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bryce_is_a_librarian's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent work, maybe the best study of Dickens written.
I do feel the need to warn that on occasion Chesterton's anti semitism rises from its usual background hum to an altogether more unpleasant deafening roar.
I do feel the need to warn that on occasion Chesterton's anti semitism rises from its usual background hum to an altogether more unpleasant deafening roar.
wwatts1734's review against another edition
4.0
In the works of GK Chesterton, there are relatively few works of literary criticism, and of these, there are even fewer that are positive. The criticisms of the works of Charles Dickens are a very notable exception to this general rule. Chesterton was obviously a huge fan of Dickens. When once asked what book he would want to have with him if he were marooned on a desert island, Chesterton said that he would want to have a book on shipbuilding. But after that, he would want to have Dickens' great work, "The Pickwick Papers." Chesterton began writing criticisms of the works of Dickens in his magazine at a time when the works of Dickens were passing into obscurity. It is possible that Dickens would go have gone the way of Richard Harding Davis and the American author Winston Churchill, authors who were popular in their day but are practically unheard of today. But Chesterton's writings made Dickens popular again. When the Everyman's Library wanted to republish the works of Dickens, Chesterton was asked to write the introductions. These introductions, along with the essays on Dickens that Chesterton wrote for his magazine, are included in this volume.
This volume is a must read for fans both of Dickens and Chesterton. Because in these essays Chesterton looks intently at two aspects of Dickens, the wonderful characters that made Dickens into the classic writer that he is, and the themes that make his writing immortal. Both Dickens and Chesterton were not just storytellers, they were moralists and teachers. And Chesterton understood this about Dickens more than most Dickens scholars. These reviews are not dry and technical, they are reviews that Dickens himself would have loved to read. They are intimate and emotional. And they will turn you into a fan of Dickens even if you are not particularly fond of his writing at the moment.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Charles Dickens and GK Chesterton.
This volume is a must read for fans both of Dickens and Chesterton. Because in these essays Chesterton looks intently at two aspects of Dickens, the wonderful characters that made Dickens into the classic writer that he is, and the themes that make his writing immortal. Both Dickens and Chesterton were not just storytellers, they were moralists and teachers. And Chesterton understood this about Dickens more than most Dickens scholars. These reviews are not dry and technical, they are reviews that Dickens himself would have loved to read. They are intimate and emotional. And they will turn you into a fan of Dickens even if you are not particularly fond of his writing at the moment.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Charles Dickens and GK Chesterton.
notafraidofvirginiawoolf's review against another edition
5.0
Reading this was a delight--a wild and ineffable joy. It brought a renewed appreciation for Dickens into my life, complete with all the Chestertonian style and flair. It had the loud and indecorous loveliness of church bells--the gorgeous, untamable joy of cymbals. In every sense, it was a celebration of the romance of life and the appreciation of said romance that made Dickens great.
Wonderful.
Wonderful.
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