The Companion to Our Mutual Friend (RLE Dickens)

The Companion to Our Mutual Friend (RLE Dickens)
Author: Michael Cotsell
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 337
Release: 2013-05-13
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN: 1135027668

Our Mutual Friend (1864-5) Dickens’ last completed novel, has been critically praised as a profound and troubled masterpiece, and yet is has received far less scholarly attention than his other major works. This volume is the first book-length study of the novel. It explores every aspect of Dickens’ sustained imaginative involvement with his age. In particular its original research into hitherto neglected sources reveals not only Dickens’ reactions to the important developments during the 1860s in education, finance and the administration of poverty, but also his interest in phenomena as diverse as waste collection and the Shakespeare tercentenary. The Companion to Our Mutual Friend demonstrates the varied resources of artistry that inform the novel, and it provides the reader with a fundamental source of information about one of Dickens’ most complex works.

When Bad Things Happen to Other People

When Bad Things Happen to Other People
Author: John Portmann
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 377
Release: 2002-06-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1134001711

Although many of us deny it, it is not uncommon to feel pleasure over the suffering of others, particularly when we feel that suffering has been deserved. The German word for this concept-Schadenfreude-has become universal in its expression of this feeling. Drawing on the teachings of history's most prominent philosophers, John Portmann explores the concept of Schadenfreude in this rigorous, comprehensive, and absorbing study.

The Complete Works of Charles Dickens

The Complete Works of Charles Dickens
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: Good Press
Total Pages: 12862
Release: 2023-12-29
Genre: Literary Collections
ISBN:

In 'The Complete Works of Charles Dickens', readers are transported to the mid-19th century England through the eyes of one of the most celebrated authors of the Victorian era. This collection encompasses all of Dickens' literary works, including renowned novels such as 'Great Expectations', 'A Tale of Two Cities', and 'Oliver Twist'. Dickens' unique blend of social commentary, humor, and vivid character portrayals make his writing style captivating and timeless, reflecting the harsh realities of the Industrial Revolution. His works remain an important part of English literature, shedding light on the social issues of his time. With intricately woven plots and memorable characters, Dickens' novels continue to resonate with readers of all ages. Readers will find themselves immersed in a world of poverty, injustice, love, and redemption, beautifully crafted by Dickens' masterful storytelling. 'The Complete Works of Charles Dickens' is a must-read for those who appreciate classic literature and wish to explore the complexities of 19th-century society through the eyes of a literary genius.

The Mutual Friend

The Mutual Friend
Author: Frederick Busch
Publisher: New Directions Publishing
Total Pages: 244
Release: 1994
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9780811212588

The subject of Frederick Busch's extraordinary fiction, The Mutual Friend, is Charles Dickens. First published in 1978, Busch's portrait of the Chief (or the Inimitable, as Dickens calls himself) was immediately hailed as a lively, accurate, and brilliantly imagined novel of the great Victorian and his age. Busch's guide to Dickens' world is George Dolby, the Chief's factotum in his last years. The reminiscence begins with the Great American Tour of 1867-68, Dickens is ill and crotchety but ever eager to dazzle the New World with his dramatic readings. Through Dolby we come to a circle of characters around Dickens, among them his long-suffering wife Kate and the actress Ellen Ternan, mistress to the Inimitable. Of Busch's compelling mastery over his larger-than-life subject, the English critic Angus Wilson writes, "Mr. Busch gives us Dickens in all his genius and makes us understand how that genius worked."