The Violent Effigy: Study of Dickens' Imagination (Paperback)

by John Carey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Bottled babies, wooden legs, walking coffins, corpses, umbrellas, waxworks, locks and living furniture - these are a few of the obsessions the author uncovers while investigating the strange poetry of Dickens' imagination. This book sees Dickens as, essentially, not a moralist or social commentator but as an anarchic comic genius, who was drawn irresistibly to the sinister and grotesque - murderers, frauds and public executions. Separate chapters are devoted to Dickens' interest in violence, sex and children, as well as to his humour and his symbolism. "The Violent Effigy" includes essays on "Bleak House" and "Little Dorrit", which stress Dickens' imaginative generosity and virtuosity.

About the Author
A distinguished critic, reviewer and broadcaster and one of the country's best-known and respected academics, John Carey was born in Barnes in 1934. He was evacuated to Nottingham during the war and then, on returning to London, went to a grammar school in East Sheen and then on to St John's College, Oxford. After national service and a period as Senior Scholar at Merton College, he held academic posts at Christ Church, Balliol, Keble and St John's before being appointed Merton Professor of English Literature in 1976. He retired in 1999. His literary critical works include The Violent Effigy: A Study in Dickens's Imagination (1975), Thackeray: Prodigal Genius (1977) and John Donne: Life, Mind and Art (1981). His other books include The Intellectuals and the Masses (1992), three anthologies for Faber: The Faber Book of Reportage (1987), The Faber Book of Science (1995) and The Faber Book of Utopias (1999), and Pure Pleasure: A Guide to the Twentieth Century's Most Enjoyable Books (2000). His latest book, What Good Are the Arts?, was published in June 2005.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Faber and Faber (September 2, 1991)
• ISBN-10: 0571163777
• ISBN-13: 978-0571163779
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
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• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,702,757 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)