Dickens and the social order / Myron Magnet.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Magnet, Myron.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870--Political and social views.

Dickens, Charles.

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.

Literature and society--England--History--19th century.

Literature and society.

Political and social views.

England.

History.

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870. Barnaby Rudge.

Social problems in literature.

Social control in literature.

Physical Description:

xvi, 266 pages ; 24 cm

Edition:

Second edition.

Place of Publication:

Wilmington, Del. : ISI Books, 2004.

Summary:

The noble savage is a monstrous fiction. Man in his natural state is hardly man at all, but rather a warlike animal ruled entirely by his own aggressive and antisocial instincts. By restraining man's animal nature, civilization -- and the public authority which is its distinguishing characteristic -- makes the achievement of our true humanity possible. Furthermore, all manners and morals rest decisively on the quality of relationships between sons and fathers. While a civilized social order may come at the cost of diminished personal happiness, it nonetheless brings the decencies of law, peace, and prosperity within our reach. This is the doctrine not of Freud, nor of Hobbes, but of Charles Dickens. So argues Myron Magnet in his groundbreaking Dickens and the Social Order. Taking four books -- Nicholas Nickelby, Barnaby Rudge, American Notes, and Martin Chuzzlewit -- as constituting a distinct and critical stage in the development of Dickens's social philosophy, Magnet shows that a surprisingly traditional worldview lies at the heart of Dickens's artistic achievement. He also contends that Dickens's essential conservatism is inextricably intertwined with the liberal reformism for which the great novelist is so well known. Thorough, shrewd, and always lively, Magnet's classic study is a signal contribution to Dickens scholarship and to our understanding of nineteenth-century social thought.

Contents:

Part 1 Nicholas Nickleby 9

1 The Problem of Aggression 11

2 Polite Forms and Ceremonies 30

Part 2 Barnaby Rudge 49

3 The Civilized Condition 51

4 Natural Man 71

5 Lord Chesterfield's Conscience 84

6 The Riots 1: Down with Everything! 100

7 The Riots 2: As Wild and Merciless as the Elements Themselves 118

8 The Riots 3: Pirates and Patriots 133

9 The Authority Erected by Society for Its Own Preservation 146

Part 3 "The Republic of My Imagination" 173

10 American Notes 175

11 Martin Chuzzlewit in Context 203.

Notes:

1st ed. published: Philadelphia : University of Pennsylvania Press, 1985.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [239]-259) and index.

ISBN:

1932236376

OCLC:

55485836