The Companion to Martin Chuzzlewit

by Aycock Metz, Nancy

• ISBN13: 9781873403846
• ISBN10: 1873403844
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2015-03-01
• Publisher: Liverpool University Press

Summary

Critical responses to Martin Chuzzlewit have varied. By examining the overlapping contexts within which Dickens wrote, this study makes original contributions to our understanding of the novel and its critical reception. The notes revise and expand the conventional wisdom regarding the sources for the American chapters, demonstrating that Dickens ddrew on a much wider field of writings about America than has been previously acknowledged. By reading the novel int he light of contemporary professional journals, Nancy Aycock Metz also exposes issues of that period which underlay Dickens's portrayal of Pecksniff, young Martin and the architectural scene. Finally the notes point to previously unidentified influences on theplot and characters, illuminating the impact on Dickens's thinking of a wide range of texts, from the Bridgewater Treatises to the Bible, from popular songs and newspaper advertisements to medical treatises and parliamentary reports.

Author Biography

Dr Nancy Aycock Metz has written articles on Dickens, Trollope and Victorian urban culture. She is an Associate Professor of English at Virginia Tech, USA.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
General Preface by the Editors
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations for Dickens's Works and Related Material
Bibliographical Symbols and Abbreviations
Introduction
A Note on the Text
How to use the Notes
The Notes
Appendix A: Preliminaries and Number Plans
Appendix B: American English
Appendix C: Map Relating to Martin Chuzzlewit
Select Bibliography
Index