A Companion to Charles Dickens

A Companion to Charles Dickens

Author: David Paroissien

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2008-04-15

Total Pages: 536

ISBN-13: 0470691220

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A Companion to Charles Dickens concentrates on the historical, ideological, and social forces that defined Dickens’s world. Puts Dickens’s work into its literary, historical, and social contexts Traces the development of Dickens’s career as a journalist and novelist Includes original essays by leading Dickensian scholars on each of Dickens’s fifteen novels Explores a broad range of topics, including criticisms of his novels, the use of history and law in his fiction, language, and the effect of political and social reform Examines Dickens's legacy and surveys the mass of secondary materials that has been generated in response and reverence to his writing


The Oxford Companion to Charles Dickens

The Oxford Companion to Charles Dickens

Author: Paul Schlicke

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2011-11-03

Total Pages: 705

ISBN-13: 0199640181

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This anniversary edition of the Oxford Companion to Charles Dickens celebrates 200 years since the birth of one of Britain's most popular authors. Covering his life, his works, his reputation, and his cultural context in over 500 A-Z articles, this is the most reliable and accessible reference work on Dickens available


Hard Times (Fourth Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)

Hard Times (Fourth Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)

Author: Charles Dickens

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2016-08-22

Total Pages: 388

ISBN-13: 039328817X

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“An excellent collection of critical and social commentary that will help to make Dickens’ image of Victorian England meaningful to all students.” —John Howard Wilson, Dakota Wesleyan University This Norton Critical Edition includes: - Sylvere Monod’s superbly edited text, based on the 1854 edition and accompanied by Fred Kaplan’s expanded annotations. - Fourteen illustrations from 1854 to circa 1890. - Contextual pieces by social critics and theorists of Dickens’ time that give readers outstanding examples of views on industrialism, education, and utilitarianism in the nineteenth century. - Eight new critical essays by Paulette Kidder, David M. Levy, Christopher Barnes, Theodore Dalrymple, Christina Lupton, Efraim Sicher, Nils Clausson, and Kent Greenfield and John E. Nilsson. - A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography.


A Companion to Literary Biography

A Companion to Literary Biography

Author: Richard Bradford

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2018-11-28

Total Pages: 628

ISBN-13: 1118896297

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An authoritative review of literary biography covering the seventeenth century to the twentieth century A Companion to Literary Biography offers a comprehensive account of literary biography spanning the history of the genre across three centuries. The editor – an esteemed literary biographer and noted expert in the field – has encouraged contributors to explore the theoretical and methodological questions raised by the writing of biographies of writers. The text examines how biographers have dealt with the lives of classic authors from Chaucer to contemporary figures such as Kingsley Amis. The Companion brings a new perspective on how literary biography enables the reader to deal with the relationship between the writer and their work. Literary biography is the most popular form of writing about writing, yet it has been largely neglected in the academic community. This volume bridges the gap between literary biography as a popular genre and its relevance for the academic study of literature. This important work: Allows the author of a biography to be treated as part of the process of interpretation and investigates biographical reading as an important aspect of criticism Examines the birth of literary biography at the close of the seventeenth century and considers its expansion through the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries Addresses the status and writing of literary biography from numerous perspectives and with regard to various sources, methodologies and theories Reviews the ways in which literary biography has played a role in our perception of writers in the mainstream of the English canon from Chaucer to the present day Written for students at the undergraduate level, through postgraduate and doctoral levels, as well as academics, A Companion to Literary Biography illustrates and accounts for the importance of the literary biography as a vital element of criticism and as an index to our perception of literary history.


The Dickens Industry

The Dickens Industry

Author: Laurence W. Mazzeno

Publisher: Camden House

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 9781571133175

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Undoubtedly the best-selling author of his day and well loved by readers in succeeding generations, Charles Dickens was not always a favorite among critics. Celebrated for his novels advocating social reform, for half a century after his death he was ridiculed by those academics who condescended to write about him. Only the faithful band of devotees who called themselves Dickensians kept alive an interest in his work. Then, during the Second World War, he was resurrected by critics, and was soon being hailed as the foremost writer of his age, a literary genius alongside Shakespeare and Milton. More recently, Dickens has again been taken to task by a new breed of literary theorists who fault his chauvinism and imperialist attitudes. Whether he has been adored or despised, however, one thing is certain: no other Victorian novelist has generated more critical commentary. This book traces Dickens's reputation from the earliest reviews through the work of early 21st-century commentators, showing how judgments of Dickens changed with new standards for evaluating fiction. Mazzeno balances attention to prominent critics from the late 19th century through the first three quarters of the 20th with an emphasis on the past three decades, during which literary theory has opened up new ways of reading Dickens. What becomes clear is that, in attempting to provide fresh insight into Dickens's writings, critics often reveal as much about the predilections of their own age as they do about the novelist. Laurence W. Mazzeno is President Emeritus of Alvernia University, Reading, Pennsylvania.


Hard Times (Fourth International Student Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)

Hard Times (Fourth International Student Edition) (Norton Critical Editions)

Author: Charles Dickens

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2016-08-22

Total Pages: 387

ISBN-13: 0393623475

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“An excellent collection of critical and social commentary that will help to make Dickens’ image of Victorian England meaningful to all students.” —John Howard Wilson, Dakota Wesleyan University This Norton Critical Edition includes: - Sylvere Monod’s superbly edited text, based on the 1854 edition and accompanied by Fred Kaplan’s expanded annotations. - Fourteen illustrations from 1854 to circa 1890. - Contextual pieces by social critics and theorists of Dickens’ time that give readers outstanding examples of views on industrialism, education, and utilitarianism in the nineteenth century. - Eight new critical essays by Paulette Kidder, David M. Levy, Christopher Barnes, Theodore Dalrymple, Christina Lupton, Efraim Sicher, Nils Clausson, and Kent Greenfield and John E. Nilsson. - A Chronology and a Selected Bibliography.


Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760–1850

Encyclopedia of the Romantic Era, 1760–1850

Author: Christopher John Murray

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 1303

ISBN-13: 1135455791

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In 850 analytical articles, this two-volume set explores the developments that influenced the profound changes in thought and sensibility during the second half of the eighteenth century and the first half of the nineteenth century. The Encyclopedia provides readers with a clear, detailed, and accurate reference source on the literature, thought, music, and art of the period, demonstrating the rich interplay of international influences and cross-currents at work; and to explore the many issues raised by the very concepts of Romantic and Romanticism.


The Great Charles Dickens Scandal

The Great Charles Dickens Scandal

Author: Michael Slater

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2012-09-14

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 0300142315

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The true story of the sensational rumors surrounding the Victorian author—and the attempts to cover them up: “Riveting . . . a scholarly detective story” (The Boston Globe). Charles Dickens was regarded as the great proponent of hearth and home in Victorian Britain, but in 1858 this image was nearly shattered. With the breakup of his marriage that year, rumors of a scandalous relationship he may have conducted with the young actress Ellen “Nelly” Ternan flourished. For the remaining twelve years of his life, Dickens managed to contain the gossip. After his death, surviving family members did the same. But when the author’s last living son died in 1934, there was no one to discourage rampant speculation. Dramatic revelations came from every corner—over Nelly’s role as Dickens’s mistress, their clandestine meetings, and even his possibly fathering an illegitimate child. This book presents the most complete account of the scandal and ensuing cover-up ever published. Drawing on the author's letters and other archival sources not previously available, Dickens scholar Michael Slater investigates what Dickens did or may have done, then traces the way the scandal was elaborated over succeeding generations. Slater shows how various writers concocted outlandish yet plausible theories while newspapers and book publishers vied for salacious information. With its tale of intrigue and a cast of well-known figures from Thackeray and Shaw to Orwell and Edmund Wilson, this book will delight not only Dickens fans but anyone who appreciate tales of mystery, cover-up, and clever detection. “Slater’s work is a fascinating investigation into the nature of scandal itself as much as it is a look at the particular episode.” —TheDaily Beast