1st Edition

The Melancholy Man A Study of Dickens's Novels

By John Lucas Copyright 1980
    396 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    396 Pages 2 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    First published in 1980, this book surveys Dickens’ growing power to drive deep into the causes of his contemporary conditions. It reveals the importance of nature to Dickens as a rich metaphor of human freedom and potentiality, and emphasises his concern with time and the problems of freedom. The author considers the peculiarity of Dickens being unanimously acclaimed as a great writer considering the difficulty in placing him definitively within the literary tradition. The author argues Dickens was an isolated figure, indifferent to changing fashions and with a strong sense of the dignity of human nature and that this formed the basis of his character and writings.

    Introductory Note to the Second Edition; Introduction; 1 The Pickwick Papers 2 Oliver Twist 3 Nicholas Nickleby to Barnaby Rudge 4 From Chuzzlewit to Dombey 5 David Copperfield 6 Bleak House 7 Little Dorrit 8 Great Expectations 9 In Conclusion: Our Mutual Friend; Appendix A: Bleak House and Contradiction; Appendix B: The Illustrations to Dombey and Son; Index