This third volume in the series explores the full range of Dickens’ work from the major novels to lesser-known pieces, and includes his public readings of his own books. Volume 3 is in two parts: (1) recent critical studies by ten outstanding Dickens critics and scholars and (2) papers delivered at the Dickens Centennial Conference at the University of Alberta, one of the most successful in a busy centennial year. All the contributions are previously unpublished.
The volume is, therefore, a judicious blend of the traditional and the new, of scholarly research and critical insights. Dickens scholars will welcome the book as ample evidence of the fact that Dickens criticism has shown no signs of decline since the centennial year.
Robert B. Partlow, Jr., is Professor of English at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and Secretary of the Dickens Society.