The Verse of Charles Dickens - (Hardcover)

About the Book

Represents the first comprehensive academic collection of Charles Dickens's verse productions.

Book Synopsis

The Verse of Charles Dickens reveals Charles Dickens's complex, tortured relationship from 1830 to 1870 with the form and function of verse, a highly influential literary medium in the nineteenth century. Renowned as a prose writer, not as a poet, Dickens's various engagements with the genre reflect a dichotomy of enjoyment and aversion. Positioning Dickens as sensitive to the emotive capacities of verse, despite arguably lacking lyrical talent, solidifies the active role it played in his career and relationships. Whether utilising it for flirtation, political satire, parody, eulogy, or to construct elaborate riddles, Dickens continued to 'drop into' poetry. Furthermore, as editor of Household Words and All the Year Round, he regulated and influenced its periodical production by other Victorian writers. Uncovering new biographical and historical allusions in over one hundred verse items, this collection's editorial apparatus also cites Dickens's oeuvre and previous scholarship, clarifies definitions, and demystifies cultural references.

Review Quotes

The Verse of Charles Dickens constitutes essential scholarship that belongs on the same shelf as K. J. Fielding's The Speeches of Charles Dickens and Philip Collins's Charles Dickens: The Public Readings. Craig and Middleton assess Dickens's collected verse against thoroughly researched and cited alternative assessments, resulting in a robust debate.--Robert C. Hanna, Bethany Lutheran College