The Expedition of Humphry Clinker

By: Tobias Smollett

Narrated by: June Whitfield, Suzy Aitchison, Hywel Simons, Ioen Meredith

Written as the letters of the five members of Squire Bramble's household sent as they journey around Britain, The Expedition of Humphry Clinker is a grouchy, very funny examination of how one story varies depending on who's doing the telling.

The tale is centered around the arrival of Mr. Clinker into the otherwise uneventful household, who never speaks and does not even enter the novel until a third of the way through. In spite of this, the duels, imprisonments, failed romances and jealousies and an inconveniently overturned carriage, all recounted with Smollett's characteristically coarse and satirical verve, manage to make Mr. Clinker one of classical literature's best-loved characters. This was Tobias Smollett's last novel.

Published in 1771, the year of the author's death, it brought together all the qualities of Smollett's work - his renowned gravelly style, his knowledge of the travails of a doctor beset by hypochondriacs,(being a qualified surgeon and MD himself), his lengthy and varied travels and a recent stay at the fashionable and increasingly ridiculous spa at Bath - all combine to make a very funny read.

Public Domain (P)2008 Silksoundbooks Limited

Quirky brits on parade

Vocal characterizations and audio quality were both outstanding which helped maintain interest during some dull portions of the text. It’s a grab bag — a thin plot with plenty of digressions into social commentary, travelogue descriptions and transitory characters. Reminds me a bit of Pickwick, and in some ways this book is more ambitious, but the constantly shifting viewpoints somewhat blunt the humor.

At one point there was an extended dialog between two characters about whether Scotland gained or lost in uniting with Britain. It was not clear what was intended. Was this a serious policy discussion or presentation of information? Was it intended to be humorous, showing the chauvinism of the Scotsman through his outrageous statements? Without historical knowledge of the events, it is hard to know.

Think of the old Ed Sullivan show: some acts wow you, some fall flat and some are awful, depending on your taste but no one is pleased with everything.

And yes, the servants are lampooned for their malapprops but the upper classes are treated the same way. Everyone has their foibles twitted, high or low.

just fantastic

a panorama of human nature. funny funny funny because we are each a mixrture of selfish qualities and generous ones. Not much character development due to the narrative device of letter writing. So glad I read this slice of life from way back when. Would love to have more Smollett on Audible but since not, am headed to his translation of Don Quixote.

A treat

The Expedition of Humphry Clinker is another delightful 18th century romp, although it has little or nothing to do with Humphry Clinker, who turns out to be a minor character. The framework, as with other novels of the period, is a journey around the country by the squire Matthew Bramble, his sister Tabitha, his niece and nephew (Liddy and Jery), and Tabitha's maid Win Jenkins. Along the way they pick up Clinker, an honest and religious man, as a footman.

The story is told in the letters they write to their particular friends. And the joy of the audiobook - and it is a joy, first to last - is the excellence of the ensemble cast. Unfortunately, though the four people in the cast are named in the credits, there is no guide as to who reads which part. Squire Bramble - Hywel Simons? Ioen Meredith? - is an especially brilliant performance.

Plot? There's no plot. There's lots of movement, though, and a few surprises and coincidences; and plenty of conflict, and a happy ending. If you decide to try this one out, just sit back, close your eyes, and enjoy the wonderful trip and the engaging characters. As with any good journey, the real pleasure comes from the diversions and digressions.

And don't bother trying to remember the names of the people addressed by the letters. Liddy unfortunately writes to someone named Letty, which occasioned some confusion in the beginning. But the people written to never write back, so the only people you really need to keep straight are the six letter writers themselves - and Humphry Clinker.

Underrated writer!

Smollett is in my opinion underrated and this is one of his most pleasing efforts. If you like Pickwick you will probably enjoy it. It gives a detailed, lively, humorous and most interesting glimpse into life in England and Scotland in the 18th century. Of course it also contains some unlikely coincidences and a worn out romantic storyline, but to a much less extent than most other 18th century novels. Perhaps one reason why Smollett has not received the appreciation he deserves is his sometimes bizarre and not altogether delicate sense of humour, but for me who was brought up on Monty Python this is certainly no problem. And I should also add that there is certainly very little in the book that could be called indecent. Only indelicate. Using different readers for the various writers of the letters that make up the book works brilliantly and adds considerably to the enjoyment of listening. By the way, there exists another, free, version of the book (which can be found at LibriVox) that was also well read but not as good as this one.

Good for long walks

In the vein of Tom Jones and Tristram Shandy, by the remarkable Smollett. The narration is perfect. Relaxing and fun story.