Description: For anyone wishing to learn more about Dickens's life and works and the literary, political, and social milieu in which he lived, there is no better place to turn than The Oxford Reader's Companion to Dickens. Written by a distinguished team of over 60 scholars, and edited by Paul Schlicke, former president of The Dickens Society, the Companion offers a detailed exploration of the private man and the public figure. More than 500 alphabetical entries chart the age in which Dickens lived and worked, the places which were significant to him, and the ideas and social theories of his time. Contributors draw upon recent work in areas such as publishing history, book illustration, periodical reviewing, women's studies, and cultural studies to offer a synthesis of the current state of Dickens scholarship. Also included is a complete chronology of Dickens's life, a list of characters and of abbreviations, a thematic overview, an extensive bibliography, and over 50 beautiful black-and-white illustrations and four maps to complement the volume. More important, the Companion illuminates the intricate connections between Dickens's life, his writings, and his time. Anyone wishing to more fully enjoy the crowded world of Dickens's imagination will be superbly aided by the wealth of information gathered here on Dickens's reality.

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