A Companion to Charles Dickens: (Blackwell Companions to Literature and Culture)

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 of Contents:
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

About the Author :
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.