A Companion to Charles Dickens

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.

vList 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

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.

A COMPANION TO CHARLES DICKENS

A Definitive Guide to Dickens’s Life, Works, and Legacy

Charles Dickens remains one of the most influential and widely read authors in English literature. A Companion to Charles Dickens is a timely and authoritative examination of his works, placing them within their literary, historical, and social contexts. Featuring an extensive collection of newly commissioned essays alongside a selection of updated essays from the first edition, this volume presents fresh critical perspectives on Dickens’s fiction, journalism, and cultural impact.

Covering all fifteen of Dickens’s novels, as well as his engagement with law, social reform, and visual culture, the Companion explores the forces that shaped his imagination and storytelling. Contributors analyze Dickens’s literary style, thematic concerns, and evolving critical reception, while updated bibliographies and recommendations for further reading provide essential guidance for continued study.

An indispensable resource for scholars, students, and enthusiasts, A Companion to Charles Dickens is ideal for those studying English literature, Victorian studies, and cultural history. It serves as a key reference for researchers, educators, and literary critics, while also offering valuable insights for general readers eager to deepen their appreciation of Dickens’s enduring legacy.