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Provides an authoritative treatment of the life, work, and legacy of Charles Dickens A Companion to Charles Dickens is an essential resource for understanding one of the most celebrated authors in English literature. This extensively revised edition features a wealth of new essays alongside select, updated essays from the first edition. Written by leading Dickensian scholars from around the world, these contributions offer critical insights into Dickens's life, works, and lasting influence. The
Companion places Dickens's writings within their literary, historical, and ideological contexts, equipping readers with the knowledge to engage with his fiction in a more informed and meaningful way. New chapters examine Dickens's attitudes to the city and to Europe, as well as his evolving literary reputation. Each of his fifteen novels, his Christmas Books, and his sketches is explored in depth, with scholars offering contemporary perspectives on their themes, style, and cultural impact. The contributors also consider Dickens's engagement with visual culture, his use of history in fiction, and the ways his works continue to resonate in modern studies. An indispensable guide for those seeking a deeper understanding of Dickens's world and literary contributions,
A Companion to Charles Dickens: - Presents newly commissioned essays offering fresh critical perspectives on Dickens's life and works
- Explores Dickens's evolving reputation and critical reception over time
- Contains dedicated chapters exploring key themes and interpretations of all of Dickens's novels
- Discusses Dickens's literary style, narrative techniques, and innovations in storytelling
- Presents a broad range of perspectives, from biographical studies to thematic and ideological analyses
- Includes updated references, bibliographies, and recommendations for further reading
A Companion to Charles Dickens, Second Edition is an invaluable reference for undergraduate and graduate students studying English literature, Victorian studies, or cultural history. It is also a must-have for scholars, researchers, educators, and professionals engaged in Dickens studies, as well as general readers with a deep interest in his life and works.
Table des matières
List of Illustrations ix
Notes on Contributors xi
Preface xvii
Acknowledgments xix
Abbreviations xxi
Part I Perspectives on the Life 1 1 A Sketch of Dickens's Life 3
Michael Allen 2 "Faithfully Yours, Charles Dickens": The Epistolary Art of the Inimitable 17
David Paroissien 3 Three Major Dickens Biographies 29
Catherine Peters 4 Later Engagements with Dickens's Life 43
Laura Colombino Part II Literary/Cultural Contexts 55 5 Dickens's Eighteenth-Century Legacy 57
Monika Fludernik 6 Dickens and the City 71
Ushashi Dasgupta 7 Illustrations 85
Malcolm Andrews 8 Dickens and Serialization 107
Pete Orford 9 The Language of Dickens 119
Patricia Ingham 10 Dickens and Christianity 133
Valentine Cunningham 11 Dickens and the Uses of History 151
John Gardiner 12 From Penny-a-Liner to Media Mogul: Dickens's Evolution as a Journalist 165
John M. L. Drew Part III Historical Contexts 179 13 Dickens and Gender 181
Sarah Gates 14 Dickens and Technology 199
Trey Philpotts 15 Dickens and America (1842) 217
Nancy Aycock Metz 16 Dickens as a Reformer 229
Hugh Cunningham 17 Dickens and Government Ineptitude Abroad, 1854-1865 243
Leslie Mitchell 18 Dickens and Europe 255
Luisa Villa 19 Dickens and the Law 269
Jan-Melissa Schramm Part IV The Fiction 283 20 Sketches by Boz 285
Paul Schlicke 21 The Pickwick Papers 293
Adam Abraham 22 Oliver Twist 305
Brian Cheadle 23 Nicholas Nickleby 315
Michelle Allen-Emerson 24 The Old Curiosity Shop 325
Hazel Mackenzie 25 Barnaby Rudge 335
Jon Mee 26 Martin Chuzzlewit 343
Goldie Morgentaler 27 The Christmas Books 353
Leon Litvack 28 Dombey and Son 367
Nathalie Vanfasse 29 David Copperfield 379
Bradley Deane 30 Bleak House 391
Robert Tracy 31 Hard Times 403
Anne Humpherys 32 Little Dorrit 413
Philip Davis 33 A Tale of Two Cities 423
Sara Thornton 34 Great Expectations 435
Andrew Sanders 35 Our Mutual Friend 445
Leon Litvack 36 The Mystery of Edwin Drood 455
Yael Halevi-Wise Part V Reputation & Influence 467 37 Dickens and the Literary Culture of the Period 469
Michael Hollington 38 Dickens Before Modernism 485
Yael Levin 39 Global Dickens 497
John O. Jordan 40 Dickens Now: Adaptations and Representations, 2012-2020 511
Emily Middleton Index 523
A propos de l'auteur
DAVID PAROISSIEN was Emeritus Professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and Professorial Research Fellow at the University of Buckingham. A distinguished Dickens scholar, he was Editor of
Dickens Quarterly and Co-Editor the
Dickens Companions series.
LEON LITVACK is Professor of Victorian Studies at Queen's University Belfast and a leading authority on Dickens's manuscripts, handwriting, and photographic portraits. He is Principal Editor of
The Charles Dickens Letters Project and Joint General Editor of
The Oxford Edition of Charles Dickens.
