The Dickens Industry: Critical Perspectives, 1836‐2005

It is well known that the fortunes of authors go up and down, and Charles Dickens is no exception. He was seen as a phenomenon during his lifetime (early work was appearing by the 1830s and he died in 1870) and was variously praised and criticized by his contemporaries (a new voice in fiction, memorable characters, great social insight, too much too fast, great but flawed, a master but of mere caricature, and much else). Mazzeno calls the first chapter of nine in The Dickens Industry The Dickens Phenomenon, and moves smoothly on into the Dickens industry. We know from...