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The Artful Dickens: The Tricks and Ploys of the Great Novelist
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59/100Critics
77/100Scholars
Author:
John Mullan
Publisher:
Bloomsbury Publishing
Date:
May 11, 2021
From Pickwick to Scrooge, Copperfield to Twist, how did Dickens find the perfect names for his characters? What was Dickens's favourite way of killing his characters? When is a Dickens character most likely to see a ghost? Why is Dickens's trickery only fully realised when his novels are read aloud? In thirteen essays, John Mullan explores the literary machinations of Dickens's eccentric genius, from his delight in clichés to his rendering of smells and his outrageous use of coincidences. This companion puts Dickens's audacity, originality and brilliance on full display.
What The Reviewers Say
... excellent.
Whether you think modern critical theory a triumph or a travesty—or, alternatingly, both—John Mullan, in The Artful Dickens, has something to offer.
... splendid.
Mullan has taken the most popular Victorian novelist and, by holding different facets of his literary technique up to the light, found new angles from which to admire the work. By the end of this teacherly but readable analysis, Dickens’s novels are sparkling as if spring-cleaned.
