Comparing Literature Question?

I need a book from the 19th century, that depicts a character who complains a lot or most of the novel is their views of the world. For example, In Twilight the main character spends most of the novel giving her opinion of her love life. In The Catcher in the Rye, Holden spends the novel giving long opinions of other individuals. I need novels from the 19th century written about someone giving their interpretation of the world in a very slow pace. The shorter the book the better, by the way. I'm aiming for an American writer.