Dickens and the 1830s

Kathryn Chittick examines the early career of Charles Dickens in light of the movements in literary criticism and the rise of the novel and Victorian literary canon.

Kathryn Chittick (Author)

9780521129398, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 4 February 2010

224 pages
21.6 x 14 x 1.3 cm, 0.29 kg

The 1830s were important, formative years in the career of Charles Dickens, and also for movements in literary criticism and the development of the Victorian novel. Kathryn Chittick examines the first nine years of Dickens' career in this context, bringing to light a wealth of detail concerning the journalistic origins of Victorian criticism and the political background to the literature of the period. Central to her argument in this fascinating book is an analysis of the rise of the Victorian literary canon and the values associated with it.

Preface
Acknowledgements
Note on the text
1. 1828–1833 the parliamentary reporter
2. Literature in 1833
3. 1833–1836 the sketch writer
4. 1836–1837 the qualifications of a novelist: Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist
5. 1837–1838 the editor of Bentley's Miscellany
6. 1838 the writer of parts
7. 1839–1840 the 'man of felling': Nicholas Nickleby and Master Humphrey's Clock
8. 1839–1841 the historical novelist: Jack Sheppard and Barnaby Rudge
Conclusion
Notes
Further reading
Index.

Subject Areas: Literary studies: c 1800 to c 1900 [DSBF]