Charles Dickens : a life defined by writing / Michael Slater.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Slater, Michael.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870.

Dickens, Charles.

Authors, English--19th century--Biography.

Authors, English.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (720 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2009.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This long-awaited biography, twenty years after the last major account, uncovers Dickens the man through the profession in which he excelled. Drawing on a lifetime's study of this prodigiously brilliant figure, Michael Slater explores the personal and emotional life, the high-profile public activities, the relentless travel, the charitable works, the amateur theatricals and the astonishing productivity. But the core focus is Dickens' career as a writer and professional author, covering not only his big novels but also his phenomenal output of other writing--letters, journalism, shorter fiction, plays, verses, essays, writings for children, travel books, speeches, and scripts for his public readings, and the relationships among them.Slater's account, rooted in deep research but written with affection, clarity, and economy, illuminates the context of each of the great novels while locating the life of the author within the imagination that created them. It highlights Dickens' boundless energy, his passion for order and fascination with disorder, his organizational genius, his deep concern for the poor and outrage at indifference towards them, his susceptibility towards young women, his love of Christmas and fairy tales, and his hatred of tyranny.Richly and precisely illustrated with many rare images, this masterly work on the complete Dickens, man and writer, becomes the indispensable guide and companion to one of the greatest novelists in the language.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

List of illustrations in the text

List of plates

Preface

Acknowledgements

Note on monetary values

1. Early years: from Portsmouth to Chatham, 1812-1822

2. Early years: London, 1822-1827

3. 'The Copperfield days', 1828-1835

4. Break-through year, 1836

5. Editing Bentley's Magazine, 1836-1837

6. Periodicals into novels, 1837-1839

7. The Master Humphrey experiment, 1840-1841

8. America brought to book, 1842

9. 'The turning-point of his career': England, Italy, England, 1842-1845

10. An interlude: 'daily nooses' and the noose itself, 1846

11. Dombey and other dealings, 1846-1848

12. From Dombey to Copperfield, 1848-1849

13. Interweaving and conducting: writing David Copperfield and beginning Household Words, 1849-1850

14. The year of the Guild, 1850-1851

15. Writing Bleak House, 1852-1853

16. Writing 'For These Times', 1853-1854

17. Writing Little Dorrit - among other things, 1855-1857

18. Drama and dénouement: performing The Frozen Deep and finishing Little Dorrit, 1857

19. Writing off a marriage, 1857-1858

20. Stories into scripts: the public readings, 1858

21. Serials, series and stories: writing for All the Year Round, 1859-1861

22. Christmas numbers, public readings, and 'uncommercial' travels, 1861-1863

23. Back to the 'big brushes': writing Our Mutual Friend, 1864-1865

24. Last Christmas numbers, 1865-1867

25. Writing, and reading, for America, 1867-1868

26. Disappearances and deaths, 1868-1870

27. Charles Dickens's explanations

Abbreviations and select bibliography

Notes

Index

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-282-50140-2

0-300-16552-8

9786612501401

1-4416-4558-6

OCLC:

1024056376