The Dickensian and Us

Abstract

The ‘Dickensian’ is a term more often casually deployed than considered. This article, though modest in scope, aims to encourage us to think more carefully about our relationship to Dickens and the Dickensian. From radical readings of Dickens as a social critic to luxuriance in Dickensian good cheer, from the presentation of Dickens on stage as a ‘heritage’ item to the psychological insights into the Dickensian afforded by cinema and television, we have surrounded ourselves with multiple views of the novelist and his universe. As the twentieth century progressed, such views often came to overlap and enrich one another. Ours now tends to be a more complex view of the Dickensian, one as accustomed to emotional ambiguity and symbolism as it is to colourful characters and fireside warmth. Partly this reflects the priorities of our own age, and the media through which we now encounter Dickens. This article aims to illustrate – with reference to critical writings, museum practice, and stage and screen presentations – some of the ways in which our views of the Dickensian have deepened since the 1940s.

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