Charles Dickens by Jane Smiley

Charles Dickens by Jane Smiley

With the delectable wit, unforgettable characters, and challenging themes that won her a Pulitzer Prize and national bestseller status, Jane Smiley naturally finds a kindred spirit in the author of classics such as Great Expectations and A Christmas Carol. As "his novels shaped his life as much as his life shaped his novels," Smiley's Charles Dickens is at once a sensitive profile of the great master and a fascinating meditation on the writing life.

This biographical deep dive offers brilliant interpretations of almost all the major works, an exploration of Dickens's narrative techniques and his innovative voice and themes, and a reflection on how his richly varied lower-class cameos sprang from an experience and passion more personal than his public knew. Smiley's own "demon narrative intelligence" (The Boston Globe) touches, too, on controversial details that include Dickens's obsession with money and squabbles with publishers, his unhappy marriage, and the rumors of an affair.

Charles Dickens is a fresh look at the dazzling personality of a verbal magician and the fascinating times behind the classics we read in school and continue to enjoy today.

Jane Smiley is the author of A Thousand Acres, as well as more than 10 other works of fiction, including Horse Heaven, Moo, and The Greenlanders, for which she won the Pulitzer Prize. She was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2001. She resides in the state of California's northwestern region.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780143119920
ISBN 10	0143119923
Title	Charles Dickens
Author	Jane Smiley
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Penguin Putnam Inc
Year published	2011-11-29
Number of pages	224
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.