The Cambridge Companion to Charles Dickens (Cambridge Companions to Literature) (Paperback)

by John O. Jordan (Editor) "What does it mean to write the life and times of a major writer in the era of poststructuralist literary theory?..." (more)
Key Phrases: original illustrators, blacking factory, domestic ideology, Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Charles Dickens (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Individually and collectively, these essays are worth reading..." Dickens Quarterly

Product Description
The Cambridge Companion to Charles Dickens contains fourteen chapters by leading international scholars that cover the whole range of Dickens' writing. Separate chapters address important thematic topics: childhood, the city, and domestic ideology. Others consider formal features of the novels, including their serial publication and Dickens' distinctive use of language. The volume as a whole offers a valuable introduction to Dickens for students and general readers, as well as fresh insights, informed by recent critical theory, that will be of interest to scholars and teachers of his novels.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 258 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (June 18, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521669642
• ISBN-13: 978-0521669641
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #685,501 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indispensible!, July 24, 2008

By	Mrs. Peel "Literature Lover" (Washington Crossing, PA USA) - See all my reviews

Whether you read Dickens for your own enjoyment or for academic pursuits, you will find this book invaluable. What I like most about this "Companion" is that its fourteen chapters provide new, brilliant, and thought-provoking "lenses" through which to view his novels as I re-read them, as I have done countless times in the last half-century. My favorite Dickens' novels are "Our Mutual Friend" and "Great Expectations," so I eagerly chose Chapter 6, Brian Cheadle's "The late novels: "Great Expectations" and "Our Mutual Friend" to read first. What delight! Cheadle's essay alone is worth the price of this book. This "Companion" does not disappoint.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mixed bag, December 13, 2008

By	Christopher Grant (Salem, UT USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've read all of Dickens' novels and take a back seat to no one in my appreciation of them, but I found this Cambridge Companion less than completely satisfying. Several of the authors did a very good job of covering their assigned topics, but several others narrowed their focus too much and seemed to be straining too hard to say something original (e.g., uncovering obscure parallels between this Dickens novel and that Shakespearean play). In academia, being original is highly prized, so I guess I shouldn't have been surprised that this collection of essays turned out the way it did.

With roughly ten thousand pages available to draw upon, it seems like there's plenty to be said about Dickens' novels--commentary that would enrich the Dickens reader's experience--without becoming overly cute.

I don't mean to be unreasonably harsh. This book deserves all four stars I gave it. Still, I was hoping for something a little bit different.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good guide to what's new with Dickens, October 8, 2003

By	DAVID (British Columbia) - See all my reviews

This provides some interesting critical essays of recent scholarship on Dickens work. A must have for any student of Dickens.