Criticisms and Appreciations of the Works of Charles Dickens

by G.K. Chesterton

Written with intelligence and authority, these twenty-three essays provide an insight into the works of the literary genius of Charles Dickens. Chesterton greatly admired Dickens as a social prophet and a defender of the common man. Here, he focuses both on the style and ideology of Dickens and provides the critical insight into his work with his characteristic perceptive generosity. Chesterton is still regarded by many as one of the most accomplished and perceptive critics of Dickens. As much about his strongly held beliefs as about Dickens this volume is sure to inform and give pleasure to advocates of both writers.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Literary Criticism, Classics, Literature

152 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1911

About the author

Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, lay theologian, and literary and art critic.

He was educated at St. Paul’s, and went to art school at University College London. In 1900, he was asked to contribute a few magazine articles on art criticism, and went on to become one of the most prolific writers of all time. He wrote a hundred books, contributions to 200 more, hundreds of poems, including the epic Ballad of the White Horse, five plays, five novels, and some two hundred short stories, including a popular series featuring the priest-detective, Father Brown. In spite of his literary accomplishments, he considered himself primarily a journalist. He wrote over 4000 newspaper essays, including 30 years worth of weekly columns for the Illustrated London News, and 13 years of weekly columns for the Daily News. He also edited his own newspaper, G.K.’s Weekly.

Chesterton was equally at ease with literary and social criticism, history, politics, economics, philosophy, and theology.

Reviews

[amapola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Provaci ancora, Acrasia!

Pickwick rappresenta nella carriera di Dickens la massa di luce che precede alla creazione del sole, o della luna. È la sostanza splendida e informe di cui sono fatte essenzialmente le sue stelle. Pickwick si divide in infiniti romanzi, come quella luce primordiale può essere divisa in infiniti sistemi solari. Il circolo Pickwick rappresenta in primo luogo e principalmente una specie di promessa folle, una visione pre-natale di tutti i figli di Dickens. Lo scrittore non aveva ancora preso quell’abitudine sana dei suoi colleghi di scegliere una trama e dei personaggi, di seguire una cosa per volta, di scrivere un romanzo distaccato dagli altri e sensato, e inviarlo ai suoi editori. Egli viveva assorbito nel turbinio giovanile del tipo di mondo che voleva creare. Non aveva ancora deciso che storia scrivere, ma aveva chiaro il tipo di storia che voleva scrivere. Dickens cerca di raccontarci dieci storie in una sola volta, riversando nel calderone tutte le fantasie caotiche e le esperienze dure della sua giovinezza. Non si vergogna di infilarci racconti brevi irrilevanti, come in un album. Adotta certi schemi per poi abbandonarli, inizia episodi che poi lascia incompiuti. Ma dalla prima all’ultima pagina, si respira un’estasi anonima ed elementare – l’estasi dell’uomo che sta facendo quello che sa fare. Dickens, come qualsiasi scrittore valido e onesto, arriva infine a un certo livello di riguardo e di moderazione. Impara a farsi assistere dalla sua dramatis personae nella sua arte drammatica. Impara a scrivere delle storie che, per quanto piene di incoerenza e di devianze, sono pur sempre delle storie. Ma prima di scrivere la sua prima storia vera, ha avuto una specie di visione. Una visione del mondo dickensiano – un dedalo di strade bianche, una mappa piena di paesi fantastici, di carrozze assordanti, di mercati chiassosi, di taverne affollate, e di personaggi particolari e spavaldi. E quella visione era Pickwick.
(dalla Prefazione di G.K. Chesterton a Il circolo Pickwick)

Acrasia, non ti è ancora venuta voglia di precipitarti a tirar giù il libro dallo scaffale per dargli una spolveratina e una seconda chance? :)

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since I'm not a big Dickens fan outside of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, this book was very useful in helping me understand what other people see in his work. This is one of those rare instances where reading the criticism of a book actually surpasses reading the book itself. Chesterton's essays on Dickens often feel meandering and almost off-topic, but they carry a great deal of insight you're not likely to find anywhere else. Chesterton does have a tendency to come across as a know-it-all, but at least he's not an insufferable one--because the dude really does seem to know everything about everything. Each paragraph of this book contains more wit than a dozen essays written by lesser mortals.

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

During my project of reading all of Dickens' books, I came across this gem which consists of all the introductions Chesterton wrote for the Everyman series. I merely had to be sure to read each introduction after I read the Dickens novel. Chesterton wrote as if we all knew and loved each book already so there were some spoilers in a lot of them. Also, he'd refer to other Dickens' novels a lot of the time. It makes for lively reading and I'm enjoying rereading the book as a whole without worrying about having anything spoiled for me.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED this the whole way through. It was a brilliant writer writing a couple of generations after a brilliant writer. Chesterton's thoughts on each work were brief enough to be interesting but not cursory. This made me want to dive into the remaining great works of Dickens I have yet to read, and re-read some that I have already enjoyed. Heartily recommended to any serious fan of Dickens.

And Chesterton's criticisms of Modernist Realism were pungent and excellent. Reading should be a pleasure, and taking what is extraordinary (even in the mundane) and making it boring is inexcusable.

[Manuel Alfonseca · Rating 3 out of 5]

ENGLISH: This is the second time I've read this book, and I've read it together with Chesterton's Dickens biography. In the biography, Dickens obviously mentions the books, but gives each two or three pages at the most. In this his second book about Dickens, each book is assigned a whole chapter, about 10 pages. Therefore I found it most convenient to read both books at the same time. As soon as Chesterton mentioned one novel by Dickens in his first book, I read the corresponding chapter in the second.

Here is an interesting quote from chapter 8, which is as true now as when Chesterton first wrote it, over one century ago:

“Progress” is a useless word; for progress takes for granted an already defined direction; and it is exactly about the direction that we disagree.

ESPAÑOL: Esta es la segunda vez que leo este libro, y lo he leído junto con la biografía sobre Dickens de Chesterton. En la biografía, Dickens obviamente menciona los libros, pero dedica a cada uno dos o tres páginas como mucho. En este su segundo libro sobre Dickens, a cada libro se le asigna un capítulo completo, unas 10 páginas. Por lo tanto, me pareció conveniente leer ambos libros a la vez. Tan pronto como Chesterton menciona una novela de Dickens en el primer libro, yo leía el capítulo correspondiente en el segundo.

Veamos una cita interesante del capítulo 8, tan cierta ahora como cuando Chesterton la escribió, hace más de un siglo:

"Progreso" es una palabra inútil, porque el progreso da por sentada una dirección ya definida; y es exactamente sobre la dirección a seguir en lo que no estamos de acuerdo.

[foundfoundfound · Rating 5 out of 5]

criticism that almost rises to the level of actual literature. the best criticism on dickens available.

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chesterton's amazing insight into Dickens.

[L J Field · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are very few allusions to the plots of Dickens novels in this book of essays. Nor are many characters even mentioned, let alone discussed. This is a set of essays about Dickens himself and what he was perhaps experiencing in his life with each book. Most of these surveys are limited to discussions of each novels’ themes and how well the brush had painted them.

This book is a must for any serious lover of Dickens, but if you’re interested in reading insightful reviews of the plots of the books, you might want to try Edgar Johnson’s Charles Dickens: His Tragedy and Triumph.

[Bryce Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Troy Lizenby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vintage Chesterton analysis applied to the works of Charles Dickens. Chesterton preferred the earlier works to the later novels. Admired Dickens as a literary genius. Much information and insight on each of Dickens's literary compositions. I am not sure which Dickens book I will read next, but I am inclined toward the earlier Pickwick Papers.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall a good read. (Full disclosure:) As someone who doesn't like Charles Dickens, except for his short stories, Chesterton makes me want to go back and read some of these others. Chesterton was clearly very entertained by them and found the different characters quite alive. This work is filled with the sort of literary criticism one might expect, mostly positive, though Chesterton was not above more negative observations where he felt appropriate. From my own (limited) experience with Dickens, I think Chesterton let him off easy.

Chesterton highlights Dickens' qualities, for instance, "This is the great quality called satire; it is a kind of taunting reasonableness; and it is inseparable from a certain insane logic which is often called exaggeration." (location 73895-73896) He applauds Dickens taking on the difficult issues of his day, when more modern and superficial good manners avoided such things, "I have heard that in some debating clubs there is a rule that the members may discuss anything except religion and politics. I cannot imagine what they do discuss; but it is quite evident that they have ruled out the only two subjects which are either important or amusing." (location 74765-76766)

In addition to the criticism of Dickens specifically, Chesterton also uses Dickens and his observations as a springboard to criticize British society and other figures, literary or otherwise. For instance, given Dickens' interest in the plight of the poor and those lacking in influence, Chesterton contrasts Dickens' more human approach with later social reformers: "But I wish that social reformers would more often remember that they are imposing their rules not on dots and numbers, but on Bob Sawyer and Tim Linkinwater, on Mrs. Lirriper and Dr. Marigold." (location 72686-72688) Further, "since Dickens' time the study of the poor has ceased to be an art and become a sort of sham science." (location 72690-72691)

Chesterton illustrates his view thus: "The children are forcibly provided with a school; only they are not provided with a house. Officials give the most detailed domestic directions about the fireguard; only they do not give a fireguard. Officials bring round the most stringent directions about the milk; only they do not bring round the milk." (location 72742-72744) So Chesterton reveals once again his own position, near to embracing socialism, while all the while loathing socialism. Rather than indulge in romantic nostalgia over the Medieval period, however, this time Chesterton displays a disturbing romanticism of the French Revolution (more on that below).

Chesterton also uses Dickens' work to lambast his contemporaries in more general ways, for instance, "fighting for a thing without loving it is not even fighting; it can only be called a kind of horse-play that is occasionally fatal." (location 73162-73163) In terms of modern skepticism, "The great disadvantage of those who have too much strong sense to believe in supernaturalism is that they keep last the low and little forms of the supernatural, such as omens, curses, spectres, and retributions, but find a high and happy supernaturalism quite incredible." (location 73329-73331) He even lauds Dickens' embrace of Christmas in spite of himself, saying, "tradition is the most democratic of all things, for tradition is merely a democracy of the dead as well as the living." (location 74026-74027)

Chesterton also poked at those who expected respect for liking Dickens, even while living the sort of life Dickens would criticize, "Surely the vilest point of human vanity is exactly that; to ask to be admired for admiring what your admirers do not admire." (location 74596)

Chesterton rightly rejects the propagandistic narrowing of arguments about what was wrong, "Those abuses which are supposed to belong specially to religion belong to all human institutions...any one has a fork that belonged to Voltaire, he could probably exchange it in the open market for a knife that belonged to St. Theresa." (location 75584-75597)

Chesterton not only reviews Dickens, but reveals a lot about himself and his ideas throughout, as can be seen from the preceding. What was most surprising to me was his doe-eyed embrace of the French Revolution owing to its motto of liberty, equality, and fraternity. No doubt the cynical tyrants at the top were quite happy to quote this and any other phrase to the suckers sacrificing themselves on the barricades, but that Revolution was built on blood and tyranny and ended first in the Reign of Terror, but ultimately the crowning of an emperor in place of a king. Chesterton acknowledged the guillotines but embraced it all the same, despite the French Revolution being the real starting point of all the modern ideas and habits Chesterton otherwise decries, not to mention the rejection of the very Medievalism Chesterton likes to romanticize about, especially the Catholic Church.

Chesterton would have been well served by reviewing Edmund Burke, a man who sounded like a Tory in reaction to the Revolution in spite of being a life-long Whig, precisely because he understood what an existential threat tyrannical demagoguery promising "equality" was to any sort of liberty. As Vladimir Bukovsky said, "we were obliged to agree that if you answered lawlessness with lawlessness, there was precious little chance of ensuring observance of the law. There was simply no other way. In exactly the same way answering violence with violence would only multiply violence, and answering lies with lies would never bring us closer to the truth...citizens who were fed up with terror and coercion should simply refuse to acknowledge them." (To Build a Castle. My Life as a Dissenter, p 240)

This is worth reading, both because Chesterton's review of Dickens is both interesting and inspiring, but even more so because of what it draws out from Chesterton himself. He shares with a rare degree of openness about himself.

I read this as part of The G.K. Chesterton Collection 34 Books and my location references are to the work I read.

[Tommy P · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book G. K Chesterton turns his extraordinary observational powers to a subject that any sensible person will enjoy: the works of Charles Dickens. Chesterton had several advantages over most critics of Dickens. He was a skilled author of fiction himself. He was also a biographer and a student of history. But best of all he was a student of the British citizen. As such he knew the characters of Dickens before he read a word of Dickens' writing. Chesterton's familiarity with those characters brings us closer to understanding why we also feel that we know them already.
Another important service Chesterton provides for us is how he puts the works of Dickens in context and contrast to each other. His characters bore the unmistakable stamp of the author but his many forms and structures developed according to the various literary situations he found himself in.
Lastly, Chesterton has done us the favor of making this book of criticism just as fun his subject: the works of Charles Dickens

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I finish a Dickens book, I read what Chesterton has to say about it for dessert.

Chesterton is, of course, always worth reading. I don't always agree with him here; we tend to find different characters the most interesting. But I trust that his thoughts on Dickens are better than mine! His critiques of David Copperfield are brilliant -- opened my eyes to a lot I hadn't considered. At a minimum, he's thought-provoking and worth considering and often highly enlightening -- like having a brilliant person in your book club.

He lived much closer in time to Dickens (as well as being English like him), so he often helps me understand context for Dickens' work (such as the dinner party that opens Our Mutual Friend -- I thought it boring, Chesterton loved it and helped me appreciate it more).

Yum, yum!

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the title is a mouthful, this book isn't as hard to understand as many of Chesterton's other works. This is simply a compilation of introductions that G.K. Chesterton wrote for each of Dickens' novels. He reviews the books in chronological order and shows how Dickens developed as a writer. He praises Dickens' genius while at the same time commenting on some of the weaknesses of his works.

If you are not already a Dickens fan, you might find the book a bit dry. But it made me want to read the whole canon.

A more complete review is on my blog: http://worthwhilebooks.blogspot.com.b...

[Frog · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Author analyzing another Good Author is the one of the most potent and fascinating forms of thought.

It's valuable to analyze what authors are trying to achieve, and how well they ultimately achieved it.
When it comes to storytelling, or any art, there isn't subjectivity as much as complexity. It's only as debatable as how worthy your goal is, and how close you came to it (which actually leaves quite a lot of room for intricate discussion).

This is a book I'll go back to often along with C.S. Lewis' On Stories and Tolkien's On Fairy Stories. My journey to learn all I can about the science of storytelling continues.

[Courtney Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If Charles Dickens could have dropped a character into the 20th century, that character would have become Chesterton. Chesterton wrote a biography of Dickens and was influenced by his writing style. Anyone who wants to explore Chesterton should probably take a look at the characters of Dickens because Chesterton in his various aspects embodies the joviality of the comic, the cunning of the strategic, the sensitivity of the tragic personalities that populate those novels of an earlier era....Read the full review: https://catholicreads.com/2018/12/05/...

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this collection of essays. Chesterton's scholarship, humor, wisdom and abiding love of Dickens just resound in my soul. Each time I reread one of Dickens' masterpieces, out comes this volume. But fair warning: even if you plan to read only one chapter, Chesterton's voice is so addictive that you'll find yourself happily ensconced in his work for hours.

[Phil · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't finished this because I want to read the essays as I read Dickens's novels. However, Chesterton's ability to cut immediately to the soul of a novel, or a person, makes him an exceptionally insightful critic. These essays do more for literary criticism than any I read in three years of studying and researching such scholarship. They have left me marveling

[pk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely quote with GKC's definition of tradition:
" It was by a great ancestral instinct that he defended Christmas; by that sacred sub-consciousness which is called tradition, which some have called a dead thing, but which is really a thing far more living than the intellect."

[JPK · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chesterton is always brilliant.

[George Polansky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chesterton brings new insights to Dickens and his works. He has revived my interest. He also shows that criticism is not totally negative.

[Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hugely entertaining and deliberately provocative. I'd put this alongside Edmund Wilson's The Two Scrooges as essential reading for anyone wishing to trace the history of Dickens scholarship to those who had the insight to see that there was something more than a great entertainer.

Both are worth reading for themselves as well as as part of history of criticism.

Chesterton is a good deal funnier than Wilson.

vaguely connected question: how much does Father Brown owe to Mr Pickwick?

[Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chesterton idolizes Charles Dickens the way Harold Bloom idolizes William Shakespeare, and that love shines through in every essay of this collection; it's the best writing about Dickens I've yet come across - shrewd, insightful, and full of warmth and wit. A must-read for lovers of Dickens.

[Bill]

More annecdotal and winding tangential ideas and perspectives about the person Charles Dickens and his books. Really interesting.

[Auntiecatherine]

Charles Dickens by G. K. Chesterton (1936)