Charles Dickens

Bloom's Classic Critical Views

by Harold Bloom

Charles Dickens stands as one of the first great popular novelists. Study his classic works, including David Copperfield and Great Expectations.

This title, Charles Dickens, part of Chelsea House Publishers' Modern Critical Views series, examines the major works of Charles Dickens through full-length critical essays by expert literary critics. In addition, this title features a short biography on Charles Dickens, a chronology of the author's life, and an introductory essay written by Harold Bloom, Sterling Professor of the Humanities, Yale University.

Genres: Literary Criticism

225 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Harold Bloom was an American literary critic and the Sterling Professor of Humanities at Yale University. In 2017, Bloom was called "probably the most famous literary critic in the English-speaking world." After publishing his first book in 1959, Bloom wrote more than 50 books, including over 40 books of literary criticism, several books discussing religion, and one novel. He edited hundreds of anthologies concerning numerous literary and philosophical figures for the Chelsea House publishing firm. Bloom's books have been translated into more than 40 languages. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1995.
Bloom was a defender of the traditional Western canon at a time when literature departments were focusing on what he derided as the "school of resentment" (multiculturalists, feminists, Marxists, and others). He was educated at Yale University, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell University.

Reviews

[Cricket Muse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even if a person never read a single Charles Dickens novel, it would be difficult to not be aware of his influence. From memorable characters to setting to everyday references, Dickens makes his presence known. Bloom's BioCritiques guides readers to understanding more about the writer through concise biographies and selected critical essays. In this case, the essays were too general for satisfaction. Perhaps, showcasing a particular book or certain set of characters would have been more enlightening.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure. I got it for the criticism about A Tale of Two Cities. I skimmed some of the other stuff. I got enough out of it. I think it's pithier than the other criticism of Dickens I read. Maybe I only need a little bit of it. The plot details were helpful as some of the things I was unclear on about what happened and when. Particularly in the middle part.