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The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond

by William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863)

  • Free to read
  • 3 hours to read
  • 13 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond" by Thackeray is a novel likely written in the mid-19th century. The story follows Samuel Titmarsh, a young clerk who is navigating life in London after receiving an extravagant diamond pin from his wealthy aunt, Mrs. Hoggarty. The diamond serves as a catalyst for various social excursions and misadventures as Samuel navigates his relationships with both aristocrats and fellow clerks, contrasting his humble beginnings with his newfound social standing. The opening of the novel sets the stage for Samuel's life, illuminating his close relationship with his wealthy aunt, who gifts him an ornate locket containing a valuable diamond. As he returns to London, Samuel is filled with hope and expectations of fortune and social elevation, dreaming of a handsome gift that might come his way. However, he is met with the humor and absurdity of his aunt’s actual present: an ornate locket meant to symbolize his connection to his uncle, rather than cash. This scenario underlines Samuel's mix of ambition and dissatisfaction as he engages with both the working-class life and the upper echelons of society, suggesting he is on the brink of a series of comical encounters tied to his diamond pin.

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  • English fiction · 19th century
  • Great Britain · Social life and customs

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Chapter I: Gives an Account of Our Village and the First Glimpse of the Diamond

When I came up to town for my second year, my aunt Hoggarty made me a present of a diamond-pin; that is to say, it was not a diamond-pin then, but a large old-fashioned locket, of Dublin manufacture in the year 1795, which the late Mr. Hoggarty used to sport at the Lord Lieutenant's balls and elsewhere. He wore it, he said, at the battle of Vinegar Hill, when his club pigtail saved his head from being taken off,—but that is neither here nor there.

In the middle of the brooch was Hoggarty in the scarlet uniform of the corps of Fencibles to which he belonged; around it were thirteen locks of hair, belonging to a baker's dozen of sisters that the old gentleman had; and, as all these little ringlets partook of the family hue of brilliant auburn, Hoggarty's portrait seemed to the fanciful view like a great fat red round of beef surrounded by thirteen carrots. These were dished up on a plate of blue enamel, and it was from the GREAT HOGGARTY DIAMOND (as we called it in the family) that the collection of hairs in question seemed as it were to spring.

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Contents

  1. Chapter I: Gives an Account of Our Village and the First Glimpse of the Diamond
  2. Chapter II
  3. Chapter III
  4. Chapter IV
  5. Chapter V: How the Diamond Introduces Him to a Still More Fashionable Place
  6. Chapter VI
  7. Chapter VII
  8. Chapter VIII
  9. Chapter IX
  10. Chapter X
  11. Chapter XI
  12. Chapter XII
  13. Chapter XIII

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About this edition

This free edition of The History of Samuel Titmarsh and the Great Hoggarty Diamond by William Makepeace Thackeray comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #1933, released 1999-10-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Humour, Novels, British Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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