CHARLES DICKENS

CHARLES DICKENS
A CRITICAL STUDY

BY
G. K. CHESTERTON
Author of Varied Types, Heretics, Etc.

NEW YORK
DODD MEAD & COMPANY
1911

To
RHODA BASTABLE

CHAPTER I
	PAGE
THE DICKENS PERIOD	1
CHAPTER II
THE BOYHOOD OF DICKENS	24
CHAPTER III
THE YOUTH OF DICKENS	43
CHAPTER IV
“THE PICKWICK PAPERS”	71
CHAPTER V
THE GREAT POPULARITY	100
CHAPTER VI
DICKENS AND AMERICA	127
CHAPTER VII
DICKENS AND CHRISTMAS	155
CHAPTER VIII
THE TIME OF TRANSITION	181
CHAPTER IX
LATER LIFE AND WORKS	211
CHAPTER X
THE GREAT DICKENS CHARACTERS	244
CHAPTER XI
ON THE ALLEGED OPTIMISM OF DICKENS	266
CHAPTER XII
A NOTE ON THE FUTURE OF DICKENS	291

CHAPTER I
THE DICKENS PERIOD

Much of our modern difficulty, in religion andother things, arises merely from this, that weconfuse the word “indefinable” with the word“vague

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