amy Dorrit, affectionately known as Little Dorrit, who grows up in the Marshalsea debtors' prison, where her father is imprisoned. Through Amy's life, Dickens examines the complex interplay of wealth and class, capturing the struggles of those entangled in financial and institutional oppression.
The novel opens with a sweltering day in Marseilles, introducing two prisoners confined in a grimy cell. One of them, Monsieur Rigaud, is portrayed as a sinister and cruel man, while his cellmate, John Baptist Cavalletto, appears as a lively yet humble character. Their interactions highlight their contrasting personalities and hint at the looming trial that awaits Rigaud. This scene sets the tone for themes of confinement and social critique, creating a vivid backdrop for the emotional and moral complexities of the characters that will unfold throughout the novel. As the narrative progresses, it suggests the interconnected lives that will unfold beyond the prison walls, especially focusing on Little Dorrit’s journey, shaped by both love and hardship.

PREFACE TO THE 1857 EDITION

BOOK THE FIRST: POVERTY

CHAPTER 1. Sun and Shadow
CHAPTER 2 Fellow Travellers
CHAPTER 3. Home
CHAPTER 4. Mrs Flintwinch has a Dream
CHAPTER 5. Family Affairs
CHAPTER 6. The Father of the Marshalsea
CHAPTER 7. The Child of the Marshalsea
CHAPTER 8. The Lock
CHAPTER 9. Little Mother
CHAPTER 10. Containing the whole Science of Government
CHAPTER 11. Let Loose
CHAPTER 12. Bleeding Heart Yard
CHAPTER 13. Patriarchal
CHAPTER 14. Little Dorrit’s Party
CHAPTER 15. Mrs Flintwinch has another Dream
CHAPTER 16. Nobody’s Weakness
CHAPTER 17. Nobody’s Rival
CHAPTER 18. Little Dorrit’s Lover
CHAPTER 19. The Father of the Marshalsea in two or three Relations
CHAPTER 20. Moving in Society
CHAPTER 21. Mr Merdle’s Complaint
CHAPTER 22. A Puzzle
CHAPTER 23. Machinery in Motion
CHAPTER 24. Fortune-Telling
CHAPTER 25. Conspirators and Others
CHAPTER 26. Nobody’s State of Mind
CHAPTER 27. Five-and-Twenty
CHAPTER 28. Nobody’s Disappearance
CHAPTER 29. Mrs Flintwinch goes on Dreaming
CHAPTER 30. The Word of a Gentleman
CHAPTER 31. Spirit
CHAPTER 32. More Fortune-Telling
CHAPTER 33. Mrs Merdle’s Complaint
CHAPTER 34. A Shoal of Barnacles
CHAPTER 35. What was behind Mr Pancks on Little Dorrit’s Hand
CHAPTER 36. The Marshalsea becomes an Orphan

BOOK THE SECOND: RICHES

CHAPTER 1. Fellow Travellers
CHAPTER 2. Mrs General
CHAPTER 3. On the Road
CHAPTER 4. A Letter from Little Dorrit
CHAPTER 5. Something Wrong Somewhere
CHAPTER 6. Something Right Somewhere
CHAPTER 7. Mostly, Prunes and Prism
CHAPTER 8. The Dowager Mrs Gowan is reminded that ‘It Never Does’
CHAPTER 9. Appearance and Disappearance
CHAPTER 10. The Dreams of Mrs Flintwinch thicken
CHAPTER 11. A Letter from Little Dorrit
CHAPTER 12. In which a Great Patriotic Conference is holden
CHAPTER 13. The Progress of an Epidemic
CHAPTER 14. Taking Advice
CHAPTER 15. No just Cause or Impediment why these Two Persons
CHAPTER 16. Getting on
CHAPTER 17. Missing
CHAPTER 18. A Castle in the Air
CHAPTER 19. The Storming of the Castle in the Air
CHAPTER 20. Introduces the next
CHAPTER 21. The History of a Self-Tormentor
CHAPTER 22. Who passes by this Road so late?
CHAPTER 23. Mistress Affery makes a Conditional Promise,
CHAPTER 24. The Evening of a Long Day
CHAPTER 25. The Chief Butler Resigns the Seals of Office
CHAPTER 26. Reaping the Whirlwind
CHAPTER 27. The Pupil of the Marshalsea
CHAPTER 28. An Appearance in the Marshalsea
CHAPTER 29. A Plea in the Marshalsea
CHAPTER 30. Closing in
CHAPTER 31. Closed
CHAPTER 32. Going
CHAPTER 33. Going!
CHAPTER 34. Gone