Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens

MP3 Audio CD. Both Dickens and Chesterton were literary geniuses, so a book in which one of them comments on the other can be only great. Indeed, Appreciations and Criticisms by Chesterton astonishes and amazes the reader with the deep insight into human nature that characterizes the oeuvres of both authors and is considered to be classics of Dickens criticism.

The book was first published in 1911 and it is a collection of the prefaces that Chesterton wrote to almost two dozens of narratives and essays about other writings by Charles Dickens. The pieces in the collection include writings not only about Dickens? major novels, but also on his lesser known works such as his A Child?s History of England as well as essays about the travel accounts describing his journeys in America. In the short essays Chesterton analyzes the novels in terms of plot, characters, style, context as well as atmosphere and attitude and he also presents the background and the inspiration behind the novels and Dickens? other writings. At some points, he criticizes Dickens, but he never fails to express his profound admiration for the master.

Many literary scholars consider Dickens to be one of the major influences on Chesterton?s oeuvre, especially conspicuous in the language and the character-building technique used in the Father Brown stories, while others consider Chesterton?s voice, his way of constructing characters and plots as well as his style and his voice to be unique to him. Either way, his admiration towards Dickens? realism, social criticism, humor and creative genius are expressed in numerous pieces of writing besides Appreciations and Criticism. In 1906, Chesterton published a biography of Dickens entitled Charles Dickens: A Critical Study, and he also wrote the entry about Dickens in the Encyclopedia Britannica, his writings contributing to the revival of the interest towards the master's works.