Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens (Oxford Reader's Companions) (Hardcover)

~ (Editor) "A Beckett, Gilbert Abbott (1811-56), comic writer, playwright, and police magistrate..." (more)
Key Phrases: public reading tour, blacking warehouse, idle apprentices, Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Grade 9 Up-Drawing on an impressive roster of scholars both in the U.S. and Britain, this guide is a boon to understanding Dickens's life, work, ideas, and times. The alphabetically arranged entries include such topics as "amusements and recreation," "industry," "London," and "prisons and penal transportation." The writer's major works are also discussed, focusing on their inception and composition; publishing history; illustrations (in the original editions); sources and historical context; and plots, characters, and themes. Many of the signed articles include a bibliography. Black-and-white photographs, reproductions, and four maps accompany the text. Appendixes include a general bibliography, an alphabetical list of characters noting the work in which they appear, and a subject index. While there are other companions to the author's work, this is the most comprehensive.
Jo-Anne Weinberg, Greenburgh Public Library, NY
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

One of the most popular writers of the nineteenth century, Charles Dickens created a world of unique and fascinating characters whose stories continue to captivate contemporary readers. During the past five years, a remarkable number of major reference sources pertaining to this beloved author have been published, among them George Newlin's Everyone in Dickens (Greenwood, 1995), Donald Hawes's Who's Who in Dickens (Routledge, 1998), and Paul Davis's Charles Dickens A to Z [RBB O 1 98].

In this latest compendium, Schlicke, a senior lecturer at Aberdeen University and noted Dickens specialist, has tapped the knowledge and expertise of more than 60 distinguished contributors to assemble a dictionary that encompasses not only Dickens's life and writings but also the entire period in which he lived. The more than 500 signed entries are arranged alphabetically, with the exception of the entries for Dickens's works, which appear somewhat out of sequence, with see references guiding the user to their correct location. Although scholarly, the entries are highly readable, and many include brief bibliographic references. In addition to entries on specific people, publications, institutions, places, genres, activities, and events, the dictionary also contains articles on a wide range of broader topics. Some of these relate directly to Dickens' life and works (e.g., Characterization, Homes of Dickens, Television adaptations of Dickens), while others deal with aspects of his times (e.g., Industry, Reform). Although some articles are only one or two paragraphs, many others are multipage essays, such as the 15-page entry London and the 11-page entry Criticism and scholarship. Entries on Dickens' novels follow a set format, which includes discussion of the work's inception, publication history, illustrations, sources, and critical reception, in addition to a brief plot summary. Wisely, Schlicke has chosen not to provide separate entries on individual characters, which would only duplicate the information in other reference sources; instead, he appends a list of names of characters keyed to the works in which they appear.

Enhancing the text are more than 50 black-and-white illustrations and four maps of places associated with Dickens. Other helpful features include a chronological chart that correlates major events in Dickens' life with significant historical and literary events, a Dickens family tree, and a general bibliography. The index identifies names, associations, publications, and other subjects that receive substantial treatment within broader articles. Unfortunately, however, it only notes the entry header(s) under which they appear, rather than giving a precise page reference. Providing additional access is a classified list of articles that groups entries under useful categories, such as Dickens' non-fiction, politics and government, and theatre and other kinds of entertainment.

This excellent work gives the user a renewed appreciation for the tremendous range of Dickens' interests and talents and provides fresh insights into the age in which he lived. Its strong emphasis on and extensive coverage of the political, social, and artistic milieu surrounding Dickens and his circle set it apart from the aforementioned Charles Dickens A to Z, which treats those aspects much more briefly. On the other hand, that compilation, with its 2,500 entries, offers its own unique strengths, including lengthy, detailed synopses of each novel and separate entries for individual characters, articles, and essays. Although there is inevitable overlap between the two works, they effectively complement each other. Charles Dickens A to Z is more appropriate for general readers and for undergraduate and high-school students, while the Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens is particularly suited for scholars and other serious researchers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 688 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; illustrated edition edition (May 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0198662130
• ISBN-13: 978-0198662136
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #176,371 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strongly recommend the hardback rather than the paperback, November 13, 2003

By	Robert Moore (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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This is an essential reference book for any serious student or reader of Dickens, though I would strongly recommend that one take the extra effort to obtain a copy in hardcover rather than paper. The two editions are entirely different productions. If one had held both editions on one's hand, the differences are blatant, but merely reading about them will not reveal how profoundly they vary from one another. The paperback has a single virtue: price. It is cheaper by a considerable margin. Looking at the pagination, one might imagine that the paper edition contains everything found in the hardback. The paper edition runs to 675 pages, while the hardback runs to 654. The hardback, however, in addition to being a far more attractive volume and containing some sections in a larger, more easily read typeface, contains a host of photographs, illustrations, and maps that greatly enhance the value of the volume. I would like to point out that while the hardback lists for $55.00, it can persistently be found on Amazon for far less than that. I obtained my copy remaindered on Amazon for $16.95, which is the same as the list price for the paperback.

I can't say enough about the quality of the articles in this volume. Top Dickens scholars from around the world have been recruited to write on a host of subjects, in particular on subjects that will cast light on the world in which Dickens lived and about which he wrote. Although his books are certainly not neglected, the emphasis is as much on Dickens and his world as on Dickens and his books. The goal of the book is clearly an understanding of Dickens in context, with the added belief that knowing his context will immeasurably deepen one's enjoyment and understanding of his works.

My lone complaint with the book is the book does not contain a usable index or list of characters. There is an alphabetical list of all characters in Dickens's books at the end, but such a list only tells you what work a character appears in, not who they are. If you are dipping back into a novel of Dickens with the intent of enjoying a chapter or two (as opposed to rereading the entire work from beginning to end), one might not remember whom a particular individual is. It would have been nice to have a one or two line explanation of whom each character is, in addition to what work in which they appeared. I believe this would have enhanced the value of this as a reference work.

The inherent problem of any reference work like this will be the degree to which it is usable. There is a host of information, but how can it be accessed and recovered? This volume suffers to some degree, but Paul Schlicke has gone to great lengths to multiply the number of aides to teasing out the book's information. The articles are organized alphabetically, but there is a wealth of indexes. There is, for instance, a "Classified Contents List," that has headings such as "Dickens's Reputation," and subheadings under that like "Critics and scholars of Dickens" and "Scholarly and critical approaches to Dickens," with titles of articles under each. By reading those articles, one finds the information one needs. There is some overlap with the book's index (which tends to refer to article titles rather than page numbers--perhaps that was in order to accommodate both the hardback and paperback editions, which have different pagination) and the "Classified Contents List," but these provide two different approaches to obtaining the information one needs.

This is not the only book on Dickens that a reader of Dickens would want to own. One would certainly want to refer to a biography by someone like Peter Ackroyd or Edgar Johnson, or perhaps a critical appreciation like that of G. K. Chesterton. But I would definitely place it on the short list of books that one would like to own.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Wanted to Know About Dickens, April 2, 2000

By	Bookreader (USA) - See all my reviews

The Oxford Readers Companion to Charles Dickens serves as an alphabetical tour of the life of the greatest novelist of the Victorian Era. With entries ranging from "A Becket, Gilbert" to "Yates, Frederick" this wonderfully engrossing reference book offers readers information about every aspect of the life, work, and historical environment in which the great man created magic. From analytical entries about every novel to biographical sketches of his friends and foes, this book truly brings Dickens to vivid and enjoyable life. No scholar of the 19th century novel should miss this comprenhensive work.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Encyclopedic literary biography of Dickens, February 19, 2009

By	Todd Stockslager (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

Encyclopedic literary biography of Dickens is thorough but not exhaustive. Alphabetic entries of varying length by a large team of Dickens experts cover events, places, people, and subjects in Dickens' writing and public and private life. Longer entries include bibliographies for further research, and a general bibliography is provided.

Each major Dickens work is given a separate section documenting its

--inception and composition,
--contract, text, and publication history
--illustrations
--sources and context
--plot character and theme
--reception

There are some pictures and maps, although more would be better, and appendices providing an alphabetic list of characters and timeline of Dickens' life and career with parallel literary and historical events. The companion packs a lot of information into its 650 heavy pages of small print. If you plan to spent extensive time perusing sections, keep that in mind--I wear bifocals, but the print was too small even for my reading lenses, so I had to read longer sections without my glasses. Maybe that's more about me than about the book--but you are forewarned if you are of a certain age, and you know who you are out there!

The coverage of Dickens seems scrupulously fair, documenting both the good and bad of Dickens' life and career. And yes, there are bad in both, despite his rise to the pantheon of literary demi-gods (I have read and reviewed six of his novels, and rated all as 5-star classics). His well-kept secret affair with Ellen Ternan is mentioned but neither sensationalized nor explained away. I didn't read every entry word for word (this is a reference work, after all, and like all encyclopedia suffers from some repetition of information between entries), but I learned much new and fascinating about Dickens:

--every one of his novels was written and originally published as weekly or monthly serials

--he wrote over 14,000 letters that are documented as of the publication date, with more still being discovered.

--while known for his novels, his output in other styles (journalism, essays, short stories) actually exceeds his novels.

--he was friends with novelist Bulwer-Lytton, infamous for the opening phrase "It was a dark and stormy night", and immortalized in the annual prize for worst fiction writing. Fortunately, the association seems not to have effected Dickens' ability.

--Dickens attacked writing like a day job, keeping a strict daily schedule, for several years working on two series in parallel on journalistic deadlines (which were nearly always met), while engaging in a vigorous public life of amateur stage productions, speeches, travels, and book reading tours that both made and benefited from his groundbreaking celebrity status.

--perhaps the most intriguing personal biographic detail (notwithstanding the unknown and never-knowable details of his affair) is his undying love for his wife's sisters, including a deep period of mourning for one who died as a teenager while serving as an aide to his wife and a public request to be buried next to her (try that on your own wife and see how that goes!), then the continuation of his wife's other sister as the children's governess even after Dickens' public separation from his wife (wonder how those family get-togethers went around the Christmas tree for the reading of the Christmas Carol?).

I pulled these samples from memory in a few short minutes based on my reading of this reference. Clearly, for anyone interested in reading or knowing Dickens, this is an extremely valuable companion.