Dickens Charles - Simply Dickens

For Judith and Franny

This hugely readable book by a distinguished Dickens scholar provides, in less than 100 pages, a remarkably comprehensive, authoritative and vividly written account of Dickenss astonishing life and career. Dr. Schlickes primary focus is of course on Dickens as a supremely great novelist, and on the roots of his writing in his own personal experiences, but he gives detailed attention also to other aspects of Dickens life and career such as his travels, editorial work, passion for the theatre, public readings and social activism.

Michael Slater, Emeritus Professor of Victorian Literature at Birkbeck, past President of the International Dickens Fellowship, and former editor of its journal, The Dickensian

Simply Dickens offers a concise account of the multiple lives of Charles Dickens, the author of more memorable characters with distinctive voices than any writer save Shakespeare. Meet the journalist, the philanthropist and social critic, the public speaker, the performer of readings from his own works, the actor and director of playsthey are all here jostling to keep company with the childhood and personal life of the man whose novels have secured his reputation and won readers throughout the world. Paul Schlicke presents this eminently accessible portrait in a series of brief chapters, expertly blending the contours of Dickenss multivalent activities with commentary on his development as a novelist, an author who grows quickly beyond the literary traditions he inherited to develop the unique and powerful prose that defines his major works.

David Paroissien, Editor of Dickens Quarterly

Paul Schlicke presents us with Simply Dickens in all his fascinating complexity. He succeeds in providing readers with a clear outline of the events in Dickenss life, with a shrewd and well-judged critical assessment of his works, including some of the less well-known and less popular, novels and stories. His survey embraces Dickenss journalism, his passion for theatre and performance, his relationship with the age in which he lived and about which he delivered, at times, some severe judgements. The development of Dickenss art is traced through to the works of his maturity, pointing to the way in which his themes and attitudes crystallised and had a clear impact on the honing of his craft as the greatest novelist of the nineteenth century. Alongside this, there emerges a figure who, as Paul Schlicke points out towards the end of this very valuable short study, had an enormous appetite for life and living.

Dr. Tony Williams, President of The Dickens Fellowship and Associate Editor of The Dickensian

This is one of the best short introductions to Dickenss life and work that I know. Paul Schlicke integrates the life of this extraordinary man with his fiction, journalism and public readings in a very engaging and lively narrative. I wouldnt hesitate to recommend this to the widest range of readers.

Malcolm Andrews, Emeritus Professor Victorian & Visual Arts, University of Kent, Editor of The Dickensian

Simply Austen by Joan Klingel Ray
Simply Beckett by Katherine Weiss
Simply Beethoven by Leon Plantinga
Simply Chaplin by David Sterritt
Simply Chopin by William Smialek
Simply Darwin by Michael Ruse
Simply Descartes by Kurt Smith
Simply Dirac by Helge Kragh
Simply Dostoevsky by Gary Saul Morson
Simply Edison by Paul Israel
Simply Eliot by Joseph Maddrey
Simply Euler by Robert E. Bradley
Simply Faulkner by Philip Weinstein
Simply Freud by Stephen Frosh
Simply Gdel by Richard Tieszen
Simply Hegel by Robert Wicks
Simply Heidegger by Mahon OBrien
Simply Hemingway by Mark P. Ott
Simply Hitchcock by David Sterritt
Simply Joyce by Margot Norris
Simply Machiavelli by Robert Fredona
Simply Napoleon by J. David Markham & Matthew Zarzeczny
Simply Newton by Michael Nauenberg
Simply Riemann by Jeremy Gray
Simply Tolstoy by Donna Tussing Orwin
Simply Twain by R. Kent Rasmussen
Simply Wagner by Thomas S. Grey
Simply Wittgenstein by James C. Klagge
Simply Woolf by Mary Ann Caws

Special thanks to William F. Long, for many fruitful discussions about Dickens over many years, and for his reading of the manuscript. I would also like to thank Malcolm Andrews, Michael Slater, David Paroissien, and Tony Williams, each of whom read the manuscript and made helpful suggestions. Any errors which remain are, of course, solely my responsibility.

Simply Charlys Great Lives series offers brief but authoritative introductions to the worlds most influential peoplescientists, artists, writers, economists, and other historical figures whose contributions have had a meaningful and enduring impact on our society. Each book, presented in an engaging and accessible fashion, provides an illuminating look at their works, ideas, personal lives, and the legacies they left behind. Our authors are prominent scholars and other top experts who have dedicated their careers to exploring each facet of their subjects work and personal lives.

Unlike many other works that are merely descriptions of the major milestones in a persons life, the Great Lives series goes above and beyond the standard format and content. Every book includes not just the biographical information, such as the little-known character traits, quirks, strengths and frailties, but, above all, focuses on each individuals extraordinary professional achievements.

In its exploration of famous lives that have sometimes been shrouded in secrecy, surrounded by myths and misconceptions, or caught up in controversies, the Great Lives series brings substance, depth, and clarity to the sometimes-complex lives and work of historys most powerful and influential people.

What can a reader learn from the Great Lives series? These volumes shed light on the thought processes, as well as specific events and experiences, that led these remarkable people to their groundbreaking discoveries or other achievements; the books also present various challenges they had to face and overcome to make history in their respective fields.